A04_SOW.pdf

SCOPE OF SERVICES

Dry Tortugas National Park

Monroe County, Florida

SPECIAL HISTORY STUDY

Part Two

Fort Jefferson Historic Inscriptions

SCOPE

In accordance with the terms and conditions of the Contract, the Contractor shall perform the work of this award for the National Park Service (NPS) as described below.

CONFIDENTIALITY

The information developed under this task order is the property of the U.S. government and shall be kept in strict confidence.

PERFORMANCE PERIOD

The work shall begin following the issuance of an award; proceed in accordance with the schedule for submittals.

INTRODUCTION

This scope of services directs the contractor to prepare Part Two of a Special History Study that will include documentation of historic inscriptions (located in the administrative areas), historic research of the documented inscriptions, preservation treatment recommendations and an online interpretive exhibit. The inscriptions can be located on the fort brick masonry, on wood paneled walls, on wood floorboards and on loosely stacked wood panel boards.

The Contractor shall provide all materials, supplies, labor, supervision, coordination, and management necessary to complete the work as and when required, as specified in this scope of services.

POINTS OF CONTACT:

Contracting Officer (CO):

Chad Williams

40001 State Road 9336

Homestead, FL 33034 chad_williams@nps.gov

Phone: 305-242-7798 mailto:chad_williams@nps.gov

PURPOSE

The purpose of this project is to produce Part Two of a Special History Study (SHS) with complete documentation of the historic inscriptions located in the administrative areas of

Fort Jefferson at Dry Tortugas National Park. For purposes of this project SHS refers to the study’s focus, which includes all historic information related to the inscriptions identified at Dry Tortugas. A SHS provides documentation and a historical overview of specific park resources and identifies and evaluates the resources within historic contexts. It synthesizes all readily available cultural resource information from all disciplines in a narrative designed to serve managers, planners, interpreters, cultural resource specialists, and interested public as a reference for the documentation and history of the historic resources specified. Both documentary research and field investigations determine and describe the integrity, authenticity, associative values, and significance of resources. It may recommend preparation of National Register nominations for any qualifying resources that have not been designated. The SHS also may make recommendations for resource management and interpretation as appropriate.

Section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 requires inventory and evaluation of all cultural resources–not merely the most prominent or interpretable.

These resources should be evaluated according to National Register of Historic Places criteria found in National Register Bulletin 15. The study will enhance and broaden existing National Register documentation as well as provide historical context for any future National Register work.

The SHS will contain historic contexts with sufficient historical background information to identify previously unidentified and/or unevaluated extant inscriptions. It is expected that the researcher/s will consult primary and secondary sources related to the history of the park to inform the aforementioned historic contexts.

While the military and architectural history of Fort Jefferson is well documented and interpreted, there has never been a project to systematically document the numerous historic inscriptions left by individuals on the walls of the fort. As much-needed projects proceed to stabilize the overall architectural integrity of the fort, details such as these historic inscriptions can be lost. The physical condition of these resources is also threatened from abrasion from various activities as well as general decay. This project will employ documentation as the means to long-term preservation of these resources.

Specifically, this project will preserve historic inscriptions at Fort Jefferson, through physical documentation as well as historic research into the inscribers and the historic context of their script. The project will focus on concentrations of inscriptions located in the administrative area, starting with bastion one through bastion three tier one and two.

This effort will include the six bastions, casemates and traverse magazine number three.

Many of the inscriptions are chalk or pencil on the wood paneling and inscribed on the whitewash for the brick masonry. These inscriptions and the historic context are not well documented in the historic record, and the social history in particular is poorly documented and interpreted. Many are from various visitors passing through including serviceman from navy ships. Included in these inscriptions are insights into grievances and aspirations of everyday people who lived or passed through the fort.

As directed, other areas within the administrative area of the fort shall be examined for further inscription documentation. The engineer officer’s quarters ruins have not been examined for inscriptions. While it is unlikely any exist, an examination is in order.

The large powder magazine is another location that requires examination. It also is an area where there are likely no inscriptions present. Some of the inscriptions in the administrative area have already been documented during Part One of the Historic

Resource Study.

Background

The imposing Fort Jefferson, built from 1846 to 1876, dominates Garden Key. Garden

Key is one of seven keys at Dry Tortugas National Park, which is located approximately

70 miles west of Key West, in the Gulf of Mexico. Fort Jefferson is the largest brick masonry structure in federal ownership, consisting of over 16 million bricks, coral, and concrete cement.

The historic period began at Dry Tortugas in 1513 when the Spanish explorer Ponce de

Leon sailed through the area (Bearss 1971, Murphy 1993, Hitchcock and Byrd 2011), and it continues up to the present day.

Scope of Work

The contractor shall:

• Perform documentation of inscriptions in the administrative area of Fort

Jefferson consisting of bastions 1-3 on tier one and two, casemates on tier one and two, and traverse magazine three.

• Examine the Engineer Officer Quarters ruins and the large Powder

Magazine for inscriptions. Document if any located.

• Conduct historic research on the inscriptions documented.

• Provide preservation treatment recommendations for the historic inscriptions for long term preservation on wood and masonry.

• Develop online exhibit of the inscriptions that can be shared with the visitors.

Keeping in mind that the location of the inscriptions is not accessible to the public.

• Areas of inquiry should include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following specific topics: 1) historic research of ships that passed through

Dry Tortugas and relationship to the fort; 2) various visitors and occupation of the fort after the army occupation ended.

Historical background information for resource management and interpretation is an important facet of the SHS. An appropriate historical framework for the study would begin with a brief overview of the area before European settlers; however, the majority of the study should focus on the inscriptions related to post army occupation and visitation

(approximately 1876-1980). The primary geographic area of the study remains the area contained within the boundaries of Garden Key, the location in the park for Fort

Jefferson. The SHS should place the resources in the park within a regional context.

The contexts listed above will provide additional information through which existing

National Register documentation can be amended or new National Register documentation can be created. Such National Register amendments or new documentation is not included in this scope of work; however, the researcher/s will make recommendations for the same in a “Management Recommendations” section that will follow the historical contexts chapters. This section will contain, among descriptions of other management issues, recommendations for preservation treatment for the inscriptions.

The researcher/s shall include digital images of the inscriptions, sketches if appropriate, documenting the setting and condition of the cultural resources associated with this study. The researcher/s shall also prepare an appropriate number of maps, using GIS, to illustrate the narrative.

Research Sites and Level of Effort

LEVEL OF EFFORT

Documentation of the inscriptions shall include photographs, drawings, and measurements.

Research will meet NPS standards for a thorough investigation, i.e., research will be done in selected published and documentary sources known or presumed relevant.

Additionally, research will include identifying primary resources which may not be readily available and may require additional effort and travel. Findings will be presented in no greater detail than required by this scope of work.

Preservation treatment recommendations shall follow the Secretary of the Interior

Historic Preservation Standards and Guidelines.

SOURCES

Park resources are located at the South Florida Collection Management Center in

Everglades National Park in Homestead, Florida, and in the Southeast Archaeological

Center Collection Facility in Tallahassee, Florida. Additional resources may be located at

NARA; Civil War Records; relevant newspapers, journals, and magazines; state archives;

US Military Institute; and Military/Regimental Unit scrapbooks located at Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Halls. The researcher/s may need to visit archives in different cities/states but may also be able to access archives through online venues.

Products and Format

All research notes made during production of this study will be turned over to the

NPS. Excluded from the research notes that will be provided to the NPS will be copies of either photographs or documents for which another institution has either the copyright or has placed restrictions on its distribution. The final draft of the SHS, including all photographs, maps, etc., shall become the intellectual property of the

NPS. Researcher/s shall collect relevant information from primary resources and document it in a spreadsheet that can be used by future researchers.

The study will include a separate bibliography and a list of repositories. Appendices, including relevant existing documentation, tables, maps, and sources, will be included as noted above.

Front matter will include a table of contents, list of illustrations, and executive summary.

The final report will be in the latest version of Microsoft WORD and pdf formats. It must be typed on 8-1/2 by 11-inch white paper. All pages must be numbered. Copies of photographs (screened for reproduction clarity), maps, drawings, and text must be clean, clear, and legible. The format must comply with the latest edition of the Chicago Manual of Style. The document must be Section 508 compliant.

All illustrations used in the final document will be credited. If any of the illustrations carry restrictions (such as one-time use limitations), the researcher/s will provide this information to the NPS. The electronic file(s) supplied to NPS will be adequate for transmission to a printer or for incorporation into a final file or files to be prepared by NPS for transmission to a printer to be selected by the NPS. A common sequence of contents for the study are as follows:

Figure Credits

List of Figures

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three, etc.

National Register Issues & Management Recommendations

Bibliography

Schedule and Budget (these dates are tentative and depend upon the completion of contract paperwork)

DELIVERY ITEM DATE

Start-up Meeting To be determined

Site Visit To be determined

Submission of outline of HRS and preliminary bibliography

Within one month of Start-up Meeting

Submission of three of draft chapters Within two months from when consolidated NPS comments are returned on outline and bibliography

Submission of first complete draft of study Within three months from when consolidated NPS comments are returned on three draft chapters

Submission of final draft and related documentation to NPS

Within one month from when consolidated NPS comments are returned on draft

Glossary of NPS Documents and Terms:

National Register of Historic Places

Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and administered by the

NPS in the National Center for Cultural Resources Stewardship and Partnership

Programs, the National Register is the nation's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects in both public and private ownership that are significant in

American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture. The National

Register includes historical areas of the national park system, properties designated by the Secretary of the Interior as national historic landmarks, properties nominated by

SHPOs and federal preservation officers, and cultural properties on the World Heritage

List. The NPS is required by law to survey, inventory, and nominate to the National

Register properties of national, state, and local significance in its custody that meet the

National Register Criteria for Evaluation and to document to National Register standards its historical areas administratively listed in the Register. NPS nominations and documentation are submitted through the NPS federal preservation officer. Cultural resource studies that establish historic contexts and describe and evaluate historic properties can form the basis of National Register nominations when this information is transferred to nomination forms.