The San Joaquin Historian – Spring 2026

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) was created by the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966. Prior to the passage of the NHPA, no federal policy regarding historic preservation existed and efforts to preserve historically significant structures throughout the country were often undertaken by local groups with only the support of private citizens.

In the 1850s, George Washington’s nephew unsuccessfully lobbied the United States government to purchase and preserve the dilapidated Mount Vernon estate, home of the country’s first president. A grassroots organization known as the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association raised funds to acquire and save the plantation, becoming the pattern for other such preservation groups to come. The 1906 Antiquities Act, passed by President Theodore Roosevelt, was the first step toward a federal policy to preserve nationally significant sites. The act allowed the president to protect specific pieces of land by declaring them “national monuments.” Over the years, federal powers related to historic preservation grew with the passage of laws such as the Historic Sites Act (1935) and the establishment of organizations like the Historic American Building Survey and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.