Agenda - 01-19-1993 - VIII-H - Laserfiche WebLink

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that most of these log houses are still principal residences, although they have been enlarged either by adding wings to the log core or by adding a frame front addition and turning the log house into the rear ell. In the neighboring counties of Durham and Caswell, log houses are generally no longer used for residential purposes and are either converted to outbuildings or simply abandoned. By contrast, Orange County citizens preserve and often cherish their log homesteads. Several reasons appear to explain this grass-roots preservation ethic. Many of the current owners are highly educated individuals drawn to Orange County through the university communities, and they have a special appreciation for historic craftsmanship. Another reason is that the large student population creates a high demand for rental housing, and students are often happy to live in a deteriorated log dwelling which has a picturesque set- ting and cheap rent. Yet another segment of the population living in log homesteads are descendants of the farmers who built the houses, and they preserve the log houses as part of their family history. Much family folklore is associated with the old log homeplace, and although the children and grand- children may have built newer houses next door, they cannot bear to tear down the old house. Most of the log homesteads in Chapel Hill Township have undergone so much change in the process of making them larger and bringing them into conforma- tion with current housing standards that they no longer retain the architectural integrity necessary for National Register eligibility. It is difficult to enlarge a one-room log house without destroying its integrity of form. Although this house type is statistically the most common type in the survey, only one [OR 425: Neville House] of the properties recommended for the National Register Study List as a result of the survey belongs to the type. Most of the eligible farm complexes have log outbuildings. The kitchen of the Sam Couch Farm [OR 470], one of the eligible farms, was originally a log dwelling. The purpose of this report is not to recommend preservation strategies to the Orange County planning department, but several observations may not be out of order. Private sector preservation is perhaps more successful in Chapel Hill Township than in any other area of North Carolina. Very few of the historic properties surveyed were unoccupied or endangered. Most were occupied or at least in use by owners or occupants who appeared to value the architectural character of the buildings. One of the most effective preservation strategies might be the publication of a guide to Orange County's historic architecture that celebrates the humble log homestead as well as the more obvious larger and stylish historic landmarks. Another strategy might be to investigate how well the current building code works in assisting the rehabilitation of historic build- ings, especially of log buildings.