ROME — Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the State Board for Historic Preservation has recommended adding 21 properties to the state and national registers of historic places, including former facilities involved in the manufacture and sale of automobiles in Buffalo and Syracuse, a cemetery in the Mohawk Valley that includes the maker of the Pledge of Allegiance and the only remaining 19th-century textile mill in the Lansingburgh neighborhood of Troy, once known as ” Collar City”.
“As we reflect on the vast and diverse history of the Empire State, these nominations represent the places behind the inspiring stories of our past,” Hochul said. “These additions to the historic registers will help ensure the availability of resources to protect historic sites so that the past can continue to inspire us today – and in the future.”
Locally, the Rome Cemetery at 1500 Jervis Ave. in Rome was recommended. The rural cemetery, designed by Howard Daniels, opened in 1853 to serve the city of Rome. The property includes the neo-Gothic inspired Kingsley Chapel, as well as neoclassical mausoleums representing many prominent local families.
The cemetery includes a monument to Francis Bellamy, a Rome resident and Baptist minister who wrote the Pledge of Allegiance in 1892. Bellamy died in 1931 and is buried there.
Listing on state and national registries can help owners revitalize properties, making them eligible for various public preservation programs and services, such as state grants and tax credits for historic rehabilitation of states and the federal government.
Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Erik Kulleseid said, Part of our mission here at State Parks is to help preserve and promote the incredible range of history present in our State. Obtaining recognition from state and national registries for these places provides resources with potential incentives, such as state and federal tax credits, that will help keep this history alive and vibrant.
State and National Registers are the official listings of buildings, structures, districts, landscapes, objects, and sites significant in the history, architecture, archeology, and culture of New York State and the nation. .
There are more than 120,000 historic properties statewide listed on the National Register of Historic Places, individually or as components of historic districts.
Landowners, municipalities and community organizations across the state sponsored the nominations.
