State Historic Preservation Office | Preserving the Past

“Due to the isolated locations of many of them [canneries], it is difficult to find new uses for those that have been closed, and many buildings have been lost due to benign neglect, fires, and vandals. The NN Cannery at South Naknek started in 1895, operated for over 100 years, and is largely intact. The interest of the owner, Trident Seafoods, in preserving one of the most significant Bristol Bay canneries is unusual and terrific. Their corporate history, as well as the social history of the workers and of the communities in the area, needs to be recorded and shared—addressing achievements and blemishes. The NN Cannery History Project is an important project that is necessary to do now, to preserve Alaska’s twentieth century fisheries heritage.”

Joan Antonson | Assistant State Historic Preservation Officer and State Historian

The Office of History and Archaeology (OHA) is Alaska’s primary office with knowledge and expertise in historic preservation dedicated to preserving and interpreting Alaska’s past, and serves as Alaska’s State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. OHA administers programs authorized by both the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and the Alaska Historic Preservation Act of 1971.

The office works with local governments, the public, and educational and not-for-profit organizations to identify, preserve, protect, and interpret the state’s cultural, historic, and archaeological resources ensuring that our heritage is passed on to future generations. The State Historic Preservation Office will be working directly with the NN Cannery Project to assist with the National Register nomination and other preservation activities. 

An aerial view of the historic NN Cannery and South Naknek, Alaska taken in 2016.