RALEIGH–The North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources today announced $84,164 in grant support to 10 historic preservation projects in eight counties around the state. Projects range from GIS mapping of historical areas in the Pitt County city of Greenville; to the preparation of a National Register nomination for the East Sanford Historic District, the town’s oldest historic area; to work with historic African American neighborhoods in Durham and Guilford counties.
“May is National Preservation Month,” said Cultural Resources Deputy Secretary Dr. Jeffrey Crow, who also serves as the state’s Chief Preservation Officer. “This year’s theme is ‘This Place Matters,’ and these grants will help these communities assure that their vital heritage is cared for and shared.”
To further mark National Preservation Month, Dr. Crow and Cultural Resources Secretary Linda A. Carlisle will be in Wilmington on Tuesday, May 26, to announce the Historic Wilmington Foundation’s 2009 Most Threatened Historic Places list.
Beaufort County
Certified Local Government: City of Washington Historic District Commission
($25,000) Beaufort County Comprehensive Architectural Survey, Phase II
The City of Washington has been awarded $25,000 continue the comprehensive architectural survey of Washington and Beaufort County, begun last year through a CLG grant award. The second phase of the project will consist of two parts. The first part of this survey project will be the preparation of a National Register nomination for an historic district located along north Market Street that was identified as part of Phase I of this project. This historic district lies within the city limits of the City of Washington outside of the listed National Register Washington Historic District and contains approximately 200 resources. This potential historic district is primarily an early- twentieth century residential district and was placed on the State Study List at the completion of the Phase I project.
The second part of the survey project will consist of the comprehensive survey of the northern section of the county, north of the Pamlico River from the Pitt County line on the west to Hyde County on the east. The survey will include all unincorporated areas including the towns of Pinetown and Pantego. Between 200-250 resources, including dwellings, farmsteads, crossroad stores, churches, agricultural complexes, schools and miscellaneous property types such as bridges will be surveyed. Survey of the area of the county located south of the Pamlico River will be undertaken as phase III of the comprehensive survey scheduled for fiscal year 2010-2011.
Buncombe County
Certified Local Government: Town of Black Mountain Historic Preservation Commission
($3,960) Town of Black Mountain Residential District Nominations
The Town of Black Mountain has been awarded a grant to prepare National Register nominations for two residential historic districts identified in a comprehensive architectural survey conducted in 2007, which produced much of the material necessary for the nominations. With approximately 55 properties, the Church-Connolly Streets Historic District is Black Mountain’s largest collection of well preserved historic houses, while the smaller Montreat Road Historic District, a collection of roughly 20 properties, distinguishes a major route into town from the north. The federal grant of $3,960 is to be matched with $2,640 in local funds. Listing in the National Register will contribute to the continued stability of the Church-Connolly Streets area and promote preservation of the area along Montreat Road, which is experiencing development pressure.
Durham County
Certified Local Government: Durham Historic Preservation Commission
($12,000) Stokesdale Historic District National Register Nomination
The City of Durham was awarded a grant of $12,000 for preparation of a National Register nomination for the Stokesdale Historic District, a predominantly residential neighborhood of about 225 buildings that lies north and northwest of North Carolina Central University’s historic campus. The local match will be provided through the City by the Shepard Alliance for Enlightenment, an organization dedicated to preservation of the history of the Shepard family, NCCU, and the community surrounding the university. Stokesdale’s collection of bungalows and period revival houses represents the successes of Durham’s African American community in the early 20th century. Several individual buildings have been listed in the National Register for their association with Durham’s African American heritage, but Stokesdale will be the first such district.
Gaston County
Certified Local Government: Gaston County Historic Preservation Commission
($3,000) Awarded to Hoyle Historic Homestead, Inc for the Hoyle House – Under-Structure
This project will continue the ongoing preservation and restoration of the Hoyle House, a unique and unusual structure of German-American antecedents dating to the 18th century. The house is owned by a locally established non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve the National Register listed property as a historic landmark open to the public. These funds, which will be locally matched, will allow for assessment of the first level floor joists of the log portion of the house, along with repairs and/or replacement to allow for limited public visitation.
($3,600) Dallas Historic District Engineering Study
This project will provide funding for the structural analysis of two important mid 19th century buildings that are key historic structures within the National Register Dallas Historic District, the Old Courthouse and the Hoffman Hotel. The Hoffman Hotel, which now serves as the Gaston County Museum, has exhibited signs of sinking foundations. In addition, the Old Courthouse, located in the center of the town square and owned by the Town of Dallas, has possible moisture related problems which require assessment. The grant will help fund the services of a structural engineer who will assess the conditions of both structures as a first step in determining what, if any, intervention is required to preserve these two structures for continued use.
Guilford County
Certified Local Government: High Point Historic Preservation Commission
($6,000) Washington Drive National Register Historic District Nomination, High Point
The Washington Drive Historic District is historically significant as the heart of the African American business community in High Point during the first half of the 20th century. The grant funds will be used to hire a historical consultant to complete a National Register nomination for the historic district. Listing the district in the Register will provide financial incentives for the rehabilitation of the historic buildings, and raise awareness about the historic importance of this area.
Haywood County
Certified Local Government: Waynesville Historic Preservation Commission
($3,800) “Spread Out” National Register Historic District Nomination
Just northeast of Waynesville’s central business district and straddling a main corridor into the downtown, the compact residential neighborhood with the unusual name of “Spread Out” consists of a notable collection of approximately 75 stylish houses built from the late 19th century through the mid 20th century, as well as two historic apartment buildings and the ca. 1907 First Presbyterian Church. The Town requested a grant of $3,800, to be matched by $2,612 in local funds. National Register listing will bring the honor and potential benefit of investment tax credits for rehabilitation that will help ensure the continued stability of Waynesville’s largest collection of largely intact residential architecture.
Lee County
Certified Local Government: City of Sanford Historic Preservation Commission
($9,900) East Sanford Historic District National Register Nomination
The City of Sanford has been awarded $9,900 to prepare a National Register Nomination for the East Sanford Historic District, Sanford’s oldest historic area, comprised of the residential area that developed in response to the coming of the railroad and mills in the late nineteenth century and continued to develop through the 1930s. The approximately 175 structures (with architectural styles ranging from late Victorian Era styles to one-story bungalows) is on the state Study List. Many properties are rental homes and the neighborhood is in dire need of re-investment. If listed in the National Register, the area would be a prime area for income-producing tax credit projects.
($5,904) Endor Iron Furnace Stabilization Planning
The Endor Iron Furnace was one of the state’s most ambitious industrial efforts during the antebellum period. The remnants of the furnace, which lie in a verdant succession forested landscape, are virtually all that remains from a large and scattered complex that was built to produce pig iron for the Confederacy. Recent archaeological studies have identified many of the ancillary buildings and structures on the site. This grant will be used to hire a structural engineer who will produce construction documents (drawings, specifications, and contract documents) that will outline the phased stabilization of the furnace to prevent the further degradation of the structure.
Pitt County
Certified Local Government: City of Greenville Historic Preservation Commission
($11,000) City of Greenville Historic Inventory and GIS Mapping Project
The City of Greenville has experienced tremendous growth in recent years spurred by expansion of the regional hospital system and East Carolina University. In order for the city to establish a comprehensive historic preservation plan, they have proposed conducting an inventory of historic resources located within the city that have not previously been recorded and face potential threats from new development and growth. One neighborhood in particular, the East Fifth Street area just east of the main campus of ECU, will be intensively surveyed in anticipation that a National Register of Historic Places historic district might be established there in the near future. Remaining neighborhoods and some scattered individual historic buildings will also be recorded during the project, but at a reconnaissance level of survey. All potential historic districts will be identified as well as individual properties that might be considered eligible for listing in the National Register. These properties will be selected for placement on the state Study List—a list of properties worthy of further study for listing in the National Register.
All properties recorded during the course of this project will be mapped on the local GIS system and integrated into the State Historic Preservation Office’s comprehensive data base. All information gathered during the project will be used by the City of Greenville to identify critical preservation needs in Greenville.
The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources is the state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history and culture. It is now podcasting 24/7 with information about the Department of Cultural Resources, all available at www.ncculture.com.