Janet Sheridan

Janet Sheridan

Degree: 2007, M.A.

Job Title: Principal, Down Jersey Heritage Research, LLC

I am currently Principal, Down Jersey Heritage Research LLC, located in Salem, New Jersey. In celebration of 20 years in business I recently reorganized as an LLC with a new name (formerly Cultural Heritage Landscape Historian and Heritage Preservation Consultant). In 2007 I received an M.A. in Urban Affairs & Public Policy with a Concentration in Historic Preservation and a specialization in preservation planning. ​

My practice is twofold: I provide heritage preservation services for clients, and I carry out independent study of the cultural landscape in southern New Jersey under research grants. My backgrounds in engineering, architecture, photography, local historic preservation activism, and professional training in cultural landscape research and preservation have given me a broad range of skills and experiences. I want my work to result in more and better preservation of the historic built environment. 

My specialties include heritage recording (scaled field notes, AutoCAD drawing, photography -- digital or film, small, medium and large format, wet darkroom); National Register nomination preparation; cultural resource survey (experience in New Jersey and Delaware ); deed mapping; spatial analysis of historic land parcels using GIS; quantitative analysis of historical data with SPSS; Garden State Historic Preservation Fund, NJ Historical Commission grant application and  administration; preservation planning for local government; and drafting of ordinances.

My research Interests include Salem County architecture and landscape history, timber frame architecture, African American properties and agricultural properties.  I have a teaching interest in building recording. I trained local history enthusiasts under a NJ Historical Commission grant and ran a hands-on session at the 2014 NJ Historic Preservation Conference and am seeking new opportunities in that area. I was recently appointed to the editorial board of the new online journal, New Jersey Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, and look forward to that new challenge.