A Brief History: Cultural Resource Preservation Efforts
120 Years of Cultural Resource Preservation in the Community
Redding has a very long tradition of historic preservation and archaeology. In 1887 the property for Putnam Park was purchased by private citizens and turned over to the State of Connecticut in order to preserve the remains of a Revolutionary War Encampment, becoming Connecticut’s 1st State Park. The property was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and in 2001 it was designated as the States 1st Archaeological Preserve.
| Recent Efforts | |
|---|---|
| 1984 | Town Plan acknowledges the importance of Historic Sites and the need for Historic Districts |
| 1986 | Redding adopts a Scenic Road Ordinance to protect the rural character of some of the town’s historic roads |
| 1988 | Town-wide Architectural Survey of Historic Structures, updated with a second phase in 1992, is part of the State Historic Resource Inventory. |
| 1987- 1992 | National Historic Register Districts are established in Redding Center and Georgetown |
| 1998-1999 | Town-wide Cultural Resource Assessment Survey identifies areas sensitive for the presence of prehistoric and historic archaeological sites and above ground historic structures. 106 archaeological sites are identified along with a systematic review of 2,253 structures. |
| 1999 | A revised Town Plan of Development lists 13 priorities for historic and archaeological site preservation. The Town of Redding passes new subdivision ordinance requiring Cultural Resource review and survey of proposed subdivisions. |
| 2004 | The Town of Redding decides to sell Heritage House back into private ownership with the added protection of historic easements to preserve its historic character. |
| 2006 | An ad-hoc committee was formed to explore the future of Historic Preservation in Redding. The goal of this committee is to include Historic Property Owners in this process. |