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13 <br /> NAME OF BOARD/COMMISSION: Historic Preservation Commission <br /> Report Period: January 2023-December 2023 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY ADVISORY BOARDS & COMMISSIONS <br /> ANNUAL REPORT /WORK PLAN FOR THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br /> Board/Commission Name: Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) <br /> Person to address the BOCC at Retreat (if requested) and contact information: <br /> Chair: Art Menius (443) 605-4355 email: art(a-)artmenius.com <br /> Primary County Staff Contact: <br /> Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation <br /> Peter Sandbeck (Cultural Resources Coordinator): 245-2517 psandbeck@orangecountync.gov <br /> How many times per month does this commission meet, including any special meetings <br /> and sub-committee meetings? <br /> Regular meeting: one each month (4th Wednesday) <br /> Book subcommittee meetings every other month (date varies) <br /> Brief Statement of Commission's Assigned Charge and Responsibilities. <br /> The Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) is charged with the identification, inventory and protection <br /> of architectural and archaeological sites in the County, with publishing and/or offering online records of <br /> this inventory and advising the Board of County Commissioners on matters pertaining to historic <br /> preservation. The HPC is also charged with providing guidance and a forum for public comments on <br /> National Register nominations and administering the Local Landmark Program. <br /> What are your Commission's most important accomplishments? <br /> • Ridge Road School National Register Nomination: final phase completed for the project to <br /> nominate this historic two-room Black schoolhouse to the National Register of Historic Places. <br /> The nomination report was approved by the State Historic Preservation Office and submitted to <br /> the National Register of Historic Places in November; final approval expected by early 2024. <br /> • Four properties designated as historic landmarks: the BOCC approved Landmark ordinances for <br /> the following properties in 2023: <br /> 1. Harvey's Chapel AME Church and historic cemetery: 19th century African American cemetery <br /> and the site of the first 1890s church, as well as the present 1940s church building. <br /> 2. Old Eno Quaker Cemetery: traditional burying ground for first Quaker settlers in area, dating <br /> back to 1750s, with early gravestones and archaeological remains of the first meeting house. <br /> 3. David Faucette House: One of the best-preserved of the county's antebellum houses, built <br /> about 1830 on the banks of the Eno River, featuring fine original woodwork and finishes. <br /> 4. Davis Farm Cotton Gin: the county's only surviving cotton gin and press, dating to c. 1880. <br /> • Enhanced educational opportunities for HPC members: additional educational programs and <br /> field trips were provided in 2023 to give members the opportunity to learn more about historic <br /> and prehistoric resources in the county, including: Indian site archaeological excavations on <br /> New Hope Creek with archaeologists from the UNC; historic architecture and archaeology at <br /> Moorefields Historic Site; program on the history of the Maroon communities and the related <br />