The State of Connecticut, acting through its State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), seeks to contract with a professional firm or individual to prepare a Multiple Property Documentation Form and at least three National Register of Historic Places nominations under the African American Civil Rights Grant administered by the National Park Service and awarded to SHPO.
The goal of this project is to recognize the presence of a generation of prominent individuals associated with the Civil Rights movement who worked in Simsbury, Connecticut. A Multiple Property Submission (MPS) will draw attention to how their experiences working in the state’s tobacco industry from 1941 to 1954 influenced their decisions to engage in activism. The most notable among them is Martin Luther King Jr., who at 15 had his first experience in Connecticut as a “religious leader” (Letter dated 11 June 1944). The MPS will guide future preservation efforts and Site interpretation activities at Meadowood in Simsbury.
SHPO has released a Request for Proposals to expand upon research begun in 2003. The proposed project is for the professional preparation of a Multiple Property Submission (MPS) titled Connecticut’s Southern Student Work Programs During the Early Civil Rights Movement. The proposed MPS will examine both the general historic context, as well as its potential impact on specific individuals. The churches, community halls, recreational facilities, dormitories, and tobacco barns where students from the South experienced a reprieve from segregation are an essential part of Connecticut’s history as it relates to the birth of the Civil Rights movement, 1941 to 1954, defined by Civil Rights in America: A Framework for Identifying Significant Sites. In this framework, the social pressure to end segregation was mounting, setting the stage for the activism that would follow. Listed properties will be Eligible under Criterion A in the category of Social History. Properties associated with King or other prominent individuals in the Civil Rights movement may also possess significance under Criterion B. Properties already listed on the National Register will be updated to reflect this theme of significance.
Questions regarding the RFP are due January 5, 2022 and proposals are due January 17, 2022. See the full RFP document here or see the State’s Bid Board and search for solicitation #21ECD2146PSA