top of page
Arizona Preservation Webinar Series
Explore the Arizona Preservation Webinar Series, offering a deep dive into the fascinating and informative world of historic preservation in Arizona. This collection of webinars is organized into four engaging themes: place-based history, sustainability and historic preservation, societal issues in archaeology and historic preservation, and recognizing and interpreting historical materials. Each presentation provides unique insights and valuable knowledge about preserving Arizona’s rich heritage. Click on the graphic for a detailed description and link to watch the video recap on YouTube. For any questions or suggestions for future topics, please drop us a note.
Hard Hats and Hidden Histories: Women Who Built Nebraska, July 24, 2025
This webinar will discuss Post Oak Preservation’s 2024-2025 statewide study of Nebraska’s Women in the Building Trades, a National Park Service Underrepresented Communities grant project.
This webinar explores the challenges and discoveries behind documenting the overlooked contributions of women – especially LGBTQ+, Indigenous, immigrant, non-White, rural, and working-class women – to Nebraska’s built environment. From submitting a Multiple Property Documentation Form to drafting a National Register nomination for the Laura B. Wood/Alta Mae Ward Historic District, the project sheds light on how women shaped the state's architectural legacy – often outside the bounds of official records. The project faced a complex challenge: researching women’s history in a field where records are scarce, biased, or missing altogether.
For public historians and preservation professionals, this project highlights the deep challenges of researching women’s history: navigating archival silences, decoding gendered language in historic records, and addressing the systemic exclusion of women and their labor from the historical narrative. Learn how the research team developed inclusive methodologies to surface hidden stories and expand the framework for recognizing underrepresented voices in the built environment. Join us to learn how these histories were recovered, why they matter, and how this work can be expanded in the future.
Presenter: Rebecca Wallisch has extensive experience performing intensive and reconnaissance-level historical, architectural, and cultural resource management investigations. This includes conducting fieldwork, research, and surveys; identifying and documenting cultural resources; and developing historic contexts, National Register of Historic Places nominations, and HABS/HAER-level documentation. Rebecca has conducted dozens of historic resources surveys and authored numerous National Register nominations in California, Oregon, Washington, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Wyoming, and throughout Texas in rural, urban, and suburban environments. To Post Oak Preservation, Rebecca brings a passion for historical research and telling the whole story of our shared cultural heritage.
This webinar explores the challenges and discoveries behind documenting the overlooked contributions of women – especially LGBTQ+, Indigenous, immigrant, non-White, rural, and working-class women – to Nebraska’s built environment. From submitting a Multiple Property Documentation Form to drafting a National Register nomination for the Laura B. Wood/Alta Mae Ward Historic District, the project sheds light on how women shaped the state's architectural legacy – often outside the bounds of official records. The project faced a complex challenge: researching women’s history in a field where records are scarce, biased, or missing altogether.
For public historians and preservation professionals, this project highlights the deep challenges of researching women’s history: navigating archival silences, decoding gendered language in historic records, and addressing the systemic exclusion of women and their labor from the historical narrative. Learn how the research team developed inclusive methodologies to surface hidden stories and expand the framework for recognizing underrepresented voices in the built environment. Join us to learn how these histories were recovered, why they matter, and how this work can be expanded in the future.
Presenter: Rebecca Wallisch has extensive experience performing intensive and reconnaissance-level historical, architectural, and cultural resource management investigations. This includes conducting fieldwork, research, and surveys; identifying and documenting cultural resources; and developing historic contexts, National Register of Historic Places nominations, and HABS/HAER-level documentation. Rebecca has conducted dozens of historic resources surveys and authored numerous National Register nominations in California, Oregon, Washington, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Wyoming, and throughout Texas in rural, urban, and suburban environments. To Post Oak Preservation, Rebecca brings a passion for historical research and telling the whole story of our shared cultural heritage.
The Role of the Historical Archaeology Advisory Committee in Cultural Resource Management
Date: May 28, 2025
Time: 10:00 am to 11:00 am (MST [Arizona])
Arizona’s cultural history encompasses thousands of years with multiple periods of occupation and complex interaction by indigenous peoples. Arizona, and the region in general, experienced significant disruption after the invasion and occupation of the Spanish (ca. 1538–1821), and continued through the Mexican period (1821–1848). Following the American Civil War (1861–1865), Arizona’s European and American population increased exponentially as communities were established, influenced by Arizona’s burgeoning agricultural, mining, and cattle ranching industries. Arizona’s growth has continued unabated into the new millennium with urban expansion and the construction of interstate highways and other means of transportation.
Archaeologists have made substantial progress in the documentation of prehistoric sites, and through close collaboration with descendant tribal communities, are seeking to understand past cultures and the continuity of traditions across the American Southwest. However, under current federal and state laws, archaeologists are also expected to document historical sites and material culture reflecting settlement and land use in the post-Civil War era (post-1865). Currently, all resources pre-dating 1975 are considered historical and are therefore subject to documentation as either sites or in-use structures. Unfortunately, many archaeologists are not familiar with, or have not been adequately trained to recognize and document the plethora of historical resources that are present across Arizona.
Thomas Jones, Presenter
Mr. Jones has more than 30 years of experience in archaeological investigations, historical artifact analysis, historical research, and National Register nominations, documentation for HABS/HAER, and historical building inventories. Mr. Jones meets the professional requirements for Historian under the Secretary of Interior Standards. He has contributed to all forms of archaeological reports and has authored and presented papers for professional and avocational audiences. He sits on the Historical Archaeology Advisory Committee (HAAC) and was a long-time member of the Phoenix Historic Preservation Commission and Governor’s Archaeology Advisory Commission. As a member of HAAC, Mr. Jones assisted the Arizona SHPO in the development of inventory forms for historical in-use structures, as well as a field guide for recording structures and preparing the forms. He is intimately familiar with the documentation and evaluation of historical in-use structures.
Historical Archaeology Advisory Committee (HAAC)
Over the last 25 years, the Historical Archaeology Advisory Committee (HAAC) has worked with the Arizona SHPO to provide guidance for documenting these resources, as well as archival materials for an understanding of how they have contributed to Arizona’s growth. This presentation provides a general summary of our work with SHPO in the documentation of historical sites and resources, including examples of the most common resource types.
A Zoom link will be sent the day before the presentation to those who register. If you register and do not receive a link, be sure to check for the notification in spam folders. The presentation will be recorded, and the recording will be posted.
Time: 10:00 am to 11:00 am (MST [Arizona])
Arizona’s cultural history encompasses thousands of years with multiple periods of occupation and complex interaction by indigenous peoples. Arizona, and the region in general, experienced significant disruption after the invasion and occupation of the Spanish (ca. 1538–1821), and continued through the Mexican period (1821–1848). Following the American Civil War (1861–1865), Arizona’s European and American population increased exponentially as communities were established, influenced by Arizona’s burgeoning agricultural, mining, and cattle ranching industries. Arizona’s growth has continued unabated into the new millennium with urban expansion and the construction of interstate highways and other means of transportation.
Archaeologists have made substantial progress in the documentation of prehistoric sites, and through close collaboration with descendant tribal communities, are seeking to understand past cultures and the continuity of traditions across the American Southwest. However, under current federal and state laws, archaeologists are also expected to document historical sites and material culture reflecting settlement and land use in the post-Civil War era (post-1865). Currently, all resources pre-dating 1975 are considered historical and are therefore subject to documentation as either sites or in-use structures. Unfortunately, many archaeologists are not familiar with, or have not been adequately trained to recognize and document the plethora of historical resources that are present across Arizona.
Thomas Jones, Presenter
Mr. Jones has more than 30 years of experience in archaeological investigations, historical artifact analysis, historical research, and National Register nominations, documentation for HABS/HAER, and historical building inventories. Mr. Jones meets the professional requirements for Historian under the Secretary of Interior Standards. He has contributed to all forms of archaeological reports and has authored and presented papers for professional and avocational audiences. He sits on the Historical Archaeology Advisory Committee (HAAC) and was a long-time member of the Phoenix Historic Preservation Commission and Governor’s Archaeology Advisory Commission. As a member of HAAC, Mr. Jones assisted the Arizona SHPO in the development of inventory forms for historical in-use structures, as well as a field guide for recording structures and preparing the forms. He is intimately familiar with the documentation and evaluation of historical in-use structures.
Historical Archaeology Advisory Committee (HAAC)
Over the last 25 years, the Historical Archaeology Advisory Committee (HAAC) has worked with the Arizona SHPO to provide guidance for documenting these resources, as well as archival materials for an understanding of how they have contributed to Arizona’s growth. This presentation provides a general summary of our work with SHPO in the documentation of historical sites and resources, including examples of the most common resource types.
A Zoom link will be sent the day before the presentation to those who register. If you register and do not receive a link, be sure to check for the notification in spam folders. The presentation will be recorded, and the recording will be posted.
Buffalo Soldiers in Arizona
Presenter John P. Langellier, holds a BA and MA in history and historical archaeology from the University of San Diego and a PhD from Kansas State University, specializing in U.S. military history and historic preservation. His career spans more than five decades in various public history positions. He has also worked in motion picture and TV productions, leads military history tours, and appears as a public speaker on an array of historical topics. His latest book, Buffalo Soldiers in Arizona, is available from History Press.
Planning the Past, Preserving the Future: A Sneak Peek into Arizona's Next Comprehensive Historic Preservation Plan
Thank you for your interest in joining our webinar, "Planning the Past, Preserving the Future: A Sneak Peek into Arizona's Next Comprehensive Historic Preservation Plan," presented by Kathryn Leonard on Tuesday, November 26, 2024. The webinar will run from 10 a.m. to Noon, Arizona time.
Kathryn Leonard has served as Arizona's State Historic Preservation Officer since 2016. A graduate of Vassar College and Arizona State University, Kathryn is a professional archaeologist and historian with over twenty years of experience managing heritage resources in both the public and private sectors. She is widely known for her expertise in evaluating effects to landscape-level cultural resources and developing and advocating best practices for tribal government to government consultation. As Arizona's State Historic Preservation Officer, Kathryn works with a team of archaeologists, architects, historians and planners to promote historic preservation as a tool for economic development in both rural and urban areas. She also works with state and federal agencies, municipalities, and tribes to ensure that cultural resources are appropriately considered in short and long-range planning activities.
Kathryn Leonard has served as Arizona's State Historic Preservation Officer since 2016. A graduate of Vassar College and Arizona State University, Kathryn is a professional archaeologist and historian with over twenty years of experience managing heritage resources in both the public and private sectors. She is widely known for her expertise in evaluating effects to landscape-level cultural resources and developing and advocating best practices for tribal government to government consultation. As Arizona's State Historic Preservation Officer, Kathryn works with a team of archaeologists, architects, historians and planners to promote historic preservation as a tool for economic development in both rural and urban areas. She also works with state and federal agencies, municipalities, and tribes to ensure that cultural resources are appropriately considered in short and long-range planning activities.
The Architecture of Arizona’s Working-Class Communities
This presentation discusses the architecture of Arizona’s working-class and minority communities, with a special focus on how to identify, document, and interpret these unique resources. Case studies for several communities in Southern Arizona will be described to illustrate both past and on-going documentation efforts, including a discussion of grass-roots community efforts to bring recognition and designation to these resources.
Untold Histories in Arizona’s Copper Mining Communities
Popular histories of early Arizona mining settlements often focus on the role of male prospectors, military men, adventurers, entrepreneurs, and those quintessentially Western pioneers who have inspired books, movies, and television series. Unfortunately, western women have not been fully recognized for the important and diverse roles they played in the formation of Arizona’s burgeoning industrial communities of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, many Apache men found work in the copper mines and associated communities in the east central region of Arizona. While many Apache integrated into Anglo American lifestyles and labor systems through mining, they were also able to retain aspects of their traditional culture and values. Yet, the diversity of the various people involved in the early Arizona copper mines influenced and were impact by the development of social norms, laws, and community regulations.
During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, many Apache men found work in the copper mines and associated communities in the east central region of Arizona. While many Apache integrated into Anglo American lifestyles and labor systems through mining, they were also able to retain aspects of their traditional culture and values. Yet, the diversity of the various people involved in the early Arizona copper mines influenced and were impact by the development of social norms, laws, and community regulations.
Digging Our Way Through Arizona
This Arizona Preservation Webinar Series presentation from March 7, 2023 focuses on three interesting archaeological projects in the Grand Canyon State.
"Government and Commerce in the Original Phoenix Townsite: Archaeology and History of Development on Blocks 22 and 23 of the OPT"
Archival and archaeological investigations of two city blocks in downtown Phoenix examined the remains of commercial and civic buildings. Evidence for 3 sequential generations of buildings documented the growth and development within the Original Phoenix Townsite from 1871-1975. Despite extensive disturbance in some areas, multiple well-preserved foundations, basements, privies, and other archaeological deposits provided information about the impact of national economic conditions on Phoenix.
"Munguia"
"Munguía" was produced for the descendants of Don Tomás Munguía at the 2022 Arizona Site Stewards Conference. The film was supported by Arizona State Parks, State Historic Preservation Office, and the Bureau of Land Management Tucson. In 2005, preservation archaeologist Jacquie Dale, submitted the Munguía homestead to the Arizona Site Steward program for protection and monitoring. 17 years later, filmmaker and site steward Kiersten Dunbar Chace, visits the Munguía site to monitor and document the home and learns of Munguía's rich Arizona ancestry, dating back to the 18th century.
"Archaeology at Apex, Arizona"
Archaeological investigations at the Apex logging camp (1928-1936) in Summer 2022 revealed the intersections of federal policies, like Prohibition, local contexts, such as the importance of the Grand Canyon Railway, and personal stories of the camp's residents through the artifacts, features, and landscapes still remaining at the site. Simultaneously, tours of the site revealed the importance of engaging any and all publics with Arizona's more recent history. This talk will address our recent findings of all aspects of our Summer program, as well as look forward to plans for the Summer 2023 season.
"Government and Commerce in the Original Phoenix Townsite: Archaeology and History of Development on Blocks 22 and 23 of the OPT"
Archival and archaeological investigations of two city blocks in downtown Phoenix examined the remains of commercial and civic buildings. Evidence for 3 sequential generations of buildings documented the growth and development within the Original Phoenix Townsite from 1871-1975. Despite extensive disturbance in some areas, multiple well-preserved foundations, basements, privies, and other archaeological deposits provided information about the impact of national economic conditions on Phoenix.
"Munguia"
"Munguía" was produced for the descendants of Don Tomás Munguía at the 2022 Arizona Site Stewards Conference. The film was supported by Arizona State Parks, State Historic Preservation Office, and the Bureau of Land Management Tucson. In 2005, preservation archaeologist Jacquie Dale, submitted the Munguía homestead to the Arizona Site Steward program for protection and monitoring. 17 years later, filmmaker and site steward Kiersten Dunbar Chace, visits the Munguía site to monitor and document the home and learns of Munguía's rich Arizona ancestry, dating back to the 18th century.
"Archaeology at Apex, Arizona"
Archaeological investigations at the Apex logging camp (1928-1936) in Summer 2022 revealed the intersections of federal policies, like Prohibition, local contexts, such as the importance of the Grand Canyon Railway, and personal stories of the camp's residents through the artifacts, features, and landscapes still remaining at the site. Simultaneously, tours of the site revealed the importance of engaging any and all publics with Arizona's more recent history. This talk will address our recent findings of all aspects of our Summer program, as well as look forward to plans for the Summer 2023 season.
Flagstaff, Crossroads of Heritage: Tribes, Camels, Trains, Lumberjacks, Route 66 & Path to the Moon
This presentation explores Flagstaff’s diverse heritage, which includes archaeological and historical habitation of native peoples, a military road with camels, in use and abandoned railroads, remains relating the history of African Americans in the lumber industry, properties associated with plans for the first the moon landing, and of course Route 66. The webinar will review preservation of landscape-level Traditional Cultural Properties and intangible heritage as well as design and installation of placed-based public art.
bottom of page