"Put Your Very Special Place on the North Country Map!" Community Participation in Cultural Landmarking

This article describes the evolution of a project undertaken in rural northern New York state to identify and document local cultural landmarks in diverse communities. It includes the development of concepts and strategies, the creation of documentary techniques, and a summary of public folklore presentations undertaken to explain and promote the project to local people. Key to the success of the project is the community participation in each stage. A major goal of the project is to inform local residents of the need to create and preserve a record of the architectural, social, and cultural history of sites and to take advantage of opportunities that collaborations between lay persons, professional folklorists, and other cultural specialists can provide.