My final grade

What do I deserve in this class?? Hmm... This has been an interesting class, especially as far as blogs go b/c I've never really posted them before. Now, I'm actually starting to use the one I have on my myspace account. I didn't post enough blog entries, but I honestly got bogged down with ideas. I felt like I was just copying news strories. But I think the entries I did make were useful to me, if no one else. I think my articles will be fine once I get them to you! I have to get the coding right--that's been the biggest challenge so far. I'm not so HTML savvy. I can make a webpage, but for some reason I'm not good with codes. So I am thinking a B, considering my blog. Hopefully, my articles are better!!

So one of my main issues with Statesboro is the city's lack of interest in neighborhood preservation. Many of the older neighborhoods surrounding the dowtown area are rich with culture, particularly African American culture, and the vernacular homes are priceless. Larger cities such as Augusta and Macon are currently working to preserve such neighborhoods. The city of Augusta and the city's historic preservation division, http://www.augustaga.gov/departments/planning_zoning/hist_prev_about.asp, are setting wonderful examples for smaller towns to emulate. Historic Augusta, Inc, http://www.historicaugusta.org/, is another partner organization that has worked to preserve communities surrounding the heart of the city, largely focusing on saving African America neighborhoods, such as Bethlehem and the Laney-Walker District. I think this is a very important aspect of Bullochy County's history that currently seems to be largely overlooked. I know Bulloch County has a historical society, but I was unable to find a website for them.

One reason I dedicated my blog to historic preservation is because I hope to attend the University of Georgia's School of Environental Design next fall. The school offers a Masters degree in Historic Preservation http://www.uga.edu/gradschool/programs/historic_perservation.html, and focuses on elements such as city planning and green design for restoration students. The city provides an excellent lab for students in this field, as many of the buildings on campus have been fully restored from their original framework. Athens also provides good examples for students working towards the city planning aspect of historical preservation. Of course, the city is a member of the Main Street organization, as several organizations work together in preservation and landscaping efforts throughout campus and the town. Just in case anyone reading this is interested, the following link is a listing of courses and requirements, http://www.sed.uga.edu/courses/mhp.htm.

Historical Preservation is not limited to the restoration of buildings. According to the National Trust of Historical Preservation, www.preservationnation.org, entire neighborhoods, landscapes, rural buildings, cemetaries, and artifacts are all elements of preservaton. Antiquing is perhaps the most broad, most popular form of historical preservation. Magazines, countless books, television shows, organizations, websites, and businesses are dedicated to this popular fascination. The Antiques Road Show is a good example of this trend.