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4 <br /> Background/Puroose. During the inventory of historic resources in the unincorporated portions of Orange <br /> County, Cedar Grove was placed on the National Register Study List as a district deemed potentially <br /> eligible for the National Register by the North Carolina National Register Advisory Committee. The rural <br /> crossroads community includes structures and farmsteads which date from the 1800s through the 1940s. <br /> The historic structures represent a variety of activities which took place at Cedar Grove,such as churches, <br /> a cemetery, stores, a post office, an academy, medical offices, and other businesses, as well as several <br /> residences. <br /> The Cedar Grove crossroads and environs contains suitable contributing characteristics to qualify as a rural <br /> historic district. The Cedar Grove area exhibits elements of a historic cultural landscape,a landscape that <br /> has evolved through use by the people whose activities and occupancy have modified the physical <br /> environment. Affected by the processes of land uses, patterns of spatial organization, responses to the <br /> natural environment,and cultural traditions,Cedar Grove is reflective of an agricultural-based,tightly-knit <br /> community that was self-reliant and innovative in character. Cedar Grove possesses a significant <br /> concentration, linkage, and continuity of land uses,buildings and structures, roads, and natural features <br /> that would qualify it as a National Register Rural Historic District. <br /> Grant funds would be used to hire a consultant to conduct survey work for developing a thorough historic <br /> context of the Cedar Grove rural landscape. The scope of work would include: determination of historic <br /> area boundaries and evaluation of the landscape elements; expanded surveys on historic structures; <br /> evaluation of significance and historic integrity of the landscape and built environment;application of the <br /> National Register criteria and preparation of the National Register forms. The work would also include <br /> the required photography for the nomination forms and preparation of a color slide presentation. <br /> National Register designation would be the basis for a more extensive citizen-based planning initiative, <br /> wherein the residents of Cedar Grove would work toward a consensus on a vision of their community's <br /> future. Based upon the successful Oregon model, the community "visioning" process would utilize visual <br /> preference surveys,hands-on modelling and other techniques to develop a plan for the area. Local district <br /> designation and design guidelines would be among the tools for implementing the community-based plan. <br /> Justification. CLG Survey and Planning Grants have enabled Orange County to develop an exemplary <br /> historic preservation program. Since 1991, the County has utilized survey and planning grant funds to <br /> undertake inventories of historical and archaeological sites in its unincorporated areas. These inventories <br /> are the foundation of the County's cultural resource management program and have been undertaken in <br /> year-by-year phases. Phase I, an inventory of historic sites within the unincorporated portions of Chapel <br /> Hill Township, was initiated in 1991. This project was partially funded by a 1991 survey and planning <br />