San Juan Bautista is a ‘Preserve America’ community
San Juan Bautista has long been known for history.
From the grandest church in a chain of 21 Franciscan missions to
an old Indian cemetery with more than 4,000 bodies buried in sacred
ground and even the home of a former member of the Donner Party,
San Juan is a unique spot where California’s many layered past
comes together.
San Juan Bautista is a ‘Preserve America’ community
San Juan Bautista has long been known for history.
From the grandest church in a chain of 21 Franciscan missions to an old Indian cemetery with more than 4,000 bodies buried in sacred ground and even the home of a former member of the Donner Party, San Juan is a unique spot where California’s many layered past comes together.
Now, thanks to the city’s new designation as a “Preserve America” community, officials are hoping its history can bring new life to San Juan Bautista.
“We are very excited about it,” City Manager Jan McClintock said. “Obviously, we are a historic town and we want to be able to preserve that. But it will also give us access to grant funding that will let us do many restoration and preservation projects that the city, on its own, can’t afford to do.”
The Preserve America program is a federally funded, interagency initiative created in 2003 to encourage and support community efforts to preserve the country’s cultural and natural heritages. Goals of the program include increasing knowledge of America’s past, strengthening regional identities and local pride, increasing local participation in preserving historical assets and improving support for economic vitality of such communities.
One of the initiative’s major components is its grant program – approximately $5 million was set aside in the 2007 federal budget for “Preserve America” grants. Rather than fund building projects, however, “Preserve America” provides grants to support community efforts in sustaining historic sites and developing economic and educational opportunities related to tourism.
San Juan Bautista already draws thousands of visitors each year – many of whom are fourth-graders studying California history. Mission San Juan Bautista itself is unique – it is owned and operated by the Catholic church and it is the only mission in the chain to remain in continuous use since its first Mass was held there on July 1, 1812.
The mission is adjacent to San Juan Bautista State Historic Park, which boasts several structures built in the 1800s, including the Plaza Hotel and the Plaza Hall as well as a stable, a blacksmith shop, a granary, a jail and the recently restored Castro-Breen Adobe filled with educational exhibits. The grassy Spanish Plaza just outside the mission is the only one of its kind left in California, and the San Juan Bautista De Anza National Trail runs through the city.
Becoming a “Preserve America” community should help draw attention to a city which already depends on its history as a main source of income, McClintock said.
“This is a program which is becoming more and more well known, especially among people who enjoy visiting historical places,” she said. “People like going to ‘Preserve America’ communities and seeing what they are all about.”
The designation as a “Preserve America” community also gives San Juan credibility when applying for restoration and preservation grants through private agencies, McClintock said.
“In a way, it is a marketing tool,” she said. “This can help to promote the city as a place people might want to come to spend a relaxing weekend. We’d like to become a local getaway. People could come to stay here, and visit neighboring Hollister or Pinnacles National Monument, or tour our local wineries. It’s a little quieter vacation than say, Magic Mountain.”
The “Preserve America” Community Neighborhood program was added to the initiative in January, 2004. There are 261 communities in 43 states, and 11 such communities in California, including Monterey, Fresno, Santa Barbara and San Clemente.
The application process is a lengthy one, McClintock said, and several criteria must be met, including: an ongoing, publicly available inventory of historic properties; a community-supported museum, interpretive facility, archive or local history records collection; active citizen volunteer involvement; an adopted community-wide historic preservation plan already being implemented; promotional material; and a regularly scheduled heritage observance or event. Photos showing people using and enjoying the community’s historical resources as well as a 100-200 word written history of the community is also required.
“It took a lot of work to get the designation,” McClintock said. “There is so much information that must be included with your application, such as information about public and private activities which take place in a historical context or events associated with our history. We applied once, and it was sent back, asking for more detailed information. We applied a second time and were accepted.”
San Juan Mayor Priscilla Hill, along with Rep. Sam Farr, traveled to Washington D.C. earlier this month to receive an official certificate of recognition from Laura Bush, the “Preserve America” program’s honorary chair.
“I was highly impressed; I enjoyed the trip immensely,” Hill said. “I shook hands with Laura Bush, and she was very sweet and nice.”
Hill said she is excited about the possibility of receiving grants for building restoration, and already has one specific project in mind.
“I’d love to see work done on the Rosa House on Park Street. It’s rather dilapidated but it’s beautiful and rather old – there are even wooden sidewalks in front of it,” Hill said. “I don’t know if it would qualify, but that’s one I’d like to see us work on. There are so many options out there, and it’s very exciting. My mind is just swirling with possibilities.”
In addition to grant eligibility, other benefits of the “Preserve America” designation include official White House recognition, a “Preserve America” Community road sign, authorization to use the “Preserve America” logo on signs, flags, banners and promotional materials, listing in a Web-based community directory and official notification of the designation to state tourism offices and visitor bureaus.
“Our hope, not that San Juan needs it, but we would hope this designation will help to further pride and a sense of community,” McClintock said. “But the biggest thing we see right now is the ability to apply for grants to try and help local property owners fix up their buildings. Some of our buildings are in varying states of decay and we want to be able to help preserve these historical buildings. It’s one of the very cool things we are able to do.”
