The North Carolina Historic Preservation Office (HPO) will conduct a comprehensive architectural survey of historic buildings, structures, and sites within the Robbinsville town limits beginning mid-July. The survey will be conducted by Lisa Buckley, architectural survey specialist in the Western Office of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources in Asheville.
Scheduled for completion this fall, the project involves the documentation of approximately 150 structures built prior to 1975 throughout the town. Ms. Buckley will be in Robbinsville for fieldwork July 9-13, and will return for follow-up fieldwork as needed. She also will meet with representatives of the town and local historians. In addition to documenting properties with photographs, written descriptions, and oral and archival history, Buckley will identify properties that appear to be potentially eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, either individually or as districts. Properties that are found to be potentially eligible for the National Register would also be potentially eligible for state and federal tax credits for certified historic rehabilitation. The project will culminate in a final report that analyzes the town’s history through the lens of its historic architecture.
Graham County’s historic resources were first surveyed in 1978, when architectural historian Roger Manley recorded historic dwellings, schools, churches, and commercial buildings in the county. That work was part of a larger effort to survey ten western counties, with an emphasis on resources in unincorporated areas. Recent consultation between the HPO and local stakeholders has revealed a growing interest in identifying and documenting Robbinsville’s historic buildings. In June 2018, HPO staff examined the town to determine the scope of work for the survey.
At the conclusion of the project, the HPO will share the digital files with the town. Public access to the information will be available through HPOWEB, the HPO’s geographic information system, which is accessible online at http://gis.ncdcr.gov/hpoweb/. The survey material will facilitate the environmental review necessary for state and federal undertakings and will aid in planning for future economic and community development projects. Survey products also will be useful for the continued development of heritage tourism programs in Robbinsville.
For more information on the comprehensive architectural survey of Robbinsville, contact Lisa Buckley, architectural survey specialist serving the 25-county western region for the North Carolina Historic Preservation Office, at lisa.buckley@ncdcr.gov or 828-296-7230, extension 241.