Preservation in America

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, the nation’s legacy of historical preservation over time provides valuable insight into the nation’s development overall. The Continental Congress’s first national memorial, created to honor Brigadier General Richard Montgomery, is also marking its semiquincentennial in 2026. Montgomery’s name is tied to both Montogomery County, Maryland, where HAI is located, and a local high school of the same name.^[1] He was one of the first people to be formally recognized by the country as foundational to its history. Beyond that, the preservation and discussion about Richard Montgomery’s legacy lends itself well to larger conversations about past, current, and future preservation systems in the United States.

One Man’s Story

Richard Montgomery, born in Swords, County Dublin, Ireland, on December 2, 1738, attended St. Andrews School and Trinity College before enlisting in the British Royal Army in 1756. After serving in the Seven Years’ War and then overseeing the capture of Martinique and Havanna in the Caribbean, Montgomery languished in England, ignored for promotions.^[2] In 1772, he moved to New York, where he purchased a farm near King’s Bridge and soon married Janet Livingston. As revolutionary fervor increased, Montgomery shed any lingering loyalties to the crown and served as an elected representative of Dutchess County in the New York Provincial Congress before being named brigadier general of the Continental Army on June 22, 1975.^[3] His time in the Army was short-lived as he was ordered to invade Canada and, after initial success, was killed on December 31, 1775, while attacking Quebec. When news of his death reached the Continental Congress, they ordered a monument which was eventually placed in St. Paul’s Cathedral graveyard, joined with his remains in 1818 after their release from Canada.^[4]

After his death, Richard Montgomery was preserved not only in the graveyard monument, but as mentioned earlier, in the names of places we recognize in the years, decades, and centuries after his death. Montgomery County was named just a few months after Richard Montgomery’s death.^[5] In 1935, to further separate itself from “Rockville Colored High School,” Rockville High School was renamed Richard Montgomery High School, a name that remains today.^[6]

Despite having clear ties to America’s fight for independence, the school’s name is controversial. Documentary records reveal that Richard Montgomery was a slaveholder.^[7] As we continue to reckon with the legacies of our country’s forebears, it also prompts us to consider why certain people’s lives are preserved more than others, who is preserving history, and how the system can change. To approach this task, a summary of history’s formal, and informal, preservation work is key.

A (Very) Brief History of Preservation

In the post-Revolutionary War period, there were no major preservation guidelines until the 1890s when Congress introduced laws establishing five national battlefield parks in the wake of the Civil War and protecting ancient Puebloan sites.^[8] Between the end of the Revolution and these laws, most of the preservation was left to the people. Seeking to preserve the new country’s history, independent groups sprung up to protect and preserve historical homes, the first being the Mount Vernon Ladies Association. As the fledgling nation expanded West, historians and ethnologists also attempted to preserve the culture of the indigenous peoples they encountered. However, their misguided attempts to “salvage” these cultures in alleged decline resulted in the unethical collection and transfer of thousands of items to museums across the country.^[9]

The Antiquities Act of 1906 introduced a more formal process of preserving the country’s history. This law allowed the president to “proclaim national monuments on federal lands that contain ‘historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest’” and has been used to create over 160 national monuments today.^[10]Even more formal guidelines appeared in the Historic Sites Act of 1935 which placed primary responsibility for administrating federal historic preservation activities with the National Park Service and created a policy to “preserve for public use historic sites, buildings, and objects of national significance for the inspiration and benefit of the people of the United States.”^[11]More all-encompassing than its earlier counterparts, the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 under the Johnson Administration sought to fill in the areas the previous law neglected. The law established the National Register for Historic Places, funded the National Trust for Historic Preservation, created a grant program for state and tribal historic preservation, required federal agencies to manage and preserve their historic agencies, and created a process for federal agencies when their projects could impact a historic property.^[12] In 1990, Congress passed the National American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) to facilitate the return of indigenous objects to their home tribes. Though an ongoing process, it seeks to correct past wrongs and allow for culturally-centered means of preservation to prevail.

While this summary provides an incredibly topical summary of the country’s preservation efforts, Americans have sought to preserve their history since the country’s foundation. The drive to preserve and continue stewardship of American stories is vital and deeply personal to the country. It is highlighted not only in past and present legislation and large-scale efforts, but in the grassroots and local efforts to remember the past and build upon or from it in the future. It was and is an American tradition to preserve, one that allows the history of the country to inform how we move forward as a nation.

Who Tells Your Story?

Considering the story of Richard Montgomery and the history of historic preservation in America together, we are compelled to ask: Why? Why are certain sites and histories preserved compared to others? In examining the life and times of Richard Montgomery, it is apparent, from the Founding Fathers’ perspectives, why his legacy was preserved. A man that looked like them and died fighting for the country’s cause while supporting the same institutions they supported was who they wanted to have remembered. Likely for similar reasons, his name was chosen again for the high school. Preserved stories reflect the era’s values and provide another snapshot of the past for future Americans to reflect on.

While a dominant narrative has ruled much of the country’s formal preservation, remembering our shared history and what makes each story unique is a cornerstone of American history since its beginning.

---

Preserve and Activate Your Heritage

America’s 250th is a reminder of what one moment can do to help map your future. Milestones represent a point in time for your organization—just one small stop along a longer path that extends into your future.

---

1. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/january-25/first-national-memorial-is-ordered-by-congress.
2. https://armyhistory.org/major-general-richard-montgomery/
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. https://montgomeryhistory.org/moco250/
6. https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2020/06/students-file-petition-to-rename-richard-montgomery-high-school/
7. https://wmcurrent.com/14195/showcase/records-reveal-3-mcps-high-schools-named-after-slave-owners
8. https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R45800
9. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-historic-preservation-shaped-early-united-states-180974871
10. Congress
11. Ibid.
12. Ibid.