Montgomery County is a certified local government for historic preservation. What does that mean?

The National Park Service has approved Montgomery County as a certified local government in relation to historic preservation in the county and named Texas history enthusiast Bernie Sargent as the county’s historic preservation officer. 

“This is a major honor for Montgomery County, as this national (certified local government) designation provides grant funds to preserve historic structures for qualified applicants in our county, offers historic preservation training and provides valuable networking opportunities with other preservation organizations and consultants,” said Larry Foerster, chairman of the Montgomery County Historical Commission. “I believe our county is only the 16th county in Texas to receive this coveted designation.” 

Here’s what being a certified local government means and more about Bernie Sargent:

DESIGN FLAWS: Conroe to spend $850K to fix design problems with its new $34M community center

What is a certified local government?

According to information from the Texas Historical Commission, the certified local government program is a local, state and federal government partnership to empower local communities to better protect historic resources by identifying local priorities, meeting recognized historic preservation standards and providing access to financial and technical services to further the identification, evaluation, designation and protection of buildings, sites, districts, structures and objects.

Local governments that participate in the  certified local government program act independently to develop and maintain a successful preservation program. The Texas Historical Commission administers the program at the state level and the National Park Service is the responsible federal agency. 

Local historians worked with the Montgomery County Commissioners Court to obtain the designation for Montgomery County. 

Montgomery County’s history 

Montgomery County was established in 1837. It was the third county formed under the Republic of Texas. It is also recognized as the birthplace of the Texas Lone Star Flag that was designed by early Montgomery resident Charles B. Stewart. 

The county has its foundation in farming and the timber industry. An oil boom southeast of Conroe in the early 1930s brought a prosperous time to the county. During this time the Crighton Theatre and Montgomery County Courthouse were built. They are historic structures still in use today. In recent years the county has experienced an explosion in growth. 

Many of Conroe’s downtown buildings are also more than 100 years old. 

Who is Bernie Sargent? 

Sargent is a native of Erie, Pennsylvania. His family moved to California when he was 12 and he was educated at California Southern University before serving in the U.S. Army. 

“I’ve always loved history. Growing up in Pennsylvania, I was always very familiar with the War of 1812,” he said. According to the National Parks Service, “The Battle of Lake Erie” was one of the most resounding triumphs of the War of 1812.

His career was in sales and marketing before launching two businesses. He and his wife, Melissa, lived in El Paso for 35 years. He was a member of the El Paso County Historical Commission for 17 years and chairman of the group for 13 years. 

They moved to Panorama Village in 2022 to be closer to their children and quickly became involved in the Montgomery County Historical Commission. 

He also serves on the board of the Texas Historical Foundation and continues to be involved in aspects of El Paso history. He was a regular on a radio show about El Paso history and most recently he portrayed American Old West outlaw John Wesley Hardin at the Heritage Museum of Montgomery County. 

REPUBLICAN STRONGHOLD: ‘Reddest county in the state’: How Montgomery County powers Republican victories in Texas

What does a historic preservation officer do? 

In addition to Sargent, the Montgomery County certified local government committee includes Montgomery County Historical Commission members Maria Baños Jordan, Annette Kerr, Ron Saikowski, Ann Meador, Frank Hersom, Darrell Hebert and Victor Uher. The committee is tasked with monitoring and supporting preservation efforts in Montgomery County.

Sargent heads up the committee which will have its first meeting this month. He was nominated for the role by the Commissioners Court. He is especially interested in promoting “history tourism” which highlights the county’s historic landmarks as destinations for those visiting the community. 

He is the first county historic preservation officer for Montgomery County. One of the functions of the role is to help local communities find ways of raising grant monies through the state and other sources. 

The committee will be working with city leaders in Montgomery County on how the certified local government program can promote history tourism and preservation efforts in their community. 

If the full content does not display, visit the article originally published on this site