in Article 75 of the Kansas Statutes Annotated, 1977, wherein it states the historical, archeological, archi­tectural and cultural heritage of Kansas is an important asset and its preservation and maintenance is among the highest priorities of the government. ⁵⁸ Kansas defines historical property as any building, structure, object, district, area or site that is significant in history, architecture, archeology or culture of Kansas, its communities or the nation. ⁵⁹ 

The Kansas State Historical Society is empowered to aid and promote, in conjunction with the Federal government, the historical preservation of all historical property within the State. ⁶⁰ Historic Preservation is to include the study, identification, protection, restoration and rehabilitation of buildings, structures, objects, districts, areas and sites significant in history, architecture, archeology or culture. ⁶¹ The historical society is speci­fically given the power to withhold the right of any governmental agency of Kansas to condemn and subsequently alter the physical features or historic character or integrity of historical property. ⁶² The majority of the state historical society's other powers are derived from its designation as the official agency to administer the federal historical pre­servation program as promulgated in the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and amendments thereto. ⁶³

The federal government, like Kansas, states that historical preservation should be a governmental priority because the spirit and direction of our Nation is founded upon and reflected in our historic past. As such, the historical and cultural foundations of our Nation should be preserved as a living part of the community life and development in order to give a sense of orientation to the American people. ⁶⁴ This viewpoint was bolstered in 1971, when then President Nixon declared that the policy of the federal government shall be to provide leadership in preserving, restoring and maintaining the historic and cultural environment of the Nation. ⁶⁵

To accomplish this goal, the Secretary of the Interior is empowered to maintain a national register of historic districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects. ⁶⁶ The criteria for inclusion was to be developed by the Secretary with the general guidelines to include properties that are significant in American history, architecture, archeology and culture. ⁶⁷

The guidelines that have emerged declare that a his­torical site must possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association, and, be associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; or that are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past; or that embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of a master, or that possess high artistic values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction; or that have yielded, or may be likely to yield informa­tion important in prehistory or history.⁶⁸

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