Historic Contexts and Research Tools

Organized by subject matter, this page contains historic context statements, National Historic Landmark theme studies, National Park Service Preservation Briefs, HPD PowerPoints, student papers, and more. These digital context statements and research document files have been review and approved by HPD

Historic context statements provide important information and resources about topically related historic resources. These statements typically include:

• Sections on a broad history of the topic for a particular time period 
• A framework for the identification of historic resource types and themes that contextualize properties within the state’s broader history
• Guidance on how to evaluate resources for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. 

More materials and topics are available at the extensive HPD resource library, which includes materials that are not digitized, such as:

• Topical Files which contain information on a wide range of more than 100 topics such as architectural style, religious camp meetings, railroad depots, synagogues, and women’s history.
• Architects and Builders Files, which covers biographical data on architects and builders who worked in Georgia from the 1800s to the 1960s. 
• Additional research materials include books on historic subjects such as architectural styles, building types, historic sites, structures and objects, town and county histories, and other works including newspaper clippings, student papers, and dissertations. Upon request, HPD staff can check our library catalog for relevant publications. 

Research Documents by Topic

African American Resources

• African American Recreation – National Historic Landmark Theme Study
• A Separate Peace: An iconic African American neighborhood (Collier Heights) - Publication
• Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site - Historic Resource Study
• Low Country Gullah Culture – National Park Service Theme Study
• Crossroads of Development: Considering Gullah Geechee Communities as Traditional Cultural Properties
• Historic Black Resources
• African-American Historic Places and Culture: A Preservation Resource Guide
• Georgia's Full Story - Historic Context Statement
• Chitlin' Circuit Heritage Trail - Historic Context Statement

Agriculture

• Tilling the Earth - Historic Context Statement
• Barn Types in Georgia
• Preservation Brief 20: The Preservation of Historic Barns
• Anatomy of a Barn

Apartments

• Modern Apartment Complexes in Georgia, 1936-1954
• Garden Apartments in Atlanta – student paper 1984

Atlanta Downtown Development

• Atlanta Modern Downtown Development Multiple Property Form
• Modern Downtown Atlanta

Atlanta LGBTQ+ History 

• Atlanta LGBTQ+ Historic Context Statement

Bridges

• Common Historic Bridge Types Context
• Covered Bridge Manual
• Historic Context for Bridge Building Technology 1955 to 1965

Cemeteries

• Identification and Evaluation of Georgia’s Historic Burial Grounds - Historic Context Statement 
• Preservation Brief 48: Preserving Grave Markers in Historic Cemeteries

Commercial 

• Commercial Types in Georgia
• Preservation Brief 46: The Preservation and Reuse of Historic Gas Stations
• Preservation Brief 11: Rehabilitation Historic Storefronts

Community Development

• Georgia Community Development and Morphology of Community Types
• Urban Renewal-era Resources in the United States – NPS Multiple Property Documentation Form

Courthouses

• County Courthouses in Georgia – National Register Form

Houses

• Atlanta Postwar Housing, 1944-1965- Student Paper 2001
• Georgia's Living Places - Historic Context Statement
• The Ranch House in Georgia - Historic Context Statement
• Single-Family Residential Development in DeKalb County, Georgia 1945-1970 - Student Paper 2012
• American Small House - Presentation
• Ranch Houses in Georgia: A Guide to Architectural Styles
• Ranch Houses in Georgia: A Guide to House Types (Sub-Types)
• The Ranch House in DeKalb County - Article
• Lustron Houses in Georgia - MPDF
• Raised Tybee Cottages on Tybee Island, GA – Draft MPDF
• Mid-20th Century Split-Level Houses in Georgia - Presentation

Industry

• Industrial Context Statement for Georgia – Historic Context Statement
• Adapting to Survive: A Historic Context for Georgia’s Textile Mills Following World War II – Historic Context Statement

Landscape

• Georgia’s Living Places, Landscape Chapter – Historic Context Statement
• Preservation Brief 26: Protecting Cultural Landscapes
• Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park - Historic Resource Study
• Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area - Historic Resource Study
• Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park - Historic Resource Study

Post Offices

• USPS Nationwide Historic Context Study, 1940-1971
• Historic of Post Office Construction, 1900-1940

Public Housing

• Public Housing in the United States – Draft Multiple Property Study
• Tindall Heights, Macon - Narrative History

Schools

• Building Types for Schools in Georgia
• Public Elementary and Secondary Schools in Georgia, 1868-1971
• Rosenwald Schools in Georgia, 1912-1937
• Educating DeKalb: Midcentury Elementary Schools in DeKalb County – Student Paper 2013
• Equalization Schools in Georgia’s African American Communities, 1951-1970
• African American Schools in the South, 1865–1900 – Historic Resource Study

Transportation

• Georgia's Railroads: Historic Context and Statewide Survey (1833-2015) - Historic Context and Statewide Survey
• Interstate Highway System in Georgia - Historic Context Statement
• Industrial Context Statement for Georgia – Historic Context Statement
• Dixie Highway – Documentation Report Narrative
• Historic Streetcar Systems in Georgia – Historic Context Statement
• Historic Transportation Context, 1955-1965 - Draft

Veterans Affairs Hospitals

• Second Generation Veterans Hospitals – Multiple Property Survey
• Third Generation Veterans Hospitals – Multiple Property Survey

Women’s History

• Industrial Context Statement for Georgia – Historic Context Statement
• A Woman’s Place – Historic Context Draft
• Women’s Club Buildings in Georgia – Draft MPDF

The National Park Service has published dozens of studies that provide historic background and context. These consist of National Historic Landmark Theme Studies and National Park Service Historic Resources studies