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00 The St. Mary ' s Road/Trading Path Corridor Preservation Plan Orange County Environment and Resource Conservation Department Background. When white settlers began arriving in the North Carolina Piedmont during the earlyAo -mid eighteenth century, many of them traveled south along a trade route used for centuries by native inhabitants . The Indian Trading Path extended from present- day Petersburg, Virginia, to the North Carolina- South Carolina border near Union County and it was a maj or route of travel into Hillsborough and beyond . During colonial times , Orange County . Farmsteads and plantations were built along the road . Farmers used the ancient path, once trod by bison, to drive hogs on the hoof to Petersburg . The Trading Path spawned numerous villages and became the main corridor for a system of colonial travel and trade . Today, only remnants of the Trading Path remain . Disrupted by settlement and land use patterns , there are only faint reminders 'of a route that was significant to the growth and development of North Carolina. During the development of Orange County ' s Historic Preservation Plan, an element of the county ' s comprehensive plan, interviews were conducted with members of the Historic Preservation Commission and the local preservation community to elicit their views on preservation priorities for the county . The St . Mary ' s Road corridor was consistently cited as an important resource because of its historic association with the Trading Path and its scenic qualities as a gateway to Orange County . Citizens also acknowledged that suburban sprawl threatens the cultural and historical significance of the area. The Historic Preservation Commission advocates measures to protect the integrity of St. Mary ' s Road as a preservation resource . St . Mary ' s Road (NCSR 1002) in Orange County parallels and incorporates much of the Trading Path route . As part of the primary trail for colonial settlers migrating into North Carolina from coastal Virginia, numerous historic sites are located along St. Mary ' s Road . According to Orange County ' s historical architecture survey, fifteen historic inventory sites are located along the road, including three National Register sites and three National Register- eligible sites . The Historic Preservation Commission believes the St. Mary ' s Road/Trading Path Corridor contains suitable contributing characteristics to qualify as a rural historic district. The corridor exhibits elements of a historic cultural landscape that has evolved through use by the people whose activities and occupancy have modified the physical environment . The corridor possesses a significant concentration, linkage, and continuity of land uses , buildings and structures , roads , and natural features that make it worthy of further research and for a community-based preservation planning initiative .