historic preservation | 88.5 WFDD

Robbie Feinberg/Maine Public

5:14pm Sep 03, 2019

National National

Historic Recordings Revitalize Language For Passamaquoddy Tribal Members

A partnership between members of the Passamaquoddy tribe and the Library of Congress to transcribe wax cylinder recordings from 1890 is bringing the tribe's language back to life.

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Google Maps

5:47pm Dec 19, 2018

National National Arts

San Francisco Orders Man To Rebuild His Iconic Home After It Was Demolished

by Ian Stewart

Built in 1936, it was one of only a handful of Bay Area projects by the renowned architect Richard Neutra.
Sarah McCammon / NPR

4:12pm Sep 13, 2017

National National

Looking 'Beyond The Big House' And Into The Lives Of Slaves

by Sarah McCammon

A new house tour bypasses Charleston's antebellum mansions and takes visitors directly to the quarters where enslaved people lived and worked.
Lorena Ramirez-Lopez / XFR Collective

6:27pm Jun 03, 2017

Videotapes Are Becoming Unwatchable As Archivists Work To Save Them

by Scott Greenstone

With VHS tapes degrading, most Americans' home videos from the '80s and '90s won't be viewable in a decade. But there's a grassroots movement to preserve them for posterity.

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Cooper McKim / South Carolina Public Radio

10:54am Feb 22, 2017

National National

An Attempt To Save South Carolina's Historical Documents Is Destroying Them

by Cooper McKim

Historical documents across the country are facing an issue other than age: An effort to preserve them decades ago is hastening the documents' demise.

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Frank Langfitt / NPR

12:13pm Apr 07, 2016

World News World News

After Decades, A Shanghai Preservationist Heads Home To America

by Frank Langfitt

Retired American diplomat Tess Johnston, 84, made a second career working to preserve the rich colonial architecture of Shanghai.
Anthony Kuhn / NPR

3:22pm Jan 27, 2016

World News World News

China's Great Wall Is Crumbling In Many Places; Can It Be Saved?

by Anthony Kuhn

A third of the 12,000-mile-long Great Wall of China lies in ruins. Its modern-day defenders confront what may be the world's greatest challenge in cultural preservation.

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WFDD Photo by Paul Garber

7:38pm Dec 11, 2014

Politics & Government Politics & Government

McCrory Pushes Tax Credits At Opening For Company That Hasn't Used Them

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Debbie Elliott / NPR

12:28am Sep 17, 2014

National National Arts

Preserving Black History, Americans Care For National Treasures At Home

by Debbie Elliott

The relics of African-American families help tell the story of America, the Smithsonian says. Museum experts are traveling the country to help identify and care for items of cultural significance.

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Sarah Tilotta / NPR

8:27am Aug 19, 2014

Music & Culture Music & Culture

How Long Do CDs Last? It Depends, But Definitely Not Forever

by Laura Sydell

Preservationists are worried about troves of records stored on what was once considered a durable medium: the compact disc. Many discs can last for centuries — but most won't.

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Elon University

8:34pm Apr 29, 2014

Education Education

Elon Completes Restoration of Two-Room Schoolhouse

A Pre-Confederate schoolhouse is about to open to a new generation of educators.

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readontheroad via flickr

6:25pm Aug 28, 2013

Economy Economy

Old Salem Receives $1.25 Million Toward Capital Campaign

by David Ford

The town of Salem was founded in 1766 by the Moravians, a Protestant group of people that began in what is now known as the Czech Republic.