Preservationists in Polk County are hoping to raise awareness of historic architecture in the southern foothills region by organizing a new preservation trust.

More protection for historic structures is needed to counter growth and development as it extends along the 70-mile corridor linking Asheville and Spartanburg, says Kipp McIntyre, a Preservation North Carolina board member and economic development director for Polk County.

Kipp McIntyre speaking at Mill Farm

"In Tryon, specifically, we have an enormous concentration of historic architecture, and much of it is extremely unique," McIntyre says.   "This architecture is typically a blend of more traditional styles with a distinct North Carolina leisure style of architecture. Some even has deep roots in Chicago and Detroit, because Tryon was an important train stop in the foothills."

The need to enhance countywide and regional historic preservation efforts grew out of a May event at Mill Farm Inn, where owners James Blanton and Gary Corn celebrated the inn's recent listing on the National Register of Historic Places. McIntyre served as guest speaker for the gathering, which included owners of Historic Register properties throughout Polk County.

"As I spoke to the group at the Mill Farm Inn, I saw a group of individuals working hard to protect and preserve these exquisite structures, and I talked about how the surrounding, smaller structures need to be protected, as well," McIntyre says. "In our comprehensive planning for the county, we have seen more and more a need for individuals to understand the unique nature of the architecture that is here. We're especially worried about extremely vulnerable structures, such as small gas stations and fruit stands up and down Highway 176."

Carolina Foothills Preservation Foundation has been suggested as a name for the organization, although official steps have not yet been taken toward forming the proposed nonprofit group, Corn says.

"We're hoping soon to have a planning session so we can all get together and decide the name and where we are going with it," Corn says.

Among ideas being advanced by the group is establishment of a restoration skills program at Isothermal Community College in Spindale. The program would be based on a similar program at Edgecombe Community College.

"If we don't begin to work at the most fundamental level with the construction industry, to give them the skills and tools to do what they do best with historic properties, we will be relegating ourselves to accepting whatever new development is coming down the pike," McIntyre says.

Blanton, of Mill Farm Inn, recently met with staff members at the Bountiful Neighborhood Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (BNESCO) to discuss ways of identifying buildings in need of restoration and how to use them as hands-on job training opportunities in a partnership involving the community college, BNESCO and the Growing America Through Entreprenueruism (GATE) program.

Read more about Mill Farm Inn here.

Renee Elder is Communications Director for Preservation North Carolina. Contact her at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it