Traditional Small Boat Building Techniques, Why They Are Worth Preserving

Since the passage of the Historic Preservation Act of 1966, many objects that are important
to our cultural heritage have been preserved. Grand buildings, bridges and ships and now
landscapes have been save for future generations to learn from. We have chosen these tangible
items to be representative of our past. But there are intangible items as well that should be
preserved as well. The building techniques used in the construction of these items are as
important as the object itself, not only to help in conservation measures that may be needed to
help preserve the object, but to help in adding context and meaning to the object as well.
Smaller, vernacular buildings and boats have been forgotten in our interpretation of our
historic memory. Yet buildings such as farmhouses and small indigenous watercraft such as
kayaks and birchbark canoes have played an important part in the settlement and exploration of
our country. This study will examine some of the individuals and organizations that have
dedicated time and resources to the preservation of small boats and will discuss why it is
important to our cultural heritage to preserve the traditional building techniques of these small
boats.

Images/Documents

HISP700_2006_Watson1.pdf