Historical Homes

The Newark Valley Historical Society, with technical assistance from the

Cornell University Graduate Program in Historic Preservation Planning,

initiated the present reconnaissance level survey of the Town and Village of

Newark Valley in the summer of 1994. The survey is a first step towards the

comprehensive identification and evaluation of historic built resources in

this rural township. It is intended to provide the groundwork for future,

intensive level surveys, and later, for nominations to the National Register of

Historic Places. Although the survey is not specifically designed to be part

of the current comprehensive planning efforts by the Tioga County Department

of Economic Development and Planning, it should prove useful to those

committee members developing plans for historic preservation and heritage

tourism in the county.

The present survey expands on an earlier survey that was limited to the

Village of Newark Valley. In 1979, at the request of the Newark Valley

Historical Society, graduate students in Cornell University’s Historic

Preservation Planning Program surveyed portions of the village. Funded by a

grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the survey resulted in the

completion of 79 New York State Building/Structure Inventory Forms, which were

subsequently published in book form. One purpose of the 1979 survey was to

identify potential historic districts to be nominated to the National Register

of Historic Places. No districts were nominated at that time, however, due to

budgetary constraints and the decision to expand the survey to include the

entire township.

Between 1979 and 1994, members of the Landmarks Committee of the Newark

Valley Historical Society solicited historical information from property

owners, conducted original research, and carried out a photographic survey of

many historic properties in the village and township. This information was

used extensively during the preparation of the present reconnaissance level

survey.

The present survey was initiated by members of the Landmarks Committee

of the Newark Valley Historical Society. Committee members contacted Barbara

Ebert, a Visiting Lecturer in Cornell University’s Historic Preservation

Planning Program, who assumed the role of project coordinator. Ms. Ebert, a

36 CFR 61 qualified architectural historian, supervised the grant application

process that secured the project’s funding, selected the consultant who

conducted the reconnaissance level survey and supervised the first phase of

an intensive level survey that builds on the present survey. The consultant

hired to prepare the reconnaissance level survey, a 36 CFR 61 qualified

historian, is currently completing a Master’s degree in Historic Preservation

Planning at Cornell University. This survey was funded by grants from the

Rural New York Historic Preservation Grant Program, the Newark Valley

Historical Society and the Newark Valley Town and Village Boards.

This reconnaissance level survey follows guidelines set by the New York

State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. A reconnaissance

level survey is designed to identify and describe themes and contexts

significant in the prehistory and history of a designated survey area and to

determine the range, number and geographic distribution of archaeological and

historic resources related to those themes and contexts. Although prehistoric

and historic archeological sites are mentioned in the Historic Overview

section of this survey, they are not considered systematically in the Existing

Conditions section.

The survey is divided into four parts. The Methodology outlines the

purpose of the project, its anticipated uses, and the methods used to

undertake the survey. The Historic Overview outlines themes significant in

Newark Valley’s history, and provides a historical context for the township’s

built environment. The Existing Conditions section catalogues the types of

historic built resources extant in the township and summarizes their

distribution and present condition in narrative form. Finally, the

Recommendations section suggests ways to build on the reconnaissance level

survey to further document and protect historic resources in the township.

Supplemental to the survey is an annotated bibliography of works

relevant to the history of Newark Valley’s built environment. This

bibliography was compiled by Virginia Mullen and Dorothy Torrey of the

Landmarks Committee of the Newark Valley Historical Society. Additional

entries and annotations were supplied by the consultant.

The consultant conducted a preliminary visual survey of Newark Valley

between May 28 and May 30, 1994 to form an initial impression of the range

and distribution of the township’s built resources. Using the data gathered

during this survey and the sources identified in the bibliography, the

consultant then prepared the Historic Overview. The Historic Overview was

completed in draft form in September, 1994.

Before preparing the Existing Conditions section, the consultant

conducted a second comprehensive visual survey of the township on September 6

and September 13, 1994, to confirm initial impressions and to gather

additional data. A similar survey of the village was undertaken on September

19 and September 22, 1994.

To facilitate future National Register nominations, all buildings and

farm complexes more than fifty years old (i.e., pre-1944) were included in the

Existing Conditions survey. United States Geological Survey (USGS) maps from

the 1950s, used in conjunction with current tax records-and data gathered

during the visual surveys, provided the base list of historic properties

summarized in the Existing Conditions section. Also useful in the preparation

of this section was the large collection of relatively current (post-1986)

photographs and other information on individual properties collected by

members of the Landmarks Committee of the Newark Valley Historical Society.

In a few cases, the list of properties was supplemented by evidently historic

buildings that were not depicted on the USGS maps. The final list of

properties was limited to buildings and other built resources visible from

public roads.

The survey was originally designed to identify and evaluate individual

farm buildings with the same thoroughness devoted to residences and other

major building types, but a comprehensive survey of outbuildings was

determined to be beyond the scope of the project budget. Therefore, the

locations of barns and farm complexes appearing to be more than fifty years

old were recorded, but outbuildings were not classified and analyzed as

rigorously as were other building types.

The reconnaissance level survey was completed in November, 1994.

For more information visit: Newark Valley Historical Society