Orange County NC Website
A brick chimney stack at site 31 Or482 * * demonstrates the presence of a structure, <br /> but no structure is listed in this location on the 1918 soil map . This indicates that this site <br /> may have been built after that date . The remaining architectural farm/house sites date to <br /> the early decades of this century ( Or 662 , Or693 , Or1002 , Orl 133 , Or1452, and Or1454) . <br /> Some of these historic properties were plantations (e . g . , Sunnyside), some <br /> prosperous farms ( e . g . , Caine Roberts) , while others may have been inhabited by tenants <br /> or small farm owners (e . g . , cabin site 31Or487 * * ) . Until additional research is <br /> undertaken, the full range of social and economic statuses of St . Mary ' s Corridor <br /> cabin/farmstead/plantation inhabitants remains unidentified . <br /> Prehistoric Sites- <br /> Prehistoric sites are noticeably absent from our inventories, and we know that this <br /> area was extensively utilized in the prehistoric period- the Trading Path being a prime <br /> example . The location of the Fredricks and Wall sites along the Eno River, and of two <br /> prehistoric and/or contact period sites reported at the confluence of Buckwater Creek and <br /> the Eno , supports the presence of an important Native American presence in the region. <br /> The St. Mary ' s Road Corridor is primarily in pasture or lawn, and visibility is <br /> poor. We have surveyed any scraped areas such as found near the intersection with Hwy <br /> 70 , but no artifacts were found . None of our informants had any collections of <br /> prehistoric artifacts, although some residents recall finding occasional prehistoric <br /> projectile points in their fields. The one member of the Tar Heel Archaeological Society <br /> who remembered any artifacts in the area was recalling lithics he saw 25 years ago . Tom <br /> Hargrove ' s ( 1982) intensive subsurface survey of the Cates Ford Access Area for the Eno <br /> River State Park, located along the river east of Pleasant Green Road, revealed that there <br /> were few artifacts even in exposed, eroded, and/or plowed lands . He implemented a <br /> program of subsurface testing , including shovel tests and 50 x 50 cm test pits and <br /> discovered evidence of Archaic encampments . The one real diagnostic he found was a <br /> Guilford- like projectile point/knife , dating to the Middle Archaic Period (about 6 , 000 <br /> B . C . ) . This demonstrates that there are prehistoric sites in the project vicinity. <br /> Previous Orange County archaeological surveys have also revealed areas of high <br /> archaeological potential for prehistoric sites (Daniel 1994 : 95 -97) . That site prediction <br /> model indicates that prehistoric sites should be found along floodplains and adjoining <br /> high ground, especially associated with Strouds Creek, Little Creek, and Buckwater <br /> Creek. Well- drained soils (Altavista fine sandy loam) are reported in patches along both <br /> sides of Buckwater Creek, also indicative of good potential for prehistoric sites (Dunn <br /> 1977) . <br /> Potential National Register of Historic Places District Boundaries <br /> Archaeology sites are nonrenewable resources . Archaeologists do not disturb a <br /> site without good reason, nor without a clearly stated research design. Systematic survey, <br /> testing, and excavation of archaeological sites is undertaken to help address specific <br /> research questions and to help address specific cultural resource management needs . The <br /> present grant project, planned as an initial archaeological reconnaissance, does not entail <br /> making recommendations as to the National Register of Historic Places eligibility of <br /> specific historic properties . In order to do that each site would have to be systematically <br /> tested to determine qualities of site integrity and clarity , and to uncover data on specific <br /> 45 <br />