The library of Congress has searchable digital collections including: Historic American Buildings Survey; Historic American Engineering Record; Historic American Landscapes Survey; periodicals; legislation; newspapers; books / printed materials, photographs / prints / drawings; and maps relating to Lewis County.

Here you can find information on how to protect an important place, fund a preservation project, and engage with your community, as well as access technical preservation briefs, Standards and Guidelines for best practices in heritage preservation, and teaching tools.

Historic properties illustrate the heritage of the United States. The almost 2,600 NHLs found in the U.S. today come in many forms: historic buildings, sites, structures, objects, and districts. Each NHL represents an outstanding aspect of American history and culture. We have two NHLs in Lewis County, do you know what they are?

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archaeological resources.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded non-profit organization, that works to save America’s historic places. Their mission is to protect significant places representing our diverse cultural experience by taking direct action and inspiring broad public support. On this site you can explore historic sites, download historical guides, look inside houses, and connect with the multicultural heritage that makes our country a whole.

The National Barn Alliance provides national leadership for the preservation of America’s historic barns and rural heritage through education, documentation, conservation, and networking. They are a nation-wide, non-profit organization coordinating preservation efforts to save America’s Historic Barns by encouraging documentation of historic barns and other rural structures through survey and photography. They support educational programming and materials related to barn and farmstead preservation, encourage the creation and support of barn preservation organizations and programs; and facilitate the sharing of information on barns, their history and their maintenance by connecting members and specialists during events, conferences, and social media.

The Main Street movement is the leading voice for preservation-based economic development and community revitalization across the country. Here you can learn more about the program and get inspired by small town revitalization across the United States. Are there places in our county that would benefit from such a program?

This is an online resource for historic preservation, building restoration and cultural resource management. Their goal is to foster the preservation of historic buildings, historic downtowns and neighborhoods, cultural resources and to promote heritage tourism by facilitating communication among historic preservation professionals and the general public. The website includes information such as historic real estate sales, grants information, articles and publications, historic photo galleries and more.

The AAM encourages museums to educate and inspire, nourish minds and spirits, and enrich lives and create healthy communities. They believe that experiences are characterized by encounters with objects and living populations, stories, experts and primary learning experiences in welcoming places, supported by scholarship and knowledge. They offer advisory services and advocacy for museums and related organizations.

Americans for the Arts envisions an America where every child has access to—and takes part in—high quality and lifelong learning experiences in the arts, both in school and in the community. Through the Arts Education Network, Americans for the Arts provides arts education professionals with professional development opportunities as well as tools and resources needed to strengthen arts education in their own communities.

CCAHA is a nonprofit, full-service facility with experts in a range of disciplines. Their mission is to provide expertise and leadership in the preservation of cultural heritage. Their conservators in Philadelphia repair and stabilize books, photographs, and documents, and their preservation staff members work in the field, helping institutions plan for the future of their collections.

The Collections Assessment for Preservation (CAP) program provides small and mid-sized museums with partial funding toward a general conservation assessment. The assessment is a study of all of the institution’s collections, buildings, and building systems, as well as its policies and procedures relating to collections care. Participants who complete the program receive an assessment report with prioritized recommendations to improve collections care. CAP is often a first step for small institutions that wish to improve the condition of their collections.

The mission of IMLS is to advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. They offer grant programs for small museums, community building, and collections assessments for preservation.

Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America.

Because democracy demands wisdom, NEH serves and strengthens our republic by promoting excellence in the humanities and conveying the lessons of history to all Americans. The Endowment accomplishes this mission by awarding grants to strengthen teaching and learning in schools and colleges, facilitate research and original scholarship, provide opportunities for lifelong learning, preserve and provide access to cultural and educational resources, and to strengthen the institutional base of the humanities.

The New York State Museum is a center of art, science, and history dedicated to exploring the human and natural history of the state. Established in 1836, it is the oldest and largest state museum in the country. Its collections total more than 16 million scientific specimens and one million cultural objects. Much scholarly work is available in the Research and Collections section of their website.

New York’s State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) helps communities identify, evaluate, preserve, and revitalize their historic, archaeological, and cultural resources. The SHPO administers many historic preservation programs, including the Statewide Historic Resources Survey, the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places, the federal historic rehabilitation tax credit, the Certified Local Government program, the state historic preservation grants program, state and federal environmental review, and a wide range of technical assistance programs. The SHPO works with governments, the public, and educational and not-for-profit organizations to raise historic preservation awareness, to instill in New Yorkers a sense of pride in the state’s unique history and to encourage heritage tourism and community revitalization.

The Preservation League of New York State invests in people and projects that champion the essential role of preservation in community revitalization, sustainable economic growth and the protection of our historic buildings and landscapes. They focus on leading advocacy, preservation policy, economic development and education programs across the state. They also recognise excellence in historic preservation through their awards, and highlight threats through its list of endangered places.

The NYS Historic Newspapers project, which was created and is administered by the Northern New York Library Network in partnership with the Empire State Library Network, provides free online access to a wide range of newspapers chosen to reflect New York’s unique history. The research resources are available for online use at no charge.

The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) is dedicated to preserving and expanding the rich and diverse cultural resources that are and will become the heritage of New York’s citizens. They provide capital funding grants and administer programs that support visual, literary, performing, and media arts, arts education, and individual artists.

The mission of Humanities New York is to strengthen civil society and the bonds of community, using the humanities to foster engaged inquiry and dialogue around social and cultural concerns. They offer grants and foster initiatives on a variety of subjects, currently focusing on women’s suffrage, journalism, and democracy through community engagement.

The Image Permanence Institute is an academic research center associated with the Rochester Institute of Technology and a recognized world leader in the development and deployment of sustainable practices for the preservation of images and cultural heritage.

The GenWeb project covers much of the world and offers free online geneology help and information. Lewis County GenWeb is part of New York GenWeb, which in turn is part of the US GenWeb. The programs, run by volunteers and hosted by Rootsweb, collect data and links from a variety of sources and post them in the appropriate spot.

This is a local tourism website promoting local activities, lodging, dining, and events. It also has a listing of heritage based organizations in the area and links directly to the Lewis County Chamber of Commerce.

The Lewis County Chamber of Commerce was organized in 1945 to promote business and economic activity in Lewis County through the efforts of its membership and staff. As such, the Chamber administers county, state, and federal grant programs whose funding is designated for business, economic development, and tourism purposes.

This is the official website of the county, linking the public to the legislature, local services, the County Clerk, and Real Property and GIS databases. It also lists county news and events.

Lewis County Economic Development is the central office to provide business assistance and new business development in Lewis County, NY. They manage the operations of the County of Lewis Industrial Development Agency, the Lewis County Development Corporation, and is the economic development agency for the County of Lewis. Their mission is to attract and enhance industrial and economic development, help create jobs and maintain economic stability within Lewis County.  

TAUNY is a nonprofit organization dedicated to showcasing the folk culture and living traditions of New York’s North Country. Explore this site to discover the diverse customs and traditions–like storytelling, music, crafts, foodways, and folk art–that make life special in our region, from the St. Lawrence River to the Adirondack Mountains.

The NYS Tug Hill Commission is a non-regulatory state agency charged with “helping local governments and citizens shape the future of the Tug Hill region.” The Tug Hill region includes 41 towns and 18 villages in portions of Lewis, Jefferson, Oswego and Oneida counties. While its focus is broad, some of its work and programs focus on matters of historical interest.