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<br /> 3 <br />the grounds of the Old Courthouse merited special study and then needed a master plan <br />to guide future work. <br /> Staff recommends a cultural landscape report, to compile a researched record of <br />all the activities and changes that took place on the court square from the time of the first <br />settlers to the present; this will create a large body of background research to guide future <br />decisions. People who look at the ground today don’t realize that the very large old jail <br />stood at the SE corner of the square until the WPA tore it down in the 1930s, or that the <br />old, late 18th century courthouse stood just east of this building and was used until the <br />new courthouse was dedicated in 1846; the old one was then torn down. We also need a <br />thorough assessment of the building itself, to generate a preservation plan and do the <br />design work needed for any current repairs and preservation work. The Alliance is now <br />planning tours, but we have no researched factual script available; this would be an <br />excellent project. Also, there is no interpretive signage now on site for the public. <br /> The Norwood-Jones Law Office at the corner of Margaret Lane and Court Street is <br />also owned by the County and needs some repairs to the brickwork and doors; some <br />funding has been offered by the Historic Hillsborough Fund. At Blackwood Farm, the next <br />phase of the project is to restore the 1827 farmhouse, starting with removing the modern <br />aluminum siding and restoring the exterior. The County is ready to move forward to hire a <br />preservation architect to guide this work. Also, there is a collection of farm implements <br />that once belonged to the Whitfield Family, from their farmstead down on Whitfield Road <br />between New 86 and Erwin Road. This is being offered to us to add to our own collection <br />of farm implements from the Blackwood Farm and the Cate Farm down near Carrboro. <br />This will force the larger question of how to properly store, curate and exhibit this sort of <br />material. The first step will be to catalog each item. White is interested. <br /> The slave cemetery at Blackwood Farm was first mapped and identified in 2007 <br />during our archaeological survey of the farm property. We have initiated a project to bring <br />in the same archaeologist (Deborah Joy with Legacy Research in Durham) to locate and <br />map each burial and help us determine the boundaries, as this will be near a trail and will <br />be featured on a new interpretive. White noted that Ken Strayhorn, who owns the property <br />across New Hope Church Road, has helped with family reunions of descendants of former <br />Strayhorn slaves and may have contact information. We suspect there are more burials <br />and would like to connect with descendants. White offered to help with cataloging of the <br />Blackwood artifacts. <br /> <br />d. Open air time: None <br /> <br />ITEM #7: ADJOURNMENT: White moved to adjourn, seconded by Golan. Meeting adjourned at <br />8:56 pm <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Meeting summary by Peter Sandbeck, DEAPR staff