About Cultural Resources

Cultural Resources Defined

Cultural resources are defined as those "possessing historical, cultural, archaeological, or paleontological significance, including sites, structures, districts, and objects significantly associated with or representative of earlier people, cultures, and human activities and events". Cultural resources are the physical evidence of the past activities and accomplishments of people (individuals and society). They include prehistoric and historic districts, sites, buildings, structures, or objects listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (maintained by the Secretary of the Interior). They also include all records, artifacts and physical remains associated with the historic properties. Although Callaway County's cultural resources encompass a somewhat limited historical time range in the sum total of American history and spans from the Louisiana Purchase to the Modern Era. Because of Cole County being the seat of state government and in a strategic location on early migration and shipping routes, the area’s cultural resources reflect the history of the entire period of settlement, growth, and development of the Western half of the country.

Cultural resources are considered equivalent to historic properties as defined by Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) regulations for compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Cultural Resources protected under other authorities (such as the American Indian Religious Freedom Act) include:

1. tangible traces such as buildings, structures, sites, objects, districts and traditional cultural properties;
2. less tangible traces such as dance forms, aspects of folklife, landscapes, vistas, cultural or religious practices, and locations of cultural value to living societies, known as Traditional Cultural Properties;
3. historical documents; and
4. some landscapes, vistas, cemeteries (if they have historic or cultural value) and lifeways.

For the purposes of this website, Cole County's cultural resources will be defined as those physical properties which have contributed significantly to the growth and development of Callaway County. These cultural resources include:

1) Transportation ways such as paths and trails, wagon trails, steamboat routes and landings, railroad lines and stations and early roads and bridges.
2) Communities which contributed to the general growth and promoted social welfare of the populace.
3) Buildings of learning and social growth, such as churches, schools, and significant businesses.
4) locations associated with events of significant local historical importance, or residences of people associated events of significant historical importance.
5) military battles and skirmishes of decisive times in our history.
6) cemeteries, the final resting place of those our pioneer forefathers who gave up lives of ease to help carve out and develop what we now know as our local heritage, heros all they are.

The following cultural resources should receive primary attention when submitting photos:

1) Communities
2) Schools
3) Churches
4) Bridges
5) Transportation
6) Agriculture
7) Events
8) Businesses
9) People