Many thanks to the MyHomeTown Ohio blog for mentioning and linking to my earlier post about how preservationists (including the MyHomeTown Ohio blog) are using video and Web 2.0 social media to advance their missions of education and advocacy. As I have said before, although they focus primarily on activities in Ohio, they frequently write about things that are interesting and relevant to a much broader audience.
Yesterday, in addition to linking to my post, they highlighted the very interesting Historic Ohio Iron and Steel Bridges blog, a new-to-me web service called Waymarking.com, and a very interesting letter published in the Seneca County Blog from a lawyer to the Seneca County (Ohio) Commissioners regarding the imminent demolition of the historic Seneca County Courthouse (more about this below).
The Historic Ohio Iron and Steel Bridges blog, which was created in March, 2005 to explore the remaining old iron and steel truss bridges in Ohio before they disappear, supplements blogger Ron Jones's web site Old Ohio Bridges (built before 1920) and provides a forum for discussion. The earliest blog posts briefly educate readers about structure, materials, and history and most later posts feature specific iron and steel bridges. The Old Ohio Bridges web site is a collaborative effort and includes photographs, maps, driving directions, and photographs and information about iron and steel bridges that have been lost or destroyed. The blog also links to the Historic Ohio Bridge Association's web site and the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), which, of course, documents many historic bridges.
Waymarking.com, "a scavenger hunt for unique and interesting locations in the world," is a web site that "provides tools for you to catalog, mark, and visit interesting and useful places around the world." MyHomeTown Ohio linked to the latest (317th) Ohio historical marker included in the site's database. To be honest, this site is new to me and I am eager to see what it's all about and how it can be used.
While doing some research and fact-checking for last week's historic preservation and realtor training post, I also came across several additional examples of how preservationists are using video, including this video about the highly endangered Seneca County Courthouse (posted but not produced by Preservation Ohio or MyHomeTown Ohio), and Providence Preservation Society's Conversations About Preservation video, which can be seen here and features the city's mayor David Cicilline who describes the importance of preserving the legacy of a city; Molly Lee, Manager of Community Partnerships, Struever Brothers, Eccles & Rouse, Inc. who talks about Providence as a unique ecosystem; Erik Bright, Arts Advocate and Developer who describes the preservation experience; Kari Lang, Executive Director of the West Broadway Neighborhood Association who talks about the importance of civic involvement; and Martha Werenfels, Principal, Durkee, Brown, Viveiros, Werenfels Architects on giving new use to historic structures.
