The New Haven Preservation Society

Often old buildings are rescued and preserved because of their architectural or historical significance. But the people of New Haven, Missouri who have put their time and resources on the line to save at risk properties are not doing it because of how the building looks, but because of what these historic places mean to them.

 In the late 1980’s, when members of the community learned the old school at 810 Maupin was in danger of demolition, they came together to form the New Haven Preservation Society and purchased the school in 1989. Today, the floor plan of the building is just as it was over 100 years ago. The six classrooms are still there. The blackboards are still in place, the bookshelves under the windowsills are there to store treasures and schoolbooks. The bannisters going up the graceful staircase are very low – they are little kid height. Four of the classrooms have been restored and are in use. The walls and ceilings in the two remaining classrooms need repair. The old cafeteria is full of items waiting to be displayed. Gradually every window is being reglazed. As each season turns, we pray the HVAC systems keeps working. 

Scouts and other community groups have meetings there.  The Riverfront Cultural Society has concerts. Families gather for celebrations and the museums draw students and history buffs.

 Recently the Preservation Society responded when the last member of the A.M.E. Church of New Haven asked us to help him save the 130-year-old Anna Bell Chapel. David Smith had looked after the little frame church on the river bluff for 30 years. The Preservation Society helped before and was involved in preparing the application in 1992 for the Chapel to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Townspeople cherish the chapel that has rested peacefully overlooking the river for generations. Some still remember hearing spiritual songs that drifted down the hill. The New Haven Preservation Society looks forward to sharing the cultural heritage of this singularly precious landmark.

 On the National level, preservationists have found: “There are many benefits to historic preservation. Some of the more intangible and personal benefits are often downplayed and under-recognized, but many people feel a deep-seated connection to old places and enjoy being in places which have experienced years and years of history.”

 “Tom Mayes, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel at National Trust for Historic Preservation has spoken widely on this subject. He is the author of the book “Why Old Places Matter”, which explores the deep attachments people have with old places, and the fundamentally important feelings of belonging, continuity, stability, identity and memory, which old places can provide. Regrets go only one way. Rather, over the years, I’ve heard regrets expressed about tearing a building down. “We just didn’t know” that a neighborhood was on the cusp of revival, that an old building was so significant, that an old building might have profitable new uses, or that what resulted turned out to be less valuable than what was lost.“ https://preservationvirginia.org/why-preservation-what-are-the-benefits/