Agenda 02-03-2026; 8-i - National Register Recommendation for Moorefields

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7 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service/National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB Control No.1024-0018 Moorefields (Additional Documentation) Orange County, N.C. Name of Property County and State Narrative Description The following is additional documentation to the original nomination. It adds information that the previous document did not include. Located southwest of the bend in the Eno River as it wraps around the town of Hillsborough, the 76-acre Moorefields property is located on a gently-sloping ridge that runs north-south and rises approximately 610 feet above mean sea level (amsl) at its highest points while falling gradually to 550 feet amsl at the creek beds that surround the property on the north, east, and west.2 The property is characterized by agricultural meadows, woodlands, hillocks, and stream valleys. The house lies at the highest elevation in the north-central portion of the property, on a relatively-flat plateau that is part of the Occoneechee Mountain range. The property lies in the Piedmont physiographic province, which is characterized by rolling hills and low ridges that can range from 300 feet amsl(to the east and southeast,as the Piedmont transitions into the Coastal Plain)to 1,500 feet amsl (to the west and northwest, as the landscape transitions into the Blue Ridge Mountains). The property also lies within the Carolina slate belt, a geology that is composed of sedimentary rocks (e.g. sandstones). The gently rolling topography includes three streams: Seven Mile Creek to the north, Crabtree Creek to the west, and Rocky Run to the east. These are tributaries of the South Fork Little River, which flows into the Eno River, part of the Neuse River watershed that empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Soils in this area are interfluvial, consisting of Georgeville silt loam on 2 to 6 percent slopes. These soils are well-drained and permeable but also highly acidic.3 Two distinct natural environments exist on the site as it appears today: woodlands and meadows. Woodlands line the edges of the property and divide open pastures.The densest woodlots are found on the northern half of the irregularly-shaped parcel, what was surveyed in March and April of 2022 and labeled `Parcel A' (containing 56.64 acres)on the April 27,2022 plat map.4 They consist of hardwood deciduous trees and evergreens native to this region of North Carolina as well as understory shrubs and groundcover. They are likely successional forests, as the property was historically logged. The vast majority of the property consists of meadows of mown turf. These are vestiges of cultivated agricultural fields left fallow. Two primary meadows flank the house to the west and east in the northern half of the property; a smaller meadow lies northeast of the house, in the northeast corner of the property; and a large rectangular meadow occupies the southern leg of the property (i.e., Parcel B, containing 20.20 acres, per the 2022 plat map). In addition to the naturalistic landscapes there are designed outdoor spaces,including an expansive lawn and gardens around the house. The curtilage contains approximately 10.66 acres and extends north of the house to encompass the Cedar of Lebanon allee and the privet-lined North Parterre Garden; the flower bed to the east of the house called the Kitchen Garden; the circular drive with stands of crepe myrtles to the south; and the Draper-Savage cemetery and garden to the immediate west of the house. All of the property except for the 10.66-acre curtilage are under conservation easements.5 The Seven Mile Creek Natural Area abuts the property, lying directly west of Parcel B. Moorefields lies south of Interstates 85/40;the northernmost property boundary lies approximately 1,122 feet south of the southern edge of the divided highway. The property is directly accessed via Dimmocks Mill Road, a north-south, secondary (two-lane) road that connects the town of Hillsborough with rural areas south of the interstate;Dimmocks Mill Road lies approximately 0.37 Section 7 page 5