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Historic Preservation Commission Special Meeting * Waxhaw Meeting Place January 25, 2017 @ 6:00 PM

A. CALL TO ORDER

B. DETERMINATION OF QUORUM

C. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

D. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Minutes from November 11, 2016 Regular Meeting 11.10.16 WHPC Minutes Draft

E. OLD BUSINESS 1. Rosenwald School Plaque 42659 Est_42659_from_Paul_Zimmerman_Foundries_528 Waxhaw Rosenwald School Plaque Language - Edit Estimate for Rosenwald Pole

F. NEW BUSINESS 1. Rosenwald Film Budget - Parks and Recreation Department Requesting $250 Toward Cost of Showing Film at Museum of the Waxhaws 2. Discussion of Water Tank Historic Landmark Designation WaxhawWaterTower_LocalLandmarkDesignationReport

3. 2017-18 Work Plan Discussion WHPC Work Plan 16-17

G. STAFF UPDATES

H. PUBLIC COMMENT

I. ADJOURNMENT

Town Hall, 1150 North Broome Street, Waxhaw, NC 28173 704-843- 2195

Page 1 of 36 Page 2 of 36 November 10, 2016 Waxhaw Historic Preservation Commission Regular Meeting Waxhaw Meeting Place

Regular Meeting

A. Call to Order

Chairwoman Settle called the meeting to order at 6:47 p.m.

B. Roll Call and Determination of Quorum

A roll call and determination of quorum was made.

Present: Board Members: Chairwoman Terry Settle, Vice Chair Leslie Kellum, Helena Moore, Kelly Lang-Ramirez, Commissioner Paul Fitzgerald, Staff Maxx Oliver, Recording Secretary Lindze Small

Absent: Richard Mather

Others in attendance: Peter Friedrich and Gloria Friedrich

C. Election of Officers There was a conversation regarding term limits for a Chairperson. It was determined that with respect to the rules and regulations recently adopted for all Town Boards and Commissions that a maximum of two terms for a Chair were permitted henceforth.

Chairman Motion by Chairwoman Settle for Vice Chair Leslie Kellum to be Chairwoman Seconded by all members in unison. The vote carried unanimously (4-0).

1. Vice-Chairman Motion by ChairwomanDraft Settle to appoint Board Member Lang-Ramirez to Vice- Chairwoman. Seconded by Board Member Lang-Ramirez. The vote carried unanimously (4-0).

2. Secretary Motion by Chairwoman Kellum to nominate Board Member Moore to the position of Board Secretary. Seconded by Board Member Settle. The vote carried unanimously (4-0).

D. Adoption of Agenda

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Page 3 of 36 Chairwoman Kellum asked for a motion to adopt the agenda as presented. There was a favorable motion by Board Member Settle to adopt the agenda as presented. The favorable motion was seconded by Board Member Lang-Ramirez The vote carried unanimously (4-0).

E. Approval of Minutes

The Board made note of the following changes to the May 12, 2016 WHPC meeting minutes: Changing of Chairwoman Kellum’s last name to Kellum in areas where this was inconsistent throughout the document. There was a request to change the spelling to ‘Rosenwald’ in the public comments’ agenda item on the May agenda packet.

Chairwoman Kellum asked for a favorable motion to approve the minutes as amended.

There was a favorable motion to approve as amended by Board Member Moore. The favorable motion was seconded by Board Member Settle. The vote carried unanimously (4-0).

F. Old Business

1. Rosenwald School Plaque Discussion Board Member Settle requested this item to be added to the agenda for discussion. Board Member Moore discussed ideas for the plaque with other Board Members. Staff Oliver tasked to ensure ownership of road abutting this property to see if this is Town owned/maintained. With a target ‘go-live’ timeline of February 2017 for National Black History Month. There was conversation about discussing this with the museum for more exposure.

2. Oral History Project Discussion Conversation regarding Draftmaking this available at the McDonald House for passerbys.

G. New Business

1. Request for Friedrich Façade Improvement Grant Extension – 3rd request Upon conversation with the applicants it was determined that the project may be completed by March 2017.

Chairwoman Kellum asked for a favorable motion to extend the grant until March 9, 2017. Board Member Settle made a favorable motion to extend the grant until March 9, 2017.

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Page 4 of 36 The favorable motion was seconded by Board Member Lang Ramirez. The vote carried unanimously (4-0).

H. Staff Updates 1. Work plans and budget were approved in June 2016. 2. Staff is in the process of trying to hire a Planner II who may be the staff liaison and work with the Board in various capacities. 3. New staff members in the Planning Division: Nish Trivedi and Lindze Small

I. Public Comments 1. William R. Davie Grave Site Request Letter Staff Oliver noted that Staff would like a Commission member to take on this project. Per Board Member Settle this gravesite is located at the Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Church in Lancaster, SC, where ’s relatives are buried as well. 2. Commissioner Fitzgerald mentioned that he and Commissioner Burrell are reviewing the WHPC on a Town Commissioner level and that steps in which the WHPC may need to report to the Board of Commissioners several times a year to discuss projects for the year, fiscal needs, etc.

J. Adjournment Chairwoman Kellum asked for a favorable motion for adjournment. Board Member Settle made a favorable motion to adjourn. The favorable motion was seconded by Board Member Moore. Vote carried unanimously (4-0).

The meeting was adjourned at 7:30pm.

Respectfully Submitted,

Draft

______Chairwoman, Leslie Kellum

______Recording Secretary, Lindze Small

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Page 5 of 36 Page 6 of 36 Page 7 of 36 Page 8 of 36 Paul Zimmerman Foundries Quote / Order Acknowledgement dba Erie Landmark Company 637 Hempfield Hill Road Date Estimate # Columbia, PA 17512 1/17/2017 42659

Bill To: Phone # Town of Waxhaw NC. 704-843-2195 x239 Maxx Oliver Fax # po box 6 Waxhaw NC. 28173 e-Mail Address [email protected]

P.O. No. Contact Person Terms Ship Via FOB Must Have Due Date

Maxx Oliver On Approval Columbia

Description Qty Finish Mount Amount Total 24" x 14" Bronze Rect. 1Black? Rear? 939.00 939.00 [Includes 672 Characters] WAXHAW ROSENWALD SCHOOL ...

Extra characters above the amount 167 0.50 83.50 included with the plaque --- (each)

Shipping and Handling Ground 1 65.00 65.00

Ship To: Town of Waxhaw NC. Maxx Oliver 1152 N. Broome Street Waxhaw, NC 28173

Please sign and date here. Subtotal $1,087.50 Please review art/pricing carefully and fax back to us with Sales Tax (0.0%) $0.00 your approval signature or corrections. Customer is responsible for any errors that appear on final plaque. Total $1,087.50

Phone # Fax # E-mail

(717) 285-5253 (717) 285-3166 [email protected]...

Page 9 of 36 Page 10 of 36 Waxhaw Rosenwald School

In 1912, Booker T. Washington partnered with Julius Rosenwald, President of Sears, Roebuck & Company, in a grassroots effort to build over 5,000 schools for African Americans in 15 states across the South. By the time of Rosenwald’s death in 1932, about one-third of black students in the South were attending Rosenwald schools.

The Waxhaw Rosenwald School once stood on 2.25 acres near this site on Cureton Street from the 1930’s through the early 1960’s providing generations of Waxhaw’s African American children access to a quality education and a pleasant learning environment in the segregated South. The Town of Waxhaw along with the local African American community contributed $1,785 towards the Waxhaw School, and the Rosenwald fund contributed $900 to fund the schools construction. The school had 4 classrooms, with one being used for performances and community gatherings. There were a few grades in each classroom with students from first to seventh grade.

Page 11 of 36 Page 12 of 36 Estimate SIGNS ETC 4941 CHASTAIN AVE Estimate: 261514 CHARLOTTE, NC 28217 ph. 704-522-8860 Printed 11/17/2016 11:17:51AM fax. 704-522-8770 email: [email protected] Description: Post for Plaque Prepared For: Curt White ph: (704) 591-5690 Company: Town of Waxhaw Estimate Date: 11/17/2016 11:17:19AM email: [email protected] Dear Curt:

Thank you for considering Signs Etc. for your signage needs. The work we discussed is attached below. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call me at 704-522-8860.

Sincerely,

Spencer Brower President

Product Font Qty Sides Height Width Unit Cost Install Item Total

1 Item Description 1 1 96 2 $240.00 $0.00 $240.00 Color: Description: Fabrication and Delivery of ...

One (1) 2" Square Pole with Newell Ball Finial - Painted MP 20161 to Match Existing Wayfinding Signs Text:

Notes: Line Item Total: $240.00 Tax Exempt Amt: $60.00 Subtotal: $240.00 Taxes: $12.15 Total: $252.15

Company: Town of Waxhaw 1150 N. Broome St. Waxhaw, NC 28173 Received/Accepted By: / /

Page 13 of 36 Page 14 of 36 Waxhaw Water Tower Local Historic Landmark Designation Report

Prepared for: Prepared by:

Town of Waxhaw Fearnbach History Services, Inc. P. O. Box 6 3334 Nottingham Road Waxhaw, NC 28173 Winston-Salem, NC 27104

June 2016

Page 15 of 36 Waxhaw Water Tower Local Historic Landmark Designation Report

Historic and Common Property Name: Waxhaw Water Tower

Construction Date: 1941

Location: McDonald Street’s south side between North Church and North Broome Streets Waxhaw, Union County,

Tax Parcel Identification Number (PIN): 05113029A (0.13 acre)

Owner: Town of Waxhaw

Owner Address: P. O. Box 6, Waxhaw, NC, 28173

Property Value: $43,200 (2016)

Looking northeast from West North Main Street

Setting

The Town of Waxhaw’s 1941 water tower occupies a 0.13-acre lot in the northwest quadrant of the block bounded by McDonald, North Broome, West North Main, and North Church Streets. The tower stands on McDonald Street’s south side between North Church and North Broome Streets. The town also owns the 1888 Duncan McDonald House west of the tower at 115 McDonald Street. In spring 2016, Designer Construction Corporation completed the dwelling’s renovation to serve as a history center. In the block’s southwest quadrant, one two-story and three one-story commercial buildings front West North Main Street. A gravel 0.45-acre municipal parking lot fills the block’s east half. The

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Page 16 of 36 water tower looms above the commercial buildings and is clearly visible from the railroad and other vantage points.

Narrative Description

A tall riveted steel structure with four angled columns supports the round, conical-roofed water tank. Horizontal struts and angled tie rods span the lattice columns, which are bolted to steel base plates and concrete footings. The 49,000-gallon steel tank is approximately 26 feet in diameter and 13 ½-feet tall. A central vertical riser pipe supplies water to the tank. The manhole at the riser’s base has a hinged cover. A fixed 93-rung ladder attached to the exterior of the northeast column leads to a 24-inch-wide steel balcony secured by a two-bar, steel pipe, 37 ½-inch-tall railing that encircles the hemispherical bottom tank. A 17-rung ladder hangs from a swivel joint attached to a steel rod at the roof’s peak. The ladder, which has the capability to rotate around the tower, is 13 ¾ inches wide. A manhole with a hinged cover provides access to the tank from the roof, which is topped with a cast-iron finial. A narrow overflow pipe extends from the tank’s upper edge down the southeast column to discharge at ground level. Contractors refreshed the tower’s silver paint and the black-lettered “Waxhaw, NC” sign on the tank’s east side in conjunction with the structure’s 2013 restoration. The sign is 3 feet tall and 31 feet long.1

Integrity Assessment

The water tower retains the seven requisite aspects of integrity—location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association—necessary to convey its significance. The tower remains on its original site and maintains the same relationship to surrounding buildings and streets as at the time of its construction. All components of the riveted steel structure and 49,000-gallon steel tank are intact.

Statement of Significance

The Waxhaw Water Tower meets National Register Criteria A and C in the areas of Community Planning and Development and Engineering. The tower is locally significant as a key element of Waxhaw’s $125,792 municipal water and sewer system completed in 1941. The town issued $50,000- worth of bonds to supplement the Works Progress Administration (WPA) funding that facilitated the project’s execution. Initiatives of this type clearly demonstrate the importance of federal relief as the nation recovered from the Great Depression. Atlanta-based engineers J. B. McCrary Company, Inc., planned the Waxhaw endeavor, specifying system components including the steel water tower manufactured by Taylor Iron Work and Supply Company of Macon, Georgia. In addition to providing potable water, the 49,000-gallon tank stored water utilized to combat fires. The elevated tower symbolized the community’s growth and prosperity at the time of its construction and remains an important element of Waxhaw’s history.

1 Water tower component measurements taken by Tank Industry Consultants as part of the company’s 2010 evaluation of the water tank. Report on file at the Town of Waxhaw Planning and Community Development Department.

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Page 17 of 36 Historical Background

Sanborn Fire Insurance Company, “Waxhaw, N. C.,” Sheet 1, July 1925 Water tower at center (circled in red)

Little information is available regarding Waxhaw’s early-twentieth-century water system. The July 1925 map created by the Sanborn Map Company indicates that the community did not then have municipal water service or a fire department to serve its approximately eight hundred residents. However, the map illustrates a water tower that stood near the center of the block bounded by South Church, South Main, South Broome, and Caldwell Streets. The structure’s location near the town center was convenient for businesses, particularly as its primary function was to provide an emergency water supply in case of fire. The water tower was south of a commercial block fronting South Main Street and east of a warehouse for cotton seed and lime, a blacksmith shop, a grist mill, and a cotton gin, all of which were highly combustible. It is not known if the water tower existed when a conflagration destroyed three North Main Street commercial buildings on February 20, 1924.2

The 1925 Sanborn map also shows that the Rodman-Heath Cotton Mill complex just east of downtown included fire safety features such as a 10,500-gallon water tank at the top of the 1898 mill’s entrance tower, a sprinkler system, a 56,000-gallon reservoir, and small structures containing fire hoses. Due to the propensity for combustion associated with cotton storage and blending, fire insurance providers suggested that warehouses, picker rooms, and boiler houses should be located a short distance from manufacturing areas. Rodman-Heath Cotton Mill’s site layout reflects this practice.

2 Margaret McDonald, “History of the Town of Waxhaw,” Enquirer (Monroe), March 31, 1924.

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During the early twentieth century, fire insurance companies and entities including the American Institute of Steel Construction, the National Board of Fire Underwriters, and the American Water Works Association developed standards and issued manuals to guide water system construction. Many municipalities undertook significant water system upgrades in the 1910s in response to state and federal legislation that mandated compliance with water purity standards. Public works improvements proliferated during the 1920s, but the economic challenges of the Great Depression dramatically reduced the availability of local funding for such initiatives. However, federal relief agencies frequently subsidized water and sewer system installation during the 1930s and early 1940s.3

Government entities such as the North Carolina Emergency Relief Administration (NCERA), the state’s first New Deal program, embarked upon a public infrastructure enhancement campaign as a means of providing work for citizens in the early 1930s. Rural and urban projects were intended to increase quality of life. In Waxhaw, NCERA projects funded from 1932 to 1935 included drain and culvert installation, street improvements, classroom and gymnasium additions at Waxhaw School, and privy construction.4

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) followed in 1935, engaging citizens in endeavors ranging from public health and education initiatives to cultural activities, manufacturing projects, and building and park planning and execution. Efforts such as paving secondary “farm-to-market” roads, placing culverts, creating drainage systems, and erecting bridges, sanitary privies, agricultural extension service offices, and vocational buildings at schools occupied many work crews. Water and sewer system improvements were a significant focus of the program. By 1940, North Carolina WPA employees excavated and installed 210 miles of water mains and 376 miles of storm drains and sanitary sewers. The WPA also allocated funds for constructing or improving 14 pumping stations, 44 reservoirs, and 62 water wells.5

Overall statistics regarding federally-subsidized water tower construction in North Carolina are not available, but a few newspaper reports highlighted water system improvements that included elevated steel tanks. In October 1938, the Robeson County town of Lumberton, located in the state’s southeast region, purchased a 300-gallon, 100-foot-tall water tower from Taylor Iron Works and Supply Company for $20,321. The $34,500 project, which was funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA), also encompassed pipe installation and general construction undertaken by Elliott Building Company of Hickory. In December, the town of Pembroke, also in Robeson County, engaged Taylor Iron Works and Supply Company to provide a $7,520 water tank in conjunction with a PWA- subsidized $43,350 water and sewer system upgrade executed by Elliott Building Company. Comparable projects continued elsewhere in North Carolina through the early 1940s. In July 1941, WPA crews replaced water pipes and installed sewer lines in the Davie County community of Mocksville, which had just erected a steel water tower with a 100,000-gallon tank.6

3 Ibid., 21. 4 J. S. Kirk, Walter A. Cutter, and Thomas W. Morse, eds., Emergency Relief in North Carolina: A Record of the Development and Activities of the North Carolina Emergency Relief Administration, 1932-1935 (Raleigh: North Carolina Emergency Relief Administration, 1936), 524-525. 5 Works Progress Administration, North Carolina WPA: Its Story (Raleigh, Works Progress Administration, 1940), 22. 6 “Bids on Water Tank and Pipe Lines Approved by Town Board,” The Robesonian (Lumberton), October 12, 1938, p. 1; “Pembroke Board Improves Water and Sewer Bid,” The Robesonian, December 23, 1938, p. 8; “To Put Plaques on Water Tank,” The Robesonian, May 17, 1939, p. 1; Series of three captioned photographs of WPA projects in Davie County, High Point Enterprise, July 31, 1941, p. 13.

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Waxhaw leaders began pursuing federal relief funding to facilitate municipal water and sewer system improvements in 1935, but federal assistance was not awarded until 1940. On June 5, 1935, the town council approved a resolution authorizing Mayor L. B. Baker to seek a federal subsidy for water and sewer installation. Atlanta-based engineers J. B. McCrary Company, Inc., helped to delineate the proposed scope of work and file the application. As the project was not initially funded, the town submitted a series of revised applications. The town council considered issuing bonds to provide the local contribution required to qualify for federal assistance, but did not issue an ordinance calling for special election to consider such action until August 12, 1938. On September 26, the majority of Waxhaw’s residents (168 of 198 registered voters) elected to move forward with the project. The town would supply $42,000 of the water and sewer system’s cost. Although the municipality demonstrated its intention to obtain funding, it was not until October 1939 that Reconstruction Finance Company agreed to secure a $50,000 loan. At that time the total project cost was estimated to be $122,616. In a special election held on May 14, 1940, 156 of Waxhaw’s 173 qualified voters approved the issuance of an additional $8,000 of bonds to supplement the previously approved $42,000. To subsidize the loan, the Board of Commissioners approved a resolution to increase the property tax rate from $0.85 to $1.00 per $100 valuation in the 1940-1941 fiscal year.7

Once the local funding requirement was met, the WPA district office in Union County authorized the project’s commencement. J. B. McCrary Company oversaw the water and sewer system’s execution, beginning with soliciting proposals for well drilling and equipment. Richmond-based Virginia Machinery and Well Company won that bid in June 1940. On December 2, the Town of Waxhaw contracted with ten other manufacturers including Pomona-Terra Cotta Company of Greensboro, which supplied clay pipe, and Tryo, New York-based Rensselaer Valve Company, which provided valves and hydrants. Taylor Iron Work and Supply Company of Macon, Georgia, agreed to deliver steel water tower components at a cost of $7,337. Councilmen also approved bids from Charlotte metal product manufacturer Easterby and Mumaw and Waxhaw building materials purveyors T. R. Nisbet and A. W. Heath Company.8

On March 18, 1941, in preparation for the water tower’s construction, the town acquired a lot on McDonald Street’s south side between North Church and North Broome Streets from Waxhaw Banking and Trust Company. J. B. McCrary Company did not send a resident engineer to Waxhaw for the duration of the project. Therefore, the town appointed commissioner J. W. McCall to serve as the project manager for a $50 per month salary. As the endeavor neared completion in June 1941, the municipality set water connection rates at $1.50 for residences and $2.00 for businesses, with a minimum $1.50 monthly charge per 2,000 gallons of water used. After the water system had been in operation for a year, commissioners approved the acquisition of galvanized pipe to extend the water line to Waxhaw’s African American residents living on McDonald Street and elsewhere in town. In March 1945, upon W. R. Armstrong’s request, the town agreed to provide Rodman-Heath Cotton Mill with a water main and sewer connections. In April 1947, the Waxhaw Board of Commissioners approved a $625 proposal from Terre Haute, Indiana-based Leary Construction Company’s Atlanta

7 The Waxhaw Town Council became known as the Board of Commissioners in 1940. Town Council meeting minutes, June 4, 1935, June 24, 1936, August 4, 1937, August 12, 1938, October 3, 1938, October 2, 1939; Board of Commissioners meeting minutes, April 1, 1940, May 16-17, 1940, August 5, 1940. 8 Board of Commissioners meeting minutes, June 21, 1940, December 2, 1940.

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Page 20 of 36 office to clean and paint the water tank. The company provided routine maintenance services for at least twenty years.9

The tower remained Waxhaw’s primary daily and emergency water source through the 1980s as municipal water service continued to expand. Waxhaw’s Volunteer Fire Department, established in 1954, drew from the tank as needed. By 1963, Waxhaw’s water system comprised three wells capable of supplying 300,000 gallons of water daily and a 75,000-gallon elevated storage tank. Union County Public Works assumed the 1941 water tower’s ownership in 1987. The site remained in use until the department excavated ground water tanks on Sims Road to serve the community. Union County conveyed the water tower and the lot upon which it stands to the Town of Waxhaw on December 8, 2011.10

In recognition of the water tower’s historic significance, the town of Waxhaw engaged Utility Service of Boiling Springs, , to undertake a restoration that commenced in January 2013. The tower was completely reconditioned. The approximately $267,000 project cost included a ten-year maintenance contract.11

Engineering Context: Steel Water Towers

During the late nineteenth century, when burgeoning industrial development fueled population growth throughout the United States, municipalities attempted to combat unsanitary conditions and the spread of disease that frequently accompanied urban density by improving and expanding municipal water and sewer systems. As myriad factors influenced the amount of naturally available ground and surface water, communities installed infrastructure to facilitate efficient and reliable water collection, purification, storage, and dispersal. Networks of pipes and pumps conveyed water to storage and treatment facilities and then on to consumers. In- and above-ground reservoirs and wood and steel tanks contained water sufficient to meet daily demand and combat fires. Steel water towers, which became common in the late 1890s, allowed for durable and affordable water storage. The elevated tanks, often mass-produced models available at reasonable cost, symbolized the higher standard of living available to urban dwellers through ready access to abundant pure water. As stated in water tower manufacturer Pittsburgh-Des Moines Steel Company’s 1915 catalog, “No one thing marks more clearly the departure of a village from obscurity to a position of prominence and wealth than the installation of the first and most vital public improvement—a water works.”12

In order to reduce the overall of cost of such improvements, municipalities typically purchased standard factory-generated steel water tower components from specialized manufacturers. Structural- steel elements not only had the capacity to carry heavy loads, but were extremely durable and resistant to wind shear. Framing systems might include I, T, H, and box-shaped columns, posts, and beams as well as reinforcing plates, struts, angles, and webs. Steel columns could be riveted together, creating strong connections, and tended to be smaller and lighter than heavy-timber or iron framing members.

9 J. W. McCall became the ton’s clerk and treasurer in May 1941. Board of Commissioners meeting minutes, January 6, 1941, May 12, 1941, June 30, 1941, June 22, 1942, March 5, 1945, April 7, 1947, March 6, 1961, May 3, 1961; Union County Deed Book 102, p. 77. 10 Waxhaw Volunteer Fire Department, “About Us,” http://waxhawvfd.org/about-us/ (accessed May 2016); “Union County, North Carolina,” circa 1963 promotional brochure, North Carolina Collection Clipping File through 1975, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Union County Deed Book 5644, p. 11. 11 “Waxhaw begins water tower restoration,” Enquirer-Journal (Monroe), January 30, 2013, p. A5. 12 Gregory R. Mathis, et. al.,“Steel Water Towers Associated With South Dakota Water Systems, 1894-1967: An Historic Context,” prepared for the South Dakota State Historical Society, September 2012, pp. 19, 34.

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Page 21 of 36 This allowed for taller towers. In order to reduce oxidation and achieve fire resistance, steel members were often coated with intumescent paint.13

Taylor Iron Works and Supply Company of Macon, Georgia

Prior to its June 14, 1898, incorporation, the operation that became Taylor Iron Works and Supply Company was part of a mill equipment manufacturing concern established in Macon, Georgia, circa 1885. That firm became Mallary Brothers and Company around 1890 and by 1900 split into three businesses: Mallary and Taylor Iron Works, Mallary Brothers Machinery Company, and Mallary Mill Supply Company. Products included engines, boilers, and saw mill equipment.14

Little has been written about Taylor Iron Works and Supply Company’s history. However, Duke University’s David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library has two catalogs in its collection. The 1927 volume itemizes water system components such as columns, gauges, hoses, and pipers. It appears that the company’s inventory only included wood water tanks ranging from three to fourteen feet in diameter and conical wood tank covers at that time. The maximum water storage tank capacity was 12,528 gallons. The tank components—cypress base and wall planks and round black iron hoops—required assembly upon delivery. The company recommended sealing the interior of each tank with hot paraffin wax.15

It is unclear when Taylor Iron Works and Supply Company began manufacturing steel water towers. However, newspaper coverage demonstrates that the concern supplied steel towers for North Carolina federal relief projects undertaken in the late 1930s. The 1948 catalog indicates the availability of steel tanks for grain, molasses, and water storage. Rather than listing specifications, the only catalog reference is a page with photographs of an elevated water tower and a complex of three grain silos and molasses tanks.16

Bibliography

Atlanta Constitution.

Bradley, Betsy Hunter. The Works: The Industrial Architecture of the United States. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Enquirer (Monroe)

Enquirer-Journal (Monroe)

Georgia Corporations Division, “Taylor Iron Works and Supply Company,” https://ecorp.sos.ga.gov/BusinessSearch (accessed May 2016).

13 Betsy Hunter Bradley, The Works: The Industrial Architecture of the United States (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), 144-145. 14 “The Advantages Which A Big Concern Affords,” Atlanta Constitution, July 9, 1905, p. 8; Atlanta Constitution, June 25, 1909, p. 5; Georgia Corporations Division, “Taylor Iron Works and Supply Company,” https://ecorp.sos.ga.gov/BusinessSearch (accessed May 2016). 15 Taylor Iron Works and Supply Company, Supply Catalogue No. 27 (R. R. Donnelley and Sons Company, 1927), 272. 16 Taylor Iron Works and Supply Company, Catalog 49 (U. S. A: R. R. Donnelley and Sons Company, 1948), 94.

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Page 22 of 36 High Point Enterprise.

Kirk, J. S., Walter A. Cutter, and Thomas W. Morse, eds. Emergency Relief in North Carolina: A Record of the Development and Activities of the North Carolina Emergency Relief Administration, 1932-1935. Raleigh: North Carolina Emergency Relief Administration, 1936.

Mathis, Gregory R., et. al. “Steel Water Towers Associated with South Dakota Water Systems, 1894- 1967: An Historic Context,” prepared for the South Dakota State Historical Society, September 2012.

The Robesonian (Lumberton)

Sanborn Fire Insurance Company. “Waxhaw, N. C.,” Map, Sheets 1 and 2, July 1925.

Tank Industry Consultants. “Evaluation of the 49,000 gallon Steel Elevated Water Tank, Waxhaw, North Carolina,” August 16, 2010. Report on file at the Town of Waxhaw Planning and Community Development Department.

Taylor Iron Works and Supply Company. Supply Catalogue No. 27. R. R. Donnelley and Sons Company, 1927.

______. Catalog 49. U. S. A: R. R. Donnelley and Sons Company, 1948.

“Union County, North Carolina,” circa 1963 promotional brochure, North Carolina Collection Clipping File through 1975, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Union County Register of Deeds. Union County Deed Books, Monroe, North Carolina.

Waxhaw Town Council and Board of Commissioners. Meeting minutes, 1935-1961, Town of Waxhaw.

Waxhaw Volunteer Fire Department. “About Us,” http://waxhawvfd.org/about-us/ (accessed May 2016).

Works Progress Administration. North Carolina WPA: Its Story. Raleigh, Works Progress Administration, 1940.

Verbal Boundary Description

The local historic landmark boundaries are indicated by the bold line on the site plan at a scale of approximately one inch equals seventy-three feet.

Boundary Justification

The 0.13-acre parcel encompasses the acreage historically associated with the water tower.

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Page 23 of 36 Photographs

All photographs by Heather Fearnbach, Fearnbach History Services, Inc., 3334 Nottingham Road, Winston-Salem, NC, in January and June 2016. Digital images located at the Town of Waxhaw and the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office in Raleigh.

Looking southwest

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Looking west

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Looking northwest

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Looking east

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Southeast column base

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Hinged manhole cover at riser pipe base

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Lattice column, horizontal struts, and angled tie rods

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Page 30 of 36 Waxhaw Water Tower Union County, North Carolina Local Historic Landmark Boundary Map

McDonald Street

Local Historic Landmark 1917 Boundary (0.13 acre)

1924 North North Church late 1930s Broome Street Street

West North Main Street

Scale: 1” = approximately 73” feet

Heather Fearnbach, Fearnbach History Services, Inc. / June 2016 N Base aerial photo courtesy of Union County GIS at http://gis-web.co.union.nc.us/gomaps/#

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Advisory Board / Committee Work Plan

Goals listed on this work plan, once adopted by the Waxhaw Town Board, are officially assigned to advisory board/committee members for completion. This plan differs from staff work plans which are approved by the Town Manager and are not subject to advisory board/committee input. If a desired goal is not reflected on this plan, advisory boards/committees must seek Town Board approval before proceeding with that goal.

Advisory Board/Committee Name: Waxhaw Historic Preservation Commission

Year: 2016-2017

Guiding Documents Used to Develop Plan(Please List Master Plans and Like Documents That Formed the Basis of Your Goals):

Waxhaw Comprehensive Plan & Waxhaw Downtown Vision Plan ______

Goals Champion(s) Resource Needs Milestones Anticipated Solution Progress

(Financial and Obstacles Made otherwise) 1. Façade Improvement Art O’Donnell $50,300.00 Award $25,000 Applicant not NA Grants Helena Moore twice annually in completing work revolving fund due to unforeseen circumstances 2. Oral History Project Terry Michaelson $100.00 Record 4 oral Not being able to Go to people’s Terry Settle history videos find people to houses, work on agree to interview webpage to get the word out 3. Rosenwald Plaques Helena Moore $2,000.00 February 2017 Getting property Place in Town (2) Art O’Donnell (Black History owner’s right-of-way if Month) permission for necessary location 4. Monthly Village News Leslie Kellam N/A 6 articles Finding valuable Highlight Article Dick Mather content successful façade grant projects if there is no new Page 33 of36 activity or info Page 1 of 4

Suggestions for Developing Goals

 Use guiding documents, such as adopted master plans and published strategic goals of the Town Board as a basis.

 Use the Smart Goal approach o Is the goal….?

. Specific

. Measureable

. Assignable

. Realistic

. Time-Based

 Ask these questions… o Are the goals being formed for the greater good? o Do the goals advance the Town’s mission, vision and values? o Are the goals based upon guiding documents such as master plans, published strategic goals and other guiding elements that will result in moving the Town closer to its goals? If not, why not? o Do the goals have the potential to overlap with the goals of other advisory boards/committees or staff? If so, how will that be accounted for? o Could the goal be considered a SMART goal?

Page 34 of36 Page 2 of 4 Goals & Normal Description Budget Goal 1. Business Façade The Goal of the Façade Improvement Program is economic development through Grant Award Funds $50,300.00 Improvement providing grants to encourage investment in repair and maintenance of downtown $50,000.00; workshop Grant commercial buildings, and allow for the more expensive upkeep of downtown on façade grant residences built within the period of historic significance (1888‐1941). Upkeep of program – light historical buildings are often more expensive to maintain because of their materials refreshments and 200 – ex: wood vs. vinyl siding), and preserving the historical buildings helps to preserve postcards at .40 each our downtown’s character. A workshop is held annually to educate the public about $300 the grants. Goal 2. Oral The Oral History Project is video recorded stories and information about the past Gas reimbursement for $100.00 History Project that you get from talking to people about their experiences, families, etc. This Charlie Succop, program began in 2015 and is intended to be an ongoing endeavor. Currently a Educational Specialist at videographer is recording our histories at The Meeting Place. the Charlotte Museum of History to come record @ $25/trip for 4 trips Goal 3. The WHPC would like to provide 1 to 2 historic plaques honoring the Rosenwald School 2 historic plaques at $2000.00 Rosenwald and their impact on Waxhaw history. In 1912, Booker T. Washington approached 1,000.00 each based on Plaque(s) philanthropist Julius Rosenwald about his concept to build rural schools needed for the cost of the recent African American children across the segregated south. Waxhaw once had a Rosenwald plaque for the Duncan School that stood on 2.25 acres and was located on Cureton Road off of Howie Mine McDonald House Road. The Town of Waxhaw contributed $1,785 towards the school along with the black community and Rosenwald who contributed $900 each. In 1954, the Supreme Court issued the decision to integrate public schools leaving the Rosenwald schools abandoned. Most of these schools have since been torn down and those that exist are rare. Goal 4. Monthly WHPC would like to publish articles in the Village News sharing current preservation N/A N/A Village News projects and other key information to help bring community awareness to the Article activities and responsibilities of the Historic Preservation Commission.

Page 35 of36 Page 3 of 4 Normal Business The state statues charge the historic preservation commission with considering Attorney fees for the $1,500.00 Item 1. Certificates of Appropriateness. Owners of local landmarks are required to obtain a Town Attorney to Certificates of certificate of appropriateness before making significant changes or additions, attend meetings where Appropriateness beginning new construction, or demolishing or relocating a property. The quasi‐judical Certificate commission’s review of proposed changes ensures that work on a designated of Appropriateness landmark is appropriate to the special character of the landmark. The WHPC cases are being decided. anticipates more Certificates of Appropriateness requests with increased local Fees for required landmark designations of properties in Waxhaw. Currently, a landmark designation mailing of notices to Normal Business report has commenced on the Water Tank. Training is required to ensure that the commission members are educated on quasi‐adjacent properties. NFocus quote for $900.00 Item 2. Training judicial processes that are required for Certificates of Appropriateness. member training for Members

TOTAL $54,000.00

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