The following excerpt is from
My River Chronicles, by Jessica DuLong, p218 copyright 2009
published by Free Press, a division of Simon & Shuster
Preservation is predicated on the notion that physical objects are steeped in the breathable essence of time's passing. The physicality of spaces, edifices, and artifacts evokes a bygone age, offering a visceral sense of the past -- the chance to step through yesteryear and wonder and imagine who and how we might have been had we lived then. "History is an inspiration for the present and for the future," Mark says. "We ought to retain a physical, living record of how people overcame challenges, because that gives us confidence to overcome challenges in our time. That's what preservation means to me. If you take the artifacts away, the setting away, and all the places away, how can you communicate with that past?"
Mark Peckham (retired 2015) was Acting Director, Bureau of Historic Sites and Park Services of the
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, & Historic Preservation
