Orange County NC Website
04/09/1999 09:14 9196443002 OR. CTY. PLANNING <br />11 <br />(USGI;) maps (i.o., Hillsborough, Northwest Durham, and Rougemont 7.5° quadrangle <br />maps) revealed the presence of numerous prehistoric and historic sites in the general <br />study region. Potentially eligible and/or eligible historic properties located through <br />architectural survey along St. Mary's Road also suggests that associated, contributing <br />archaeological resources may be present in the study area (Belk 1999, study area <br />map). <br />As in the Charleston study, the St. Mary's project will have to facilitate <br />Commurncation between the architectural hislrJriarrs and the archaeologists. Valuable <br />research time and resources should not be waisted through unnecessary duplication of <br />effort, such as seeking the same plat orchain-of-title- information. If the two studies <br />are on-going, personnel should have occasional meatings to share information, <br />sources, and ideas about important area research themes. It one study is completed <br />before the other, that report Should be made available to the other researchers. <br />It should be noted that the quality of the state archaeological site files is uneven, <br />dependent on the standards of the time and th® efficacy of the student, collector, or <br />profe~ional filling out tho form. The St. Mary's study will entail c:hpx:king regional site <br />file information, contacting site owners and local collectors listed on older forms, and <br />generally verifying the continued presence/ab~nce of certain resources through field <br />reconnaissance. <br />One of the primary sources of information in the Charleston study were <br />interested loos) oollectors ernd members of tho local archaeoogical sociAtiea Orange, <br />Durham, and Aiamance counties hold a number of enthusiastic collectors, some <br />members of the Tar Heel Archaeok~yic:al Society, who will be contented as part of tht <br />St. Mary's Project. These individuals may hold important knowledge about site <br />locations in the project area, and/or about others who would be more familiar with <br />arohaeologica) zito locations in the fields along St. Mary's Road. Another important <br />avenue of research are local landowners. One method to reach local landowners and <br />other Interested Orange County residesnls will be to advertise (e.g., Durham and <br />Orange county newspapers) a'Town Hall" type of meeting one Este afternoon or <br />evening in the Hillsborough area. Project personnel will be able to identify artifacts for <br />local residents, help them fill out North Carolina OSA short archaeological forms, map <br />site locations, and help generate good will towards preservation of cultural resources. <br />This should also enable ilia field Crew to arrange permission(s) to etccess private lands <br />for "ground frothing" portions of the corridor as well as to further document private <br />archaeological collections. <br />Task Two <br />Resd~trct~ re3sults should reveal locations of erdditional archaeological <br />resources, such as remnants of the historic road bed and related historic structures <br />(e.g., farmsteads, stores, and/or taverns). Historic maps research, in tandem with study <br />of the modern topographic maps, should indicate the proi;~ahlA lnc.~ation of the old <br />trading path. These results will be compared to the existing alignment of St. Mary's <br />Road lv ~a it lrac~3s of the historic road might exist, perhe~p3 by-pasxd by more <br />recent road construction.actlvitles. Previous work at Ayr-Mount Pldntatbn in <br />Hillsborough, and on Treybum development lands in Durham and Granville counties, <br />3 <br />