The Study of Old Architecture
Aside from pleasure to be derived from it, the study of old buildings
can be of great value to future students of North Carolina architecture.
An important old building in one’s town today may be a filling station
tomorrow. Every day such buildings vanish through fire or demolition and
often there are no adequate records of them. Such records can only be
made by people on the spot who appreciate their importance.
Steps that can be taken by the student include: making a study of an old
building in the vicinity; taking photographs of various exterior views
and interior details; making plan drawings with measurements; making
simple sketches and diagrams of construction details which cannot be
photographed well; and making a plot plan or map of the property,
showing the location of former sheds and other structures. In addition,
efforts should be made to collect information from old inhabitants and
from present users of the building. Deeds, old letters, or other
documents should be consulted for information regarding the structure’s
origins. A map of the old part of your town—_à la Sauthier_—might be a
useful contribution to supplement information on the founding of the
town and on changes as they have occurred.
Such studies would be valuable additions to a collection of documents,
photographs, maps, etc., housed in the local library. Work with
teachers, librarians, and members of the local historical society to
build a collection of books and material on local and regional
architecture.
There are several State institutions in Raleigh which may provide
assistance with projects of this kind. The Department of Archives and
History, houses a vast collection of documents and letters, and
publishes the _North Carolina_ _Historical Review_. Within this
department the Hall of History sponsors the _Junior Historians_, who
make models of buildings and engage in other architectural projects; and
the Historic Sites Division is concerned with the preservation of
important sites and buildings. The Department of Conservation and
Development has a photograph collection of old buildings in North
Carolina. The School of Design at State College has a growing collection
of measured drawings of important old buildings; this project is called
Historic Buildings Research (see figure 61).
In Chapel Hill, at the University of North Carolina there are two
sections of the library to be noted: the Carolina Room, which houses
extensive collections of historical materials (see page 88); and the
Southern Historical Collection, which contains letters and documents.
Duke University has large collections of documentary material; and other
college and city libraries have North Carolina collections.
A NOTE ON BIBLIOGRAPHY
A most useful book is _The North Carolina Guide_, edited by Blackwell P.
Robinson, published by the University of North Carolina Press, 1955.
Professor Louise Hall, Duke University, wrote the excellent
architectural section of this book.
Two attractive and important books are illustrated with photographs by a
woman master photographer to accompany texts prepared by a man:—_Old
Homes and Gardens of North Carolina_, photographs by Bayard Wootten,
historical text by Archibald Henderson, published under the auspices of
The Garden Club of North Carolina by the University of North Carolina
Press, 1939; and _The Early Architecture of North Carolina, a Pictorial
Survey_, by Frances Benjamin Johnston, with _An Architectural History_,
by Thomas Waterman, University of North Carolina Press, 1941. _The
State_ is a magazine published in Raleigh; it has special issues devoted
to towns and regions of North Carolina, containing much standard and new
information.
Three general reference books should be noted: _The Dwellings of
Colonial America_, by Thomas Waterman, University of North Carolina
Press, 1950. _The Architecture of the Old South_, by Henry Chandlee
Forman, Harvard University Press, 1948. _Early American Architecture_,
by Hugh Morrison, Oxford University Press, 1952.
For a list of publications of the
Division of Archives and History
write to:
Historical Publications Section
Division of Archives and History
109 East Jones Street
Raleigh, North Carolina 27611
Transcriber’s Notes
—This e-text, published without copyright notice, is public domain in
the country of publication.
—Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and
dialect unchanged.
—In the text versions, delimited italicized text (or non-italicized text
in photo captions) by _underscores_.