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Historic Preservation Commission

Orange County · Historic Preservation Commission
Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Regular meeting Historic preservationEnvironment and sustainabilityFaith and cultural communitiesFarmland and open spaceGrants and outside fundingPublic facilities

Agenda document Minutes Watch Meeting recap

What was decided

  1. Approved 4Approval of Minutes: March 26, 2025 Approved
  2. Continued 6.bLandmark evaluation form: revised edition Deferred
  3. Continued 6.eHistorical marker project Deferred

Read from the agenda's recorded outcomes. Where the board published minutes, those are the record — this is a pointer to them.

What's on this agenda

Orange County's Historic Preservation Commission heard a local historian correct the record on Faucett Mill at its 23 April 2025 meeting, and took an update on the Old Courthouse preservation project. There were no decisions on the agenda.

Summarized from the published agenda. Read the agenda itself before acting on it.

Meeting recap

What happened, drawn from the records published after the meeting. Minutes

The historian's research separates two mills that have been conflated for decades. An upper mill above Hall's Mill Road was built for Richard Faucett in the later 18th century; the lower mill, where the old Greensboro or Lebanon Road fords the Eno River, was built in 1823 for James Faucett. Earlier research on the upper mill was mistakenly applied to the lower one, which is where the confusion over dates came from. A court record shows James Faucett got permission to dam Dry Run in 1823, fixing the start of the mill complex, and the dam on the Eno appears to have been raised at least twice in the 1830s. The mill stayed in the family through most of the 19th century and had been converted from a water wheel to a turbine by the 1870 industrial census. The commission will be asked to advise on a preservation and land conservation project with the owners, who invited members to tour the mill on 20 June.

The county has signed a contract with JKOA for phase one of the Old Courthouse project, to assess the scope and produce better cost estimates. Photogrammetry to create rectified photographs and CAD drawings starts on 7 May. Whether the building stays a court facility or is adapted for something else is undecided.

The state historic preservation office approved the commission's 2024 activities, keeping the county eligible for Certified Local Government grants. Dickerson Chapel AME Church has been awarded $400,000 from the National Trust's Black Churches program for structural repairs, a new roof, wiring and HVAC. The landmark evaluation form, the historical marker project, the website project and the book project were all deferred.

How the votes went

The March minutes were approved and the meeting adjourned. No other votes; there were no decision items.

From the published minutes.

Speaking at this meeting

Orange County's own rules for public comment — check them before you rely on anything here.

Agenda items (11)

Procedural · 3Discussion item · 3Staff or committee report · 3Minutes approval · 1Presentation · 1
  1. 1 Call to Order
    Procedural
  2. 4 Approval of Minutes: March 26, 2025
    Minutes approval
    Approved
  3. 5 Items for Decision
    Procedural
    None
  4. 6.a Presentation on Faucett Mill by local historian Phil Mace
    Presentation Historic preservation
    Research separating the upper Faucett mill, built for Richard Faucett in the later 18th century, from the lower mill on the Eno built for James Faucett in 1823. A court record on damming Dry Run fixes the date. The owners invited the commission to tour on 20 June and may seek advice on a preservation and conservation project.
  5. 6.b Landmark evaluation form: revised edition
    Discussion item Historic preservation
    Deferred
  6. 6.c Old Courthouse Preservation Project: Phase I Assessment
    Staff or committee report Historic preservationPublic facilities
    The county has contracted JKOA to assess the project's scope and produce firmer cost estimates. Photogrammetry for rectified photographs and CAD drawings begins 7 May. The building's future use is undecided.
  7. 6.d Annual Review of HPC activities for CLG Program
    Staff or committee report Grants and outside fundingHistoric preservation
    The state historic preservation office approved the commission's 2024 activities, keeping the county eligible for Certified Local Government grants.
  8. 6.e Historical marker project
    Discussion item Historic preservation
    Deferred
  9. 6.f HPC spring field trip options
    Discussion item Environment and sustainabilityFarmland and open spaceHistoric preservation
    Possible visits to the Henry Calvin Andrews Farmstead, whose owner is considering a preservation easement on the buildings and a conservation easement on the 10-acre parcel, and a Modernist house designed by Taliesin student Franc Sidler, plus the Eagle Lodge and Dickerson Chapel AME Church.
  10. 7.a Dickerson Chapel AME Church preservation project
    Staff or committee report Faith and cultural communitiesHistoric preservation
    The church has a $400,000 grant from the National Trust's Black Churches program for structural repairs, a new roof, wiring and HVAC.
  11. 7 Adjourn
    Procedural
    Adjourned 8:22 pm

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