The North Carolina Historic Preservation Office has received an African American Civil Rights (AACR) Grant from the National Park Service to undertake an architectural survey of resources associated with the Civil Rights movement in northeastern North Carolina.
The $27,500 grant will support architectural survey documentation of up to 40 previously un-surveyed historic buildings and the update of records for 24 previously documented resources. The project will conclude with recommendations for buildings to be added to the state’s Study List, a prioritized list of resources that should be considered for the National Register of Historic Places, and recommendations for adding Civil Rights as an area of historic significance to the National Register nominations of six listed historic districts.
The project defines northeastern North Carolina as the region bounded by I-95, U.S. Highway 64, Virginia, and the Atlantic Ocean.
This project builds on an earlier project, also funded through the African American Civil Rights Grant program, that used oral histories and historic research to identify buildings now proposed for the architectural survey.
Across North Carolina between 1941 and 1976, thousands of Civil Rights protests and actions occurred in large and small communities. In many instances, white-owned newspapers did not cover these activities or relegated them to small notes on pages. As a result, oral history is often the best and, in some cases, only way to locate the sites and resources associated with this aspect of our history.
The northeast region was chosen because it is easily definable by highways and a state line, because its towns are relatively evenly spread across the region, and because the region includes Elizabeth City State University, a historically Black university.
Should this project document buildings eligible for the National Register of Historic Places for an association with Civil Rights, the State Historic Preservation Office will plan a third phase to nominate some or all of the eligible resources.
The project will begin in October 2024 and be completed by August 2026.
The AACR grant, funded by the Historic Preservation Fund, documents, interprets, and preserves sites and stories related to the African American struggle to gain equal rights as citizens. The 2008 NPS report Civil Rights in America, A Framework for Identifying Significant Sites serves as the foundation reference document for the grant program and for grant applicants to use in determining the appropriateness of proposed projects and properties. The final report will not necessarily reflect views or policies of the U.S. Department of the Interior, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Department of the Interior.
For more information about the project, please contact Sarah Woodard, branch supervisor for the National Register and Survey Branch of the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office at sarah.woodard@dncr.nc.gov or 919-814-6573.
About the State Historic Preservation Office
In North Carolina, the State Historic Preservation Office (HPO) is an agency of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Kevin Cherry, the department's Deputy Secretary of Archives and History, is North Carolina's State Historic Preservation Officer. The HPO carries out state and federal preservation programs that assist private citizens, non-profit institutions, local governments, and agencies of state and federal government in the identification, evaluation, protection, and enhancement of properties significant in North Carolina’s history and archaeology. The HPO oversees the statewide architectural survey; administers the National Register of Historic Places for North Carolina properties; conducts environmental review of state and federal actions affecting historic and archaeological properties; provides technical assistance to owners in the restoration of historic properties, including those owners seeking state and federal rehabilitation income tax credits; provides grant assistance for historic preservation projects; provides technical assistance to local preservation commissions; and provides historic preservation education https://www.hpo.nc.gov/.
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.