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Mark Pace, local historian and director of the NC Room at the Richard H. Thornton Library in Oxford, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Thursday at 11 a.m.
Genealogy Books
Pace announced that the NC Room recently received a large collection of historical genealogy books from Virginia that are highly significant to the local area.
Explaining the significance, Pace said 90 to 95 percent of those who settled in the “old Granville County” area, which encompassed present-day Granville, Vance, Warren and Franklin County, came from Virginia.
Of the 360 donated books, approximately 250 are Virginia-based and include wills, deeds, marriage records, etc. According to Pace, the Granville County Genealogical Society facilitated the donation and “very graciously agreed” to split the cost of binding the books with the library.
The books, and many other resources, are available for view in the NC Room by appointment on weekdays from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. and from 2 until 4 p.m.
Architectural Surveys
Discussing architectural surveys in the four-county area, Pace said it has been 43 years since Vance County has had such an evaluation. Granville County is in the process of an updated survey, and Franklin County completed its survey in 2015.
“Vance County, in 1977, had 60 structures that predated the Civil War and at least eight from the Revolutionary War period,” stated Pace. “Since that time – because of development and neglect – these 60 structures are down to 20 to 25. We’ve lost a lot of important architectural structures in Vance County in the last few decades, with the Armory being a recent example. Time takes its toll; what we’ve got left we need to document.”
A few architecturally-significant Vance County properties still standing include the Sneed Mansion and St. John’s Episcopal Church in Williamsboro; Mistletoe Villa; the Henry A. Dennis Building in downtown Henderson; the former Henderson High (Middle) School building; and the Josiah Crudup House on US-1 in Kittrell.
Bill Harris, with WIZS, was a member of a committee responsible for the most recent architectural survey completed in Franklin County. Harris shared the following about his experience: “Franklin County citizens, with the help of Louisburg College, put together a group of people concerned about saving significant architectural structures. This morphed into the Franklin County Historic Preservation Commission. Franklin County Commissioners nominated people to serve on the Commission and provided seed money for that group.”
Harris explained the results of the survey will be printed in a book next year to serve as both a historic record and an income generator for the County.
In addition, Harris said touring historic homes and buildings that have been restored has a larger economic benefit. “A lot of people may say these are old houses, so what is the importance? The importance is that you can put together tourism out of that. This is a financial benefit to the County.”
Both Harris and Pace said they hope a concerned group will follow a similar process to get the ball rolling on an updated architectural survey in Vance County. Pace said the key is to find people who care and are motivated to put the necessary work into the project, hold public meetings, get the County involved for support and funding and put together a document, such as a book, as tangible proof of the findings.
To hear the interview in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.