For me, it began in 2019. While serving on the Board of County Commissioners, Caswell County, which does not have zoning, experienced several specific scenarios with commercial and industrial development that would impact historic residential neighborhoods- including my native area of Leasburg. Leasburg is steeped in history. Settled in the 1750s and serving as Caswell’s first county seat from 1777 to 1792, it is a beautiful and serene village dotted with many wonderful examples of 19th century architecture. In the community cemetery, both rich and poor, both white and black, including numerous individuals who endured the hardships of slavery, lay in peaceful repose. Underneath a large oak tree, my own burial plot is laid out. Then came a land developer for Dollar General. Within just feet of the historic cemetery, a new store would be built. Also on the site was the historic Hambrick House, a solidly built and architecturally unique early 19th century home. There were few mechanisms of defense for Leasburg to express its desire for the store to be located elsewhere, but with no regulation and no historic district, Leasburg did not have a any say of consequence in the matter. So we set out to save the Hambrick House before construction began. Things were looking good. Arrangements had been made, and we needed but one additional week to facilitate its transfer to another site. Sadly, we were not granted the time needed by the developer and the home was torn down in front of the community with no regard for its historic value and with no respect to locating a bustling business within feet of the community’s loved ones and ancestors. While on the Board of Commissioners, I introduced the idea of a Historic Preservation Commission, the only government solution available to prevent future scenarios like the one in the Leasburg. But the idea lost steam and without the people leading the way, I could not garner the support from my colleagues. Then COVID-19 occurred and the rest is history. For my entire life, I have witnessed the deterioration of our history through every building or home torn down or succumbed to neglect, through the age of technology blinding us from the written word, photographs and oral history fading into distant memory, younger generations not receiving proper instruction about their local, state or national history, and through the dying out of the previous generations who had carried the torch of history and preservation to their own end. Caswell County is a beautiful and historic place, unique in the modern age, unencumbered by development. It has remained a rich agricultural region of North Carolina, and its rural identity has remained intact for its entire existence. Past historians and preservationists recognized these strengths. In 1956, the Caswell County Historical Association was formed, dedicated to collecting and preserving the material and cultural heritage of Caswell County. In 1972, Caswell County was the first county in North Carolina to undergo a historic architectural survey. In 1979, this study was published in book form that blazed the trail for the study of historic architecture and inspired an enthusiastic and talented generation of preservationists. In 1976, Alex Haley’s book, Roots, set in Caswell County, inspired the study of genealogy, giving millions of Americans, white and black, the courage to discuss the history of slavery and to have a fleshed out view of race relations in the post-civil rights era. In 1976, Caswell wholeheartedly embraced our national heritage and put on a grand celebration of America’s 200th Anniversary, followed by a women led effort to celebrate Caswell County’s 200th Anniversary in 1977, that would later inspire an annual commemoration of Caswell County’s heritage, the Bright Leaf Hoedown held each September. 1977 also saw the publication of Caswell County’s first and only comprehensive history book by Dr. William S. Powell. In the 1980s, Caswell came together to produce the Heritage Book, ensuring that the stories and genealogies of Caswell County’s people would be put into print and passed on to future generations. Beginning in the 1990s, the Richmond-Miles Museum, which began as a history museum in the basement of the Historic Courthouse, flourished in the homeplace of artist Maud Gatewood on the Yanceyville Town Square. A few smaller publications have been produced about Caswell’s history in the recent decades, but the generation who accomplished so much of these feats in the 20th century, could not carry the torch far into the 21st. In my lifetime, I have seen a decline in history education, local pride in one’s heritage and the continued neglect and loss of our historic architecture. Of the over 300 historic structures identified in the 1972 architectural survey, only 27 have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. 16 in the 1970s alone. Only 11 since then. Only 8 properties have been placed on the National Register Study List (the first tier of approval for a nomination). Half of them are gone. Three are endangered properties today and only one has been restored and is presently occupied. Of the 25 properties deemed historic in downtown Yanceyville, 8 are gone and a handful are vacant and unoccupied. Caswell County’s history has been neglected, indeed. Why does all of this matter? Preservation is personal to me. It is personal because Caswell County is my home. This is where I want to live, work and one day lay my bones. I know many of you who will read this, understand this point of view. To anyone in Caswell County or outside of Caswell who loves our history, our beautiful architecture and our wonderful culture and heritage, I hope you too will see Preservation as personal and relevant in your own life and support Preservation Caswell as we all embark on a new chapter and a renewed effort and commitment to saving, protecting, preserving and promoting the history of this place we all hold so near and dear to our hearts. Let us honor those who came before us and leave something special to those who will come after us.

-Sterling Carter

President, Preservation Caswell