Proposed Approval of Cemetery Memorial-Stone and Surround of Name-Blocks

Green Springs National Historic Landmark District » Proposed Approval of Cemetery Memorial-Stone and Surround of Name-Blocks » Document List

The National Park Service (NPS) invites review of and comment on its proposed response to a request for approval of a project planned by the Elisabeth Aiken Nolting Charitable Foundation (the Foundation): construction by the Foundation at Bracketts of a cemetery memorial-stone and surround of grade level name-blocks. The NPS reviews the request under the terms of its 1973 conservation easement for the property, situated in the Green Springs National Historic Landmark District, Louisa County Virginia.

The NPS proposes a determination of No Adverse Effect to Historic Properties, for the planned memorial stone and surround of name-blocks and therefore also proposes to grant the Foundation approval, under the terms of the conservation easement, for construction.

Restriction 2 of the Bracketts conservation easement stipulates that the property's owners may propose "farm buildings and structures." The NPS defines the proposed memorial stone and surround of name-blocks as a proposal for a "structure" and more specifically for a farm structure, given the abundance of stone memorials to people who are buried on farms in the surrounding Landmark District and county, including in the Watson Family Cemetery (also known as the Watson-Taylor Family Cemetery, or the Bracketts Cemetery) at Bracketts.

The conservation easement stipulates that any proposed farm structures considered for approval must be those that would be "constructed in a way that would in the opinion of the Grantee [NPS] be in keeping with the historic character of the manor house, its setting and the character of the Green Springs Historic District."

For details of the planned project, and of the proposed NPS response, see the following in the "Document List" of this webpage: (1) a General Description and Review-to-Date, (2) a proposal Description Packet with photographs and other illustrations of location; site; dimensions; Area of Potential Effect; and a map from 1860, and (3) a proposal Research Packet, including a Geophysical Investigation Report: Historic Cemetery, Bracketts Farm Louisa County, Virginia by Mark J. Howard of NAEVA Geophysics, and the Foundation's description of planning; background; and historical research.

The opinions of the NPS advisers cited below are predecisional and recommended, and offered as the requisite next step in the review under the terms of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Since the NPS is not itself proposing or funding the memorial stone and surround of name blocks, and is not owner of the property, the federal undertaking subject to Section 106 is a proposed NPS response (No Adverse Effect/approval) to the Foundation's request. That response and the opinions of the NPS advisers remain proposed until the conclusion of this Section 106 review.

Comment may be offered on any or all of the three documents that make up this review and the proposed NPS response: General Description and Review-to-Date; Description Packet; and Research Packet...by clicking the individual links to those in the "Document List" section of this webpage (column at left) and then clicking the green "Comment Now" button, which leads to a "Submit Comments" screen.

Contact Information

Noel Harrison,
Manager of Easements
540-693-3200 ex. 1020