State historic office urges mayors to inventory local sites, offers help with National Register nominations

Patrick Luhan, of the Guam Historic Resources Division in the State Historic Preservation Office, told the Mayor’s Council of Guam on Wednesday that the office has an island-wide inventory of properties on the National Register and is available to help villages identify and nominate other historically significant sites.

Luhan said the federal National Register typically considers properties 50 years or older eligible and that the office has completed surveys in the island’s south and central areas while finishing work on the east side and parts of Tamuning and Dededo. “We actually wanna be a a true partner, you know, and and, you know, keeping that historic value in your in your, respective villages,” Luhan said.

Why it matters: National Register listing does not prohibit most private development, Luhan said, but it can raise a property’s historic value, open eligibility for grants, and require consultation when projects could affect archaeological or burial sites. That matters to mayors who oversee village permitting, maintenance and public works projects that can encounter subsurface cultural resources.

Luhan outlined three priorities: distributing village-specific lists of registered sites, expanding architectural surveys for buildings roughly 50 years old, and documenting underwater and prehistoric sites that fall under federal jurisdiction. He said the office maintains detailed files and photographic inventories and can assist mayors and village crews to avoid disturbing burials or other archaeological remains during routine work.

During questions, mayors raised whether listing leads to federal funding and whether memorials and battlefields could be advanced to National Park or National Historic Landmark status. Luhan said listing provides recognition and access to some grants but not large direct preservation budgets; nominations for national landmark or park status require extensive documentation and can take years. He also described a planned Naftar Maniata memorial to house remains from the Hornbostel collection and said the legislature has appropriated money toward that project.

The office asked mayors to bring potential sites and field observations to the division, and to call before disturbing areas where crews may encounter cultural resources. Luhan repeatedly offered the office’s surveys and archaeologists as technical support to clarify property lines, update inventories, and document sites that may no longer exist so they can be delisted when appropriate.

The presentation included slide images of listed places in Hagåña, Hagåtña, Asan-Maina, Tumon/Tamuning and other villages and noted underwater sites and fortifications on federal property that nonetheless affect village planning.

Looking ahead: Luhan said the Historic Resources Division will provide printed lists to the councils and is available by phone or office visit for pre-project consultations to reduce the chance of accidental discovery of archaeological materials.