Progress 05/01/04 to 09/30/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Activities: This project involved conducting and analyzing a survey of residents who lived near a historic grist mill in rural Preston County, West Virginia. The owners had proposed to move parts of the mill to a location more convenient for tourist visits. A benefit/cost analysis of various ownership options was also carried out to determine whether the mill might be maintained in its original location. In addition, a state level econometric analysis of the factors that determine whether a property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places was conducted for West Virginia to understand why some areas have more listings than others. Products: A graduate student completed her Ph.D. in Natural Resource Economics based on these studies. Dissemination: Results of this case study on how rural residents value a local historic resource along with their willingness to donate to preserve the resource (mill) in its original location versus support its move to a location more convenient for tourists were presented and discussed at a workshop on The Rural Creative Economy. This workshop was put on by the Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association to advance knowledge among community and economic development specialists regarding the role that arts and heritage tourism can play in rural economies. PARTICIPANTS: Cheryl Brown became sole principal investigator on this project after Hala Nassar left West Virginia University. Cheryl Brown supervised the case study of Reckart's Mill, including the survey, and collaborated on the benefit-cost and econometric analyses. A graduate student, Vishakha Maskey, conducted the studies that made up this project for her dissertation and received her Ph.D. in Natural Resource Economics in 2007. Alan Collins collaborated on all of the analyses as well. TARGET AUDIENCES: Not relevant to this project. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Knowledge gained from the various studies that were part of this project has already been reported. To summarize: A survey of rural residents regarding their willingness to pay for preservation of a historic mill found that less than half of the respondents were willing to donate to enable Reckart's Mill to stay open at its original location. The majority of the sample were either not willing to pay anything for preserving the historic integrity of Reckart's Mill, mainly due to a lack of income, or had a negative willingness to pay due to their support for relocation of the mill. Thus, survey results confirmed that a majority of the community agrees with the approval that local elected officials gave to the private owner's proposal to relocate parts of the mill. A benefit-cost analysis of the Reckart's Mill property found that keeping the mill open for tourism under private ownership was not financially feasible. However, private ownership with public support or public ownership was economically efficient. These results show that in some cases where a historic resource is located in a rural area that is inconvenient for tourists the property rights situation is important. Private owners may not be able to maintain such heritage tourism sites without public support. A regression analysis of the factors that influence the number of listings on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia counties found that the share of income from a service industry, a more rural location, and a larger number of older houses increases the likelihood of historic places being listed, as do the presence of more than one historic preservation organization and a greater number of higher education institutions in the county. An increase in the poverty rate and the Gini-coefficient, a measure of income inequality, would decrease the likelihood of listing. Age had an inverse relationship and the percentage of the population that is female has a positive relationship with the number of listings.
Publications
- Maskey, V., Brown, C. and Lin, G. 2009. Assessing Factors Associated with Listing an Historic Resource in the National Register of Historic Places. Economic Development Quarterly, 23(4):343-350.
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Progress 01/01/08 to 12/31/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Analysis of survey data from local residents regarding a proposed relocation of a historic mill in rural West Virginia was used in a cost benefit study that examined the economic feasibility of keeping the mill open under private ownership. Several other cost/benefit scenarios were also investigated to determine if public ownership or private ownership with support from a nonprofit organization would allow the mill to stay open and at its original location. A manuscript of this study was submitted to CRM: The Journal of Heritage Stewardship. Another study examined the factors that influence whether a historic property will be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This manuscript was submitted to Economic Development Quarterly. After receiving comments from reviewers and the editor, the analysis was changed to better understand the relationship between economic development and historic preservation. PARTICIPANTS: Cheryl Brown worked on this project. TARGET AUDIENCES: Not relevant to this project. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Knowledge gained from this study is as follows. This case study of Reckart's Mill in West Virginia was initiated to determine if local residents valued a local historic resource at its original location enough to make a donation to keep it there even though the owners had proposed moving parts of the historic grist mill to another location. Analysis of survey data from local residents regarding this proposed relocation in rural West Virginia along with information on the costs of keeping the mill open under private ownership were examined. The results from the benefit-cost analyses suggest that Reckart's Mill was not financially feasible for the private owner to operate and preserve. This result confirms the reality of parts of Reckart's Mill reportedly being sold and moved. However, if social support in terms of a private-public partnership was incorporated, the mill generates a positive net present value. These results are also reflected in other mills that are currently open and supported by the public. For public ownership, the mill generates positive net present value and ratio of benefits to costs greater than one. Thus, for this mill to remain as part of the community the public must be involved either through the collection of funds by a non-profit organization or through government subsidies. Analysis of factors that determine the number of places listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places for a counties in West Virginia shows that the share of income from a service industry, a more rural location, and a larger number of older houses increases the likelihood of historic places being listed. In addition, results suggest that the presence of more than one historic preservation organization and a higher number of higher education institutions in the county have a positive influence on listings and the rate of listing of historic places. An increase in the poverty rate and the Gini-coefficient, a measure of income inequality, would decrease the likelihood of listing. Consistent with previous studies, age has an inverse relationship and the percentage of the population that is female has a positive relationship with the number of listings. These results show the importance of improving levels of education and encouraging, perhaps even subsidizing, historic preservation organizations in a community. Poor areas with severe income inequality and an aging population may need public intervention and support or historic resources may be lost. Not surprisingly, urbanization leads to loss of historic places, supporting programs such as tax credits, zoning, or subsidized loans that encourage historic preservation.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/07 to 12/31/07
Outputs
Analysis of survey data from local residents regarding a proposed relocation of a historic mill in rural West Virginia was completed. Results from this analysis were included in a cost benefit study that examined the economic feasibility of keeping the mill open under private ownership. Several other cost/benefit scenarios were also investigated to determine if public ownership or private ownership with support from a nonprofit organization would allow the mill to stay open and at its original location. Another study examined the factors that influence whether a historic property will be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. All three of these studies are included in Vishakha Maskey's PhD dissertation. Both the benefit-cost analysis and national listing manuscripts will be submitted for publication.
Impacts
This case study was initiated to determine if local residents valued a local historic resource at its original location enough to make a donation to keep it there even though the owners had proposed moving parts of the historic grist mill to another location. Analysis of survey data from local residents regarding this proposed relocation in rural West Virginia was completed. Although 60% of survey respondents believed that it is very important to preserve historic places, only 35% believed it is very important for that preservation to be at the building's original location. Less than half of the respondents (42%) were willing to donate to preserve and enable Reckart's Mill to stay open at its original location. The majority of the sample were either not willing to pay anything for preserving the historic integrity of Reckart's Mill, mainly due to a lack of income, or had a negative willingness to pay due to their support for relocation of the mill. Thus, survey results
confirmed that a majority of the community agrees with the approval that local elected officials gave to the private owner's proposal to relocate Reckart's Mill. Those households with a positive willingness to pay believed that it is very important to preserve historic places and intended to visit Reckart's Mill if it was preserved at its current location. The overall population willingness to pay to preserve the historic integrity of Reckart's Mill was estimated to be $91,000. If this amount was collected and placed in a certificate of deposit earning a 3% rate of interest, the interest generated from this endowment fund could possibly keeping the mill open at its original location. The dilemma would be coming up with a way to collect these funds from the entire population when only a minority of the population within a 20 mile radius of the mill supported preserving the mill at its original location. If a mechanism could be found, practically all of the $91,000 from preservation
would need to be collected to cover the annual insurance costs, the cost of which had led to the mill being closed and the proposed move. Collection from almost the whole local population would mean collecting at a much higher rate than previous research has found. Even if the mill owners were to incorporate this economic value of historic integrity into the relocation decision, at best, only the annual insurance costs would be covered with this value. The opportunity cost of income lost from not relocating the mill would still have to be covered by admission fees from visitors at the original location, which was a problem prior to the mill closing in 2004.
Publications
- Maskey, Vishakha, Cheryl Brown, Alan R. Collins, Hala F. Nassar. "Evaluating a Proposed Relocation of a Historic Mill." Agricultural and Resource Economics Review April 2007, 36(1): 39-52.
- Maskey, Vishakha. 2007. Economic Analyses Explaining Historic Preservation: The Impact of Social and Economic Values. Unpublished PhD dissertation available at https://eidr.wvu.edu/ files/5406/Maskey_Vishakha_dissertation.pdf.
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Progress 01/01/06 to 12/31/06
Outputs
This project attempts to understand attitudes and behavior regarding historic preservation in order to better maintain historic landscapes in rural West Virginia. A West Virginia case study of a proposal to move a historic mill from its original location to one more convenient for tourism is being used as the context in which to examine historic preservation issues. While historians believe that preserving a historic building in its original location is important to maintain its historic integrity, the general public's opinion is unknown. To examine the importance the general public places on historic authenticity a questionnaire was mailed to 1000 households within the region of the mill that might be moved. Survey responses show that individuals are aware of historic resources in their counties and believe that preserving historic places in their area is very important. Reasons given for preserving historic places are for the benefit of future generations, for
educational purposes, and for tourism. Very few had heard of a historic building being relocated and most believe that it is important to preserve a historic building at its original location, although it is acceptable to relocate a historic building in order to protect it. In order to determine if individuals are willing to pay for historic integrity and to place a value on historic authenticity in this case, households were asked if they would make a donation to preserve this particular historic mill at its original location. Less than a majority were willing to donate to preserve the historic integrity of the mill. We found that household income, importance placed on historic preservation, familiarity with the mill, a belief that non-profit groups should be in charge of preserving historic buildings, and intention to visit the mill in the future all had a positive impact on willingness to pay for historic integrity. Those that believed it is acceptable to move a historic building
for visiting convenience would not pay to maintain the mill in its original inconvenient location. It is not clear that the economic value placed on historic integrity in this case would be sufficient to protect this rural historic resource.
Impacts
The results should be useful to policymakers in WV and similar predominantly-rural areas who are trying to protect historic resources, as well as those considering rural economic development opportunities based on heritage tourism. Although the general public appears to believe that historic preservation is important, they may not invest directly in its preservation, which may impact attempts to preserve historic structures in rural areas. In addition, the public may find it acceptable to move a historic structure in order to encourage tourism. Benefit-cost analyses regarding proposals to move historic buildings may be useful for determining the best use of rural historic resources.
Publications
- Maskey, V., C. Brown, A.R. Collins, and H.F. Nassar. Evaluating a Proposed Relocation of a Local Historic Mill. Selected paper presented at the Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association Workshop on The Rural Creative Economy, Mystic, CT, June 2006.
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Progress 01/01/05 to 12/31/05
Outputs
This research project investigates the historic preservation of rural historic landscapes in West Virginia. In 2004, the research team worked on developing a survey tool that investigates and assesses the attitude, perception and value associated with the relocation one of West Virginia s historic mills; Reckart s Mill in the vicinity of Cranesville in Preston County. The team conducted a focus group in November 2005 in Kingswood, West Virginia in order to get some feedback on the survey instrument. A second and final focus group is planned for February of 2006, after which final revision will be conducted before the questionnaire is mailed.
Impacts
Data gathered from the survey and interviews will help decision makers understand the benefits and costs of moving a historic property. Understanding the preferences of tourists will help improve economic development projects based on heritage tourism.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/04 to 12/31/04
Outputs
For the initial stage of this project, a review of the literature related to historic preservation, rural historic landscapes, cultural economics, heritage tourism and non-market evaluation methods was completed. Legal issues related to historic preservation and listing a property on the U.S. national register of historic places were clarified with historic preservation experts. A historic Preston County West Virginia grain mill was identified for use as a case study. A tour of the mill and meeting with the owner was conducted. Because this mill might be moved from its original location to one that is more convenient for tourists, it provides a unique opportunity to analyze the importance of location for historic value of a landscape and for economic development. A draft questionnaire that will gather information on attitudes, preferences, perceptions and values of individuals regarding this historic landscape and similar historic landscapes was completed.
Implementation of a survey of households in the region surrounding the mill and throughout the state is being planned as are interviews with tourists to West Virginia regarding their preferences when visiting historic landscapes.
Impacts
Data gathered from the survey and interviews will help decision makers understand the benefits and costs of moving a historic property. Understanding the preferences of tourists will help improve economic development projects based on heritage tourism.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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