State historic preservation council considers Blackwater request for national register status

JEFFERSON CITY -- The Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation will consider nominations to the National Register of Historic Places during its quarterly meeting May 15 in Jefferson City, including a portion of Blackwater.

The meeting, which is open to the public, will begin at 9 a.m. in the La Charrette conference room of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Lewis and Clark State Office Building, 1101 Riverside Drive, according to a news release from the Department of Natural Resources.

Fourteen nominations are scheduled to be considered for listing in the National Register. Properties on the agenda include historic residences, commercial buildings, bridges and historic districts. In total, the nominations represent approximately 341 historic structures.

The Blackwater Residential Historic District in Blackwater, Cooper County, represents the growth and development of the community from 1891 when the oldest house was constructed (only a few years after the town came into being) through its incorporation in 1946, according to the news release.

Most of the properties in this small, highly cohesive district essentially reached their current form more than 60 years ago.

As a group, they reflect the styles and types of residential architecture common to Blackwater during the district's 1891-1946 period of significance. Twelve of the 15 primary properties contribute to the district.

In addition to nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, the council will receive status reports on programs provided by the State Historic Preservation Office and discuss business related to its own function and duties.

The Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation is a 12-member group of historians, architects, archaeologists and citizens with an interest in historic preservation.

The council is appointed by the governor and works with the Department of Natural Resources' State Historic Preservation Office, which administers the National Register program for Missouri.

The council meets quarterly to review Missouri property nominations to the National Register, the nation's honor roll of historic properties. Approved nominations are forwarded to the Keeper of the National Register in Washington, D.C., for final approval.

For more information about the May 15 meeting or the council, call the State Historic Preservation Office at 573-751-7858 or the Department toll free at 800-361-4827.

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the Department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/search.do.