Agenda - 12-07-2009 - 6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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Historic Map and Aerial Photograph Review. The tract was likely part of a land parcel granted to John Patterson in the 1750s (Markham 1973), and was apparently part of the StrayhornBlackwood family plantation beginning in the late 18`h century. The Blackwood Farm, located 2.5 mi (4 km) to the north of the project area, was the original plantation home of the Strayhorns and much of the local area was owned by the Strayhorns and later, the Blackwoods. In particular, the Blackwood family appears to have owned much of the surrounding property (particularly to the north and east). The current project tract was sold by Eugene Blackwood to Francis Chan in 1979 (Orange County Deed Book 319:123), the grandson of Samuel D. Blackwood, owner of the Blackwood Farm (Pearce 2009:18). According to Pearce (2009:18), Eugene Blackwood had inherited much of the family lands from his father, Malcolm Eugene Blackwood. A series of historic maps dating from the late - eighteenth century into the twentieth century were consulted to determine potential historic structure locations on or adjacent to the property. None of the 18d' and most of the 19 century maps showed any detail of the project area, and the nearby Blackwood Mountain were not noted on any maps until the 1880s (see Collet 1770, Price and Strother 1808, McRae 1833, Kerr 1882, and Shaffer 1886). The earliest identified map showing detail of the project area is the 1891 township map of Orange County (Tate 1891) (Figure 2). Although roads, the railroad line, some property owners' names, and some commercial or industrial buildings are shown on this map, nothing is depicted within the vicinity of the project area.. The 1918 soil map of Orange County shows greater detail of the project area, and depicts an east -west road that ran just north of the project area —this road seems to correspond to the dirt access road across the northern property boundary seen today (Vanatta et al. 1921) (Figure 3). A structure is illustrated in the general vicinity, but may relate to the Blackwood Grist Mill located just north and east of the project tract. The 1938 North Carolina State Highway and Public Works Commission (NCSHPWC) map of Orange County shows major roads and buildings in the project vicinity (NCSHPWC 1938) (Figure 4), but is schematic in nature and does not provide a precise depiction of roads or buildings. Two buildings are illustrated on the west side of the railroad and Mill House Road in the general project vicinity, however. It is assumed that one of these represents the ca. 1933 house at 6616 Mill House Road (just to the north of the project area). It is unclear what the second building represents, but it seems likely that neither of the two depicted buildings was present on the project tract. This is confirmed by a subsequent USGS topographic map (USGS 1947), which also fails to depict a structure on the property (Figure 5). Aerial photographs dating from 1938 to present also were consulted. Photographs dated 1938, 1955, 1966, and 1972 show the current project tract under cultivation with no indications of any structures. Neither the 1947 or 1978 USGS maps (see Figures 1 and 5) show any structure on the property, but the 1981 photorevision of that map illustrates the house built on the property by Francis Chan, suggesting that it was built sometime between the late 1970s and 1981 (Chan had purchased the property from Eugene Blackwood in 1979 [Orange County Deed Book 319:123]). The remains of this building were examined during the visual survey of the property (see below). No other buildings appear on the project tract. In a 1993 aerial photograph of the property area, the house was in ruins and the surrounding land was becoming overgrown; that photograph also depicts a second structure on the property, which had apparently been moved there from another location (see below). By 1999, the entire tract had become covered with trees and vegetation and it remains this way today. The Rogers - Eubanks Community. In 2007, the Rogers - Eubanks Coalition was formed "to reverse the decision of the Orange County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) to place a regional solid waste transfer station (SWTS) in the Rogers - Eubanks community, to redress the injustices that affect the health and safety of residents in the neighborhoods which abut the Orange County Landfill, and to ensure that Rogers - Eubanks community residents and all North Carolinians have affordable access to safe drinking water, sanitary waste disposal, and safe communities" (Rogers- Eubanks Coalition 2009) The Rogers - Eubanks community is centered around the intersection of Eubanks and Rogers roads southwest of the studied tract. According to Pearce (2009), the Rogers - Eubanks community is a traditionally African- 4