Preservation values in the united states: A case study of three lighthouses

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2007-05

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Abstract

The following study is an analysis of the preservation values evident in three historic lighthouses: The Roanoke River Lighthouse (2003) in Plymouth, North Carolina; the Old Plantation Flats Lighthouse (2005) in Cape Charles, Virginia; and the Old Roanoke River Lighthouse (1887) in Edenton, North Carolina. These three lighthouses are compared and analyzed according to the preservation values set forth by Austrian historian Alois Riegl (1858-1905) in his essay "The Meaning of Monuments and Their Historical Development" (1903) and the values implied in the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (1992).

The primary goal of this study is to establish greater clarity regarding preservation values as they are presented in the United States today. This study serves four purposes: First, this study establishes the relationship between Riegl's preservation theory and the current preservation guidelines in the United States. Second, this study presents the histories and current conditions of three related historic lighthouses, the circumstances of which have never been presented together in a single work. Third, this study makes a recommendation of treatment for the Roanoke River Lighthouse in Edenton based on Riegl's preservation theory. Fourth, this study concludes with a summary regarding the current state of preservation theory in the United States, and of lighthouse preservation in particular.

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