Oregon Heritage, which includes the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), is committed to finding ways to support organizations doing heritage work across Oregon. We develop statewide plans to guide our work and partner with organizations and agencies on plan initiatiatives. We also are ocmmitted to providing tools, research, and studies for heritage organizations to use in planning, advocacy, grant writing, and more.
Oregon Heritage & SHPO Plans
The Preservation Plan and the Oregon Heritage Plan are intended to guide heritage efforts statewide and the work of Oregon Heritage.
We are currently doing outreach for the 2024-2029 Oregon Historic Preservation Plan and would love to hear from the public here.
2018-2023 Oregon Historic Preservation Plan
The 2018–2023 Oregon Historic Preservation Plan is organized into 10 key issues that emerged from the SHPO's statewide outreach. Each is discussed and associated with one or more of the five approaches to preservation planning: identify, evaluate, designate, treat, and educate. For each issue, a broad goal statement captures the desired outcome, followed by specific objectives for meeting that goal.
The plan is intended to embolden advocates in their chosen roles, to reveal any gaps int he network of services, and to reinforce ways the heritage community can work better together.
2018-2023 Oregon SHPO Preservation Plan
We are currently asking the public to participate in the planning process for the 2024-2029 Oregon Historic Preservation Plan. Participate in a meeting for your area and take the survey here.
2020-2025 Oregon Heritage Plan
Prepared by the Heritage Commission, the 2020-2025 Oregon
Heritage Plan identifies opportunities to strengthen
heritage in the state and lays the foundation for the Commission’s priorities. The plan identifies four goals with corresponding outcomes and measures.
The 2020 Heritage Plan is a call to action for heritage efforts to unite around common goals. The Oregon Heritage Commission invites individuals and organizations to discuss these goals, consider how they align with institutional and regional opportunities, and join the Commission in this work. Together, individual steps will add up to important outcomes for the state resulting in more stories told, more people served, and more sustainable heritage organizations. The Heritage Commission provides grants, incentives, technical assistance, and recognition programs to support this work.
This plan can also be used as a tool for recovery. Use
this time of reopening and recovery to reflect on your mission and goals and
see if this plan and accompanying Recovery Framework insert can inform, inspire, and integrate within
your plans for the future. The Oregon Heritage Commission designed this plan as
a tool to guide the work of heritage organizations throughout the state. It is
intended as a framework to anchor heritage organizations as critical assets
serving their entire community. We hope that it will lead to a strong network
of heritage organizations contributing to the fabric of the state.
2020-2025 Oregon Heritage Plan
Oregon Heritage Plan Recovery Framework Insert
2020 Oregon Heritage Plan Tools:
Case Studies
Oregon Heritage periodically publishes case studies of projects and/or entities that leverage several different resources to accomplish their heritage goals. We also highlight projects that have success following a process that could be used as a model for others.
Partners
We have several partners that we work with on ongoing or special initiatives. They also have resources that may be useful to heritage organizations such as grants, research resources, and other heritage preservation tools.
Sharing the Value of Heritage Toolkit
This toolkit is
an ongoing effort of Oregon Heritage to compile data, resources, and
guidance to help heritage groups recognize and communicate the value of
their work. The more we articulate heritage values and impacts, the more
we strengthen public perception of heritage efforts, expand funding
opportunities, and encourage long-term support for Oregon's heritage.
We encourage you to use these resources
to create compelling impact statements about your work when you
communicate with the public, donors, and community leaders.
Tools will be added on an on-going basis to provide:
The goal of the Toolkit is to provide
current, relevant, and easy-to-use resources your heritage group can
adapt to fit your needs. To keep this a dynamic resource, tools,
guidance on using each tool, and examples will be added semiannually.
Check back often to access useful national resources and original
state-level data compiled by Oregon Heritage.
Value of Heritage Message Platform
Making the connection between your
heritage work and its impact on the community is essential for building
support and understanding. This guide will help you communicate both
what you organization does and why it matters.
Adapt It: Select messages that resonate with your work, and/or use these examples to create your own messages.
Action: Use value
messages the next time you need to prepare a testimony, an email, op-ed,
press release, speech, or even a social media post.
Cultural Value of Heritage Flyer
Stories are powerful ways to illustrate
the cultural impact of your heritage preservation and outreach efforts.
The Cultural Value of Heritage flyer is an example of how your
organization can pair a message, story, and image to demonstrate
cultural value.
Adapt It: Read through the
Cultural Value of Heritage Message Platform impact messages
(page 3) and think of a story in your work that exemplifies impact.
Pair your story with a message and an image to create a flyer.
Successful stories may include: 1) an individual's personal story, 2) a
connection to your organization's project, 3) a quotation that
summarizes the concept in the narrator's own words, 4) an ending that
connects to a larger goal.
Action: Distribute
your flyer to potential board members, with your annual appeal letter,
after a testimony to your city council, or share this flyer with local
leaders to spark a conversation about the value and impact of heritage
efforts in your community.
Cultural Value of Heritage through Volunteers Messaging
A recent
report from the Oregon Heritage Commission highlights the value of heritage organizations from the volunteer perspective. The study showed that volunteers contribute time because of the historic mission of the organizations. It also demostrated that people feel more connected to their comnunities through their volunteer experience. Use this study to promote your organization's value.
- Access Tool: Value of Heritage through Volunteers Messaging Platform
- Adapt it: Review the report and summary, then review the model messaging platform. Think about how your organization reflects this value point.
- Action: Insert your oranization's information and value, then spread the word.
Value of Heritage in Disaster Resilience Messaging Guide
Cultural heritage plays a powerful role in a community's identity through landmarks, historic collections, and intangible heritage. By communicating this value to planners and emergency management professionals, we can ensure historic places and cultural resources are included in local emergency plans, they are protected from disaster, and their role in community disaster recovery is understood.
- Access Tools:
- Adapt it: Review the report commissioned by the Oregon Heritage Commission. Select an opening, impact, and approach message from the examples provided to effectively tailor communications to your intended audience.
- Action: Use these tips to develop presentations, brochures, and social media posts that engage and influence decision makers in your community to include heritage resources in disaster planning.
NEW! Economic Impacts and Value of Oregon’s Heritage Organizations and Events (2022)
Local and statewide organizations engaged in protecting, preserving, and sharing Oregon's heritage contribute to Oregon's economy in important ways. The first part of this report quantifies some of the economic value Oregon's heritage activities and resources support, through the employment, income, and tourism spending of heritage organizations and traditions across the state. These estimates capture just a part of the broader economic importance of Oregon's heritage: the second part of this report provides illustrations of the many different ways heritage enhances the economic well-being of Oregonians.
- Access Tool: Economic Impacts and Value of Oregon's Heritage Organizations and Events Report
- Adapt It: Check out this communications tool for ideas on how to use the results of the report to communication your organization's value to the state and local economy. You can also find ways to figure out your own data for more specific information on your organization's impact OR band together regionally with other heritage organizations to commnicate regional impact.
- Action: Use this report and the communications tool to craft your messages for local decision makers, your membership, your partners, and more. This would be a perfect compliment to any end of year campaigns or to the annual report you circulate reiterating your value to the local community.
Museums as Economic Engines Report (2017)
Museums play an essential role in cultural
and social life across the US. Beyond this cultural impact, the museum
sector is also essential to the national economy of the United States.
In 2017, the American Alliance of Museums partnered with Oxford
Economics to study the museum sector's significant contribution to the
US economy. The study examined contribution to the GDP, jobs, and the
amount of tax revenue that is generated for all level of government.
Action: Use this
report and your community statistics when you speak with decision makers
and the public. Consider compiling statistics in a letter you send to
the Chamber of Commerce and City Council each year.
Economic Impacts and Value of Oregon's Heritage Organizations and Events Report & Communication Tool (2022)
A report and messaging guide commissioned by the Oregon Heritage Commission to help organizations communicate the value of heritage organizations and Heritage Tradition Events on Oregon's economy.
Value of Heritage in Disaster Resilience Report and Messaging Guide (2021)
A
report and messaging guide commissioned by the Oregon Heritage
Commission to help heritage professionals and historic property stewards
communicate the necessity of heritage-based disaster planning before
disaster strikes, as well as the important role heritage can play in
community disaster recovery.
The Value of Oregon Heritage Organizaitons' Volunteers: An Oregon Heritage Commission Volunteer Study (2020)
The Value of Oregon Heritage Organizations' Volunteer Study Summary (2020)
This
study explores the value of heritage organizations through the
volunteer experience. Volunteers support these organizations with
hundreds of thousands of hours of time, in turn the experience great
community connection.
Digital Heritage Collections Survey Summary of Key Findings (2018)
This
survey summary outlines how many of the respondents are digitizing
collections, how they are made if available digitally, and any interest
in collaboration on a local, regional, statewide level in digitization
efforts.
Cost of Collections Care (2017)
A
guide that documents the cost of collections care for museums and other
cultural institutions to help organizations plan for collection care
costs or use for support in applying for grants or fundraising efforts.
National Survey of Heritage Funding and Incentive Programs for Oregon (2017)
A research report intended to identify state, county, and local
incentive and funding programs for the broad heritage community in
Oregon. A research report intended to identify state, county, and local
incentive and funding programs for the broad heritage community in
Oregon.
Cultural Heritage Travelers in Oregon Report (2012)
A study conducted by Mandala Research LLC with support from the Oregon
Heritage Commission, Oregon Cultural Trust, and Travel Oregon to
identify the level of awareness of cultural heritage activities in
Oregon, perceptions of the cultural heritage assets to the State,
willingness to visit, and the economic impact.
Heritage Vitality Study (2011)
A report commissioned by the Oregon Heritage Commission to identify
individual and collective challenges facing Oregon heritage. Proposes
comprehensive solutions to these challenges.
American Association for State and Local History Reframing History Project - "Funded by the Mellon Foundation and carried out in partnership with the
FrameWorks Institute, National Council on Public History, and
Organization of American Historians, Reframing History is the result of a
two-year, deep-dive research effort to understand how Americans think
about history and how our field can more effectively explain history’s
value. The recommendations from this project are designed to help
historians, educators, museum professionals, and history advocates to be
able to more cohesively and convincingly communicate about history to
build a wider understanding of what inclusive history looks like and why
it is important for all of us." View the report, toolkit, and podcast here.
Outreach Initiatives, Special Projects, Legislation
Explore our initiatives, projects and legislation information to see what we are working on and how you can get involved.
2024-2029 Oregon Historic Preservation Plan
What is the 2024-2029 Oregon Historic Preservation Plan?
As part of its mission, the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) in partnership with the with the public and our partners creates a statewide historic preservation plan every five years to identify what is special about Oregon and how best to preserve it for future generations. The plan addresses identifying and preserving historic places, collections, and traditional practices, educating the public about the State’s history, and building support for the organizations that curate our cultural legacy.
The Plan is required by the National Park Service in Washington DC. The agency partially funds the SHPO through a biannual grant under the provisions of the 1966 Historic Preservation Act. The current 2018-2023 Oregon Historic Preservation Plan is available on the agency website.
Make Your Voice Heard: Attend a Meeting and Complete our Online Survey
This summer and fall Oregon State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is asking Oregonians how Oregon’s heritage is special to them in a series of 90-minute virtual public meetings and an online survey to direct state-wide preservation goals for the 2024-2029 Oregon Preservation Plan. The SHPO is an office of Oregon Heritage.
Meetings will focus on a specific region or topic, but all are welcome to attend one or more of the meetings. At the regional meetings participants will identify what issues matter most, how to best preserve the state’s history, and what government agencies, cultural institutions, and each Oregonian can do. Topic-based meetings will discuss how the heritage community can better address diversity, equity, and inclusion in cultural resource programs, disaster preparedness and response, and planning for cultural resources in development and infrastructure projects. The meetings will be held Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00, June through September by Zoom video and teleconference.
Meetings
Public workshops invite participants work together in a collaborate form to identify how we as a state can work together to recognize and protect our important places, archives, collections, and traditions. Get a sneak peak of the presentation here.
The virtual meetings are organized by region and some by topic. All meetings are 6:30-8pm. Register for individual meeting by selecting the link.
- July 6th, Greater Willamette Valley - Register here
- July 20th, Central and Southeast Oregon - Register here
- July 21st, Greater Portland Metro Area - Register here
- August 3rd, Rogue Valley and South Oregon Coast - Register here
- August 17th, I-84 Corridor and Northeast Oregon - Register here
- August 31st, Northwest and Central Oregon Coast - Register here
- September 7th, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access in the Oregon Preservation Plan - Register here
- September 14th, Disaster Preparation and Response for Cultural Resources - Register here
- September 21st, Community Planning for Cultural Resources - Register here
- October 12, general public workshop - Register here
- October 13, general public workshop - Register here
Online Survey
We’re also inviting every Oregonian to participate in our online survey. The survey asks about your interests, what issues matter most, and what we can all do to preserve our history. Go to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2024-2029HistPresPlanSurvey.
Like our page on Facebook, and subscribe to the blog for additional information and comment opportunities.
Please contact Ian Johnson, Associate Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, at (971) 718-1137 or ian.johnson@oprd.oregon.gov with any questions or comments.
More about Oregon Heritage and the Oregon SHPO
Oregon Heritage, a Division of Oregon State Parks, includes the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). The Oregon SHPO locally administers National Park Service (NPS) programs created by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, including the identification and designation of historic properties and archaeological sites; tax and grant programs; and the Certified Local Government Program (CLG), a partnership program between local jurisdictions and the state and federal government. The SHPO office is funded in part through a grant from NPS. The SHPO also coordinates closely with Oregon Heritage programs, including the Oregon Heritage Commission and Main Street program, Cemetery Commission, and various grant and technical assistance programs. See the current 2018-2023 Oregon Historic Preservation Plan.
Archaeological Permits Rulemaking
The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is requesting public comment on a proposed Oregon Administrative Rule change for archaeological permits on public land. The deadline is 5 p.m. Sept. 30, 2022.
State law requires a permit for archaeological excavation or collection of archaeological objects on public land. The agency received comments on the process for issuing permits on public and private lands earlier this year.
One comment led to additional changes that are now open for comment. The proposed changes in OAR 736-051-0080(3) create a process for the State Physical Anthropologist with the Legislative Commission on Indian Services (LCIS) to receive a permit.
Comments may be submitted:
• Online: https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/PRP/Pages/PRP-rulemaking.aspx
• Mail: Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, attn: Jo Niehaus, 725 Summer St. NE, Suite C, Salem, OR 97301
• Email: OPRD.publiccomment@oprd.oregon.gov
A full copy of the proposed amendments is available: https://www.oregon.gov/oprd/PRP/Pages/PRP-rulemaking.aspx.
After reviewing public comments, agency staff will present final amended rules for consideration by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission later this year. SHPO is part of the Heritage Division of Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.
Depression Era Survey & MPD
Oregon State Historic Preservation Office is working with Restore Oregon to document and designate Depression Era historic properties, in particular those related to the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Public Works Administraiton (PWA). The project will complete a Multiple Property Document Submission for statewide historic resources and a nomination for a Depression Era property. The project is funded in part by the Oregon Cultural Trust. UPDATE: The MPD has been recommended by the SACHP and submitted to the National Park Service.
Please submit information about these property types through our online survey form.
Historic Preservation Month - May
May is Historic Preservation Month! Oregon Heritage wants to help you celebrate preservation in your community. The following tools are available to you:
- Send your preservation related events to heritage.info@oregon.gov and we will highlight them online and in the weekly Oregon Heritage News listserv.
- If you are looking for ideas on what to do during social distancing times, check out this list to get inspired and help with your planning.
- Join us on May 6 for Part 3 of Oregon Heritage's COVID-19 Commiseration Calls featuring Preservation Month activities that folks have done and lessons learned or ideas on what else to do. Please join us if you have had events and share what worked so that other folks can have a chance to do it in their community.
Identity Focused Heritage Resources & Commemorations
People doing heritage work in Oregon are targeting dentity focused topics. These include documenting, designating and sharing diverse histories and ensuring all people can access them. Here are resources to support this work.
Share places you find with the State Historic Preservation Office. Sumbit information at www.makeoregonhistory.org. The information will
be added to the Oregon Historic Sites Database and may be used to designate
properties to the National Register of Historic Places in the future.
This is a work in progress. Please share suggestions with Kuri Gill.
Resources
Northwest Digital Heritage - online access to many archives
Oregon Digital Newspaper Project
Oregon Encyclopedia
Oregon Multicultural Archives
Portland State University Special Collections & Libraries
NPS - Underrepresented Communities Grant
Addressing Racism in Heritage Organizations
Heritage Bulletin 34: Researching Historically Marginalized Communities
Oregon Advocacy Commissions
Four Oregon commissions that advocate for specific communities. Also offers equity-related research and resources.
Black History
Commemorations:
January, Martin Luther King, Jr Birthday
February, Black History Month
June, Juneteenth
Oregon Commission on Black Affairs
Oregon Black Pioneers
Maxville Heritage Interpretive Center
African American Civil Rights Grant
African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund
Chinese American History
Commemorations:
May, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Oregon Commission on Asian & Pacific Isander Affairs
Portland Chinatown Museum
Kam Wah Chung Site
Oregon Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association
Japanese American History
Commemorations:
May, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
February, Day of Rememberance
Oregon Commission on Asian & Pacific Isander Affairs
Japanese American History Museum of Oregon
Four Rivers Cultural Center
History Museum of Hood River County
LGBTQIA+
Commemorations:
June, Pride Month
Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest
Eugene Lesbian Oral History Project
OSU Queer Archives
Hispanic/Latinx History
Commemorations:
September, Hispanic Heritage Month
Oregon Commission on Hispanic Affairs
UO Latino Roots
Five Oaks Museum
PCUN History
Diverisity of Heritage: Exploring Oregon's Heritage Resources in Latinx Communities
Oregon's Tribes
Commemorations:
October, Indigenous People's Day
November, Native American Heritage Month
The Oregon's federally recognized tribes are sovereign nations and have deep history in Oregon. Each tribal nation is organized differently and it is important to coordinate with them on various levels including tribal government and staff.
Legislative Commission on Indian Services - Find current tribal government and cultural resources contacts here.
Contact tribes directly to work with them regarding collections, interpretation, language, cultural practices, etc. Some have museums, online history, and collections.
Burns Paiute Tribe
Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation of Oregon
Coquille Indian Tribe
Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians
Klamath Tribes
Tribes outside of Oregon also have historic ties to lands within the state. If you are near state boundaries, research the appropriate tribes to engage.
Women's History
Commemorations: March, Women's History Month; Suffrage anniversaries
Oregon Commission for Women
Oregon Women's History Consortium
Women's Vote Centennial Initiative
Northwest Digital Heritage
The Oregon Heritage Commission, State Library of Oregon, and Washington State Library have partnered to launch Northwest Digital Heritage (NWDH), an online platform for Oregon and Washington based libraries, museums, and cultural heritage organizations to digitize and make accessible cultural heritage materials. Northwest Digital Heritage also operates as a service hub of the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), which helps bring these unique and local Northwest collections to a wider audience.
NWDH provides cultural institutions the following services:
- Metadata “Harvesting.” Records are copied from their home systems, standardized, and then transferred to DPLA.
- Digital Collection Hosting offers smaller institutions an online platform to host their digitized items including historical documents, photographs, oral-history recordings, and more.
- Training and Support. Service hub staff, composed of teams at both state libraries and the Oregon Heritage Commission, train cultural heritage organizations to digitize collections, edit and preserve digital files, and catalog material to archival standards.
Visit Northwest Digital Heritage to learn about how to get your heritage archives online.
Oregon Archaeology Month - October
Oregon Archaeology Month is celebrated each October. Oregon
Heritage, which includes the State Historic Preservation Office,
celebrates the occasion by producing the Oregon Archaeology Month poster
and hosts a calendar of archaeology related events open to the public
The
theme for 2019 is Public Archaeology. The 2019 Oregon Archaeology
Month poster includes images of public participants who have had the
opportunity to work with professional archaeologists across the state.
Some were able to learn about important events and activities of the
past by participating in archaeological studies at the very places where
the events and activities occurred. Others interacted with professional
archaeologists at public events. From a military fort on the coast to
Chinese mining in eastern Oregon, to the annual Portland State
University sponsored Archaeology Roadshow, the opportunities allowed
anyone with an interest in archaeology to learn more.
If you or your organization would like to receive copies of the poster or smaller flyer contact
shpo.archaeology@oprd.oregon.gov.
Volunteer Appreciation Week- April
Need some help to thank your heritage hero volunteers? We've got you covered!
Volunteer Appreciation Graphic
Feel free to use our "Thank You Volunteers" graphic we created that was inspired by the theme for our 2020 Oregon Heritage Conference, Harness the Power of Heritage! Access the graphic here.
Volunteer Appreciation Language Template - Direct Thank you to Volunteers:
Thanks for being a heritage hero!
Yes, you. You're a hero to us!
It's Volunteer Appreciation Week and we can't say enough how much the time and effort you give helps us succeed. It takes a dedicated team of people who care to keep the doors open, the lights on, and operations moving. Every hour a volunteer sits at the front desk, staffs an event, attends a board meeting, changes a light bulb, writes a grant, repairs whatever thing has most recently broken, calls a donor, or weeds the yard—makes a difference.
And it's more than that. Your volunteer work supports our community's identity. Heritage organizations like ours help community members remember and learn from the past. They provide spaces for reflection and critical thinking about our future. They make vibrant communities.
Thank you for your contribution to us and the community. Thanks for being our heritage hero!
Volunteer Appreciation Language Template -Social Media Post Template:
It's Volunteer Appreciation Week! Join us in thanking our dedicated volunteers!
Volunteers provided _(total hours)__ hours of service to our organization this year.
Volunteers allowed us to welcome ___(number that pertains to your org)_ school groups/visitors this year.
We're proud of the major projects our volunteers helped us accomplish: ______________.
We couldn't do what we do without our volunteers. Help us thank our heritage heroes in the comments below!
Volunteer Appreciation Ideas During Social Distancing
- Write and mail a thank you letter.
- Add a gift.
- Lifesavers – “You are a lifesaver!"
- Mints – "You mean a mint to us!"
- Chocolate Coins – "Your work is solid gold!"
- Gummy Bears – "We can't bear to be without you!"
- Coffee Packet –" You keep us going! You keep it perky!"
- Fortune Cookie – "You are our good fortune!"
- Do a drive by and hang a sign at their house.
- Share with the world. Tell the number of volunteers and hours of work, and where appropriate and with permission list them individually.
- Newsletter announcement
- Social media post a thanks
- Send a letter to the editor of your local paper
- Put a big thank you sign on your window
- Have an awards program
- Mail the award
- Feature individual stories in newsletter and social media
- Hold an online ceremony – in formal gear and all to make it fancy!
Additional Resources
The Value of Oregon Heritage Organizations' Volunteers Study Summary, 2020 Oregon Heritage Commission
The Value of Heritage through Volunteers Message Platform, Oregon Heritage Commission
COVID19 and Museum Volunteers, American Alliance of Museums