Supporting the Land Trust is the Right Thing to Do
Doing the right thing isn't always easy and what is easy isn't always right.
It’s time for the Southern Pines Town Council, the Moore County Board of Commissioners, and the Moore County Board of Education to support the Southern Pines Land and Housing Trust in their bid for the entire 17 acres of the Southern Pines Primary / historic Rosenwald School site.
In 2010, the Town of Southern Pines commissioned an independent survey to investigate if the core of what had been West Southern Pines was suitable to become its own National Register Historic District. This important step would help homeowners and businesses within a National District be eligible for important state and federal tax credits on rehabilitations, repairs, etc. Unfortunately, the study’s finding was that the West Southern Pines district, while historically significant, did not retain the needed level of integrity for designation due to the loss of historic buildings. The future of the state’s first independently chartered Black American municipality was once again based upon the 1931 decision by Southern Pines to annex the community against its will. That decision, coupled with the town’s 1971 decision to zone non-zoned land in West Southern Pines as residential, pushed grandfathered businesses to close and prohibited new ones from opening in their place. The result was young Black entrepreneurs took their business interests outside of the community, affecting the community's economy. Businesses shut down, owners left, and buildings fell into disrepair and eventually were demolished. A once vibrant community was physically being erased.
The West Southern Pines community has compromised more than enough since it had its charter revoked.
Fast forward 11 years and a similar issue is still facing West Southern Pines. A landmark property that once held a Rosenwald school with a proposed community-focused and supported path forward is being held in limbo. The original deed for the property clearly states that the land is to be used for community education, but now that the Board of Education has received a $900,000 bid to build homes on the property, it appears that the board will not recommend to the county to accept the SPLT’s offer for the full 17 acres. Rather the SPLHT is being offered a 4 acre parcel of land, not even including the property that the original Rosenwald School sat upon. The opportunity for the community to begin taking back control of their future on their terms continues to be diminished.
Historic preservation is more than just preserving “pretty” buildings. Historic preservation is about preserving the communities that historic structures represent. While few historic structures remain from West Southern Pines’ period of economic growth, the SPLHT’s plans coupled with the potential sensitive development of Town-owned land along Morganton Road presents a rare opportunity for the West Southern Pines community to begin crafting a path forward, creating a world-class destination celebrating their community rather than allowing its continued erasure from the townscape.
Historic preservation is more than just preserving “pretty” buildings. Historic preservation is about preserving the communities that historic structures represent.
The West Southern Pines community has compromised more than enough since it had its charter revoked. The Pines Preservation Guild supports the SPLHT in their offer for the land and are asking the Moore County Board of Commissioners, the Moore County Board of Education, and the Town Council of Southern Pines to have the foresight to support the SPLHT’s bid for the entire 17-acre parcel of land. It’s the right thing to do.
Leslie Brians
Emily Yopp
Grace Crawford
Board Members, The Pines Preservation Guild
Learn more about the Southern Pines Land Trust and donate to their campaign.
