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TOWN OF MORRISVILLE
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(NPS). Places considered for listing include historic structures and districts, cemeteries, and
archaeological sites. The Town has three structures identified in the NRHP: the Morrisville
Christian Church, the Williamson Page house, and the James M. Pugh House (NPS, 2014).
The Town has actively worked to preserve history as development has occurred. The Town
created a History Center, located in Town Hall to educate residents of the various phases of
the Town’s history and encourage appreciation of the Town’s historically significant sites.
The Morrisville Christian Church was renovated as a Town project in 2011 and approved for
listing on the NRHP in 2012. The James M. Pugh House was added to the Register in 2003.
Because of the improvements at the intersection of NC 54 and Morrisville-Carpenter Road,
the Pugh House was relocated to a nearby site that is visually prominent in the Town Center
area. The house relocation was coordinated with the State Historic Preservation Office
(SHPO). Town-funded renovation of the exterior of the of the Pugh House occurred in 2012,
and Wake County Landmark designation was obtained in 2013.
Town staff also worked with the developer of a shopping center site to relocate, before
construction took place, two tobacco barns that would have threatened the structures. One
of the barns was relocated to a Town-owned property for future site enhancement.
As of 2014, there have been almost 1,900 archaeological sites identified, ranging from Paleo-
Indain (10,000 BC) to 19th century industrial sites (NCDCR, 2014a)To support federal efforts
to protect historic places, the Town became a Certified Local Government (CLG). The
responsibilities of a CLG are:
Enforcement of appropriate State or local legislation for the designation and protection
of historic properties
Establishment of a historic preservation review commission
Maintenance of a system for the survey and inventory of historic properties that is
compatible with the statewide survey
Providing opportunities for public participation in the local program
As a CLG, the Town is eligible for grant money and can provide local expertise during the
nomination process for the NRHP. The Wake County Historic Preservation Commission has
jurisdiction over Morrisville (NCDCR, 2014b).
Looking to the future, the Town Center Plan creates a vision for the original center of
Morrisville, identifies historic neighborhoods to preserve and enhance, and proposes
preparation of Historic Preservation Guidelines for the area. The plan also identifies
significant open space areas, including a historic civil war battlefield.
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Air Quality
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) uses the Air Quality Index (AQI) to
report ambient air quality conditions. The AQI range includes good, moderate, unhealthy
for sensitive groups, unhealthy, and hazardous. In 2012, the median AQI in Wake County
was 42, or “good.” No days were considered unhealthy and 4 days were considered
unhealthy for sensitive populations (USEPA, 2012a).