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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 11-01-94-X-C 1 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: November 1, 1994 Agenda Abstract Item # )(- SUBJECT: REPORT - ORANGE COUNTY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY DEPARTMENT: Planning PUBLIC HFAR.ING: Yes X No ATTACHMENTS: INFORMATION CONTACT: Planning Director X2592 PHONE NUMBERS: NOTE: DRAFT ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY Hillsborough 732-8181 PROVIDED AS SEPARATE ENCLOSURE. Mebane 227-2031 Durham 688-7331 Chapel Hill 967-9251 PURPOSE: To receive a report, "An Archaeological Survey of Portions of Orange County, North Carolina", by Randy Daniel of the Research Laboratories of Anthropology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. BACKGROUND: Orange County recently completed an inventory of a portion of its archaeological sites. The project, funded in part by a matching grant from the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, was conducted during the winter of 1993-94 by the Research Laboratories of Anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The project is part of the County's on-going efforts to identify and assess its cultural and historical assets as part of its comprehensive planning program. During the survey, 2,912 artifacts were recovered from 151 sites. Most artifacts were prehistoric in nature, dating prior to AD 1000. They consisted of chipped stone artifacts, including stone spear and arrow points, cutting blades, and scraping tools. Also recovered were ceramic pottery fragments, dating from colonial times to the modern era,including kitchen artifacts (for food preparation, consumption, and storage) and architectural artifacts (brick and glass fragments, nails). Of all the sites, 116 had prehistoric significance. Several yielded important information on the prehistory of Orange County and thus are eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. Of particular interest is a site located on the South Fork of the Little River. The site may represent a Late Prehistoric settlement and the only known such habitation in northern Orange County. Its discovery confirms the existence of sites in northern Orange similar to those identified along the Eno River. In addition, 21 sites were recorded in Duke Forest. Most of these are probably National Register-eligible because they contaifl a wealth of archaeological data that could reveal much about the history and day-to-day life of early Piedmont farms. 2 The results of the fieldwork were used to generate a preliminary model to help predict the distribution of archaeological resources in Orange County. The model can be applied by land use planners as a basis for identifying potential conflicts between preservation needs and development requirements. This information will also be helpful to property owners when assessing the environmental impact of proposed development. Careful planning to avoid impacts to known archaeological sites can preserve them for more detailed study in the future. The archaeological inventory represents the third phase of the County's historic preservation program. During 1991,a historic architectural survey and inventory was completed for the un-incorporated portion of Chapel Hill Township. In the following year, the un-incorporated portions of the remaining six townships were inventoried. The archaeological inventory, coupled with the historic architectural surveys completed earlier, will be incorporated into the Historic Preservation Element of the Comprehensive Plan. Development of the Preservation Plan, which is being funded in part by a 1994 Survey and Planning Grant from the N.C. Division of Archives and History, will begin soon and is scheduled for completion by September 1995. RECOMMENDATION: Receive as information.