National Historic Preservation Act

National Historic Preservation Act of 1966

Long title	An Act to establish a program for the preservation of additional historical properties through-out the Nation, and for other purposes.
Acronyms (colloquial)	NHPA
Enacted by	the 89th United States Congress
Effective	October 15, 1966
Citations
Public law	89-665
Statutes at Large	80 Stat. 915
Codification
Titles amended	54 U.S.C.: National Park Service and Related Programs
U.S.C. sections created	16 U.S.C. ch. 1A, subch. II § 470 et seq.
Legislative history
Introduced in the Senate as S. 3035 by Henry M. Jackson (D-WA) on March 7, 1966 Committee consideration by Senate Interior and Insular Affairs, House Interior and Insular Affairs Passed the Senate on July 11, 1966 (passed) Passed the House on October 10, 1966 (passed) with amendment Senate agreed to House amendment on October 11, 1966 (agreed) Signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on October 15, 1966

External video

Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell

National Historic Preservation Act 50th Anniversary, C-SPAN, 53:41, November 6, 2015

The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (Public Law 89-665; 54 U.S.C. 300101 et seq.) is legislation intended to preserve historical and archaeological sites in the United States of America. The act created the National Register of Historic Places, the list of National Historic Landmarks, and the State Historic Preservation Offices.

Senate Bill 3035, the National Historic Preservation Act, was signed into law on October 15, 1966, and is the most far-reaching preservation legislation ever enacted in the United States. Several amendments have been made since. Among other things, the act requires federal agencies to evaluate the impact of all federally funded or permitted projects on historic properties (buildings, archaeological sites, etc.) through a process known as Section 106 Review.

Preservation is a rather early development in America. Although there was no national policy regarding preservation until 1966, efforts in the 19th century initiated the journey towards legislation. One of the earliest efforts of the preservation movement occurred around the 1850s when George Washington’s home, Mount Vernon, was in shambles. His nephew attempted to sell it to the federal government for $200,000, but no one bought it. To prevent further destruction or conversion to a resort, Ann Pamela Cunningham created the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association to fight for this house. After establishing the first group promoting preservation efforts, they raised the money to acquire the property and protect it from ruin. Due to their efforts, not only does this house stand to represent the nation and the birth of independence, but it also, “served as a blueprint for later organizations.”

In 1906, an act was passed on the behalf of the nation’s history and land. President Teddy Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act that “prohibited the excavation of antiquities from public lands without a permit from the Secretary of Interior.” It also gave the president authority to declare a specific piece of land a national monument, therefore protecting it from scavengers and proclaiming national identity.

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Wikipedia