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07 ;3 <br /> Award of Merit from Preservation of North Carolina for her work in developing that nomination <br /> for a historic district. She received her bachelors and masters degrees from LTNC-Greensboro. <br /> Allison then introduced the Historic Preservation Commission members stating that they are all <br /> Orange County residents with a keen interest in preserving what is here in the County. <br /> At this point Allison turned the meeting over to Ms. Graybeal. <br /> AGENDA ITEM#5: ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION AND/OR DECISION <br /> a. Presentation by Kaye Graybeal: Cedar Grove National Register Nomination <br /> Ms. Graybeal addressed the Commission and Community stating that she has done surveys in <br /> Guilford, Randolph, and Forsythe Counties and feels that the Cedar Grove Community is a rare <br /> gem of a community. She feels that the Community is taking the right steps in having it <br /> documented, as it is something to be proud of. <br /> Ms. Graybeal stated that the National Register provides criteria for evaluating significance and <br /> Cedar Grove is significant in history and architecture. There may not be specific buildings that <br /> are particularly outstanding in a district, but the parts of the whole and all the fabric in between <br /> makes it significant. Ms. Graybeal explained that in her research, she has worked with these two <br /> categories; History and Architecture. <br /> Ms. Graybeal stated that under History there is a category of exploration and settlement of <br /> communities. The reason Cedar Grove is significant here, is it was one of maybe six rural <br /> communities that were established in Orange County in the 19th Century. It looks to be the most <br /> intact of all of them. It still has its social and commercial center at the Community crossroads, <br /> with the general store, and the churches and residences emanating out from that. <br /> Another area of significance is Agriculture. This is the reason that Cedar Grove is here. After <br /> the Civil War all of the large farms were broken up, tenant farms and smaller farms across the <br /> county were connected by crossroads. It was at these crossroads where the communities <br /> developed. This shows a historical pattern of development that was typical in the County, but <br /> there is not much physical evidence of those types of communities left.. So this is another reason <br /> Cedar Grove is significant. <br /> Ms. Graybeal also found something that was surprising to her in the area of social history. It was <br /> a mecca for African-American string band players in the 1930's-1950's. They would come from <br /> all parts of the County gathering here for barn dances or square dances and play mostly banjo or <br /> guitar folk music. In the 1940's the Cedar Grove Township population was approximately 50 <br /> percent white and 50 percent black. That was a very high ratio for the County. Apparently, <br /> blacks and whites worked together in getting the farming work done. So this is an important <br /> piece of social history and needs to documented. <br /> 3 <br />