| From 1950--1980, the Midwestern United States experienced a sharp decline in the number of farms and a spontaneous emergence of a multitude of re-created heritage villages. Re-created heritage villages are artificial urban entities developed by relocating structures from their original foundations in the wider community to a specific location where they are restored and assembled in the form of a village representing an earlier settlement era. Existing literature indicated a high emphasis upon economic development as a motivation for the creation of similar heritage tourism destinations.; This dissertation examined the purpose and motivation for the development of re-created heritage villages in the Midwestern United States. A questionnaire was developed and all recognized re-created heritage villages within a ten-state region of the Midwest were selected as participants. Results from the survey were evaluated and processed to assist in the determination of purpose or motivation of development, categorization of villages, and factors involved in site location. Factor analysis, cluster analysis, and analysis of variance were used to evaluate quantitative data.; This study determined that the prime motivation for the development of re-created heritage villages was not economic development but rather the preservation of heritage and historic structures. Supportive factors which indicated a limited focus on economic development included a high number of sites operated by non-profit organizations, a high rate of volunteer involvement, and low entrance fees. Location was based more on the availability of inexpensive land than on economic development factors. |
