Guidelines and Resources for Compliance-Generated
Determinations of Eligibility (DOEs)

Maryland Historical Trust / State Historic Preservation Office

Contents of the Determination of Eligibility Form

All DOE forms for built resources must be completed by a qualified architectural historian, historic preservationist, or historian and be accompanied by supporting materials as described in Standards and Guidelines for Architectural and Historical Investigations in Maryland.  DOE forms for archeological sites must be completed by a qualified archeologist and follow relevant guidance contained in the Standards and Guidelines for Archeological Investigations in Maryland (Cole and Shaffer 1994).  The professional completing the form must be intimately familiar with National Register Bulletin 15; How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation,and with other National Register Bulletins that relate to the specific type of property under evaluation (including archeological resources).  The National Park Service offers copies of all the National Register Bulletins on its website.

The process of completing a DOE form should begin with a careful consideration of the nature of the subject property and the contexts, or areas of significance, under which it is most likely to meet the criteria for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.  Bulletin 15 and The Maryland Preservation Plan may be consulted for lists of the most commonly applied contexts.  This initial consideration of a property and its potential areas of significance should be followed by archival and field research and finally by the completion of the DOE form.  The form must contain the elements described below - a description of the property, a history of the property, an assessment of the property’s National Register eligibility, and supporting attachments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Description of the Property

DOE forms must contain sufficient description of buildings, structures, areas of land use, and the overall landscape of a property to evaluate its significance under National Register Criterion C and its historic integrity.  This should include a narrative description of each building on the property including information about feature age, form, stylistic elements, methods of construction, materials, and condition.  Descriptions should be thorough, objective, and uninfluenced by the possible impacts of the proposed undertaking.  A great number of “field guides” and architectural dictionaries are available to assist the preparer in this process.  Appendix A lists a few of these resources.  

Descriptions of archeological sites should include a brief discussion of the level of fieldwork conducted (number and type of shovel tests, excavation units, and other methods of investigation and analyses) along with a succinct description of the identified site remains (features, cultural deposits, surface remains, recovered materials) to evaluate significance under National Register Criterion D, and Criterion C where relevant.   Site descriptions should specifically address the site’s integrity as revealed through the investigations.

History of the Property

DOE forms must contain sufficient historical information to evaluate a property under National Register Criteria A and B.  This should include information derived from historic maps and land records; examination of the existing buildings, structures, and landscape as historical sources; and relevant information from existing reports and other secondary sources.  The completion of a DOE form requires the use of all or most of the common sources listed in Appendix B.   

DOE forms for archeological sites should address National Register Criteria A and B as relevant to the resource under evaluation.

Assessment of the Property

Assessments should specifically address historic contexts, which must either be placed in this section or a citation must be provided for a history, context report, or other existing and accessible document.  Selected publications about local and regional architectural history, portions of which may serve as contexts, are listed in Appendix C.  Assessments should separately evaluate the property under each of the National Register Criteria.  The assessment section should define a property’s period(s) of significance and its boundaries.  Assessments should follow the detailed guidance in National Register Bulletin 15:  How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, found at http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/publications/bulletins/nrb15/.

DOE forms for archeological sites should provide sufficient justification to support the evaluation, particularly with regards to site integrity, research potential, and ability to yield important information (Criterion D).   Archeological sites recommended as eligible under Criterion D must have the demonstrated potential (as revealed through professional investigation) to contribute information important in prehistory or history.  The DOE form must identify the specific research topics or questions the site may address along with justification for the importance of those topics.  The National Register Bulletin 36: Guidelines for Evaluating and Registering Archeological Properties contains detailed guidance on evaluating archeological sites and is available online at: http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/publications/bulletins/arch/.

Attachments

The required DOE form attachments are essential to allow MHT reviewers to agree or disagree with the preparer’s findings.  They also serve the important function of allowing future researchers to build upon the preparer’s work.  All attachments must be prepared in accordance with Standards and Guidelines for Architectural and Historical Investigations in Maryland.  Attachments must include the items listed in Appendix D.

 

 

This page updated: April 14, 2009