HomeMy WebLinkAbout05162007 Historic Preservation Packet
Seward Historic Preservation Commission
Historic Preservation Commission
May 16, 2007
Regular Meeting Agenda
Page 1
6. Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda. [Approval of Consent Agenda passes all
routine items indicated by asterisk (*). Consent Agenda items are not considered separately
unless a Commissioner so requests. In the event of such a request, the item is returned to the
Regular Agenda.]
7.
Public Hearings [Limit comments to 5 minutes. Those who have signed in will be given the
first opportunity to speak] - None
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8. Unfinished Business
A. Update on Historic Preservation Month activates. "Making Preservation Work"
focusing on a Tree Walk and encouraging business window displays as the
Commission projects for National Historic Preservation Month May . Page 03
B. Discussion of the final draft of the application procedures and eligibility criteria
for nomination to a Seward Register of Historic Plants and Trees ....... Page 06
9. New Business - None
10. Informational Items and Reports (No action required)
A. Luttrell Report - Archaeological Monitoring of ADOTPF Seward Highway Project in
Historic Downtown Seward, Alaska............................................................ Page 10
B. Congratulations from the State of Alaska, office of Governor Sarah Palin. Page 44
C. Annual Certified Local Government Report for 2006 presented to Judith Bittner,
Alaska Office of History and Archaeology .................................................. Page 46
11. Commission Comments
12. Citizens' Comments [Limit to 5 minutes per individual - Each individual has one
opportunity to speak]
13.
Commissions and Administration Response to Citizens' Comments
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14. Adjournment
Historic Preservation Commission
May 16, 2007
Regular Meeting Agenda
Page 2
Historic Preservation Memo
Meeting Date:
May 16, 2007
To:
Historic Preservation Commission j)..~
Donna Glenz, Planning Assistant d-"T
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From:
Agenda Item:
National Preservation Month May 2007 - "Making
Preservation Work"
BACKGROUND & ruSTIFICA TION:
The National Trust for Historic Preservation provides leadership, education and advocacy to save
America's diverse historic places and revitalize our communities.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation will celebrate the third annual National Preservation
Month in May 2007. While the theme of this year's National Preservation Month-Making
Preservation Work-is new, the idea behind preservation month remains the same; celebrating the
country's diverse and irreplaceable heritage by participating in local events throughout the nation.
Throughout May, the National Trust and its thousands of partners across the country will
demonstrate the importance of our nation's heritage as they focus on many aspects of the
preservation movement including historic travel, heritage education, historic homeownership, and
community revitalization. Local celebrations will highlight tbe unique culture and traditions of
different areas of the country, and the National Trust strongly encourages people to participate in
National Preservation Month events being held in their communities.
At the April I 8, 2007 Historic Preservation Meeting the Commission approved Resolution 2007-02
focusing on a Historic Tree Walk and Encouraging Business Window Displays as the Commission
projects for National Historic Preservation Month May 2007.
RECOMMENDATION:
The Commission should discuss the plans for the projects for National Historic Preservation Month
May 2007 and be sure all details are covered.
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Sponsored by: Staff .
CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA
mSTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
RESOLUTION 2007-02
A RESOLUTION OF THE SEWARD mSTORIC PRESERVATION
- ----
COMMISSION, SELECTING "MAKING PRESERVATION WORK"
FOCUSING ON A mSTORIC TREE WALK AND ENCOURAGING
BUSINESS WINDOW DISPLAYS AS THE COMMISSION PROJECTS
FOR NATIONAL mSTORIC PRESERVATION MONTH MAY 2007
,
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WHEREAS, "Making Preservation Work" is the theme, for National Preservation
Month May 2007, cosponsored by the State of Alaska, AlasKa Association for Historic
Preservation, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Seward Historic Preservation.
Commission; and
WHEREAS, the Seward Historic Preservation Commission held a work session on .
March 28, 2007 and discussed "Making Preservation Work" and their desires for community
observance; and
WHEREAS, the Commission plans provide a press release t6 the Seward Phoenix Log,
notify the Chamber, advertise on-me local--sc-annerchannel; and post flyers around town; and
WHEREAS, the Commission plans to involve the general public and local businesses in
the celebration by sponsoring the following celebrations:
A Historic Tree Walk lead by Carol Griswold leaving from the front of the
Seward Community Library on May 19,2007 at 1:00pm and encouraging
local business window displays of a historic nature; and
WHEREAS, the citizens of Seward realize the significance of historic preservation in the
community; and
WHEREAS, Seward's Historic Preservation Commission is charged by the City Council
of the City of Seward to work toward the continuing education of citizens regarding local
historic preservation and community history.
.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Seward Historic Preservation
Commission that:
Section 1. The Commission shall approve "Making Preservation Work" focusing on
a Historic Tree Walk and encouraging local business window displays as the local celebration
projects for National Historic Preservation Month throughout the month of May 2007.
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Seward Historic Preservation Commission
Resolution 2007-02
Page 2
Section 2.
This resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption.
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PASSED AND APPROVED by the Seward Historic Preservation Commission this 18th
day of April 2007.
THE CITY OF SEWARD, ALASKA
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S ~""c~ \Cc fl m....<-.
Shannon Kovac, Chair
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AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
Swann, Hershock, Lasota, Huber, Kovac
None
Luther, Carpenter
None
ATTEST:
Jean Lewis, CMC
City Clerk
(City Seal)
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Making
) P..ese..vation Wo..k
-Join the fun in celeb..ating
Histo..ic P..eservation Month!
Conae with- us 10.. a FREE Historic T..ee
Walk on May 19, 2007 at 1:00pna leaving
1..01'11 the Sewa..d ConaD'lunity Lib..azv.
Led by local expe:rt
Ca..ol G..iswold
"Making Preservation Work" is the theme for National Preservation Month
May 2007, cosponsored by the State of Alaska, Alaska Association for
Historic Preservation, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the
Seward Historic Preservation Commission.
Local businesses are also strongly encouraged to
observe Historic Preservation Month by providing
window displays of a historic nature.
Questions? Please contact Planning Assistant.Donna Glenz at 224-4048 or
de:lenz[aJ,citvofseward.net.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Planning Assistant Donna Glenz,
224-4048
MAKING PRESERV AITON WORK 2007
Seward, Alaska May 2007 - Citizens in Seward will join thousands of individuals around the
country as part of a nationwide celebration of 2007 National Preservation Month in May 2007.
"Making Preservation Work!" is the theme of the month-long celebration, which is sponsored by
the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Here in Seward Historic Preservation Month 2007 will be observed by a
.. Historic Tree Walk on Saturday May 19,2007 at 1 :OOpm in front of the
Seward Community Library. Also, local businesses are encouraged to have
historic window displays during May.
Seward's Historic Preservation Commission is charged by the City Council of the City of
Seward to develop a local historic plan that will include provisions for identification, protection
and interpretation of the area's significant resources. The Commission is to survey and inventory
community historic architectural and archaeological resources within the community. Review
and comment to the state historic preservation officer. on all proposed National Register
nominations for properties within the community area. Act in an advisory role to other officials
and departments of local government regarding the identification and protection of local historic
and archaeological resources. Work toward the continuing education of citizens regarding local
~ _-.historic - preservation _and_community _history_Support the-enforcemenLoLthe. Alaska. Historic
Preservation Act, AS 41.35. Review local projects and recommendations about the effect on
properties identified in the local historic preservation inventory.
Since the National Trust created Preservation Week in 1971 to spotlight grassroots preservation
efforts in America, it has grown into an annual celebration observed by small towns and big
cities with events ranging from architectural and historic tours and award ceremonies, to
fundraising events, educational programs and heritage travel opportunities. Due to its
overwhelming popularity, the National Trust has extended the celebration to the entire month of
May and declared it Preservation Month to provide an even longer opportunity to celebrate the
diverse and unique heritage of our country's cities and states and enable more Americans to
become involved in the growing preservation movement. The first official Preservation Month
was observed in 2005.
For more information about National Preservation Month visit
http://www. nati onal trust.org/prcservationmonth/
For More information about the Seward Historic Preservation Commission visit
http://.....ww .sewardhpc.o rg/i ndex .shtml
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Seward Register of Historic Plants & Trees
What is the Seward Register of Historic Plants & Trees?
The Seward Register of Historic Plants & Trees was established by Seward City Council
Ordinance No. 06- to increase public awareness of Seward's locally significant plants
and trees. This program promotes community appreciation of natural and cultural
resources, and encourages the preservation of these assets. In addition, the research and
documentation that result from completing the local register application provides a
valuable historic resource. Please note, there is nothing regulatory about being listed
on the Seward Register of Historic Plants and Trees. Placement on the register does
not place any restrictions or limitations on a property. ; ,
Historic plants and trees are those individual and groups of plants that have been
designated as significant on the basis of their importance to Seward's history. They need
not be found within the Seward city limits, but must be located between Caines Head in
Resurrection Bay and the head of Kenai Lake. Plants may be acknowledged due to their
inclusion in a landscape, or association with a significant event or person. A noteworthy
plant may be identified as a specimen, landmark, collection or commemorative. For a .
plant or tree to be considered for inclusion to the Seward Register of Historic Plants & .
Trees, it must satisfy at least one of the following criteria: '
A. The plant or tree is associated with events that have made a significant
contribution to the broad pattern of Seward history. .
B. The plant or tree is associated with the life of a person or group of historic .
significance.
C. The plant or tree represents a significant and distinguishable entity within'a
community or location.
D. The plant or tree has age, size, or species significance that contributes to its
heritage status.
To nominate a tree or plant, complete the attached application form. The applicant need.
not be the owner of the property where the plant is located. Once the application has been
submitted, it will be forwarded to the Resurrection Bay Historical SoCiety for review and
comments prior to being presented to the Seward Historic Preservation Commission. For
assistance, contact the City of Seward's Community Development office, 907-224-4048.
Complete application forms may be sent to:
City of Seward
Community Development
PO Box 167
Seward, AK 99664
B
CITY OF SEWARD
HISTORIC PLANT & TREE REGISTER APPLICATION
Prior to completing this form, please review the Seward Historic Plant & Tree Register eligibility
criteria listed on the application cover sheet.
1. Name of Planttrree
Scientific name
Commonly used name
2. Location (submit site map oflocation)
Street address
Directions to Plantffree
Legal description
Kenai Peninsula Borough tax parcel number
GPS Location
Present Owner of property where plant/tree is located
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3. Ownership and Protection Status
Mailing address
City
State
Zip
Email
Telephone
Does the present owner support the nomination of this plant? If so, submit a letter of support from
the owner. If not, please explain.
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Check the current protection measures in place at time of nomination. Submit documentation if
applicable.
4. Category of Planttfree
speclIDen
historic
landmark
collection
commemorative
5. Description of Planttfree
Age
. Dateplanted(ifknown)
Circumference
Height
Crown
Color
Health and Condition
Has this plant been transplanted? _ Yes
No If yes, explain.
6. Significance
Seward Historic Planttfree Register Criteria (Check one or more of the criteria qualifying the
plant/tree for inclusion in the Seward Historic Plant Register)
A. The plant/tree (or group of plants) is associated with events that have made a
significant contribution to the broad pattern of Seward's history.
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_ B. The plant/tree (or group of plants) is associated with the life of a person or group .
of historic significance.
_ C. The plant/tree (or group of plants) represents a significant and distinguishable
entity within Seward's community or location.
D. The plant/tree (or group of plants) has an age, size, or species significance that
contributes to its heritage status.
Narrative Statement of Significance Explain the historical significance of the plant/tree on one or
more continuation sheets.
7. If approved, may the plant/tree be placed on the Historic Wa~king Tour?_ Yes _ No
8. Major Bibliographical References Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing
this form on one or more continuation sheets.
9. Form Preplll'ed By____
Name/title
Organization
Date
Address
City/State/Zip
Phone
email
11. Photographs & Supporting Documentation
Attach current and historic photographs (maximum of five). All photographs must be identified
and dated. Press releases and articles may also be submitted.
12. Submit application to:
City of Seward
Community Development
PO Box 167
Seward, AK 99664
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Archaeological Monitoring of ADOTPF
Seward.Highway Project in
Historic Downtown- Seward, Alaska
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Prepared by: Mark Luttrell and Valerie Park
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Archaeological Monitoring of ADOTPF
Seward Highway Project
in Historic Downtown Seward, Alaska
>l tr-~..'
Photograph courtesy of seward Community Library
Prepared for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
under contract to
Artifact Illustration
Mark Luttrell
PO Box 511, Seward, Alaska 99664
( www.artifactillustration.com)
January 2007
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents... ....... ...... ..... ................. ..... ..... ...........:....... ............................. ........ ........iii
List of Figures... .... ........................... ... ................. ................ ........ ..... .......................... .........iv
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................:.1
PREVIOUS ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH...............................................................5
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Prehistory........................... :.......................................................... ......................... 6
Europeans...................................................................................................... .........6
Lowell Family....... ~..................... ..... .... ... ... ............................ ................................ 7
Founding of the Town of Seward..........................:.:..........................................8
Th "L' " 9
e me..............................................................................................................
METHODOLOGy.......................................................................'..........................................9 .
FINDINGS.......... ........... .... ... .............. ......................................... ........................................12
Significance............................................. .....................,......................... ..... ........ ..12
. Generalized Stratigraphic Description............................................................. 13
Damage to Lowell Homestead.......................................................................... 14
Brosius and Noon Building Supplies and Lumber'Store: Light Poles 2-3...16
- ~__u____.__ -Historic Boardwalk: Connects 4 and 5.................-;....................~......................19
Refuse Deposit Connects H and I#2.......................~........................................20
Other Notable Locations '
Railway Sidewalk........................... .... ........... .,.......................... ..............22
Surface 1vfidden Deposi t...;....................................................... ............ ..23
REFERENCES CffED........................................................................................................26
APPENDICES
Appendix A. Physical Location of Excavated Units........................................28
Appendix B. Relevant Pages of Mile 0-8 Plan Set........................................... 30
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Figure 1.
Figure 2.
Figure 3.
Figure 4.
Figure 5.
Figure 6.
!ligure 7: --
Figure 8.
Figure 9.
Figure 10.
Figure 11.
Figure 12.
Figure 13
Figure 14.
Figure 15
Figure 16.
Figure 17.
Figure 18.
Figure 19.
-Figure 20.
Figure 21.
Figure 22.
Figure 23.
Figure 24.
Figure 25.
List of Figures
Project Area: Resurrection Bay..................................................................1
Project Overview: City of Seward.............................................,.............. 3
Seward Project Area City Street Plat........................................................4
1902 View of Lowell Homestead.............................................................. 7
1955-1957 Aerial View of Block Two........................................................ 8
Trackhoe Excavator...................................................................................10
T ools==:.-:..:-;....::.-:.......:.-::..::.....=.::....-:;.~..........................~...................... 10
Plan View of Project Area: Railway to Washington.............................11
Typical Stratigraphy................... .............. ........................................ .........13
Lowell Homestead and Peel House........................................................14
1932 Aerial View of Block Two................................................................14
Lowell Homestead: Cross Section of Removed Cultural .......................
Material... ... ............ ............................................ .......... .................... ........... 15
Damage to Lowell Homestead, Oblique Stratigraphic Profile........... 15
1915: Third Avenue and Washington Street..........................................17
Brosius and Noon Building Supplies and Lumber Store:
Then and Now........................................................................................... 18
Brosius and Noon Building Supplies and Lumber Store:
Stratigraphy ............. ....................................... ................ ............................19
Historic Boardwalk: Artifact Stratigraphy..........................;.................. 20
Refuse Deposits: Connect H....................................................................21
Refuse Deposits: Connect I. #2.................................................................21
Plan View of Project Area: Adams to Jefferson....................................22 .
Refuse Deposit: Connects H and 1#2: Ceramic Doll.............................22
Railway Sidewalk ....... ................. .......... ..... ...................... .........................23
Surface Midden Deposit: Light Poles 18-19............................................24
Surface Midden Deposit Stratigraphy: Light Poles 18-19................... 24
Plan View of Project Area: Jefferson to Madison................................. 24
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INTR 0 DUCT ION --------~----------------------------------------------____________
This report describes archaeological monitoring of roadbuilding activities m
historic downtown Seward in 2006.
: The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOTPF)
proposed to pave the Seward Highway from Mile 0 to 8 (Phase II Number 55334). The
National Historic Preservation Act (NHP A) lays the groundwork for the completion of
cultural resource surveys. Section 106 of the NHP A requires that a federal agency (the
Federal Highway Administration funds ADOTPF projects) undertaking a project
involving federal funds, lands, or permits must take into account the potential impact of
a project on cultural resources. In the case of the Seward Highway Mile 0 to 8 project,
the ADOTPF was required to consult with the Alaska's State Historic Preservation
Office (SHPO) prior to commencement of the highway construction.
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Kenai
Fjords
National
Park
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Figure 1. The town of Seward lies at the head of Resurrection Bay 00 the no~ ~oast of ~e Gulf of
Alaska. Resurrection Bay is a fjord, similar to those within the spectacular Kenai Fjords Nati.onal Park
to the west. The project area looked into the archaeological record of a robust town developmg 00 the
edge of a true wilderness.
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In June 2003, SHPO understood that the repaving project would include a
pedestrian pathway between the Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) and the Lowell Creek
diversion flume. Within that pathway, a portion of the Lowell homestead (S~-6~2)
had been previously identified and partially excavated (Yarborough 1998). To "Identify
. the presence and distribution of subsurface archaeological deposits", Alan DePew of
SHPO excavated' near the proposed pedestrian pathway in 2002. Though "[c]ultural .
deposits, tentatively identified as being associated with the Lowell Homestead", were
found, excavation of part of the proposed pathway was' determined to "be an
acceptable resolution of the adverse affect on the archaeological deposits" posed by the
sidewalk construction (2003:iv).
The roadbuilding project also called for repaving the surface of Third Avenue, a
benign endeavor that suggested no adverse affects on archaeological deposits.
Subsequent changes to the plan included the City of Seward's interest in utility
improvements within the roadbed which required significant subsurface excavation. . .
"Unfortunately, a misunderstanding arose when the City of Seward coordinated
with [ADOTPF] to include replacement and upgrades of the utility line and fire hydrants .
along Third Avenue. The letter sent on behalf of the City referenced the [AOOTPF]
project implying that the environmental review was already being dealt with by
lADOTPF]" (Ludwig 2006a). .
SHPO assumed that with DePew's excavation, and previo~s concurrence of Phase
II, the project was in compliance. .
In May 2006, local archaeologist Tim Sczawinski observed sidewalk replacement
activities and damage to archaeological resources on the east side of Block Two, the
location of the former Lowell Homestead (SEW-682) and the former location of the
Alaska Transfer Company (see page 14).
His concerns triggered a reopening of the Section 106 process by the SHPO who
determined that this undertaking had the potential to adversely affect additional
portions of historic downtown Seward, especially from the start of the Seward
Highway at Mile 0, (the intersection of Third Avenue and Railway Avenue) north four
city blocks, to the intersection of Third A venue and Madison Avenue.
The SHPO recommended an archaeologist be present to monitor roadbuiIding
activities. Later those recommendations were revised after it became clear that lateral
water service connects, sidewalk replacement and installation of light poles and
connecting trenches further threatened Seward's cultural resources.
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Stefanie Ludwig, archaeologist in the SHPO Review and Compliance section,
provided these final recommendations for the archaeological monitoring:
"...work crt the main line in the street is mostly in previously disturbed
sediments. However the connections between the main line and individual
buildings or fire hydrants along Third Avenue are likely to be in
. The term "excavation" is used Interchangeably in this report to mean both large, deep trenches made
by heavy equipment and smaller archaeological processes of discovery.
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On May 25, representatives from all interested parties
met to agree on the scope of archaeological
monitoring efforts, authority and duties of. the
archaeologists. Present at the meeting were: Alan'
~ ..,; ~ Drake (project supervisor, ADOTPF), Sarah Lindberg
."1: ~-: ~ ' . (Environmental Compliance, ADOTPF), Judy Bittner
. 1:::.. ~. - : ~;,.' . ~h 10 h - (State Historic Preservation Officer, Alaska), Stefanie
':f!>>f.: u.:-, --.:; . M Llg~c ~ ....LuqwigJArch.aeologist, SHPO), Travis Cline (Engineer,
. ii;:"::1 >#' t~.. use.!J!ll...... Quality Asphalt Paving Inc.), Shannon Kovac (City of
,-;;.;J :-;:. ;.' JSr ~""'.r.~-sl. Sewa:d Historic Preserva~on Com~ission Chair),
iMS"":::; ,: >~ of ~~..(; Valene Park (ArchaeologIst and City of Seward
, < ....,. ~ ~I)I Historic Preservation . Commissioner and
i;A.lask~ t' archaeologist), Teneal Jensen (Chugach Ranger District
<<Sea Life Archaeologist, US Forest Service) and Tim Sczawinski
Center (Seward-based professional archaeologist). As a result
of this meeting, greater understanding between the
archaeological interests and the needs of the highway
project emerged.
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undisturbed sediments.
T~e area fro~ Washington Street southward is very
high potentIal due to the proximity to the Lowell
Homestead. Any subsurface disturbance (excavation)
including water service connects, sidewalks and the
strip between the sidewalks and gutters in the area
from Railway north to Jefferson should be inspected
by an archaeologist to record remaining cultural
Elaterial. At the archaeologist's discretion, this can
be accomplished either during: the time of
.excavation or afterwards. Whenever possible,
however, the archaeologist should schedule
activities to enhance safety and reduce disruption
between the tasks of the archaeologist and. the
construction crew. Any additional work in
undisturbed sediments in this ,area should be
monitored by the archaeologist." (Ludwig 2006b).
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Figure 2. The circled project area
spanned four blocks (north to
south) of historic downtown
Seward along Third Avenue. Two archaeologists, Mark Luttrell of Artifact illustration
and private archaeologist Val Park, were hired to
monitor the roadbuilding intrusions (see Figure 2). They observed and investigated the
excavation of a water main, horizontal water connections to individual homeowner
lots, holes and trenches for light poles, sidewalk preparation and miscellaneous
subsurface disturbances. Monitoring occurred between May 16 and June 14 of 2006.
From the perspective of an archaeologist, the ideal scenario for recovering the
most data from any subsurface intrusion is through an exhaustive literature review,
development of a comprehensive research design and controlled excavation. Absent
that, various compromises must be made. For example, typical in highway
construction, archaeologists will quickly excavate a known site prior to its destruction
by heavy equipment. This is called salvage archaeology. What occurred in Seward is
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Though-looser
controls were applied to
the project, important
data was still recovered.
The monitors identified
several interesting
features and artifacts. The
monitors located the
remains of an original
boardwalk under a
portion of the present
sidewalk. a dense collection of historic bottles and a few toys, and debitage associated
with a historic hardware store. The monitors collected approximately 200 artifacts
consisting of glass, ceramic, bone, iron, copper, and plastic representing the period from
early historic (possibly the founding of Seward) extending to present day. A total of 69
subsurface intrusions revealed a rather consistent stratigraphy made up of various
cultural fill events above a distinct silt layer which was underlain by unsorted alluvium
(see Figure 9).
sometimes referred to as
scavenge archaeology.
Artifact and data
recovery consisted
primarily of post mortem
investigation of
stratigraphic exposures
remaining after the
excavation equipment
had departed. There was
no effective mechanism
for identifying and
protecting potentially
significant cultural
material before
destruction. Safety
concerns, rain, darkness,
artificial light, scheduling
uncertainties, and time
allowance all contributed
to a level of investigation
below desired standards.
N
PROJECT ~
AREA ~
Figure 3. The project area lies within the grey rectangle.
To determine the significance of the features and artifacts, the archaeologists relied
primarily on the criteria for assessment established by the Secretary of the Interior
(National Park Service 1983). While none of the cultural material met the the Secretary's
standards, the material still holds interest and value to the community. It also is an
important addition to the existing body of information (see page 5). Additionally,
collections tend to gain importance with the passage of time.
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020
These features, along with other deposits and artifacts reveal remains of the
ro.bu.st and dev~loping community of Seward. Much of Seward's early history still lives
WIthin recollection of current residents of Seward. The short period of time between
then an? now adds a sense of identity with the past. These artifacts provide a tangible
connection.
The connection underscores the importance of preserving the hard evidence of
our past. Every disturbance eliminates a page of the story of our shared history. .
PRE VIOUS ARCHE 0 LOG ICAL RE S EARCH ---~-------------------------
Prior to monitoring, an archaeological and historical literature review was
conducted to locate previous archaeological investigations within the project area. To
date (2007), two archaeological reports have been produced ,within the current project
area, the details of which are as follows:
In the summer of 1995, Yarborough monitored all ground disturbing activities
and discovered the Lowell Homestead (SEW -682) at the intersection of Third Avenue
and Railway Avenue during the installation of a sewer main. The site was deterInined
eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under criterion
D of the National Historic Preservation Act for its potential to yield information
important to prehistory or history (see page 12).
-- -- Later that-fall; Yarborough initiated archaeological-testing- to-determine if any
cultural resources would be impacted by later construction, and in 1996 he ensured that
a mitigation plan was implemented to recover any archaeological data from SEW-682.
Yarborough observed that SEW-682 contained cultural materials from historic Seward,
the 1884-1906 Lowell Homestead, and possibly a mid- to late-nineteenth century Native
occupation.
In the summer of 1997, Yarborough monitored the Rae Building parking lot
expansion in Block Two of the Seward townsite and test excavated its southern
boundary of the existing parking lot, uncovering structural remains from the Alaska
Transfer Company stable, ice house, general storage buildin& and wagon shed as well
as deposits from the early- to mid-twentieth century red-light district known as "the
Line" (Yarborough 1998: 4-5,29-32,3840,136-137; Yarborough 1999: 1-2,11,19-24).
Lastly, in 1998, Michael Yarborough of Cultural Resource Consultants in
Anchorage published his summary report on the archaeological findings that resulted
from the construction of the Alaska SeaLife Center at the southern end of the city of
Seward on Railway Avenue.
In 2003, Alan DePew of the Archaeological Survey Unit of Alaska's Office of
History and Archaeology published his findings from summer 2002 testing and data
recovery efforts within the Lowell Homestead site (SEW-682). The ADOTPF proposed
to construct a pedestrian path along Railway Avenue's south side, from Third Avenue
to the outlet flwne of the Lowell Creek diversion. DePew's trench excavations
5
dl
uncovered three middens, consisting of faunal remains (sea mammals, sea birds, cod,
salmon and shellfish) possibly associated with the subsiste~ce lifestyle of the Lo~ell
family, "tavern" related objects (bottles), and firearm-~lated Items. ~~wever, prevIOUS
disturbance to the middens prevented an understanding of deposItional context cu:d
thus, no clear interpretation could be made regarding the origin of the cul~ral matenal
or its relationship to the history of Seward since the turn of the twentieth century
(DePew 2003: iv, 1, 15-17, 27).
HIS TORI ceo NT E XT --------------------------------------------------------------
Prehistory
. Prehistoric use of the project area is unknown due to a scarcity of archaeological
evidence and written ethnohistorical accounts about Native peoples of Resurrection
Bay. However, it is possible to infer likely prehistoric settlement locations in
Resurrection Bay from the anthropological record of the Chugach Alutiiq in Prince
William Sound and the Cook Inlet Alutiiq. Anthropological research from the 1930s
contended that Chugach villages tended to be located at the mouths of bays for
defensive purposes instead of at a bay head (DeLaguna 1956).
However, recent archaeological surveys and excavations within Kenai Fjords
National Park, indicate that settlements were located where there were food resources,
rresh-water and safe landings for skin kayaks (Crowell and Mann 1998). Those
conditions plus access to Interior and Peninsula resources were, and are, present at the
head of Resurrection Bay. While Yarborough's previously noted archaeological
investigations indicate mid- to late-nineteenth century Native occupation within the
project area, no diagnostic cultural materials are available to confirm occupation dates
(1998:136). Still, the possibility of encountering diagnostic prehistoric occupational
deposition cannot be discounted.
Europeans
While prehistoric occupation within the project area is largely unknown, historic
settlement is rather well documented. In 1787, Captain Nathanial Portlock of the British
Royal Navy chartered the waters now known as Resurrection Bay, but gave the name
"Port Andrews" to the area (Barry 1986:15; DePew 2003:6). Yet, by the close of the
eighteenth century, Russian fur traders dominated the Gulf of Alaska. Aleksandr
Baranov named the bay V oskresenskya Gavan (Resurrection Bay) because of his arrival
on Easter Sunday. The construction of Fort Voskresenskya within Resurrection Bay
commenced in 1793 on behalf of the Russian-American Company, owned by a wealthy.
Siberian merchant named Grigor Shelikhov, who sought to establish a permanent
settlement from which to operate a shipbuilding enterprise (Barry 1986:15; DePew
2003:7). The precise location of Fort Voskresenskya is frequently debated. Some assert
that the settlement arose on the southern shore of present-day Seward (Patrick 1999:5;
Yarborough 1998:9) while others contend that Caines Head may be the site of
occupation (Barry 1986:19).
6
22-
Again, the possibility of encountering historic-era features and artifacts of Russian
origin in the project area cannot be discounted. The site consisted of a fortified stockade
with several buildings incorporated into the outer walls and was inhabited by seventy-
five men (Patrick 1999:5). These men, under the direction of Alexander Baranov,
succeeded in producing the Plwenix, a 73-foot sailing vessel with three masts and two
decks in 1794 (Barry 1986:17). It is noteworthy that the Plwenix is reputed to have been
the first large sailing ship built in Russian America (Barry 1986:19). While speculation
exists as to the truth that two more vessels were built at V oskresenskya following
completion of the Phoenix, it is accepted that the fort was downsized to a small trading
post and eventually abandoned before the 1840s (DePew 2003:7; Patrick 1999: 5).
Lowell Family
In 1867, the United States purchased the Alaska territory from Russia, but it was
not until roughly 1884 that Frank and Mary Lowell homesteaded on the south edge of
the alluvial fan that would become the town of Seward making them the first family to
reside on the shores of Resurrection Bay since the departure of its Native inhabitants
(Barry, 1986:24). Frank Lowell, a New Englander by birth, emigrated to Alaska shortly
after the purchase. He was employed as an independent trader and agent for the
i.
'...
, ,
'. ,.:;-.<,:~ ":~J:~.
.,'''' ~tti::'''~i,,,,,:,'-:'-':'J4 ',I
"\ ~. ,:'..~~:"~ -:' :_~'~
'-':."
-'~'-~ '.----..............-
.' ~~
~~~~!~i~~:
~......~...'j~.. .. ....~ . ~ u, ~ ~":~-M~' 'A~'~!v//<7#-''''--c'
-.' ....V'.~. ,~~~, y,,",
. ''''~.., .. . V ~/./
.~.~,;I _ ~~ S ~.G/.A?./ ,..~--- ';L d?-V '::tT:.:~::.. '-'~~~Iii'
. ,'/"'":' ".,- A" /:- ",.,----~ ""..'.;-.,..-.' ~~_*~7 ,j
.. . , .. - / ". P. ~ / 4.""
~6?~ .>~'-'<-']~ ~I" r-. ~'. - ~..u:./ CF7--r./ '/ " .
.. f o'- " . ;'// _
, . .. 010 urtesy esurrecbon y isIo ety
Figure 4. This 1902 photo depicts a forested alluvial fan derived from Lowell Cre~k ~n which. sma~l
encampments have been placed. Mary Lowell's homestead, considered Seward s first . famtl~, IS
located in the center of the photo. Later photos document the arrival' of entrepreneunal busmess
interests that founded the town of Seward.
7
~3
Alaska Commercial Company and for the Western Fur and Trading Company,
negotiating with Native hunters. Frank and his wife, Mary, an Alaskan-born w~man of
both Russian and Native descent, built the first cabin on the shore of Resurrection Bay
at the southeast comer of what is now Third Avenue and Railway Avenue. They
. eventually constructed additional cabins, a garden, a food cache, and a family ceme.tery.
There the couple, primarily Mary Lowell, raised nine children at the relatively
prosperous homestead. Frank abandoned the family to relocate to Wrangell Bay in
1893 (Patrick 1999:6; Yarborough 1998:14-17). It is reported that in that span of nearly a
decade, Mr. Lowell arranged to bring approximately fifteen Native families to the area
to trap fur-bearing animals in exchange for imported groceries and dry goods (DePew
2003:8; Yarborough 1998:16). . .
Foundi1'!g the tC1Wn of Seward
By 1896, the Gold Rush in Cook Inlet and in Alaska's Interior drew many
prospecting miners into the Resurrection Bay port, where they departed for the mining
towns of Hope and Sunrise and towns further north. By the turn of the century,
demands for the development of transportation networks in the Alaska Territory
spurred brothers John and Frank Ballaine to seek financial backing from Seattle
businessmen in an effort to create the Alaska Central Railroad Company. John Ballaine .
chose the site of present-day Seward as the railroad tidewater terminus. Resurrection
Bay was a year-round ice-free port, with substantial water depth and available land for
Photo Courtesy of Seward Community Ubrary
Figure 5. This 1955-1957 photo shows the Brosius and Noon Building Supplies and Lumber Store (left
center). The Peel House, which was built adjacent to and north of the main house of the original
Lowell Homestead is located at the northwest comer of Third Avenue and Railway Avenue. The
vacant area north of the Peel House was previously occupied by the stable, office, and ice house
(among other buildings) of the Alaska Transfer Company.
8
~~
the development of wharves, bunkers, factories, smelters, and settlements.
At the time the fir~t railroad survey party was sent to Resurrection Bay in 1902,
Mary Lowell and he~ children and grandchildren were the only permanent residents of
the area. However, m August 1903, Mary Lowell sold her homestead claims to Frank
Ballaine for $4000 and the rights to thirty-seven town lots. The Ballaines later obtained
160 additional acres, and in 1903 this land was surveyed and divided into lots for future
settlement (Barry 1986:34-36). .
The original townsite of Seward ran from the waterfront to a half-block north of
Monroe Street. The southernmost street along the waterfront was named Railway
Avenue and tl:e five east-west running streets were named Washington, Adams, .
Jefferson, MadISOn, and Monroe. The north-south running avenues were named First,
Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh (see Figure 3). . '.
The residential lots were rather narrow - 30 feet by 100 feet -thus, early
inhabitants who could afford to do so often purchased two lots next to one another in
an effort to construct larger houses. Those who could not afford to do so had to be
content with narrow cottage-like houses. It is interesting to note that Seward, named
for the United States Secretary of the Interior who negotiated the purchase of the.
Alaska Territory, was indeed a planned city and if s topographical platting did not come
into existence merely by whim (Barry 1986:37). '
Soon the town of Seward was booming under a waye. of construction. It is
possible that Mary Lowell used the money earned from the sale of her homestead in
~t:ne-fabncatii:mof-a ~new home-by-190S;-which-came-to-be:-known -later~as~ the Peel'
House. Historic photographs show that by 1909 or 1910, the original Lowell cabin may
have been relocated amidst a grove of cottonwood trees on the comer of Railway
Avenue and Alley B which ran north-south between Second and Third Avenues
(Yarborough 1999:9-11). Within this historic block (Block Two) and just north of the Peel
House, . the Alaska Transfer Company was established in 1905. Archaeological
investigations completed during the Rae Building parking lot expansion in 1997
unearthed remains from the Alaska Transfer Company's stable, boiler house~ ice house,
wagon shed, and storage building (Yarborough 1998; Yarborough 1999).
The "Line"
j.
This parking lot expansion also afforded archaeologists the opportunity to
excavate within a historic segment of town known as "the Line," which was a city-
sanctioned red..:light district. In 1914, City Council member John Noon proposed setting
aside a restricted neighborhood within the city limits for the business of prostitution,
located on Alley B (Barry 1993:5). It was hoped that in setting aside a restricted district
of town, "the women of the underworld be not allowed in the heart of town" (Patrick
1999:6). From 1914 to 1954, the Line prostitutes entertained a good number of seafaring
customers, as well as World War II soldiers stationed in town. Historical accounts refer
to as many as twenty-six houses, yet that the number of prostitutes wavered
depending upon demand for services. It is likely, however, that on average two women
occupied each 16 by 20 foot house in this red-light district (Mason 2003:2).
A historical narrative written by Sewardite John PauIsteiner notes that while a few
9
d5
houses built by the more
prominent madams like Stella
Brown and Dutch Emma were
equipped with running water
and indoor plumbing, most of
these. small "run-of-the-mill
shacks" had outhouse sanitary
facilities. Paulsteiner comments
that "there was no honey
. wagon available in those times
and the beach was the end
station of this donation to the
seagulls" (1975:122). While none
of the red-light district shacks
stand today, having succumbed
to fires, the 1964 earthquake,
and urban renewal efforts, a
north-south line of cottonwood
trees stand in this block to mark
the location of Alley B (Mason
2003:6).
Figure 6. From the standpoint of an archaeologist, a trackhoe
is a coarse tool. Two passes of the toothed bucket can remove
all the potentially significant archaeological deposits
(which usually are within the top 50 centimeters). The
trackhoe depicted here later cut through a historic wooden
boardwalk.
--M E T HD DO LV G Y :-=-------------.:--:.-=:=---------------------------------------------
Figure 7. In terms of methodology and scale, the
tools of the archaeologist and the heavy equipment
operator couldn't be more different. The
archaeological trowel (tied with colored survey
flagging) is dwarfed by two of the five teeth of the
trackhoe bucket.
Monitoring of the roadbuilding
excavations consisted of the
archaeologist observing excavations,
profiling the trench walls and collecting
artifacts, all under the overriding rule of
safety.
Monitoring of most of the subsurface
excavations required the ability and
authority to be physically near the
excavation site. Archaeologists typically
stood approximately one meter to the
side of the trackhoe bucket as it scraped
through the deposits, filled the bucket,
swung the boom to the side of the
trench, emptied the bucket and
returned to the trench.
1his cycle took 25 seconds. Within that
time, about 10 seconds could be safely
used to observe, investigate and assess
any cultural resources. If something of
10
d-b
50 meters
165 feel
Legend
. - Cultural Materia'.
, Water Service c6nneclion
Figure 8. At the south end of the town of
Seward, four important findings were
unearthed during the 2006 roadbuilding
project A historic boardwalk; artifacts
associated with the Lowell Homestead:
artifacts associated with the Brosius and
Noon Building Supplies and Lumber Store
and the waterfront. Water service
connections and light pole trenches
revealed glimpses into the archaeological
history of Seward.
interest appeared, the monitor could give a
visual signal to the operator who would idle
long enough to allow further examination by
the monitor. Though the observation of the
trench under excavation was brief and
sometimes risky, the heavy equipment
operator, and indeed all the roadbuilding crew,
were extremely cautious and alerted the
monitors of potential hazards such as moving
heavy equipment and unstable trench walls. .
Most of the cultural deposits occupied the top 50
centimeters of the trench, an amount of soil that
could be removed with two passes of the
trackhoe bucket.
Consequently, most of the archaeologist's
investigation occurred after the heavy
equipment had moved elsewhere. Ladders
allowed safe entry into the trench where the
usual archaeological tools were used to examine
the. walls of the trench and interpret the
stratigraphy. H the stratigraphy revealed
cultural material or provided a glimpse into
depositional processes, unmeasured profiles
were sketched, described and photographed.
Safety concerns limited the usefulness of
examining the backfill mound, plus the
potentially significant material was quickly
buried under the rest of the sterile trench
material.
Early in the. project, the artifact collection
strategy consisted of collecting every artifact
regardless of its initial assessment of
significance. Later, refined discretion gave the
archeologists freedom to leave in place
undiagnostic artifacts that were clearly
redundant, irretrievably ex situ or modem trash
without any stratigraphic importance.
Because of timing restrictions and the lack of
artifacts or features that met any of the
Secretary's criteria for the assessment of
significance (see page 12), provenience
(contextual location within the deposit) of
collected artifacts was limited to linking them to
the excavation unit. That is, all the artifacts from
a given trench were collected together in one
lot. The artifact collection was cataloged by
11
~7
\
material, class of usage and description. (Discussion of the artifacts and their context can .
. be found in the findings section (see page 12). .
. Not all of the project investigations occurred in the depths of excavation trenches.
A shallow sidewalk preparation and a damaging pass by a grader through known
cultural remains (see page 14) allowed archaeologists to record surface conditions
without the risk posed by heavy equipment. Under more relaxed conditions, greater
attention could be devoted to detailed mapping and recording. '
Approximately 200 artifacts, 6 investigation notebooks, this report (hard copy and
digital), photo log, artifact catalog and 400 photographs (digital) of this project are
considered a single collection and should not be separated. Collection of all
archaeological material occurred within ADOlPF administered property..
Consequently, the state owns the collection. Currently (2007), the final disposition of
the artifact collection is uncertain. Ideally all the artifacts and sl,lpporting documentation
from this project and previous archaeological investigations in the Seward downtown
district will be curated together.
~Il\T[)Il\Tc;~------------------------------------------------------------------------~-----
, .
Sigrzificance
None otl:Re excavations revealed-material--thathmeets-the criteria for the
assessment of significance as defined by the Secretary of the Interior.
The NPS criteria are:
The quality of significance in American history, architecture, archeology,
engineering and culture is present in districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects
that possess integrity of location,. design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling,
association,. and:
A. that are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the
broad patterns of our history; or
B. that are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past; or
C. that embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of
construction, or that represent the work of a master, or that possess high artistic ~
or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lacklindividual distinction; or .
.
. .
D. that have yielded, or may be likely to yield. information important in
prehistory or history (National Park Service 1983). .
Significance is difficult to assess. It varies within regions, among people in the
same community, within historic themes and within time periods. The Secretary's
12
dB
guidelines were developed to assist in determining significance. But in addition to
significance in that narrow sense, much of the cultural material has interest and value.
The Third Avenue excavations revealed several features and associated artifacts that arc
interesting both to those in the community who feel an attachment to or interest in the
past as well as to professional archaeologists and historians.
The artifacts collected, the features recorded, and in fact all the data recovered
adds important depth to an existing disparate collection of artifacts and data from
investigations in the dOV\'Iltown Seward area. The impetus of all investigations thus far,
(see page 5) has been in response to a cultural resource management needas opposed
to pure research with a well established research design. The investigations conducted
in the Se';vard area have not been fully synthesized at this time (2007) so cultural
relationships, inferences, associations and contexts have not been assessed. For this
collection, prudence suggests that all artifacts be retained, described and arialyzed
without the filter of modem interpretation of its bnmedJatE.' value. These artifact:. and
data combined with other investigations so far and with those planned may provide a
synergetic interpretation not obvious in the individual artifacts themselves. .
The Archaeologists identified four different features located in the course of the
project: a concentration of bottles and toys, remains of a boardwalk. artifacts associated .
.vith and damage to the Lol\'ell Homestead, and artifacts associated with the Brosius .
and Noon Buildirlg Supplies and Lumber Store. Most of Ihe intrusions revealed a typical
and predictable stratigraphy, the understanding of which helped interpretations under
sub-perfect conditions.
.----Generalized-Stratigraphic 'Description '-
.'
Generally, the deposits represent a natural and cultural sequence consistent with
alluvial fan-delta deposits (Lemke 1%7). The stratigraphy consists of basal alluvium,
topped by silt and later cultural fill events.
Silt
'. :,s,,::?> :,' :-,:,; 'A:I~ ~~j~~C<'~:f,y::,':?:;.._.!f;' ";.:F
." .' :.'". .
Figure 9. Typical stratigraphy within the project
area consisted of a base of alluvial gravels capped
by a banded light grey silt with various fill events
of cultural origins. This sequence served as a
baseline by which variations could be interpreted.
At the time of glacial abandonment
(-10,000 years ago), alluvial deposits
transported by flowing water including
flood events derived from Lowell Creek
began building a fan of poorly sorted
sediment classes ranging from silt to
boulders. Nearly all of the sediment is
greywacke and phylite (Lemke 1967).
Above the gravely alluvium, a distinct
layer of light grey, banded silt 5-30 em
thick was deposited. This silt, present in
nearly every excavation over a four
block area, mark-.s the top of the
alluvium and the base of subsequent
cultural layers.
Typically, alluvial gravels form in high
velocity water able to transport large
13
ffC]
,
quantities of large diameter
material. Silt, on the other
hand, develops in low
velocity water like an estuary
or pond. The two represent
very different depositional
mechanisms. It is unclear
what geomorphological
processes created this unusual
natural strata.
A thin layer of organic silty
loam accompanied by
occasional woody debris caps
and stains the grey silt which
suggests a short period of
time from the end of the silt
formation to climax forest.
According the the Kenai
Fjords National Park
(National Park Service 2004),
"The thickness of the organic
layer on top of the gravely
soils is directly related to the
amount of time since the last
major disturbance". Typically
in the project area,
culturally derived
fill and artifacts
rest upon this
organic layer. The
fill material was
_ waste ash from a
coal burning stove
(coal bits, coal
clinker and ash),
fine beach sand,
brick fragments,
bottle glass shards,
unidentifiable iron
accretions and
other sheet refuse.
In addition to
becoming cultural
features in
themselves, the fill
events also helped
preserve lower
features and intact
cultural deposits.
14
Photo Courtesy of Resurrection Bay Historical Society
Figure 10. The main home of the LowelI- Homestead is the log
structure with two chimneys along its ridge line. The Peel
House is directly behind. Were it stilI standing" the main
home of the homestead would be within the Railway Avenue
- -- righTOf way.-
Photo Courtesy of Resurrection Bay Historical Society
Figure 11. The original LowelI Homestead, the Peel House and the Alaska
Transfer Company were located at the south end of ''Block Two" of historic
downtown Seward (left two thirds of the photo). The Peel House (shown
within the white circle) may be constructed from the original Lowell cabin
(which would have stood immediately south of the Peel House) (see Figure
10). The Alaska Transfer Company built on the remaining northern portion of
the block between Third Avenue and "AlIey B", provided coal, ice, and
storage of supplies that came to Seward from Outside steamers.
?>o
Figure 12. In May 2006 during
preparation for the replacement
of a sidewalk on the east edge of
Block Two, the existing
sidewalk and the underlying
archaeological deposits were
removed. Contouring of the slope
'. removed more of the deposits of.
the Lowell Homestead (SEW-
682) and the Alaska Transfer
Company. The tan polygons
depict the volume of removed.
material. The' red edge at the
top of the polygon represents the
surface prior to roadbuildiI1.g
activities. Approximately 175
cubic meters of archaeological
material was removed.
I
l
,
I.
..----
_.~.. -- -.. -_._-_... ....
Scale (approximate)
Alluvium
meter
Curb and gutter
Figure 13. An oblique stratigraphy was exposed by roadbuilding activities at the Lowell
Homestead and Alaska Transfer Company sites. The stratigraphy is a typical sequence of
alluvium, silt and cultural fill events. In this case, the tan grey sand is interpreted as a fill event.
Recovered artifacts are presumed to originate from the cultural layer.
15
3/
Damage to the Lowell Homestead Site SEW-682
The first documented occupation of the Lowell Homestead block is by the Lowell
family (primarily by Mary Lowell and her children). Later, Seward businessman Al Peel
built an elegant house that "was said to be from the original Lowell homestead" (Barry
1986:78) (see Figure 10). In 1905, Fred Laubner became the proprietor of the Alaska
Transfer Company on the northern half of Block Two (Barry 1986:48). During the past
century, the Sanborn Map Company periodically published detailed maps for
important towns within every American state "to assist fire insurance agents in
determining the degree of hazard associated with a particular property" (University of
California 1995). The Sanborn maps for Seward (1927, 1948 and 1956) depict the eastern
side of the Peel house extending into what would become the Third Avenue State right
of way. These structures, in various iterations, dominate historic photos Until the early
1950s.
The ADOTPF and its contractor Quality Asphalt Paving (QAP), replaced and
shifted west the sidewalk that ran from Railway Avenue to Washington Street on the
east side of the Lowell Homestead block. To prepare for the replacement, the existing
sidewalk and the underlying material was removed and later graded to prepare for a
leveling course of gravel. The grader cut obliquely south to north across the deposits
revealing a distinct stratigraphy, but without the typical vertical face (see Figure 13). In
so doing, an estimated 175 cubic meters of cultural material was irretrievably lost. It
Was this destruction that, by chance, archaeologist Tim Sczawinski. witnessed and
reEQrted to the SHPO which initiated the 2.90~ J!Lonito~g proj~~t. u_ _
Most of subsequent surface disturbances were monitored by an archaeologist and
further damage was prevented. However, occasionally, for reasons unclear to an
archaeologist poorly versed in roadbuilding techniques, minor grooming of the new
design slope occurred. It is unclear if any significant damage occurred during this
grooming process, though several artifacts were exposed and later collected.
In his 1998 analysis, Yarborough lists dozens of artifacts like scraps of rubber,
horseshoes, coal, wire, spikes, glass bottles and pipe, observed during monitoring of
excavations in the former Alaska Transfer Company property. He also notes the
presence of a "hitching ring" similar to one located in the grader's swath. It consists of a
2 inch diameter ring made of quarter inch iron (Yarborough 1998:20). The artifacts
noted and collected in the grader damage swath are consistent with both Yarborough's
list and with early historic occupation of the Seward waterfront. Due to lack of
provenience, though, none of the artifacts could be linked to those structures.
No provenience or profile measurements were meaningful. The stratigraphy
consisted of a sod layer underlain by a distinct tan-grey sand. Below that, exists cultural .
material consisting primarily of grey pebbly sand stained by coal clinker. This layer
probably contained most, if not all, of the exposed artifacts. Underneath the cultural
layer was tan-grey sand, then distinct grey silt which capped alluvium.
Brosius and Noon Building Supplies and Lumber Store
In 1915, ''Brosius and Noon Building Supplies and Lumber Store (Cal M. Brosius
16
32-
and John Noon) was Seward's largest lumber and building supplies dealer" (Barry
1993:107). The store front faced south toward the cargo dock and Railway Avenue and
proved to be a popular and necessary resource for a growing community. Over the
years, it changed ownership but remained a hardware store until the 1960s when "it
was used for different purposes" (Barry 1995).
Currently it is the Sea View Plaza within which are many rental offices. Despite its
remodeling, the current building retains some of the original structure and floor plan.
However, in 1985, as part of an application for National Register status, the state's
Historical Architect, Robert A. Mitchell"found that the building had been drastically
modified, not in conformance with acceptable specifications, and with its visual integrity
destroyed" (Mobley 1994:41) (see Figure 15). .
I
I
I
I
I
I
In June of 2006 as part of this project, at the northwest comer of the current
Sea View Plaza a utility trench between light poles 2 and 3 (see Figure 16) revealed a
feature and associated artifacts that are presumed to be associated with the Brosius and
Noon Building Supplies and Lumber Store.
The monitor recorded over 15 fragments of moderately decayed pieces of 4" X 3"
lumber with use-worn surfaces. Part of one of the largest pieces was nailed to another
with a 6.5" spike. Nearly all rested horizontally. Immediately above this feature was a
dense horiiontallayer of broken brick fragments, none larger than the size of one half
brick in a matrix of fine beach sand. The brick and sand mix is interpreted as fill in
preparation for some subsequent event.
Yarborough notes - that-llred stucco", bricks- and lumber were found with the
foundation of the Alaska Transfer Company's stable house in Block Two, which is
about 75 meters to the west of the Sea View Plaza (Yarborough 1999:12). Barry reports
that in March of 1915, "PA Cummingham went Outside to get machinery to start a
Ii
!.
Photo Courtesy of Seward Community Ubrary
Figure 14. The white circle identifies the rear of the Brosius and Noon Building Supplies and Lumber
Store in 1915. The light pole trench is shown by the white line. Artifacts from the trench are associated
with the store.
17
33
;", I
.,. ..:, ." ._ ~ 'P_~ .....' , . -.J.. :...:" ~~~~I ,'--.
:.- .~iJ~~i~~:;;i:;- :.~'.. :;,") '-~" ..~-. " ..:. .5. f~~;~,.uA:~~:~.:~:t:'::':}?;):.:
. ...~._~__,~..",....'_.L;-... -'. C'&., .... .. - ...-... :., :. '7'C",~~~,~""",
'~',!: ,:Y~~~~~;?~~~/i~~-. '-.'>~~. .' --::.~... . .. . .' . :'.-- =-.~~-:T, ~:~:-!.".~,...3"~- ,-~...,
_;;~.' ....~..,.... H..",:.., -""~ "... ~'" ..........'. . ~'\ .,~,.....-'{.;;:-<::/:.;~::;:~~-...';
-, i,~- _ ," 'f':"~" ~'r""!:.:'J_ ."_ :-....... .-"'1 '.8'~. .~': -: "".~~ . -_ ~ . ~,-:..;;..~' ,.... '';'''-1''''''..' ...';:....;:;..,{;.J..'. ..."";'".-.~ ~
Photo Courtesy 01 Seward Community ~brary
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Figure 15. Depicted here is the Brosius and Noon Building Supplies and Lumber Store circa 1905
and, below, the same buildings in 2006, now called the Sea View Plaza. It houses several
professional office rental spaces. Still discernible in 2006 are three parts of the lumber store. The
two story wood frame building on the left (west) served as a carpenter shop and planing riUlL The
gable roofed building on the right (hidden behind the false front labeled "Seaview Plaza")
warehoused building materials. Between the two, within the shed roofed building was the store
itself.
18
3~
Figure 16. Archaeological deposits at the northwest comer of the
current Sea View Plaza revealed lenses of sand, and clay and silt
interpreted as filled puddles (not depicted in this photo). 4" x 3"
heavy lumber and brick fragments in a matrix of fine beach sand and
capped the filled puddles. Historic photos suggest that the deposits
represent refuse and fill derived from activities occurring at the rear of
the and Noon Building Supplies and Lumber Store.
nothing more complicated than filled puddles.
brick. factory" (1993). It
also suggests that the
beach (which would
have been 70 meters
south) was used both
for the deposition of
construction waste and
as a source of fill
material. Further it
suggests the demolition
of an earlier brick.
building at some
unknown location.
. Deposits below the
: ' brick. layer and the
wood fragments
consisted of small,
shallow depressions
filled with lenses of silt,.
fine sand, coarse sand
, and an occasional small
(<2 em) brick. fragment
which is interpreted as
I
I
I
I
Artifacts associated with this trench include an undiagnostic fragment of opaque
white glass, brown glass container fragments, as well as unidentifiable encrusted iron
blobs and small coal chunks. Missing from this list is coal clinker and ash, a common .
component of cultural deposits in downtown Seward.
The artifact assemblage within this trench supports the interpretation that a freight
dock, lumber or building material storage was located at the rear of the Brosius and
Noon Building Supplies and Lumber Store. The artifacts do not appear to represent an
intact structure.
Histonc boardwalk
As Seward developed, main activity areas like paths in front of businesses and
residences became difficult to use because of the spongy, muddy nature of natural soils
on the alluvial fan. To address this, lumber boardwalks were laid down. According to
Barry, "They [city council] arranged to have a plank sidewalk laid along the north side
of Adams...", And "The private property owners of Millionaire's Row united to pay
expenses for putting in new sidewalks from the Lowell Creek bridge to the end of the
block, where Frank Ballaine's house stood as the old walk had become dangerous for
pedestrians. Contractor Andrew de Sherbinin removed the old walk, and Brosius and
Noon laid the the new boardwalk."(1993:5,9). Most boardwalks depicted in historic
photos show the planks running parallel to the road as opposed to perpendicular in a
ladder fashion. The remains of one of these boardwalks was located between and
within water connects 4 and 5 immediately below the cement sidewalk (see frontispiece
19
35
Figure 17. A historic wooden boardwalk shows in the profile of the trench of Connect 5. The wood
appears reddish and broken in the photograph. The dominant yellow tan strata between two beach sane
fill events is a dense layer of coal clinker ash. No artifacts were exposed.
photo of Millionaire' s Row).
The trackhoe excavated a trench across the sidewalk of both connects exposing
three fill events on top of the boardwalk planks (see Figure 6).
~--- Pr6filea-Walls-ahd-a-small shovel test between the two water connect trenches
revealed at least four decomposed planks exposed in cross section. The boardwalk
consisted of I" x 6" horizontal planks, which were probably larger because decay and
compression may mask their true dimensions. At each side of the four horizontal
boards, a single board of similar size lay on edge forming a ninety degree angle.
Refuse deposits
The archaeological material within Connects H and 1#2 is significant for its depositional
location and for the assemblage contents. These Connects likely represent an
undisturbed trash midden or refuse pile deliberately separated from other activity areas
outside of a building. This is in contrast to "surface midden deposits" which accumulate
in wide, discontinuous, thin deposits (see page 23) sometimes referred to as sheet trash.
In his archaeological excavations south of the present project area, Yarborough
maintains that the majority of the cultural deposits he encountered were deposited as
surface midden deposits that accumulated over time at locations adjacent to residential
doorways and within yards surrounding residences, prior to the institution of municipal
trash collection measures (Yarborough 1999: 23). It is noteworthy that in 1905, as the
population. of Seward increased, garbage disposal became an increasing problem and
the editor of the local newspaper published a letter calling for the cleaning up of trash
. that accumulated around buildings, which was perceived as a fire hazard (Barry
1986:91). The diversity of artifacts observed in the two cultural assemblages recovered
from Connect H and Connect 1#2, the undisturbed deposit, the presence of many
unbroken glass containers as well as the nature of their depositional locations, all point
towards the probability of deposition as a refuse pile.
20
3b
, :
. Figure 18. Connect H.
A concentrated deposit of dozens of bottles, window: glass, toys, clothing items, animal bones, and
ceramics were identified and collected from both Connects H and I( #2). In Figure 18, in front of the
-lluilamg currently occupiooDY"Kayak--Adventures Worldwlae"-the-depositwas-exposed near the
center of the roadway within the white circle. Previous researchers have assumed that no intact
cultural remains could exist within the roadway because of previous disturbance by utility trench
excavation in the past. Because of the similar artifact assemblages and physical proximity (6 meters
apart), the material in both Connects is presumed to be a single deposit.
The artifact assemblage associated with Connect H consists of: 13 whole brown,
clear, and aqua glass bottles with manufacture dates between 1915 and 1954 that likely
contained liquid beverages such as beer and soda; 1 whole cobalt blue Milk of Magnesia
bottle manufactured after 1916; 8 aqua, brown, and clear glass fragments; 1 tobacco tin;
1 round nail; 1 threaded boIt; 6 bone fragments exhibiting evidence of butchering; 9
linoleum flooring fragments; 2 aqua window glass fragments; and 2 porcelain doll legs.
,. The artifact assemblage associated with Connect 1#2 consists of: 14 whole clear,
brown, and aqua glass bottles and jars manufactured between 1929 and 1954 that likely
contained preserves, condiments, and liquid beverages such as beer and soda; 20 clear,
cobalt blue, green, brown, and aqua glass fragments; 1 clear glass dish base; 1 porcelain
fragment; 1 earthenware fragment; 1 metal hinge; 1 metal coffee percolator filter; 1
toothbrush; 1 woman's leather shoe; 1 porcelain doll; 1 metal die-cast toy truck; and
several coal clinker chunks.
In sum, these assemblages appear to represent common domestic household and
luxury entertainment goods. Foodstuff storage containers, food preparation and
21
61
Connect F
\
Refuse
deposits
I
Connect E t
Connect G t
Connect 13
I
Connect12 t
Connect11 t
Connecl9l
.. .>1
Connect 1 0 t
Connect6:~
Scale
50 meters
165 feel
Jefferson
Seward
Museum
I Connect H
~L~o
Jv Church street
-(12
"( t ~nned 14
Liberty
Theater
-$;dams
8
Legend
-B- Ught Pole
I
_ Cu~ural Material
~ Water ServiC2 Connection
Figure 20. Location of refuse pile on Third
Avenue.
centimeter
Figure 21. This painted ceramic
doll from Japan was found with
two ceramic articulating doll
legs, a rusted toy truck and
seve(al bottles.
semng wares, butchered animal-bones,
medicinal items, clothing remnants, children's
toys, tobacco tins, and alcohol and soda bottles,
as well as items like. linoleum, hinges, and
windows suggest the presence of residential
structures and associated trash accumulations.
These two cultural deposits observed in the
excavated trenches. are located in close
proximity to one another, roughly 6 meters
apart, within the roadbed of 'Third Avenue.
Approximately 30 centimeters of coal clinker
and ash lies on top of the deposit plus about 3.3
meters of a gravely fill on top of that. It is
plausible to infer that these cultural deposits are
not discrete but are part of the same large trash
deposit.
It is worthwhile to note that it had been
presumed that no historic cultural deposition
would be encountered within the roadbeds of
Seward. However, the presence of these
deposits illustrates that archaeological
monitoring of all future improvements to
existing roads in the historic Seward townsite is
warranted, in the case that undisturbed cultural
materials will be exposed in upcoming
22
33
Figure 22. Preparation for a pedestrian
walkway between the Alaska SeaLife
Center and the Lowell Creek diversion
flume required excavation into known
deposits of the Lowell Homestead. Both
Yarborough and DePew excavated
within 20 meters of the stop sign and
found artifacts associated with early
Seward. The bulldozer exposed over lOG
artifacts similar to . those previously
excavated. ___
Other Notable Location: Railway Avenue Sidewalk
Part of the ADOTPF plan included extending the sidewalk on the south side of Railway
Avenue from the Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) to the outlet flume of the Lowell Creek
diversion. Yarborough discovered the midden of the Lowell Homestead and a late
historic, possibly prehistoric midden in 1995 while completing . archaeological .
investigation of the ASLC prior to its construction (1998:5). The midden, in general, is
located in the area of the current entrance to the freight delivery dock at the rear of the
ASLC. This is also the beginning of the west-trending sidewalk. shown in preparation in
Figure 23. It is also the location of a 1 x 13 meter trench ar~aeologically excavated
parallel to the proposed sidewalk in 2002 by DePew. He located firearm related and
tavern related artifacts plus faunal resources such as "sea lions, seal, sea birds, cod and
shellfish" (DePew 2003:18). The variety of material reflects the active. and continuous
use of the original waterfront.
Artifacts noted and collected in the 2006 monitoring project include modem trash
like plastic and asphalt chunks plus historic band saw cut faunal remains, bottles, bottle
fragments, whiteware, coal, coal clinker and fire-cracked rock (FCR). The latter is of
interest because FCR is commonly associated with prehistoric sites, though certainly
not exclusively. None of the artifacts discovered are inconsistent with the Lowell
Homestead.
I
1
!.
Other Notable Location: Surface Midden Deposits: Light Pole Trench 18-19
The excavation of light poles including a connecting shallow trench between
Jefferson and Madison on the east side of Third Avenue, revealed a continuous and
consistent 2-10 em layer of coal clinker, coal ash and small bits of coal buried at 40 em.
Also included were reddened sand and pebbles (often used to protect the bottom of a
stove from the intense heat of burning coal), rusted nails and bits of charcoal. The even
and widely distributed layer represents a deliberate spread of waste ash from a coal
burning stove.
,.
Coal clinker, coal ash and small bits of coal are common in subsurface deposits in
the downtown area. Coal was the dominant source of fuel in early Seward primarily
because of ease of access to the Matanuska coal fields. In 1904 and 1905, the fields were
23
3~
Figure 23.
Figure 24.
Figures 23 and 24. Surface midden deposits
consisting of loose fire reddened pebbles, coal bits
and clinker ash represent the dumping of the
contents of a coal burning stove (buried layers of
coal clinker and coal ash are common throughout
downtown Seward). This refuse is referred to
"sheet trash", material that gets distributed on
activity area surfaces either intentionally (as is
probably the case here) or unintentionally as just
everyday litter. The deposit was consistent and
spread widely throughout the trench in Figure 24
at about 40 centimeters below the surface.
Connect A
~.J
I
Conned 0 t
Connect N t
Conned M t
Connect L l
------+
Conned J ~
Madison
21
Jefferson
15
Connect F Refuse
deposits
I ' Connect H
- and 1#2
.IV
t
Scale Legend
50 meters ~. Light Pole
165 feet V
_ Cultural Material
t Water Service Connection
Figures 25. Location of surface midden
deposits on Third Avenue.
40
24
tapped to provide coal to fuel the locomotive of the Alaska Central Railroad
provide fuel for ~e community of Seward, and later to power the fleet of the US NavY
that was developmg to support efforts in the Philippines (Barry 1986:56-57).
RECOMMENDATIONS........ ................................. ..................................
While it may seem overdone to recommend more communication between
arch~eological and roadbuilding interests, without it problems will compound. Every
conflict that arose in-the course of- the 2006 project_had in common some lack of shared
knowledge.
. It would be worthwhile for the monitor to be present at contractor's meetings
where upcoming tasks are discussed. That would provide a forum for discussion of
intrusive threats, an exchange of details and scheduling. Being as specific as possible in
every discussion would be beneficial.
Changes in scheduling and locations of where intrusive events will occur are
unavoidable, therefore, a procedure to alert the monitor would be useful.
To some extent, the process was weakened by the frequent presentation to SHPO
. . for review of ADOTPF plan drafts. While SHPO approved the initial plan subsequent
changes were assumed to be benign. A term like "putting in a sidewalk" seemed
harmless enough, but the exact specifications determined the threat to subsurface
resources. For example, on the east side of Block Two, the installation of a new sidewalk
was completed by removing the old sidewalk, excavating and grading a new surface to
the west, removing the soil under the old sidewalk and grading the slope, a process that
removed 175 square meters of cultural material.
Road builders and archaeologists view measurements from different perspectives.
The asphalt paving company.. engineers and operators frequently reassured the
monitors that they intended to dig "only a little bit", which to them means about one
foot. Of course to an archaeologist, that is a large amount.
It has been assumed that roadways in Seward consisted of disturbed material and
would not be of archaeological value. Discovery of the refuse deposit near the Seward
museum (see page 20) located partially in the road way near the Seward Museum
erodes the assumption.
j.
I
I
Yarborough provides a recommendation for the protection of archaeological
resources: "The simplest strategy for avoiding potential archaeological resources in the
study area is to avoid the undisturbed portion of the tract south and south east of the
Rae Building." He recommends that if plans call for subsurface disturbance, then at
"minimum, this should include a systematic program of subsurface testing... It is
strongly recommended that the two lines of Cottonwood trees, which define the
eastern margin of the alley and the southern boundary of the Peel House lot, not be
disturbed" (1999:32).
i
'.
25
q,
REFERENCE S CITED..............................................................................
Alaska Department of Parks and Outdoor Recreation, State Historic
2006 Preservation Office. .
Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
2005 NH-TEA-031-1(29)/55352 Seward Highway, Milepost 0 to 8.
Phase II.
Barry, M
1986 Seward. Alaska, A History of the Gateway City, Vol 1.
Privately Published
1993 Seward. Alaska, A History of the Gateway City~ Vol II.
Privately Published
1995 Seward. Alaska, A History. Vol ill. Privately Published
p
Bender, Susan.
, 2004 Seward Multi-Agency Visitor Center: Archo.eological Assessment and
Research. Final report prepared for the National Park Service.
Cook, Linda & Norris, Frank.
--------1998 -A Stern and Rock-Bound Coast, Kenai Fjords-HistoricResource Study.
National Park Service, Alaska Support Offic~, Anchorage, AK.
Crowell, Aron L. & Daniel H. Mann
1998 Archaeology and Coastal Dynamics of Kenai Fjords National Park
Historic Resource Study. National Park Service, Alaska Support
Office, Anchorage, AK.
deLaguna, F.
1956 Chugach Prehistory: The Archo.eology of Prince William Sound. Alaska.
University of Washington Publications in Anthropology Vol. 13.
University of Washington, Seattle
;
. ,
DePew, Alan.
2003 2002 Archo.eological Investigations of the Lowell Homestead Site,
SEW-682, Seward, Alaska (ADOT&PF Project 53547). Office of
History and Archaeology Report Number 92.
Kesler, Judy
2006 An Historical Atlas for the Proposed Multi-Agency Visitor Center in
Seward, Alaska. Draft 2006, National Park Service, Anchorage
Lemke, Richard W.
1967 Effects of the Earthquake of March 27, 1964, At Seward, Aliiska.
Geological Survey Professional Paper 542-E
26
~2
Ludwig, Stefanie
2006a Personal communication with Stefanie Ludwig, December 22, 2006.
2006b Personal communication with Stefanie Ludwig, May 19, 2006.
Mason, Rachel.
2003 Red Light District Ethnohistory in Seward, Alaska. In Alaska Park
Science, Summer 2003: 26-31 National Park Service, Anchorage
Mobley, Charles M.
1994 Historic Architecture Survey of the Waterfront, Seward, Alaska, for the
Proposed Institute of Marine Science Facility. Charles M. Mobley
and Associates, Anchorage.
National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Department of the Interior
2004 Kenai Fjords National Park: Exit Glacier Area Plan. Environmental
Assessment and General Management Plan Amendment. National Park
Service, Anchorage
National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Department of the Interior
1983 Archaeology and Historic Preservation;Secretary of the Interior's
Standards and Guidelines. Federal Register 48(190):44716-44742
Patrick. Andrew.
1999 A Shipyard, a Homestead, and Sin: A Historic;Compliance Assessment of
Seward's Block 2. Report prepared by the National Park Service
Alaska Support Office.
Paul steiner, John.
1975 Seward, Alaska, the Sinful Town on Resurrection Bay. Privately
published.
Toulouse, Julian Harrison
1971 Bottle Makers and Their Marks. Blackburn Press, Caldwell, New
Jersey
University of California, Berkeley .
1995 The Sanborn Map Company. Document maintained on server
http:// www.lib.berkeley.edu/EART / sanborn.html by the Earth
Sciences & Map Library.
Yarborough, Michael R.
1999 Archeological Overview and Assessment of the Seward Multi-Agency
Center for Marine Science Tract. Report prepared by Cultural
Resource Consultants, Anchorage, for the National Park Service.
1998 Archaeology at the Alaska SeaLife Center, A Summary of Research in
Seward, Alaska, from 1995 to 1997. Report prepared by Cultural
Resource Consultants, Anchorage under contract to Rise
Alaska/Leif Selkregg Associates.
27
~3
APPEND IX.......................... ......................................................................
Physical Location of Excavated Units.
Plans of these locations can be found on sheets UW6-UW8 of "Seward Highway from
MP 0 to 8 Phase II" plan set (NH-TEA-031_1 (29)/55352) available from the Alaska
Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOTPF).
Unit Surveyed Location Accuracy Side of Third Ave
Lowell Homestead 1+010 to 1+110 approximate west
Lowell Homestead 1+010 to 1+110 approximate west
Railway Sidewalk trench 2 wsw of station zero approximate west
Railway Sidewalk trench 1 wsw of station zero approximate west
Load Center trench 1 +392 approximate east
Light Pole # 2-3 trench 1 +070 to 1+072 approximate east
Light Pole # 18-19 trench 1+600 to 1+700 approximate east
Washington and Third, trench #1 1+115 approximate west
Washinl?;ton and Third, trench #2 1 + 115 approximate east
Shovel test #1 1+200 approximate west
Connect 1 1 +044.064 exact east
Connect 2 1+172.682 exact east
Connect 3 1+214.500 exact east
Connect 4 . 1 +191.816 exact west
Connect 5 1 +209.600 exact west
Connect 6 1 +249.802 exact west
Connect 7 1 +222.189 exact east
Connect 8 1+240 approximate east
Connect 9 1+280.488 exact west
Connect 10 1+263.678 exact west
Connect 11 1 +306.543 exact west
Connect 12 1+340.117 exact west
Connect 13 1+359.240 exact west
Connect 14 1+400.914 exact east
Connect a 1+708.700 exact west
Connect b 1+679.965 exact west
Connect c 1+703.209 exact east
Connect d 1 +433.700 exact east
Connect e 1 +458.500 exact west
Connect f 1 +502.892 exact west
Connect g 1 +410.642 exact west
Connect h 1 +462.196 exact east
Connect i (#2) 1+489.765 exact east
Connect i 1+556.854 exact west
28
4~
( Connect k 1+325 approximate west
Connect I 1+574.898 exact west
Connectm 1 +590.632 exact west
Connectn 1 +618.700 exact west
Connect 0 1 +656.015 exact west
Connectp 1+633.616 exact east
Connect a - ---- -_. - 1 +645 . - approximate east
Connect r 1+661.550 exact east
Connect s 1 +670 approximate east
Connect t 1+675 approximate east
.
Lie:ht Pole 1 1 +035 approximate east
Lie:ht Pole 2 1 +070 approximate east
Light Pole 3 1+105 approxiinate east
Light Pole 4 1 + 130 approximate east
Lie:ht Pole 5 1+165 approximate east
. Light Pole 6 1+200 approximate east
Light Pole 7 1+235 approximate east
Light Pole 8 1+270 approximate east
Light Pole 9 1 +308 approximate east
Lie:ht Pole 10 1+340 approximate east
Lie:ht Pole 11 - - 1+375 approximate east
Light Pole 12 1+410 approximate east
Lie:ht Pole 13 1+445 approximate east
Light Pole 14 1 +480 approximate east
Lieht Pole 15 1+515 approximate east
Light Pole 16 1 +545 approximate east
Lieht Pole 17 1 +580 approximate east
Light Pole 18 1+615 approximate east
Light Pole 19 1 +650 approximate east
Li~ht Pole 20 1 +685 approximate east
29
4S-
SARAH PALIN
GOVERNOR
~
,-S':i:!:::!v '
~~.>..
STATE OF ALASKA
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
JUNEAU
May I, 2007
The Honorable Vanta Shafer
Mayor of the City of Seward
P.O. Box 167
Seward, AI( 99664-0167
Dear Mavor Shafer:
It has been called to my attention that Hoben Park, a historic
property in Seward owned by the city, has been recognized for its
historic signifkance with listing in the National Register of Historic
Places on June 21, 2006. Please accept my congratulati~ns. A
certificate recognizing the entry of the historic district in the National
Register is erlclosed.
Alaska's historic and prehistoric -properties are~'a:luable~
resources of the State of Alaska. Thank you for your interest and
concern in protecting one of these properties.
Sincerely,
Sarah Palin
Governor
Enclosure
L/~
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~ ~ oE
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...~ ~ '8 ~ "o~
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. 1 oS-~ --- -.El-..... ... .
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< 0 ..c 1""0. ~ ..... =
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E-i= ~ ~
~ ~
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:...
=
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City of Seward
Certified Local Government
2006 Annual Report
A. Local Preservation Ordinances
1. Copies of any new ordinances, amendments or proposed
amendments made to the local preservation ordinance. None
2. A copy of any changes or proposed changes in the local
comprehensive plan. None
B. Local Historic Preservation Commission
1. The names of current members of the historic preservation
commission, and changes in the commission membership.
Historic Preservation Commission Members
Term Expires
Shannon Kovac
Tom Swann
Joland Luther
Iv1eredith Hershock
Greg Carpenter
Shannon Huber
Linda Lasota
Valerie Park, resigned Commission
Michaela Walker-Hettinger. resigned Commission
James Rowell, resigned Commission
5/07
5/07
5/08
5/08
5/09
5/09
5/09
2. Please provide a resume for any new professional members
(archaeologist, historian, architectural historian or architect) and a
short statement of occupation and expertise for any new non-
professional members appointed.
Professional consultants were as follows: Natural Resources
Historian II Doug Gasek, Hoben Park Historic p.rchitect Consultant
Gary Gillette, Artifact illustrator Mark Luttrell and Archaeologist
Valerie Park.
*
Joiund Luther, see attached application
Mereditri Hershock, see attached application
Linda Lasota, see attached application
*
"*
Page 1
L{Z
3. The number and duration of commission vacancies, noting duration
and efforts to fill them.
Michaela Walker-Hettinger's last Commission Meeting was April 5,
2006.
James Rowell's last Commission meeting was July 19, 200>3.
Valerie Park's last Commission meeting was July 26, 2006.
Meredith Hershock was appointed to the Commission on P.,ugLlst
23, 2006.
Jo!und Luther was appointed to the Commission on September 11,
2006.
Linda Lasota was appointed to the Commission on October 9,
2006.
;\11 vacancies were advertised ill the local paper. The Executive
Liaison for Boards and Commissions attended a City Manager
Open House on July 14, 2006 and operated a booth to solicit
individuals for the vacancies.
4.
The dates of
commission.
meeting.
meetings held by the local historic preservation
Please include a copy of the minutes of each
Ja:;uary 11, 2006
February 15. 2006
{",larch 8. 2006
March 24, 2006
April 5, 2006
May 17 2006
June 21.2006
Ju!y 19, 2006
July 26, 2006
?ug list 5, 2006
August 9. 2006
August 11, 2006
September 6, 2006
September 27, 2006
October 11, 2006
October 21. 2006
October 26. 2006
Novembe,- 15. 2006
t\Jov6mber 28, 2006
December 16, 2006
Reauls: Meetino
~ ~
Regu!2: tV'leeting
V'v'ork Session
Special !/ieeting .
Rescileduied Regu!a:- Meeting
Regular Meeti'lQ
Regular fv'ieeting
Reoular Meetino
....' .....
VJork Session
Work Session
ReSCheduled Regular Meeting
Special fv1eeting
Work Session
Special i'lieeting
Reqular Meetina
~ ~
Work Session
Vvork Session
Regular f"ieeting
VVork Session
V\lmk Session
Page 2
~q
The minutes of the Historic Preservation Regular and Special
Meetings held in 2006 are attached The Commission does not
keep minutes of theirwori< sessions.
5. CLG training sessions or workshops attended by the commission
members and staff.
October 24, 2006 Vice Chair Torr: Swann attended a Land Use Law
training facilitated by City Attorneys Cheryl Brooking and Michael
Gatti,
Commissioner Swann also attended monthiy "Friends of the Jesse
Lee Home" meetings held in Anchorage.
C. Survey and Inventory of Historic Properties
1. Provide a summary of local survey activity, including the number
and types of surveys conducted, and the total amount of acreage
covered.
Commission Chair Shannon Kovac continued a detailed update of
the Local Historic Site inventory. Commissioner Joiuna Luther has
agreed to assist Kovac with the update, The 'update is an on-going
project that the Commission hopes will include producing as many
as possible historic and current photos as we!1 as othel' details of
each site.
The Commission conducted a sIle visit and began discussions
regarding His~oric WOI'!d War II bunkers and Quonset Huts. The
COIl1rnfSS!Cn also conducted a site visl: and began discussions
regarding a historic Water Intake Building aCId associated piping on
Lowel! Creek. Evaluation of these histo,ic properties will continue
into 2007,
2. Provide the number of historic properties recorded and reported to
the Alaska Heritage Resource Survey (AHRS). None
3. A summary of the results of each survey conducted, including type
of resources recorded, the number of new sites or structures
recorded, the number of properties investigated during the survey,
and the number of volunteers and property owners involved. . None
4. The number of local government staff and non-staff researchers
who used the local cultural resources inventory files:
*
City of Seward, Community Development Department
Page 3 !;7)
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*
*
*
*
'i-:
"
-;'.;
Historic Preservation Commission
Seward Parks and Recreation Department
National Park Service
U. S. National Forest Service
Seward Phoenix Log
Hoben Park Historic /I,rchitect Consultant Gary Gillette,
Several researchers both personal and as volunteers
continued wOi"ked on historic burial sites in the Seward
cemeteries. Staff continues to use and update tile historic
burial information while continuing to work on digitizing and
mapping the cemeteries and corresponding information.
GiS mapping consultant Gary Greenberg, of Alaska Map
Comoanv continues an effort to diaitize and construct bu:'iai
, " v
site Information of the Seward cemeteries
Staff. researchers and private citizens continued to revieV\l
the Jesse Lee Home files.
"it\l d;::.ff tile. ')' !h'lic ail.-I tllP ~("jmlTi"'c::;,on ("or'~lt~L'ed 1'",
....... '-: .......',.__l.~ ....... ,.....1.... ......... __......,.j ,'''''.'__ " '-' J, ,.,
review and wo;"k on the Hoben Park restoration preject.
D. Preservation Planning Activities
1. A summary of progress writing or updating the local preservation
plan, and the current status of the plan.
Phase I of the S'2ward Historic Preservation Plan was completed in
-; 993 and Phase IT was completed in -; 995 the completed Pian 'Nas
adopted by tile City Council In 1996. No changes have been made
to the Pian.
E. National Register Program Participation
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1. Provide a list of the names and locations of historic properties
evaluated by the CLG for listing on the National Register of Historic
Places.
Hoben Park obtained listing status on the National Register of
Historic Places
F. Protection of Historic Properties
1. Provide the number of local projects reviewed for impacts on
cultural resources by the Commission, its staff, or any other city
staff.
*
Continued ongoing SlUay, public meetings, Planning and.
Zoning Commission review and recommendations, Historic
Preservation Commission review and recommendations of
the proposed multi-agency facility planned for development
vvithin the downtown Historical District of Seward.
.;..
Continued meetings and efforts towards the stabilization and
re\/italization plan for the Jesse Lee Hon-Ie.
*
Commission reviewed the proposed Fire Department Vehicle
Exhaust Capture and Removal System project within the
Histo~icai District
2. Provide a summary of the types of local projects reviewed that
impacted or had the potential to impact historic properties.
*
Continued review of the proposed multi-agency facility in the
Historic District of downtown Seward. I ncluding the
proposed vacation of Washington Street right-of-way
established on the original 1905 plat of Seward.
"
f.Jiark Luttrell and Commissioner Valerie Park. provided
archaeological Monitoring of Alaska Department of
Transportation Public Facilities Seward Highway project in
Historic Downtovvn Seward. A review of the findings will be
presented to the Commission and the public in 2007.
G. Public Education Projects
1. Provide a list of public education projects on historic preservation
that were prepared by the CLG. .
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"The Commission selected the past and p:'esent congregation
of the St. Peters Episcopal Church as the recipient of the
2006 Annual Preservation Award.
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*
II,t the I".pril 24, 2006 City Councii meeting the "Viayor read a
proclamation proclaiming the month oT 1\11ay 2006 as Historic
F'reset-vation Month in the City of Sevv'ai'o.
*
The Resurrection Bay Historical Society's annuai celebration
of Founder's Day, August 2006,
"*
P. pO\lver point presentatiOti was developed and presented
around the community on the Jesse tee Home and Benny
Benson. The presentation was selected as the
Commission's 2006 Preservation fv10nth Project to inform
2nd encourage community support for the restoration of the
Jesse Lee Home and Leadership School.
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f
Historic Preservation Grant Activities
1. Provide a list of CLG Historic Preservation Fund grants applied for
and received.
The Commission applied for and was owarded wit!l certain
conditions a CLG Historic Preservation Fund C3rant to assist With
purchase and installation of rhe Hoben Park Fountain.
2. Provide a list and brief description of other (non-CLG Historic
Preservation Fund) preservation grants applied for and received.
The Se\/Jard ,~.sscciation for the ,A.dvancerTient of 'v1arine Science
Board of Directors approved p&rticipation in the Hoben Park
restmation project and authorized a contribution of up to S50.000.
The City of Seward was notified of this generous donation on
August 2, 200!) by the Alaska Sea Life Center's Executive Director
Tylan Schrock.
I. Other Preservation Activities
1. A summary of any other local events, projects or achievements
involving historic resources in the community.
;c
The Resurrection Bay Historical Society's annual celebration
of Seward's Day and Founder's Day.
Page 6 ,53
J. Other information not included within the report
!\lone
K. Attachments .
1. New Historic Preservation Commissioner's P,pplication
2. 2006 Resolutions
3. 2006 Regular Meeting Minutes
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