RALEIGH – Tobacco barns, smoke houses and grape arbors tell the story of a place and people now almost gone. Northeastern North Carolina is seeking a brighter economy, and help may come from the past. Other areas have captured and packaged their heritage and seen great turn-arounds, such as Natchitoches, La. or Jonesborough, Tenn. A boost for cultural and heritage tourism for northeastern North Carolina could be designed using information provided by the N. C. State Historic Preservation Office.
The Historic Preservation Office will soon begin a survey and Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping of structures more than 50 years old in Bertie, Beaufort, Hertford and Northampton counties. This could lead to National Register of Historic Places designations or creation of historic districts to attract heritage tourists, the fastest growing sector of the tourism market. Cultural and heritage tourists travel to experience the places and activities that authentically represent a region. A study by Appalachian State University found that cultural tourists in North Carolina stay longer and spend more money than general travelers. Historic designations allow property owners to apply for rehabilitation tax credits, which also have been a powerful economic engine in the state.
Documenting the vestiges of a tobacco-driven economy and protecting the physical remnants of a disappearing rural lifestyle may help revive the region. The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources already has worked on art and farm trails in the region, and other school and community based programs.
“The full potential for heritage tourism in northeastern North Carolina remains untapped,” says Cultural Resources Deputy Secretary Jeffrey Crow. “The survey and planning conducted by the Historic Preservation Office can promote heritage tourism as well as economic development by protecting important historic properties through restoration and tax credits.”
Grants totaling $150,000 were awarded to the Historic Preservation Office to enable the completion of a comprehensive survey of the area’s historic resources. Preserve America, a federal program, awarded $75,000, matched by the Golden LEAF Foundation to fund the project. The completed information will be shared with local governments and others who are interested in economic stimulus for the area. Maps, photographs and professionally written reports will assist in charting a course to the future.
Armed with accurate information, leaders can plan and organize, protect and manage cultural resources to prepare for visitors, and market the region. The survey work will begin this spring and will take two years. For additional information, call (919) 807-6580 or email mary.ruffin.hanbury@ncmail.net.
The State Historic Preservation Office is administered by the Office of Archives and History in the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, a state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history and culture, and observing the 2008 theme of “Telling Our Stories.” Now podcasting 24/7 with information about Cultural Resources available at www.ncculture.com.