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February 4, 2008
Stephen Herring, an Edgecombe Community College instructor in geography, religion, and developmental studies, is shown working last fall to reclaim a dugout canoe from the drought-stricken Tar River. This discovery has led to the creation of a historic preservation program at the college.
Plans for a new program in historic preservation at Edgecombe Community College are, in part, a byproduct of the drought in North Carolina. Last October, a dugout canoe that possibly dates to the mid-1800s was discovered in shallow water in the Tar River near Old Sparta in Edgecombe County. Edgecombe Community College experts were called to the scene, and the college ultimately took control of reclaiming the artifact from the river bed. The discovery of the canoe and an old pole boat nearby led to the college to offer a volunteer training program to help students, employees, and community members learn how to work as field assistants at archeological digs. Instructors Stephen Herring and Monika Fleming obtained approval from the state for several archeological research projects that studied the river and the land surrounding the area. The local community rallied around the projects, and college officials began to consider something larger than working on a river, namely, historic preservation. Tarboro is known for its historical significance. Incorporated in 1760, it is one of the oldest towns in the United States. The town still has its original Town Common, a 15-acre park that is one of only two original commons remaining since colonial times; the other is in Boston. The Town Common marks the threshold to a 45-block historic district and renovated downtown, all listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Tarboro also features magnificently preserved homes, from colonial to antebellum to Victorian. In these parts, historic preservation is a daily devotional. “With local interest mounting in the river projects,” ECC President Dr. Deborah Lamm explains, “the timing was right for a new program in historic preservation. Continuing education classes in archeology are under way this spring, and a preservation trades school is being planned for the fall.” Ultimately, a certificate program in historic preservation will be offered. Currently, no other community colleges in North Carolina offer a program in historic preservation. “In January, we created an advisory board for our trades school,” Dr. Lamm says. “Members include officials from the N.C. Division of Archives and History, Preservation North Carolina, a retired city planner, and local business leaders who are experts in historic preservation. They are all very excited about our new initiatives, particularly the weekend preservation trades school planned for September 27, which coincides with Tarboro’s annual History Days celebration. “We hope to bring in a well-known individual to lead the school, and we are planning demonstrations in masonry, carpentry, decorative arts, and window restoration, to name a few.” While plans for a comprehensive program in historic preservation at ECC continue to develop, the canoe that started it all remains safely submerged under water in a plastic tub at the college, awaiting its fate, which will be determined by the N.C. Office of State Archeology’s Underwater Archeology Branch.
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