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Post World War II Period- In the ensuing decades following World War II changes in agrarian practices instigated by government farm agencies came to fruition. Falling cash crop prices , erosion, pests , and blights had underlined the need for change in piedmont agricultural practices . Some farmlands were consolidated into larger holdings as myriad small tenant and independent farmers turned to industrial occupations in neighboring towns and cities . Some farms remained the same in size , but changed the manner in which they utilized their acreage . Machine power came to replace mule and muscle on the remaining farms (Mattson 19060200 Stine 1989) . Farm labor was still needed . One resident of the Caldwell area recalls that her "Papa nearly always had hired help . A cousin of Mama ' s . . . worked for him for awhile . he lived in the house with us, shared meals, and helped with all the chores" (Holloway 1983 : 50) . Many family members and their occasional full- or part-time hired laborers began to emphasize livestock production. Government4ed initiatives helped change the face of the Piedmont as some farmers turned from cash crop production to running dairies . These dairies necessitated a transformation in outbuildings, and large dairy barns and feed silos began to dot the landscape . As prices in dairy products rose and fell some farmers turned to poultry farming (Mattson 1996 : 20 ; Stine 1989) . A clear need for sawyers would have been felt when much of the croplands and forests were turned to pasture in the St. Mary' s vicinity . Although area residents had been dealing with the mixed pine and hardwood forests of the Piedmont since historic settlement , some of the twentieth- century farmers, like their predecessors , would have ' preferred to allow experts saw their lumber . Twentieth- century saw mills were often driven by tractor engine and/or by steam engine . They were dangerous affairs . As one woman recalls "I never went very close to the sawmill when it was running : they did blow up sometimes , and the men running them would be hurt " (McBroom in Holloway 1983 : 51 ) . These sawmills were usually placed "near a creek so there would be water close by" to keep the wood- fire fed, steam boiler running (McBroom in Holloway 1983 : 51 ) . The cut logs would be brought to the milling site by wagon (McBroom in Holloway 1983 : 51 ) . Some of the sawyers had a special "dressing machine " for cutting special flooring , weatherboarding, and ceiling pieces (McBroom in Holloway 1983 : 51 ) 0 i Results of Site File Research Archaeologists have reviewed the preservation element of the Orange County preservation plan (Jaeger 1996) , overviews of Orange County architectural surveys (Mattson 1996) and countywide archaeological surveys (Daniel 1994 ; Samford and Davis 1999) . These sources offer a good general overview of the region that were used to help ' prepare the report ' s prehistoric and historic overview sections . North Carolina State archaeological, architectural, and cemetery site files were examined for specific information on previously recorded St . Mary ' s Road cultural resources . Archaeological Site Files- Over 400 archaeological sites have been recorded in Orange County (Daniel 1994 ) . Only one archaeological site ( 31 Or228 ) was previously recorded in the St . Mary' s project area, a light lithic scatter located south of the Eno River (Davis and Ward 1983 ) . 20