What is the National Register of Historical Places?
The National Register of Historical Places is the official list of all the nation’s places deemed worthy of preservation. Before the 1960s, preserving historical buildings was not seen as a public policy matter. That all changed in 1966 when the first national policy towards preservation of these places was put together. Signed by Lyndon B. Johnson on October 15, 1966, the National Historic Preservation Act was born, and with it came many organizations:
- State Historic Preservation Office
- Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
- National Register of Historic Places
- Section 106 review process
These organizations help to preserve beautiful historical places like the Rockmart Slate House. They also help to educate locals in the area about the significance of a certain building or structure.
The Rockmart Slate House is officially listed on the National Register of Historical Places
As of June 24th, 2009, the Rockmart Downtown Historic District, including our beloved event venue, was listed as historical places. The area roughly bounded by Water Street, Beauregard Street, Marble Street, and Elm Streets are included in this list. This district of Rockmart buildings being noticed as historic properties allows for preservation programs to be used if needed. These programs, such as the Main Street program, helps redevelop an older town while keeping it’s historical face and value.
Why is this important?
This district of buildings in Rockmart being listed on the National Register of Historical Places has helped in three ways. This helped to create job opportunities, educate the community, and also it helped to bring in tourism. Tourism in Rockmart? Well.. a certain type of tourism.
In the last few years people are getting tired of the same old tourist attractions, lodges, and typical restaurants. People are shifting to want more local food, activities, and ways to connect with the community and history. So for a smaller town like Rockmart this could not be better. This term called Small or Heritage Tourism is a massive part of smaller town’s revenue. In some cases, it can be the top revenue source they have. Many smaller businesses are popping up around this area because of this small or heritage tourism. For example, the addition of The Rock Creamery (a local Rockmart ice cream business) and The Olive Press (a local Rockmart Christian bookstore) both do a great job bringing the existing community together in Rockmart, while also attracting a smaller crowd outside of the town.
In addition to many local businesses there are also events such as the Rockmart Farmers Market that showcase farms and vendors that produce locally grown food and crafts. Chick N Scratch (Rockmart’s Homemade Cupcake & Cheesecake Shop) or Magnets By Britt (a personalized fridge magnet vendor) are two good examples of vendors you might find there.
As this trend continues to grow, even more people will get to experience the history, culture, and heritage of Rockmart.
We are very passionate about preserving the past while also opening up experiences with the community. The Rockmart Slate House is about gathering people for all types of events from all over Georgia. While also making sure that not only the structure survives properly, but so do the stories, memories, and ideals.
