Preservation is Easy: Look but Don’t Touch
Nearly anytime I see something history-related in the news, I get excited. It is a time to learn about something new, hear about some other historian doing great work, or just celebrate that precious media space has been dedicated to the subject.
Sometimes, however, history in the news invokes feelings that I don’t like to relate with the subject: sadness, frustration, anger. This reaction is common especially when I learn of acts of useless vandalism toward historical objects.
My last post – about trees – made me think of one of the more newsworthy acts of vandalism in the last few years, which surrounded the Sycamore Gap Tree in Northumberland. This tree, planted in the late 1800s, stood next to the famed Hadrian’s Wall and was known worldwide. It even made a prominent appearance in the 1991 feature Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The news made me sad, and heart sick. I had never seen the tree in person, but I had hoped to one day.
Most recently, vandalism struck one of the holiest sites in America: the National Battlefield at Gettysburg, PA. On Aug. 15, several boulders on the hill known as Little Round Top, the site of the 20th Maine’s brave bayonet charge lead by the immortal Col. Joshua Chamberlain, were damaged by graffiti carved into the stone. A few days later, spray paint graffiti was found on the Observation Tower sitting atop Oak Ridge.
For American military historians like me, Gettysburg is like Disney World. Again, I was dejected. To make the situation worse, Little Round Top had only just re-opened after a two-year preservation and rehabilitation project that cost approximately $13 million.
While spray paint is neither easy nor pleasant to remove, it can be done. The real concern was removing the carvings to the stones. The Park Superintendent themself was afraid the carvings would be there for future visitors.
However, fear not. If there is one thing about historians, it is that they care passionately about preserving the past. By Aug. 20, the National Park Service’s preservation team had restored both sites to their original state.
It was wonderful work by wonderful people.
History has value. When it comes to the parks and monuments, we are only borrowing those things from our children for a time before we hand them over, like a grandmother would old dinner China. We owe it to them and future generations to preserve as many historically valuable things as we can. In many cases, we also owe it to the souls of those who have gone. In the case of Little Round Top, nearly a thousand men from both North and South fought over the hill in July of 1863. Many didn’t leave the hillside alive. Their memories deserve better than carvings and paint.
Preservation work done by professionals and volunteers can produce amazing results. The Little Round Top stones look as good as new…or however they looked for their age on Aug. 14. At the site of the Sycamore Gap, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the stump now has a few shoots growing from it – a restoration effort by nature itself. In 200 years, Hadrian’s Wall may have a new sentinel.
Unfortunately, some of the more destructive acts can change the landscape forever, both for the site and the people involved. Two men are currently facing charges for the part they played in pushing rocks from a stone formation in Lake Meade, Nevada. The rock formations, part of the Lake Meade National Recreation Area, were estimated to be 140 million years old. The perpetrators now face criminal proceedings. Ruination all around.
Many people share a love of history. Thankfully, some dedicate their time to learning how to preserve and rehabilitate various aspects of history. They work with stone or wood to repair items in the original manner. They clean, delicately, when things become dirty or stained. But it doesn’t require training or experience. We can all be preservationists. Because, really, preservation is everyone’s duty. Every citizen can play a role. It is as simple as not leaving a mark to begin with.
