Historic Sites: The Book of Discipline defines historic sites as "...buildings, locations, or structures that are specifically related to a significant event, development, or personality in the history of an annual, central, or jurisdictional conference within whose regions the site is located." The designation requires "formal action by the..conference within whose regions the site is located." In our case that is the South Georgia Annual Conference. "Such designation shall first be considered and reviewed by the respective Commission on Archives and History (or equivalent)."

Application for such designation shall be on the form provided by the General Commission on Archives and History at Drew University. Documentation telling the story of the proposed site and how it specifically relates to a "a significant event, development, or personality in the history" of South Georgia Methodism is normally done in a notebook of archival quality. Three identical notebooks are necessary, one for the Arthur J. Moore Methodist Museum, one for the Jurisdictional Archives at Lake Junaluska, and one for the General Commission on Archives and History. (The local committee will likely want to make one or more others for local use.) A $75.00 fee is required by the General Commission, which covers the cost of the official United Methodist Historic Site Marker, which is attached to the historic site marker provided by the site sponsors.

Heritage Landmarks: Some sites may have "distinctive historic interest and value for the denomination as a whole, as contrasted with local and regional historic significance." If a South Georgia site is determined to relate to "significant events, developments, or personalities in the overall history of the United Methodist Church or its antecedents," the local committee and the South Georgia Conference Archives & History and Museum Committee will work together to prepare the application to the General Commission on Archives and History. The Conference Committee would be the official applicant. However, before a "Heritage Landmark" can be considered by the General Commission, it must first be designated a "historic site." So, the historic site process would be stage one and landmark nomination would be stage two, if appropriate.

The process is as follows:

1. Notification to the Arthur J. Moore Museum director that an application is contemplated, including to which of the Discipline's categories the site relates. The local site committee then proceeds to develop the presentation. The application form and helpful information from the General Commission on Archives & History can be found here as well as the bottom of this page. 

2. Submission of the completed application, notebooks, and fee to the South Georgia Conference Archives & History and Museum Committee. The South Georgia Committee does not normally consider a site with less than 100 years of history. The proposed wording and design of the site marker should also be submitted, as these also require committee approval.

3. Review of the application and notebook by a designated subcommittee of the Archives & History and Museum Committee. This will include a site visit and a meeting with the local site committee.

4. Completion by the local site committee of revisions deemed necessary by the subcommittee, which may include clarification and correction of data, increased documentation, and any other matters necessary to perfect the presentation. This includes both the notebook and the historic site marker wording and design.

5. Recommendation by the South Georgia Archives & History and Museum Committee, on motion of the subcommittee which reviewed the presentation.

6. Resolution designating the site submitted to and approved by the South Georgia Annual Conference. The Archives & History and Museum Committee will obtain the signatures required by the General Commission application form. 

Please note: Time on the crowded Annual Conference agenda must be requested very early each year! Normally, this means application must have reached step 5 by the end of the previous calendar year in order to be considered at the next year's Annual Conference session.

7. Submission to the General Commission by the Conference Archives & History and Museum Committee.

8. Approval by the General Commission, with letter and historic site number sent to the local site chairperson and the United Methodist Historic Site marker sent to the person designated in the application. A copy of the letter should be forwarded to the Archives & History and Museum Committee, so it can be added to the documents housed at the Arthur J. Moore Museum and at Lake Junaluska.

9. Local site bears the cost of the historic site marker and its placement.

10. Official designation ceremony and unveiling of the marker are held at the site, under the direction of the local site committee. Resources are available here.

Application Form

Guidelines