'Stewards of the past': Attitudes and behaviors of preservationists in two Mississippi pilgrimage tours and their views of historic landscape

This study used self-administered mail surveys to observe attitudes and behaviors of preservationists who own historic homes featured in the Columbus or Aberdeen Mississippi pilgrimage tours. The survey incorporated closed-ended, open-ended and Likert scaled questions in order to understand what attitudes these preservationists held towards historic landscapes and what behaviors might be linked to these attitudes. The results from the two pilgrimage tours were compared in order to understand if the views and attitudes were common or varied among preservationists in the two communities. Results revealed similar attitudes and behaviors among historic home owners in both pilgrimage tours, suggesting that, in this case, owners of historic homes have stronger attitudes and more definite behaviors towards preserving historic structures than towards preserving historic landscapes. This study contributes to the body of historic preservation knowledge and encourages further research about attitudes and behaviors of owners of historic homes to structures and landscapes.