Historic Resources - Traditional Cultural Properties

Traditional cultural properties are sites that have pronounced historic value to a specific racial, ethnic, or cultural group and that continue to play a vital role in contemporary cultural life. Such sites may be distinctive natural places (such as a mountain top) or historic environments (such as an ethnic neighborhood), or they may be simply a revered spatial location, a special place. Their value is evidenced through tradition, oral history, continuing traditional uses or practices, or common cultural knowledge.

An important difference between traditional cultural properties and other types of historic properties is that the traditional cultural property derives its primary significance not from its physical, structural or archaeological features but rather from its direct and continuing associations with important historic cultural beliefs, customs, or practices of a living community. Relatively few traditional cultural properties have been documented in Georgia--they include the Ocmulgee Old Fields in Macon and New Echota in Calhoun County--although it is likely that many exist.