Tidewater Heritage, LLC
Preserving Heritage with Expertise: Your Trusted Partner in Historic Preservation and Cultural Resource Management
Tidewater Heritage is an architectural history-driven cultural resources management firm with over twenty years of experience in historic preservation, restoration practice, archival research, and cultural heritage work. We provide expert services to homeowners, developers, municipalities, public agencies, and nonprofit organizations across the Tidewater and Coastal Plain regions of North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland.
Grounded in deep regional knowledge and hands-on restoration experience, our work integrates architectural history, archival and genealogical research, GIS and remote sensing analysis, and material-based building investigation to deliver clear state- and federal-compliant documentation and guidance. We offer a full range of services – from Section 106 compliance, historic resource surveys, and National Register nominations to house histories, genealogical research, GIS-based risk assessments, sustainability consulting, preservation planning, regulatory review, and long-term stewardship support.
Tidewater Heritage is committed to practical, well-documented outcomes that balance preservation goals with real-world needs. From regulatory compliance to helping homeowners discover and protect their property’s story, we provide dependable guidance customized to your priorities.
Services
Services are tailored to project scope, regulatory context, and client needs.
Historic Preservation & Regulatory Compliance
- Section 106 compliance, including Area of Potential Effects (APE) definition, resource identification and evaluation, Determination of Eligibility (DoE), Assessment of Effects (AoE), consultation support, and mitigation recommendations
- Local design review consultation and representation before Historic Preservation Commissions
- National Register of Historic Places nominations and historic tax credit guidance
- Preservation planning and cultural resource management plans
- Cultural resources support for Environmental Assessments (EA) and Environmental Impact Statements (EIS)
- Sustainable preservation consulting, including energy retrofit guidance and LEED-compatible recommendations for historic rehabilitations
Architectural History & Building Documentation
- Intensive and reconnaissance-level architectural surveys and Historic Structure Reports (HSRs)
- Historic structure risk assessments and predictive modeling using GIS, environmental data, and materials analysis
- Structural histories and house histories, including chain-of-title and property research
- Conservation, stabilization, restoration planning and treatment recommendations
- Documentary photography
Archival & Genealogical Research
- Archival research, oral histories, chain-of-title documentation, and Century Farm applications
- Genealogical research, including genetic genealogy, family histories, military and hereditary society qualifications, and research on enslaved ancestors
- Social, cultural, and property-linked family narratives
- Cemetery studies and surveys of unmarked burials
Mitigation Planning & Interpretation
- Mitigation planning, negotiation, and implementation, including Memoranda of Agreement (MoA)
- Public interpretation strategies, such as project websites, signage, posters, brochures, and exhibits
- Community engagement, content creation, and marketing photography
Mapping, Site Recording, & Spatial Analysis
- Custom GIS mapping, viewshed analysis, and site recording using LiDAR and other tools
- Remote sensing, imagery analysis, historical cartographic overlays, and predictive modeling for resource risk
Historic Context & Cultural Landscape Studies
- Development of historic contexts at local and regional levels
- Cultural landscape and settlement pattern analysis, including Traditional Cultural Properties (TCPs)
Flat-Rate Packages
One price. Complete deliverable.
- Basic House History – $600
- Full-color, 10-15 page narrative report telling your home’s story. Includes a timeline, key photographs, chain-of-title summary, digital PDF, and one bound copy.
- Enhanced House History – $1,200
- Everything in the Basic House History package, plus deeper genealogy of former residents, additional archival photos and maps, oral and archival history summaries, and a custom cover.
- Pre-Purchase Historic Home Review – $1,000
- Site visit, condition overview, significance summary, and a red-flag report for potential insurance and tax credit issues
- Historic Home Sustainability Audit – $1,000
- Site visit, energy and embodied-carbon assessment, prioritized recommendations, LEED-prep checklist, and a tax credit retrofit plan.
- Historic Structure Risk Assessment with GIS – $1,000
- Predictive modeling of structural deterioration using custom GIS maps of flood, erosion, and soil risks. Prioritized interventions report.
- Basic Family History – $600
- Four-generation ancestor chart (starting individual born 1950+), vital records summary, narrative report, PDF, and one printed chart.
- Enhanced Family History – $1,200
- Everything in the Basic Family History package, plus up to eight-generation ancestor chart, deeper records research (census, deeds, probate, estate, tax, and military records), migration map, family stories from oral and archival sources, and one bound report.
- Enslaved Ancestors Research Starter – $900
- Targeted research on one enslaved lineage using vital records, pre-1900 census records, deeds, probate and estate records, Freedmen’s Bureau records, and newspapers. Includes summary report with sources, sensitivity note, PDF, and one bound copy.
- Century Farm Application Assistance – $500
- Research and documentation for state Century Farm programs, including deed abstracts, ownership verification, family lineage summary, and completed application package.
- National Register Eligibility Opinion – $1,500
- Site visit, research, preliminary Determination of Eligibility (DoE), and recommendation letter. This is not a full nomination.
*Results depend on available records. Specific results or discoveries cannot be guaranteed.
Principal Investigator Professional Qualifications
All work undertaken by Tidewater Heritage, LLC is performed by or conducted under the direct supervision of the Principal Investigator, who meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards (36 CFR Part 61) in both Architectural History and History. Our Principal Investigator brings an integrated, research-led, context-sensitive approach that combines rigorous documentation, spatial analysis, and hands-on knowledge of traditional materials and construction methods. Projects benefit from deep regional familiarity with the Tidewater and Coastal Plain areas of North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, Maryland, and Delaware, as well as broad experience serving homeowners, developers, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, museums, and historic sites.
Credentials at a Glance
- Over twenty years of professional experience in historic preservation, archival research, and cultural heritage work
- Extensive hands-on restoration and conservation experience with both modern and traditional tools, techniques, and materials
- Master of Arts in Historic Preservation; Bachelor of Arts in Public History and Museum Studies
- Advanced training and applied practice in remote sensing, GIS and spatial analysis, historical archaeology, dendrochronology, historical cartography, and Colonial and early-Federal vernacular traditions and material culture
- Former Chairman and Vice-Chairman of a Certified Local Government Historic Preservation Commission
- College-level instructor in historic preservation, restoration techniques, sustainable building design, and historic building analysis
- Archival and genealogical research expertise, including chain-of-title documentation, family histories, and research on enslaved communities
Professional memberships: Society of Architectural Historians, Vernacular Architecture Forum, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation North Carolina, American Cultural Resources Association, Association of Professional Genealogists, Early American Industries Association
Disclaimer
Tidewater Heritage, LLC provides historic preservation and cultural resource management services based on professional judgment, established research methodologies, and the best available information at the time of the study. Opinions of significance, evaluations, findings, and recommendations are derived from thorough documentary, field, and analytical research and reflect the data and professional interpretations current at the time of research. All work is conducted in accordance with applicable federal and state standards. Regulatory outcomes, agency determinations, review processes, and project approvals, are outside the control of Tidewater Heritage, LLC and cannot be guaranteed. Tidewater Heritage, LLC maintains professional liability (Errors & Omissions) and general liability insurance appropriate for cultural resources management and preservation consulting services.