For a nation that has been based upon change, movement, the new and making money (lots), the concept of historic preservation and saving buildings of the past has always been met with a certain suspicion: “let’s move on.” Yes, certain structures are held in reverence such as George Washington’s Mount Vernon (which helped start the preservation movement in the 1850s), but the saving of the past in the US can be controversial. In this talk, Richard Guy Wilson will examine the origins of preservation, some elements of its development such as the theme park, and the issue of what is really saved? A building or a structure, whether a dwelling, store, church, school, or mill can be the focus but are there elements perhaps ephemeral that need to be considered?