The Town of Wake Forest has been named a 2021 recipient of the Gertrude S. Carraway Award of Merit presented annually by Preservation North Carolina. The award was presented to the Michelle Michael with the Town of Wake Forest for “Sites of Memory: Documenting the Northeast Community in Wake Forest” at Preservation North Carolina’s virtual Annual Conference on Friday, October 22. The recorded awards ceremony can be viewed at www.PreservationNC.org.
The Gertrude S. Carraway Awards of Merit are named in honor of the late Dr. Gertrude S. Carraway, a noted New Bern historian and preservationist. Presented since 1974, a maximum of twelve awards are given each year. The Awards of Merit give deserved recognition to individuals or organizations that have demonstrated a genuine commitment to historic preservation through extraordinary leadership, research, philanthropy, promotion, and/or significant participation in preservation.
Wake Forest’s Northeast Community, formerly known as the East End, is a historically African American neighborhood located directly northeast of Downtown Wake Forest. The community was settled after the close of the Civil War by newly freed Black residents and is home to generations of citizens who have helped build the Town of Wake Forest.
In recent decades, Wake Forest has seen tremendous growth. While this growth brings many benefits, some long-time African American residents have expressed concerns that their history and stake in the community could be washed away by new development. In an effort to document and preserve the unique history of the Northeast Community, the Town attempted to establish the neighborhood as a National Register district. However, the community was determined ineligible for listing in the National Register under Criterion C due to architectural integrity issues.
Despite this setback, the Town was still determined to document and bring forward the important contributions the Northeast Community has made to the story of Wake Forest. Like many African American neighborhoods, its significance is associated not only with important structures, but with the people who lived there and the events that happened there. Fortunately, advances in mapping technology, combined with hard work from enthusiastic preservation-minded students, presented a way to bring their story to life.
In 2019, Michelle Michael, Town of Wake Forest Senior Planner, corresponded with Dr. Alicia McGill, Associate Professor of History at NC State, about the potential project in Wake Forest for Dr. McGill’s Cultural Resources Management Class. In the spring of 2020, Dr. McGill’s students conducted field documentation, extensive archival research, and recorded oral histories of the community.
Chris Robey, Master of Landscape Architecture candidate at the University of Georgia, worked with the town’s GIS Manager, Eric John, to build a digital platform to showcase this important research, using ArcGIS Story Maps.
The project, “Sites of Memory – Documenting the Northeast Community’s Historic Landscape,” is woven with historic aerial photographs, Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, archival documentation, oral histories, and local, state, and regional contextual information – all within a click of a map.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation summarizes The Northeast Community Story Mapping Project perfectly: “African American heritage is often found in small unadorned structures. For the most part these are not as grand or visually impressive as traditionally recognized places such as the homes of political leaders or wealthy industrialists. Many [structures] are in poor condition or have been extensively altered. In spite of this, they offer a tangible and rich reminder of African American heritage.”
This unique form of preservation of the Northeast Community within the Town of Wake Forest in the form of an ArcGIS Story Map, “Sites of Memory,” will serve generations to come. Its purpose is to preserve an endangered neighborhood and provide opportunities for research, learning, and public outreach. For the Town of Wake Forest’s commitment and vision to preserving the cultural significance of the Northeast Community’s Historic Heritage, Preservation North Carolina is thrilled to grant them a Gertrude S. Carraway Award of Merit.
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