April Column Winner

Adventures with Allie: Living with History

By Allie Prater, Cushing Citizen

We like to think of history as something kept behind glass. Something that is protected by experts, preserved by grants, catalogued by committees. But in truth, the preservation of a town’s character and history doesn’t rest solely on the shoulders of a historical society or a town council. It lives in the everyday choices we all make. Preserving the spirit and soul of a small town is everyone’s job.

As someone who has always lived with history all around me, these thoughts are not just the ramblings of someone who thinks older buildings are nifty, these are the thoughts of someone who has been inside of a home built by Pueblo Indians centuries ago that is still lived in today, someone who grew up with the Missions built by the conquistadors, that still hold mass multiple times a week.

When our parents used to tell us as kids “if you take care of that, it’ll last longer,” they weren’t just talking about our new church shoes and our toys.

History means something, and the preservation of the history around us is not just our responsibility, it is our privilege. 

You don’t need to be a historian to make a difference. It starts with something as simple as not littering. A candy wrapper tossed on Main Street, a soda can left on a bench along Broadway… it may seem small, but it sends a message. Every time we choose to clean up after ourselves, plant flowers instead of ignoring weeds, or support a local business instead of an out-of-town chain, we’re choosing to invest in the long-term story of our communities.

Preservation isn’t just about saving the grand old buildings or protecting sites on a registry, though those matter deeply. It’s about showing up for the day-to-day upkeep of our shared spaces. It’s about pride. It’s about being a good neighbor and a good steward. It’s picking up the coffee cup someone else left behind, not because you made the mess, but because you care enough to leave the town better than you found it.

But the responsibility goes deeper than just cleanliness. Around all of our towns, there are historic homes and commercial buildings that once held life and purpose, now boarded up and fading into memory. Too often, they’ve been bought up by investors who do nothing more than sit on them, letting them rot until they’re too far gone to save. These structures aren’t just real estate, they’re part of our community identity. Owning a historic building should come with a sense of obligation, not just opportunity.

If you buy a property with history, you’re taking on more than square footage. You’re taking on a role in our town’s narrative. Letting those places deteriorate out of neglect, or worse, indifference, isn’t just bad for the building. It’s bad for the whole community. Empty buildings attract vandalism, deter foot traffic, and signal decline. They drag down not just property values, but morale.

On the flip side, when someone takes the time to restore or thoughtfully update an old building, keeping its bones while breathing new life into it, it’s like watching the town remember who it is. Preservation doesn’t mean turning every building into a museum. It means finding new uses for old spaces. It means updating with intention, not erasure. It’s the art of progress that respects its roots.

Want to modernize a storefront? Great, just keep the original woodwork or brick façade if you can. Need to renovate a historic home? Wonderful, choose materials and colors that honor its original character. We don’t need to live in the past to carry it with us.

This kind of care, this kind of responsibility, doesn’t belong to one person or one group. It belongs to all of us… from the elected officials to the maintenance crews, from homeowners to teenagers walking to school. When we treat our towns with respect, when we pay attention to the little details, when we speak up for what matters, our town responds. It looks better. It feels better. It is better.

And the truth is, no one is coming to do it for us. We can’t wait for some grant or outside developer to save what’s slipping away. We have to show up, with our time, our money, our votes, and our everyday actions.

So if you love your town, prove it. Pick up that piece of trash. Paint the fence instead of tearing it down. Plant flowers in front of the old shop. Call the absentee owner and ask what they plan to do with that empty building. Show your kids that caring about a place means doing the work, even when it’s not glamorous.

Preservation isn’t about perfection. It’s about effort. It’s about choosing to care enough to keep the story going.

Let’s all do our part. Because our towns aren’t just where we live, it’s who we are.

Be kind to your neighbors.

Be kind to your pets.

Love and protect the history that surrounds you.