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Worth Saving
The Newsletter of the North Carolina Historic Preservation Office
November 2015
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The Coca-Cola mural in downtown Mount Airy, which was first painted in 1916. This is one of many recently restored "ghost murals" that Coca-Cola Consolidated has been working to refresh (pun intended); more information here and here. (photo: HPO) |
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Recent National Register Advisory Committee Meeting
On October 8, the North Carolina National Register Advisory Committee met in Raleigh. The Committee accepted the staff recommendation to forward seven nominations to the Keeper for listing in the National Register and one request for approval of a new location for a listed property. One of the new nominations is for the Wyse Fork Battlefield in Kinston, Lenoir County, as presented by the Office of State Archaeology.
In Hickory, Catawba County, an architectural survey update was conducted (see article) that identified fourteen properties and three districts that have been added to the National Register study list. In addition, there were seven properties across the state that were placed on the study list at the request of the public.
Click here for a list of all of the properties approved at the NRAC's October meeting.
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Rehabilitation Highlights
Guilford County, Greensboro, Dixon Building
The ca. 1904, 1200-square-foot Dixon Building in the Downtown Greensboro Historic District was rehabilitated 2014-2015 as the Milstein Artist Studio. This project was spurred by the use of the federal and state income-producing historic tax credits with a private investment rehabilitation cost of $190,000.
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| | Dixon Building, before and after rehabilitation. |
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Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits Fact Sheet
In last month's issue, the 2016 state historic rehabilitation tax credit program was discussed. Here is an overview of the new program in hand-out form. Enjoy! |
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On October 20, Governor McCrory signed another historic preservation related bill - SB 472 - which states: "A county or city may make grants or loans for the rehabilitation of commercial or noncommercial historic structures, whether the structure is publicly or privately owned." We hope this new legislation enhances local historic preservation incentives in addition to our newly reinstituted state historic tax credit program. More information at http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2015/Bills/Senate/PDF/S472v3.pdf. |
MPDF for North Carolina's Rosenwald Schools Approved by NPS
The State Historic Preservation Office is pleased to announce that "Rosenwald Schools in North Carolina," a Multiple Property Documentation Form (MPDF) prepared by intern Kyle Obenauer and architectural survey coordinator Claudia Brown, was approved by the Keeper of the National Register, in the National Park Service, on September 29. With its thorough presentation of both the historic contexts in which the state's Rosenwald Schools are understood and the associated property types, preparation of National Register nominations of the schools will be simplified. Future nominations of North Carolina's Rosenwald schools no longer require an in-depth discussion of historic contexts and property types; instead, for most of the nominations the summary paragraph may simply refer to the MPDF. The MPDF may be read here.
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Appalachian Barn Alliance Celebrates Rural Agricultural Heritage
By Jennifer Cathey
2015 Appalachian Barn Alliance photo contest winner, Walnut Creek Road in Madison County, photographed by Steve Tweed.
With the transition away from traditional farming mainstays such as burley tobacco in recent decades, Madison County has experienced a precipitous decline in farming and in available farmland. Yet amid this cultural change, a group of self-described "barn huggers" celebrates agricultural history and rural identity with an ambitious program to identify, document, and promote preservation of farms and barns. The Appalachian Barn Alliance (ABA) was founded in 2012 by a dedicated band of barn enthusiasts, among them Ross Young of the Madison County Agricultural Extension Office, architect Taylor Barnhill, and county tourism official Sandy Stevenson. Buoyed by an active board and by grants from the Madison County Tourism Development Authority, Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, and Marion S. Covington Foundation, ABA has established a program to survey notable barns by township along with other programs and events that celebrate Madison County's agricultural heritage and support efforts towards sustainable farming and cultural and agricultural tourism.
ABA's annual photo contest (one of the 2015 winners appears with this article) draws cross-generational participation in seeking out and shooting evocative scenes of the county's most picturesque barns. The non-profit's programming, however, does far more than appreciate the scenic quality of farm buildings. ABA has produced a series of articles for the Marshall News Record & Sentinel profiling the history and use of more than a dozen local barns, led barn tours, collaborated with the Agricultural Extension Office to train property owners about pest control for wood barns, and developed driving tours for distribution online and through local visitor centers. Drawing on traditional architectural survey methods, historical research, and oral history, ABA's lead project historian, Taylor Barnhill, has undertaken documentation of barns that are selected as representative of particular construction types, agricultural functions, and historic eras. Drawing on local history as well as field examination of agricultural buildings, Mr. Barnhill has documented a barn associated with the property of William Neilson, the stone foundation of which is reckoned to date to the 1820s or earlier. Neilson operated a stock stand and inn at Warm Springs (now Hot Springs) on the drover's road linking East Tennessee to livestock markets in South Carolina, and the barn on site today was likely constructed atop a remnant of his agricultural complex. ABA documentation also elucidates the evolution of tobacco production in Madison County, identifying a handful or pre-1920s barns configured for flue-curing of bright leaf tobacco, and many more hung with poles for the air-curing of burley tobacco, the more predominant variety of tobacco grown in the North Carolina mountains since the 1920s.
Documentary materials will be made available to the public via the ABA website, and will be stored at the Liston B. Ramsey Archive at Mars Hill University. View a sampling of these materials and learn more about the Appalachian Barn Alliance on their website.
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Vintage Coca-Cola Mural Celebrated in Hendersonville
Have you ever noticed the vintage Coca-Cola murals that dot downtown communities in our state? Mount Airy, Salisbury, Concord, and Hendersonville are a few of the communities that have these links to the past. In Hendersonville, building owner Mark Ray worked for two years with Coca-Cola to commission muralists to recreate two of these murals on his building. On Friday, October 9, the community held a downtown celebration of the murals complete with complimentary bottles of Coca-Cola, of course. Read more here.
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| | Coca Cola Mural Celebration in Downtown Hendersonville (photo: Hendersonville Facebook page) |
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Hickory Historic Properties Survey Update Completed
Hickory's Historic Preservation Commission has completed an updated survey of the city's historic properties, identifying potential candidates for historic places and districts. The first survey in the area was conducted in 1980 and a more recent one was undertaken in the 1990s. Hickory's survey update was funded in part by a CLG grant of $15,000. Read the full article here.
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Endangered Roadside Resources Sought
The Society for Commercial Archeology, an organization that studies and advocates for roadside resources (i.e., diners, motels, tourist courts, etc.), is seeking nominations for its 2016 list of endangered resources, Falling By the Wayside. Information on the list and the nomination form can be found on their website at sca-roadside.org/falling-by-the-wayside. Nominations are due by January 4, 2016.
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The State of North Carolina Lists Historic Blount Street [Raleigh] Mansions for Sale
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| | The Heck-Andrews House (photo: News & Observer) |
Until recently, the state-owned Heck-Andrews and Bailey-Tucker Houses on Raleigh's Blount Street have stood vacant and unused. Governor Pat McCrory consulted with the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources before making the decision to find a new owner and investor for these mansions. The buyer will be held to protective covenants. Read more here.
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For Your Entertainment and Edification . . .
- Have you seen all fifty of these iconic and powerful pictures of American history? From the above 1992 photo of candidates Clinton and Gore in Durham to the first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina has been instrumental in shaping our nation's history through images.
- Have you ever wondered where words like "shell shock" and "tanks" come from? If you guessed World War II, you deserve a pat on the back. Read more here.
- Happy 49th birthday, State Historic Preservation Offices! On October 15th, 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed the National Historic Preservation Act, thus creating the National Register and SHPOs. I think we can all agree that these programs are aging well.
- What do history and beer have in common? Find out here.
- Robert Moses Vs. Jane Jacobs: The Opera. Yes, you read that correctly. The legendary 1960s New York City struggle between planning czar Moses and neighborhood activist/preservationist Jacobs will be staged at Brooklyn's new National Sawdust music venue. Read more here.
- Compatible infill development isn't just an issue for those living in historic districts, or even those living in a biological sense. Read more here.
- In the market for a cozy water tower to call home? You are in luck, because the Historic Duke Tower is for rent. Act fast, because this downtown Durham 'condotel' with walk-in closets and a pool will probably go fast. Posting here.
- Ever wondered why sideburns are called sideburns, or what our state's relationship is to this term? The answer is here.
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Events, Awards, and Grants
November 1-5 Association for Preservation Technology (APT) Conference, "Convergence of People and Places-Diverse Technologies and Practices," Kansas City, MO. Details about the conference and registration information can be found on this website. November 3-6 PastForward 2015, the National Trust Annual Conference, Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC. For more information or to register, go to this website. November 18-21 Southeastern Archaeological Conference, Nashville, TN. More information available on this website.
November 20 North Carolina Preservation Consortium Annual Conference, "Monuments and Memorials: Preserving, Protecting and Documenting Our Collective Memory," William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 8 AM - 4 PM. Speakers will cover basic and advanced strategies and techniques for preserving monuments and memorials (structures, statues, gravestones, pillars, markers), and the often spontaneous collections of offerings. Click here for information about registration and fees.
March 8-10, 2016: NCSHPO Annual Meeting & Advocacy Day, Washington D.C.
March 16-19, 2016 National Council on Public History Annual Conference, Baltimore, MD. Visit this website for more information.
March 19-20, 2016 7th National Forum on Historic Preservation Practice, "A Critical Examination of the Next 50 Years," Goucher College, Baltimore, MD. Click on this link for details about the call for papers for this conference.
April 10-13, 2016 "Keeping History Above Water," Newport, RI. This international, multi-disciplinary conference will focus on challenges and solutions for saving historic structures and neighborhoods in coastal communities. See http://www.historyabovewater.org/. If you have questions, contact [email protected].
June 1-4, 2016 Save the Date! 2016 Vernacular Architecture Forum Conference, "From Farm to Factory: Piedmont Stories in Black and White," Durham, NC. For information, visit this website, where details will be added as planning progresses. Click on this link for the call for papers. The deadline for proposals is October 30, 2015.
June 21-23, 2016: "Century of Design in the Parks," NPS Symposium, Santa Fe, NM. For more information, visit this website.
July 27-31, 2016 Save the Date! National Alliance of Preservation Commissions FORUM 2016, Mobile, AL . A historic preservation conference and training program focused on the issues of preservation commissions and commission staff. More information can be found on the NAPC website.
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National Trust offers grants to Main Street towns through its Historic Properties Redevelopment Program. Click here to learn more.
National Council on Public History Accepting Award Nominations The National Council on Public History offers a variety of awards including outstanding project, new professional, consulting excellence, and a book award. Deadline is December 1. More information and submission deadlines are available at http://ncph.org/cms/awards/. Questions? 317-274-2716 or [email protected] for inquiries.
National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT) Announces Two Grants Programs for 2016 In addition to their regular 2016 PTT Grants program, they have initiated a new NCPTT Media Grants Program. The grants program provides funding for innovative research that develops new technologies or adapts existing technologies to preserve cultural resources. Grant recipients undertake innovative research and produce technical reports which respond to national needs in the field of historic preservation. The maximum award is $40,000. Media grant recipients will develop publications, web or mobile applications, and video products that offer preservationists a better understanding of tools and resources available to preserve cultural heritage. The resulting grant products help increase the longevity of cultural resources. The NCPTT Media Grants Program is a subset of the Preservation Technology and Training Grants. The maximum award is $15,000. The deadline for all grant applications is Thursday, November 3, 2015.
Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections Grants The National Endowment for the Humanities invites applications from nonprofit museums, libraries, archives, and educational institutions in the United States for the Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections grant program. The deadline for submittal is December 1. Guidelines, FAQs, and sample narratives from successful applications are online at www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/SCHC.html. Contact the staff of NEH's Division of Preservation and Access at [email protected] and 202-606-8570. Hearing-impaired applicants can contact NEH via TDD at 1-866-372-2930.
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Please send any comments or suggestions to Ramona Bartos at [email protected]. Please forward this newsletter to others who might be interested in the information.
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The activity that is the subject of this publication has been financed in part with federal funds from the National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Department of the Interior, and administered by the NC HPO. However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of NPS or NC HPO. This program receives federal financial assistance for identification and protection of historic properties. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, the U. S. Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability or age in its federally assisted programs. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility as described above, or if you desire further information please write to: Office of Equal Opportunity, National Park Service, 1849 C Street, N.W., Washington DC 20240.
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