Diversity and Change in the National Historic Landmarks Program
Panel Discussion
Abstract
This panel discussion focuses on current initiatives to identify and document National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) that represent the diversity and complexity of the American experience. Recently updated guidelines on preparing NHL nominations address issues related to diversity and relevance, and historic context studies assist in identifying potential NHLs associated with underrepresented themes and groups. A new initiative aims to increase recognition of women’s history in NHLs. Attendees are encouraged to propose and discuss other initiatives and studies needed to increase diversity and relevance in the study and interpretation of historic places.
National Park Service Public History and Memory Social and Cultural SurveySession Participants
Dr. Lisa Davidson, NPS - National Historic Landmarks Programs
Chair
Bio for Lisa Pfueller Davidson
Lisa Pfueller Davidson is National Historic Landmarks Program Manager within the Cultural Resources Partnerships and Science directorate of the National Park Service in Washington, DC. Previously she was a historian with Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS). She holds a B.A. in Art History and American Studies from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in American Studies from George Washington University. Lisa is a co-author of Buildings of Maryland published in 2022 by University of Virginia Press as part of the Society of Architectural Historian’s Buildings of the United States series and a former board member of the Vernacular Architecture Forum.
Dr. Lyn Causey, National Park Service
Panelist
Lyn Causey is a Historian with the National Historic Landmarks Program. She earned a Ph.D. in History and a graduate certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Delaware, then worked as a consultant specializing in National Register and National Historic Landmark (NHL) nominations. She authored six NHL nominations, including the nomination for Dudley Farm, which won the 2021 Buchanan Award from the Vernacular Architecture Forum. Prior to joining the NHL Program staff, Lyn was the National Register Coordinator for the Alabama Historical Commission. She is a former member and chair of the OAH Committee on the NPS Collaboration.
Astrid Liverman, National Park Service
Panelist
Astrid Liverman is a Historian with the National Historic Landmarks Program in the National Park Service’s Cultural Resources Partnerships and Science directorate. She holds a BA in Art History and French from Sweet Briar College and a Certificate in Connoisseurship-Decorative Arts from Christie’s. While earning her PhD in Architectural History from the University of Virginia, Astrid interned at the Musée d’Orsay. She subsequently served as Architecture Branch Chief with the Hawai'i State Historic Preservation Division, Preservation Planning Unit Director with History Colorado, and as the National Historic Landmarks program lead in the NPS legacy Intermountain region. She sits on the board of the Alliance for Historic Landscape Preservation.