sites is most frequently considered with respect to Criterion D. Also, a general guide of 50 years of age is employed to define the properties to be evaluated for listing on the NRHP. That is, all resources greater than 50 years of age may be considered. However, more recent resources may be considered if they display “exceptional” significance. Following National Register Bulletin: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evalua- tion (Savage and Pope 1998), evaluation of any resource requires a two-fold process. First, the resource must be associated with an important historic context. If this association is demonstrat- ed, the integrity of the resource must be evaluated to ensure that it conveys the significance of its context. The applications of both these steps are discussed in more detail below. Determining the association of a resource with a historic context involves five steps (Savage and Pope 1998). First, the resource must be associated with a particular facet of local, regional, or national history. Secondly, one must determine the significance of the identified historical facet or context with respect to the resource under evaluation. Any historical facet or context becomes significant for the development of the project area only if the project area contains resources that were constructed or gained their sig- nificance during that time. For example, an antebellum context would be significant for the development of a project area only if the project area contained build- ings that were either built or gained their significance during the early nineteenth century. Similarly, the use of contexts associated with the pre-contact Native American use of a region would require the presence of pre-contact archaeological sites within the APE. The third step is to demonstrate the ability of a specific resource to illustrate the context. A resource should be a component of the locales and features cre- ated or used during the historical period in question. For example, early nineteenth-century farmhouses, the ruins of African American slave settlements from the 1820s, and/or field systems associated with antebellum plantations in the region, would illustrate various aspects of the agricultural development of a region prior to the Civil War. Conversely, churches or road networks may have been used during this period but may not reflect the agricultural practices suggested by the other kinds of resources.
The fourth step is to determine the specific as- sociation of a resource with aspects of the significant historic context. Savage and Pope (1998) define how one should consider a resource under each of the four criteria of significance. Under Criterion A, a re- source must have existed at the time that a particular event or pattern of events occurred, and activities associated with the event(s) must have occurred at the site. In addition, this association must be of a significant nature, not just a casual occurrence (Sav- age and Pope 1998). Under Criterion B, the resource must be associated with historically important in- dividuals. Again, this association must relate to the period or events that convey historical significance to the individual, not just that this person was pres- ent at this locale (Savage and Pope 1998). Under Criterion C, a resource must possess physical fea- tures or traits that reflect a style, type, period, or method of construction; display high artistic value; or represent the work of a master (an individual whose work can be distinguished from others and possesses recognizable greatness [Savage and Pope 1998]). Under Criterion D, a resource must possess sources of information that can address specific im- portant research questions (Savage and Pope 1998). These questions must generate information that is important in reconstructing or interpreting the past. For archaeological sites, recoverable data must be able to address specific research questions. After a resource is specifically associated with a significant historic context, one must determine which physical features of the resource are necessary to reflect its significance. One should consider the types of resources that may be associated with the context, how these resources represent the theme, and which aspects of integrity apply to the resource in question (Savage and Pope 1998). As in the ex- ample given above, a variety of resources may reflect the antebellum context (farmhouses, ruins of slave settlements, field systems, etc.). One must demon- strate how these resources reflect the context. The farmhouses represent the residences of the land- owners who implemented the agricultural practices during the antebellum era. The slave settlements housed the workers who did the daily tasks neces- sary to plant, harvest, process, and market crops. Once the above steps are completed and asso- ciation with a historically significant context is dem-
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