Agenda - 03-10-1987 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

91 HISTORIC SITES AND AREAS I. DATA The history of Orange County is not confined to its towns. Within the Rural Buffer are three State recognized historic buildings. over one dozen cemeteries that can be considered historic. and at least thirty archeological sites. Age, family or church association, and use status all have bearing on whether a cemetery is historically significant. North Carolina General Statutes provide some level of protection for all cemeteries and all but six in the Rural Buffer have some conditions attached to them that provide an additional level of protection. Those conditions include current usage. church ownership. or location in the Duke Forest. Two other abandoned cemeteries (abandoned merely indicating they are no longer in use) are surrounded by fully developed subdivisions. The most numerous historic sites in the Rural Buffer are archeological sites. Their protection is also the most problematic as the Archeology Branch of the Division of Archives and History does not consider their location public record. There is a fear that public knowledge of the sites could lead to their destruction by scavengers and state law allows for the withholding of information on location. Of the thirty-one known sites in the Rural Buffer six are in the Southern Triangle. five are in the University Lake watershed. and twenty are in Chapel Hill Township to the north of Chapel Hill. Two of the sites north of Chapel Hill have been recorded by the State as fully destroyed. both by the construction of I-40. One other site is recorded as partially destroyed by residential development. Two of the three buildings. Poythress House and Blackwood House, are private residences. The third is Damascus Congregational Church. None of the buildings are National Register sites. II. ISSUES/IMPLICATIONS. These sites are important to the heritage of Orange County. They are historical and educational resources and are deserving of some level of protection. The issue is how _ development can occur in a way that prevents these sites from being destroyed or desecrated. The issue is most problematic for archeological sites. The state. as a rule. will not provide information to the general public on the exact location of sites. This makes it very unlikely that individual landowners or developers will be aware of sites on a particular piece of property. Even though a list of sites in Orange County is on file at the Planning Department. it is also unlikely the Planning Department staff is aware of sites in relationship to particular properties being developed.