20180422 Ver 1_NRHP Evaluation_20180323

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March 3, 2017

Grace Messinger
Piedmont Conservation Council, Inc.
721 Foster St., Room 228
Durham, NC 27701

Re: NRHP (Architecture) Evaluation of Vented Ford over Densons Creek, Glenn
Road, Troy, Montgomery County, North Carolina.

Dear Ms. Messinger:
New South Associates was contracted by the Piedmont Conservation Council, Inc., on
behalf of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to conduct cultural resources studies as part of
a proposal to replace the vented ford over Densons Creek on Glenn Road, Troy,
Montgomery County, North Carolina. New South was tasked with completing a National
Register of Historic Places (NRHP) evaluation for the vented ford and conducting a Phase I
Archaeological Survey. The results of the archaeological investigation will be presented in
a separate report. This letter report presents the findings of the NRHP architectural
evaluation of the vented ford. As result of the architectural investigation, New South
recommends that the Densons Creek vented ford is not eligible for the NRHP.
LOCATION
The subject property is the vented ford over Densons Creek, a tributary of the Little River,
approximately 2.5 miles east of the Montgomery County seat of Troy (Figure 1). Densons
Creek serves as the boundary between U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Uwharrie National Forest
Parcel U-798 (Montgomery County Parcel No. 7548 00 49 2378) on the west side of the
creek and a parcel owned by Edwards Timber Company, Inc. (Montgomery County Parcel
No. 7549 00 70 7565) on the east side.
METHODS
Prior to fieldwork, historic maps for Montgomery County were reviewed. Sources included:
historic aerial photography on file at the Montgomery County Soil and Water Conservation
District office in Troy; North Carolina Maps, an online collection of historic maps from the
North Carolina State Archives, the North Carolina Collection at the University of North
Carolina, Chapel Hill and the Outer Banks History Center; historic topographic maps and
aerial photographs from historicaerials.com and nationalmap.gov; and the U.S. Geological

2
Survey’s historical topographic map collection. The statewide architectural survey records
of the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office (HPO) were reviewed using the
HPOWEB, the HPO’s online GIS service. No previously recorded aboveground resources
were found within 0.5 mile of the vented ford. The land acquisition records for the parcel
on file at the Uhwarrie Ranger Station in Troy were also reviewed.
On January 27, 2017, Ellen Turco, New South Associates senior historian, visited the vented
ford, the Uhwarrie Ranger Station, and the Montgomery County Soil and Water
Conservation office in Troy. The purpose of the visit was to conduct background research
related to the vented ford and the parcels on either side of it and to photographically
document and measure the vented ford.
RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Description of Densons Creek Ford
The vented ford over Densons Creek was built sometime between 1956 and 1961. It is
accessed from USFS Parcel U-798, which is on the east side of Glenn Road and north of
Route 27, approximately 2.5 miles east of Troy. An unpaved road leads from a metal swing
gate on Glenn Road to Densons Creek and the vented ford. The road continues east across
Densons Creek to an abandoned logging camp owned by Edwards Timber Products, Inc.
The vented ford is a type of low water crossing that allows water to flow underneath the
road surface through a set of pipes or culverts. Figure 2 shows an example of a vented ford
at Plumas National Forest in California. Fords allow vehicles to drive over water at low
levels and are submerged during periods of extreme high water. The Densons Creek vented
ford is an intact example of a circa 1960 of multiple vent crossing. Many vented fords with
multiple, small diameter culverts were built from the 1960s to the 1980s throughout the
national forests (Clarkin et al. 2006:5–14). The Densons Creek ford has been resurfaced as
a part of routine maintenance (Smith 2016).
The ford is a slab of coarse gravel aggregate concrete pierced by thirteen, 20-inch diameter
round concrete culverts (see photos in Appendix A). The ford is 40 feet in length and 12 feet
across. There is about eight inches between the top of the culverts and the road surface.
The structure is pitched so that the upstream edge is about five degrees lower than the
downstream edge to prevent uplift during periods of high water. The creek embankments
have been infilled with concrete and local stone to control erosion.
HISTORY
The passage of the Weeks Act by Congress in 1911 authorized the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) to create national forests in the eastern U.S. The act created a
mechanism by which the federal government could safeguard navigable waterways by
protecting surrounding forests from development, deforestation, erosion, and fire.
Beginning in 1931, the USDA assembled tracts in Montgomery, Randolph, and Davidson
counties for the Uwharrie National Forest to buffer the Uwharrie, Yadkin, and Little River

3
watersheds (Patch et al. 2014:27–28). This land was placed under the management of the
USFS.
The USFS-owned tract on the west side of Densons Creek is identified in USFS records as
the Smitherman Tract. A portion of the tract, and the part that abuts Densons Creek at the
ford, can be first traced to William Stone, who was granted 100 acres from the British crown
on October 3, 1775 (U.S. Department of Agriculture 1938). In January 1938, the USDA
acquired a 367-tract from Mrs. Grace Brown and Mrs. Leta S. Trotter through a
condemnation proceeding. The cost to federal government was $3.40 per acre (U.S.
Department of Agriculture 1938). U.S. Census records indicate that Grace and Leta were
the married daughters of Samuel J. Smitherman (b. 1855; d. 1915) (North Carolina State
Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics 2007). Smitherman and his wife, Tamie, had 12
children. He was listed as both a farmer and merchant in U.S. Census entries collected
between 1880 and 1910 (U.S. Census Bureau 1910). In 1938, when the federal government
acquired the Smitherman tract, three buildings were described in the Acquisition
Examination Report: a “house in poor condition, a shed in poor condition and a barn in poor
condition.” These buildings were situated in a cleared area of “plow land” (U.S. Department
of Agriculture 1938) (Figure 3).
From 1937-1960, the 461-acre parcel on the east bank of Densons Creek at the ford was
owned by Thelma Allen King and John Carson King. Thelma had inherited the land from
her father, George Washington Allen (b.1847; d.1937) (North Carolina State Board of
Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics 2007). The 1940 U.S. Census identified Thelma Allen
King as living on Spring Street in Troy, suggesting she did not live on the parcel she had
inherited. After Thelma’s death, her estate was divided into three 145-acre tracts that were
left to the couple’s children: John C. King Jr., Helen King Nance, and Josephine King
McLaurin. Helen and her husband, Clyde Hurley Nance, received the southernmost tract,
known as parcel C, adjacent to the ford (Wright 1987). The Nances maintained ownership
of the parcel until 1999. It is now owned by the Edwards Timber Company (Montgomery
County Register of Deeds 2017).
The earliest known aerial photograph showing the Smitherman and Edwards Lumber
(formerly King) parcels dates from November 1938, just a few months after the government
acquired the land from the Smitherman heirs. The photography shows at least one building
in a clearing west of the present day ford in a location corresponding to the 1935 land use
map prepared by the USDA prior to purchase (Figure 4). By 1950, when the next aerial
photograph was made, the building appears to be gone and the clearing was in the process of
revegetating (Figure 4). The parcel on the east side of the creek does not show signs of
occupation or cultivation. The vented ford first appears in an aerial photograph made in
1961, as does the unpaved access road leading from Glenn Road to the ford (Figure 4).
Since available aerial photographs place the date of construction between 1956 and 1961, it
can be deduced that Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Company 2410, which was
stationed in Troy and known to be working in the Uwharrie Mountains building camps,
trails, bridges and other forest infrastructure between 1933 and 1934, was not responsible
for construction of the Densons Creek vented ford (Espenshade and Price 2007:14–16)
Figure 5 illustrates the CCC Vented Ford surveyed in Espenshade and Price (2007). Figure
6 shows the distance from the Densons Creek Vented Ford to the CCC Vented Ford.

4
The ford’s location across Densons Creek between the USFS and the King parcels make it
plausible that one or both parties financed its construction, although research conducted as
part of this investigation could not established this with certainty. Perhaps the bridge was
built to facilitate logging on the King’s parcel as forest products were, and continue to be,
part of the local economy.
NATIONAL REGISTER EVALUATION
Properties can be eligible for the NRHP under Criterion A if they are associated with a
significant event or pattern of events that have made contributions to history at the local,
state, or national level. Research suggests, but does not establish, that the Densons Creek
vented ford was built for vehicular access to the King parcel, which did not otherwise have
road access. The construction of the ford to access a privately-held parcel was not a
significant event in local history. Therefore, the Densons Creek vented ford is recommended
not eligible for the NRHP under Criterion A.
Properties can be eligible for the NRHP if they are associated with persons significant
within community, state, or national historic contexts. The King family, owners of the
parcel during the period of construction, were not found to have played a demonstrably
significant role in the history in the local community. Therefore, the Densons Creek vented
ford is recommended not eligible under Criterion B.
Properties may be eligible under Criterion C if they embody the distinctive characteristics of
a type, period, or method of construction, or represent the work of a master, or possess high
artistic value. The Densons Creek vented ford is a typical vented ford design lacking in
distinguishing decorative, design, or engineering details. It is one of hundreds maintained
on federal land for vehicular travel during times of low water flow. Therefore, the Densons
Creek vented ford is recommended not eligible under Criterion C.
It is unlikely that additional study of Densons Creek vented ford would yield any
unretrieved data not discoverable through archival sources. Therefore, the Densons Creek
vented ford is recommended not eligible under Criterion D.
No additional work is recommended.
If you have any questions about this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me at 919-219-
1489 or [e-mail]
Sincerely,
NEW SOUTH ASSOCIATES, INC.

Ellen Turco,
Senior Architectural Historian

5
REFERENCES CITED
Clarkin, Kim, Gordon Keller, Terry Warhol, and Suzan Hixon
2006 Low-Water Crossings: Geomorphic, Biological, and Engineering Design
Considerations. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.
Espenshade, Christopher T. and David L. Price
2007 Rehabilitation of FDR 5597 from SR 1179 to FDR 544, Uwharrie National Forest.
Report Prepared for Kimley-Horn and Associates, Raleigh, North Carolina. Report
available from New South Associates, Inc., Stone Mountain, Georgia.
Montgomery County Register of Deeds
2017 Montgomery County Register of Deeds, Deed Book Page 375. Montgomery County
Register of Deeds, Clarksville, Tennessee.
North Carolina State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics
2007 North Carolina, Death Certificates, 1909-1976. Online Database, Ancestry.com
Operations, Inc., Provo, Utah.
Patch, Shawn M., Ellen Turco, and Michael Worthington
2014 National Register Evaluations of Four Sites in the Uwharrie Ranger District,
Montgomery County, North Carolina. Report prepared for the USDA Forest Service,
Troy, North Carolina. Report available from New South Associates, Inc., Stone
Mountain, Georgia, July.
Smith, Rodney
2016 January 27 Interview by Ellen Turco. January.
U.S. Census Bureau
1910 Thirteenth (1910) United States Federal Census. Online database. Ancestry.com
Operations, Inc., Provo, Utah.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
1938 USDA Land Acquisition files for Uwharrie National Forest: Smitherman, S.J. et al
#798. On file at the Uwharrie Ranger Station, Troy, North Carolina.
Wright, James L.
1987 Plat of the Thelma Allen King Estate Known as the Old Allen Homeplace. Plat. Troy
Township, Montgomery County, North Carolina, September.
Figure 1.
Location Map Showing USFS Parcel No. U-798 and Location of Densons Creek Vented Ford
¼Ford
NCHwy2427E
Survey Area
Edwards Timber Co. Property
U.S. Forest Service Property
$0 0.25 0.5 Miles
0 0.3 0.6 Kilometers
North Carolina
Montgomery Co.
Source: USGS Topographic Quadrangle Map, Biscoe, NC (1984)
Gle
n
n
R
d
6
Figure 2.
Murdock Vented Ford at Plumas National Forest, California
7
Figure 3.
Section of 1935 USDA Land Use Map Showing Boundary of 367-Acre Smitherman Tract
Structures
Referenced
Structures
Referenced
8
¼Building
¼Ford Location
1938 Aerial
Source: Montgomery County Soil and Water Conservation, Troy, North Carolina¼Building Location
¼Ford Location
1950 Aerial
¼Ford
1961 Aerial
$0 500 1,000 Feet
0 150 300 Meters
Figure 4.
Historic Aerial Photographs of Smitherman Tract
9
Figure 5.
CCC Vented Ford at FDR 597 (Removed), Uwharrie National Forest
Source: Espenshade and Price 2007
10
Figure 6.
Locations of CCC Vented Ford and Densons Creek Vented Ford
!
Denson's Ford
NCHwy2427E
CCC Vented Ford
$0 1 2 Miles
0 1.5 3 Kilometers
North Carolina
Montgomery Co.
Source: USGS Topographic Quadrangle Map, Morrow Mountain (1979), Troy (1983), Biscoe (1984), Handy (1981),
Eleazer (1976), Seagrove (1977), Badin (1979), Lovejoy (1984), Star (1984), North Carolina
11

APPENDIX A. PHOTOGRAPHS AND SURVEY SITE FORM
Denson's Creek Vented Ford
The vented ford over Denson’s Creek was built sometime between 1956 and 1961. It is accessed from U.S.
Forest Service Parcel U-798, which is on the east side of Glenn Road and north of Route 27, approximately
2.5 miles east of the Montgomery County seat of Troy. An unpaved road leads from a metal swing gate on
Glenn Road to Denson’s Creek and the vented ford. The road continues east Denson’s Creek to an
abandoned logging camp owned by Edwards Timber Products, Inc.
The vented ford is a type of low water crossing that allows water to flow underneath the road surface
through a set of pipes or culverts. Fords allow vehicles to drive over water at low levels. Fords are
submerged during periods of extreme high water. The Denson’s Creek vented ford is an intact example a
circa 1960 of multiple vent crossing. Many vented fords with multiple, small diameter culverts were built
from the 1960s to the 1980s throughout the national forests (lowwater.indd pages5-14). The Denson’s
Creek ford has been resurfaced as a part of routine maintenance (Smith 2016).
The ford is a slab of coarse gravel aggregate concrete pierced by thirteen, 20” diameter round concrete
culverts (see photos in Appendix A). The ford is 40’ feet in length and 12’ across. There is about 8”
between the top of the culverts and the road surface. The structure is pitched so that the upstream edge is
about 5 degrees lower than the downstream edge to prevent uplift during periods of high water. The creek
embankments have been infilled with concrete and local stone to control erosion.
History
Property Name:
Town/vicinity:
Location Description:
Local Status:
Troy vicinity
Street or 911 Address:
Recommended for SL StudyList SLDate:
DOE DOEDate:
NR NRDate:
Principal Resource Material Integrity:High Condition:Good Location Integrity:Original
Architectural Data:
Major Style Group(s)none
Construction:Concrete
Ext. Material:Not specified Later Covering:
Height:Roof:Plan:Core Form (Domestic):
Design Source and attribution:Not specified
Date(s):ca. 1961
None () District:
Major Theme:Conservation 2nd Theme:Industry
Group Association:Religious Affiliation
Historic Function:Transportation - other
Ownership:Public - federal
Written Summary:
Historic Property Survey Summary
North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office
MontgomeryCounty:
MG155
None
SSN:
NR #:
7548 00 49 2378PIN:
X:Y:
DOT Project #:
Update Mo:02 Yr:2017
No Alt Alt Det
Outbldg Loss
Rehab
Removed
No Acc.Not Fnd FileMsg
Needs Resch.
Quad:
OSA#:
Local District:
NRdate:SLdate:DOEdate:District Dates:
Newly ID'dBlockface#
over Denson's Creek approx 2. 5 miles east of Troy
DOE Type:
Wednesday, March 01, 2017
The passage of the Weeks Act by Congress in 1911 authorized the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
to create national forests in the eastern United States. The act created a mechanism by which the federal
government could safeguard navigable waterways by protecting surrounding forests from development,
deforestation, erosion and fire. Beginning in the 1931, the USDA assembled tracts in Montgomery,
Randolph and Davidson counties for the Uwharrie National Forest to buffer the Uwharrie, Yadkin, and Little
River watersheds (Patch et al. 2014:27–28). This land was placed under the management of the U.S. Forest
Service (USFS).
The USFS-owned tract on the west side of Denson’s Creek is identified in USFS records as the Smitherman
Tract. A portion of the tract, and the part that abuts Denson’s Creek at the ford, can be first traced to
William Stone, who was granted 100 acres from the British crown on October 3, 1775 (United States
Department of Agriculture 1938). In January of 1938, the USDA acquired a 367-tract from Mrs. Grace
Brown and Mrs. Leta S. Trotter through a condemnation proceeding. The cost to federal government was
$3.40 per acre (United States Department of Agriculture 1938). U.S. Census records indicate that Grace and
Leta were the married daughters of Samuel J. Smitherman (b. 1855; d. 1915) (Smitherman). Smitherman
and his wife, Tamie, had twelve children. He was listed as both a farmer and merchant in U.S. Census
entries collected between 1880 and 1910 (U.S. Census Bureau 1880, 1900,1910). In 1938, when the federal
government acquired the Smitherman tract, three structures were described in the Acquisition Examination
Report: a “house in poor condition, a shed in poor condition and a barn in poor condition.” These structures
were situated in a cleared area of “plow land” (United States Department of Agriculture 1938)
From 1937 to 1960 the 461-acre parcel on the east bank of Denson’s Creek at the ford was by Thelma Allen
King and John Carson King. Thelma had inherited the land from her father, George Washington Allen
(b.1847; d.1937) (Allen 2017). The 1940 U.S. Census counts Thelma Allen King living on Spring Street in
Troy, suggesting not living on the parcel she had inherited. After Thelma’s death, her estate was divided into
three 145-acre tracts that were left to the couple’s children, John C. King Jr., Helen King Nance and
Josephine King McLaurin. Helen and her husband, Clyde Hurley Nance, received the southern most tract,
known as parcel C, adjacent to the ford (Wright 1987). The parcel passed from the Nances around 1999 and
is now owned by the Edwards Timber Company (Montgomery County NC Register of Deeds; book 375;
page 23).
The earliest known aerial photograph showing the Smitherman tract and Edwards Lumber parcels dates from
November 1938, just a few months after the government acquired the land from the Smitherman heirs. The
photography shows a least one structure in a clearing west of the present day ford in a location
corresponding to the 1935 land use map prepared by the USDA prior to purchase (Figure 3). By 1950,
when the next aerial photograph was made, the building appears to be gone and the clearing was in the
process of revegetating (Figure 4). The parcel on the east side of the creek does not show signs of
occupation or cultivation. The vented ford first appears in an aerial photograph made in 1961, as does the
unpaved access road leading from Glenn Road to the ford (Figure 5). Since available aerial photographs
place the date of construction between 1956 and 1961, it can be deduced that Civilian Conservation Corps
Company 2410, which was stationed in Troy and known to be working in the Uwharrie Mountains building
camps, trails, bridges and other forest infrastructure between 1933 and 1934, was not responsible for
construction of the Denson’s Creek vented ford (Espenshade and Price 2007:14–16).
The ford’s location across Denson’s Creek between the USFS and the King parcels make it plausible that
one or both parties financed its construction, although research conducted as part of this investigation could
not established this with certainty. Perhaps the bridge was built to facilitate logging on the King’s parcel as
forest products were and continue to be part of the local economy.
National Register Evaluation
Properties can be eligible for the NRHP under Criterion A if they are associated with a significant event or
pattern of events that have made contributions to history at the local, state, or national level. Research
suggests, but does not establish, that the Denson’s Creek vented ford was built for vehicular access to the
Wednesday, March 01, 2017
King parcel, which did not otherwise have road access. The constructing of the ford to access a privately-
held parcel was not a significant event in local history Therefore, the Denson’s Creek vented ford is
recommended not eligible for the NRHP under Criterion A.
Properties can be eligible for the NRHP if they are associated with persons significant within community,
state, or national historic contexts. The King family, owners of the parcel during the period of construction,
were not found to have played a demonstrably significant role in the history in the local community.
Therefore, the Denson’s Creek vented ford is recommended not eligible under Criterion B.
Properties may be eligible under Criterion C if they embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period,
or method of construction, or represent the work of a master, or possess high artistic value. The Denson’s
Creek vented ford is a typical vented ford design lacking in distinguishing decorative, design or engineering
details. It is one of hundreds maintained on federal land for vehicular travel during times of low water flow.
Therefore, the Denson’s Creek vented ford is recommended not eligible under Criterion C.
It is unlikely that additional study of Denson’s Creek vented ford would yield any unretrieved data not
discoverable through archival sources. Therefore, the Denson’s Creek vented ford is recommended not
eligible under Criterion D.
Outbuildings/Features
Actions
Year Month Surveyor Action/Report
2017 Feb Eturco/NewSouth USFS to replace ford
Wednesday, March 01, 2017
Photograph 1. Looking East from Access Road Off of Glenn Road to Densons Creek Vented Ford
Photograph 2. Looking East from Access Road Off of Glenn Road to Densons Creek Vented Ford
0 5 10 Feet
0 20 40 Feet
Photograph 3. Looking South Downstream to Densons Creek Vented Ford
Photograph 4. Looking North Upstream to Densons Creek Vented Ford
0 10 20 Feet
0 10 20 Feet
Photograph 5. Looking West
Photograph 6. Looking Northeast Upstream to from East Bank of Densons Creek to Vented Ford
0 5 10 Feet
0 10 20 Feet
Photograph 7. Detail of Aggregate Concrete
Photograph 8. Detail of Culverts Looking Northwest
0 .05 1 Foot
0 .05 1 Foot
Photographs 9. Detail of Culverts
Photograph 10. Fill at East Embankment
0
0
1
1
2 Feet
2 Feet