Oak Ridge, North Carolina
Encyclopedia
Oak Ridge is a town in northwestern Guilford County
, North Carolina
, United States
. The population was 3,988 at the 2000 census
. As of 2010, the US Census Bureau indicated that the population had risen to 6,185 http://2010.census.gov/2010census/popmap/. The Oak Ridge Military Academy
, a private, coed, college-preparatory military boarding school
, was established here in 1852. It is the third-oldest military school in the nation still in operation, and it is the official military school of North Carolina, as designated by the state legislature. Until the late 1990s the Oak Ridge area was mostly rural farmland, with numerous tobacco and strawberry farms. However, since its incorporation as a town in 1998, Oak Ridge has undergone rapid population growth. Many of the area's farms have been sold to developers and turned into upper-class housing developments, and several shopping centers have been built around the military academy
. One rural pastime which is still popular in Oak Ridge is the raising and breeding of horses; each Easter
weekend the town hosts a popular horse show.
. It was along this route in 1781 that General Cornwallis' men passed by Oak Ridge farms on maneuvers that led them to Guilford Courthouse to fight the last battle of the American Revolutionary War
before Yorktown
and surrender.
In the second half of the 18th century, western Guilford County was settled largely by Quakers migrating from Pennsylvania
and Nantucket Island and by pioneers
out of Virginia
. They were described as being "orderly, law-abiding, religious" and, by evidence of their prosperous farms and commodious homes, hard-working."
In the early 1820s, the citizens of Oak Ridge established a nine-month school in a one-room cabin. Their desire to provide quality education for their children led in 1851 to the founding of the Oak Ridge Institute
, described as "a school of high classical standing." The community raised $700.00 to erect a large school house on land donated by Allen Lowery on a knoll along the former colonial route that had become the Danville-Salisbury stagecoach
road, now known as Oak Ridge Road or N.C. Highway 150, where Oak Ridge Elementary School is now located.
The community surrounding the Academy retains much of its rural quality in the presence of land continuously farmed since its settlement. Before the mid-nineteenth century, the predominantly Quaker community was largely isolated politically, culturally and geographically from the plantation
and slave owning eastern regions of North Carolina
that dominated the state legislature. The economic base of the county remained essentially unchanged until after the Civil War
. In many respects it remains representative of the agrarian society of antebellum Piedmont
North Carolina
.
Through the Benbow family, Oak Ridge has also been associated with the early development of the state's textile
industry. Charles Benbow and his brother-in-law, Jesse Saunders, established Benbow & Co. in 1837 to operate the Cross Creek Textile Mill in Fayetteville. Charles was also a principal owner of the West Plank Road Company whose nearby Bethania-Fayetteville timbered highway opened Oak Ridge to the commerce and culture of eastern North Carolina. Charles's son, Jesse Benbow, was known as a progressive farmer who introduced mechanized agriculture
with the reaper
and wheat drill to the area.
Like others in the Society of Friends, Oak Ridge Quakers struggled against slavery
, even purchasing slaves in order to free them. Legend suggests that Jesse Benbow hid slaves in his house along the abolitionist "Underground Railroad
" heading north.
What is more certain is that Charles and his sons linked a commitment to quality education
to progressive social attitudes. They were founders and trustees of the New Garden Friends Boarding School
(which became Guilford College
, the second oldest coeducational college in the United States
). After establishing Oak Ridge Institute
, the Benbows, with other Oak Ridge residents, boarded students in their homes. Contributing houses throughout the Oak Ridge Historic District
have long been associated with the school, as either the homes of founders and trustees, boarding houses, or the residences of principals, teachers
, and officials.
For most of two centuries, the business and social affairs of Oak Ridge residents have centered around the farm
and such institutions of the rural
lifestyle as the crossroads general store
and the local gristmill
. Evidence of such emphasis on these community focal points can still be found at the intersection of present-day Linville Road and Oak Ridge Road. Here, at the heart of the old community, are the neoclassical
-style Oak Ridge Elementary School
(erected in 1924), a small grocery store
and filling station
(1951), and two early farmhouses (c. 1863 and 1928). The Old Mill of Guilford, dating from the mid-to-late 18th century, is located a short distance south of the Historic District on N.C. 68. It is one of the oldest mills still operating commercially in the United States
today.
itself, which has received financial assistance for construction, equipment, and youth sports programs.
The Horse Show thus is a living testament to the ready self-reliance that built the first school and nurtured the Institute
that became today's Oak Ridge Military Academy. Its theme recalls agrarian origins, and its purposes sustain a tradition of service that shapes the civic character of new generations of inhabitants.
versions of the styles they represent. It makes for an interesting mix in a rural village landscape.
The Charles Benbow House, the earliest surviving structure in the District, is a two-story Flemish
bond brick home of traditional Quaker
plan with eclectic
vernacular
detailing, including Georgian
, Federal
and Greek Revival elements. His son Jesse Benbow , built a more refined Greek Revival four-square home in 1858 on land inherited from his father. This structure has been described as being "expressive of the Guilford citizen's preference in architecture
as in lifestyle for simplicity, modesty, and the fundamental elements."
The Oak Ridge Military Academy
has several exemplary Neoclassical and Colonial Revival brick institutional buildings, as well as vernacular
frame structures. Most of the sixteen buildings on the 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) campus
were erected in the pre-Depression decades of the 20th century. Although many of the buildings have been updated and renovated, as a group they reflect the school's transformation from a classical preparatory
and business school to today's military oriented definition of the educational program.
There are two distinctive houses associated with the Institute's
(as it was previously known) administrators. Maple Glade is the stately Neoclassical home built in 1905 for the principal, J. Allen Holt. Oakhurst, the elaborate Queen Anne home at the eastern edge of campus, designed by state-wide noted architect Frank P. Milburn, was constructed in 1897 for Holt's brother and co-principal, Martin H. Holt.
West of the campus and just east of the Charles Benbow House, around the intersection of Oak Ridge Road and Linville Road, is an important collection of architectural styles including the 1863 log I-house
belonging originally to the Moore family, the 1898 Neoclassical Robert M. Stafford House with its large vernacular
doric
-style columns, a late 19th or early 20th century folk-victorian L-plan farmhouse, the 1924 National Folk side gable J.F. Linville House, the 1925 Craftsman
brick house of Robert A. Stafford, and the 1937 Colonial Revival Sheriff David B. Stafford House. Together at the old community crossroads they record an evolution of residential styles in the rural Piedmont
.
Across the Historic District, however, the modest building style, known as National Folk, predominates. Many earlier forms established in log or heavy-hewn timber
houses persisted, but the newer structures used techniques permitting lighter materials. Although most of these buildings may not be considered notable on an individual basis, they are as a collection valuable as part of the rural context and its architectural evolution.
The evolution of the National Folk style is apparent in the variety of its forms in the Historic District. Among the more understated examples are those found near and on the Academy campus. These one-story frame structures, such as the 1910 Brendle House and the c. 1925 Commandant's House were built as housing for Institute
staff. The Brendle House exemplifies the two rooms wide and one room deep hall-and-parlor plan
, with Craftsman
-style influence in the exposed rafter ends. The Commandant's House bears the massed-plan, side-gabled form, its two-room depth made possible by new lighter weight rook framing. Another variation is found in the former home of Institute
secretary Dorsey L. Nance west of campus and N.C. 68. The latest example, built in 1945 by Colonel Zack L. Whitaker as Commandant housing, lies east of the campus, and was influenced by the then popular Cape Cod
variation of the Colonial Revival style which had small side porches rather than a full-facade shed roof porch.
The District has three examples of the National Folk I-house
form, the two-story version of the hall-and-parlor plan: the 1898 Zack L. Whitaker House, the 1920 Barrow/Brown House, and the undated structure at the corner of Linville and Scoggins roads. These examples have two exterior end chimneys.
The unusual -story Craftsman
-style house of D. Lanier Donnell, Sr., was built in 1923 entirely of locally gathered fieldstone. Nearby, the 1933 R.P. Larkin and 1919 J.L. Sawyer houses represent interesting vernacular
variations on the Colonial Revival style.
More than 400 acres (1.6 km²) comprise the district, contributing some 70 historical resources in pre-1945 primary and accessory structures and open parcels of traditionally farmed lands. The Oak Ridge Military Academy
National Historic District lies within the Oak Ridge District.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 14.7 square miles (38.1 km²), of which, 14.7 square miles (38.1 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.27%) is water.
of 2000, there were 3,988 people, 1,382 households, and 1,173 families residing in the town. The population density
was 271.9 people per square mile (105.0/km²). There were 1,462 housing units at an average density of 99.7 per square mile (38.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.48% White, 4.21% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.73% Asian,, 0.63% from other races
, and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.30% of the population.
There were 1,382 households out of which 44.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.4% were married couples
living together, 4.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.1% were non-families. 11.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $74,609, and the median income for a family was $82,070. Males had a median income of $56,250 versus $35,952 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $29,346. About 2.2% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.
, contestant and singer from American Idol
, known for the hit song "It's Not Over
"
Kevin Harvick
, NASCAR
driver #29
David Juggernaut Siedel, the leading National Forensics league coach in the state of North Carolina for the last five years.
Guilford County, North Carolina
Guilford County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In 2010, the Census Bureau estimated the county's population to be 491,230. Its seat is Greensboro. Since 1938, an additional county court has been located in High Point, North Carolina, making Guilford one of only a handful...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 3,988 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. As of 2010, the US Census Bureau indicated that the population had risen to 6,185 http://2010.census.gov/2010census/popmap/. The Oak Ridge Military Academy
Oak Ridge Military Academy
' is a college-preparatory military school in northwestern Guilford County, North Carolina. The academy is located within the town limits of Oak Ridge, North Carolina, which is named after the school...
, a private, coed, college-preparatory military boarding school
Military academy
A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps of the army, the navy, air force or coast guard, which normally provides education in a service environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned.Three...
, was established here in 1852. It is the third-oldest military school in the nation still in operation, and it is the official military school of North Carolina, as designated by the state legislature. Until the late 1990s the Oak Ridge area was mostly rural farmland, with numerous tobacco and strawberry farms. However, since its incorporation as a town in 1998, Oak Ridge has undergone rapid population growth. Many of the area's farms have been sold to developers and turned into upper-class housing developments, and several shopping centers have been built around the military academy
Oak Ridge Military Academy
' is a college-preparatory military school in northwestern Guilford County, North Carolina. The academy is located within the town limits of Oak Ridge, North Carolina, which is named after the school...
. One rural pastime which is still popular in Oak Ridge is the raising and breeding of horses; each Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
weekend the town hosts a popular horse show.
History
For centuries before European settlers arrived, the natural beauty of the Oak Ridge area was a backdrop for human habitation. Tradition holds—and archeological evidence bears it out—that the crest of the ridge, which runs from the southwest some fifty miles to present-day Reidsville in the northeast, was well used by Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. It was along this route in 1781 that General Cornwallis' men passed by Oak Ridge farms on maneuvers that led them to Guilford Courthouse to fight the last battle of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
before Yorktown
Siege of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown, Battle of Yorktown, or Surrender of Yorktown in 1781 was a decisive victory by a combined assault of American forces led by General George Washington and French forces led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis...
and surrender.
In the second half of the 18th century, western Guilford County was settled largely by Quakers migrating from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and Nantucket Island and by pioneers
American pioneer
American pioneers are any of the people in American history who migrated west to join in settling and developing new areas. The term especially refers to those who were going to settle any territory which had previously not been settled or developed by European or American society, although the...
out of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. They were described as being "orderly, law-abiding, religious" and, by evidence of their prosperous farms and commodious homes, hard-working."
In the early 1820s, the citizens of Oak Ridge established a nine-month school in a one-room cabin. Their desire to provide quality education for their children led in 1851 to the founding of the Oak Ridge Institute
Oak Ridge Military Academy
' is a college-preparatory military school in northwestern Guilford County, North Carolina. The academy is located within the town limits of Oak Ridge, North Carolina, which is named after the school...
, described as "a school of high classical standing." The community raised $700.00 to erect a large school house on land donated by Allen Lowery on a knoll along the former colonial route that had become the Danville-Salisbury stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
road, now known as Oak Ridge Road or N.C. Highway 150, where Oak Ridge Elementary School is now located.
The community surrounding the Academy retains much of its rural quality in the presence of land continuously farmed since its settlement. Before the mid-nineteenth century, the predominantly Quaker community was largely isolated politically, culturally and geographically from the plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
and slave owning eastern regions of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
that dominated the state legislature. The economic base of the county remained essentially unchanged until after the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. In many respects it remains representative of the agrarian society of antebellum Piedmont
Piedmont (United States)
The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the eastern United States between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New Jersey in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division...
North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
.
Through the Benbow family, Oak Ridge has also been associated with the early development of the state's textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
industry. Charles Benbow and his brother-in-law, Jesse Saunders, established Benbow & Co. in 1837 to operate the Cross Creek Textile Mill in Fayetteville. Charles was also a principal owner of the West Plank Road Company whose nearby Bethania-Fayetteville timbered highway opened Oak Ridge to the commerce and culture of eastern North Carolina. Charles's son, Jesse Benbow, was known as a progressive farmer who introduced mechanized agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
with the reaper
Reaper
A reaper is a person or machine that reaps crops at harvest, when they are ripe.-Hand reaping:Hand reaping is done by various means, including plucking the ears of grains directly by hand, cutting the grain stalks with a sickle, cutting them with a scythe, or with a later type of scythe called a...
and wheat drill to the area.
Like others in the Society of Friends, Oak Ridge Quakers struggled against slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
, even purchasing slaves in order to free them. Legend suggests that Jesse Benbow hid slaves in his house along the abolitionist "Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
" heading north.
What is more certain is that Charles and his sons linked a commitment to quality education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
to progressive social attitudes. They were founders and trustees of the New Garden Friends Boarding School
Guilford College
Guilford College, founded in 1837 by members of the Religious Society of Friends , is an independent college whose stated mission is to: provide a transformative, practical and excellent liberal arts education that produces critical thinkers in an inclusive, diverse environment, guided by Quaker...
(which became Guilford College
Guilford College
Guilford College, founded in 1837 by members of the Religious Society of Friends , is an independent college whose stated mission is to: provide a transformative, practical and excellent liberal arts education that produces critical thinkers in an inclusive, diverse environment, guided by Quaker...
, the second oldest coeducational college in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
). After establishing Oak Ridge Institute
Oak Ridge Military Academy
' is a college-preparatory military school in northwestern Guilford County, North Carolina. The academy is located within the town limits of Oak Ridge, North Carolina, which is named after the school...
, the Benbows, with other Oak Ridge residents, boarded students in their homes. Contributing houses throughout the Oak Ridge Historic District
Historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
have long been associated with the school, as either the homes of founders and trustees, boarding houses, or the residences of principals, teachers
Teachers
Teachers may refer to:* Teachers, people who provide schooling for pupils and students* Teachers , one of the five Ascension Gift Ministries* Teachers , a British sitcom* Teachers Teachers may refer to:* Teachers, people who provide schooling for pupils and students* Teachers (ministry), one of the...
, and officials.
For most of two centuries, the business and social affairs of Oak Ridge residents have centered around the farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
and such institutions of the rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
lifestyle as the crossroads general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
and the local gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
. Evidence of such emphasis on these community focal points can still be found at the intersection of present-day Linville Road and Oak Ridge Road. Here, at the heart of the old community, are the neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
-style Oak Ridge Elementary School
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
(erected in 1924), a small grocery store
Grocery store
A grocery store is a store that retails food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells these "groceries" to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are...
and filling station
Filling station
A filling station, also known as a fueling station, garage, gasbar , gas station , petrol bunk , petrol pump , petrol garage, petrol kiosk , petrol station "'servo"' in Australia or service station, is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants...
(1951), and two early farmhouses (c. 1863 and 1928). The Old Mill of Guilford, dating from the mid-to-late 18th century, is located a short distance south of the Historic District on N.C. 68. It is one of the oldest mills still operating commercially in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
today.
Oak Ridge Horse Show
Each spring, the public school grounds host the Oak Ridge Easter Horse Show, held annually since 1945 to raise funds for community projects. A major beneficiary has been the Elementary SchoolElementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
itself, which has received financial assistance for construction, equipment, and youth sports programs.
The Horse Show thus is a living testament to the ready self-reliance that built the first school and nurtured the Institute
Oak Ridge Military Academy
' is a college-preparatory military school in northwestern Guilford County, North Carolina. The academy is located within the town limits of Oak Ridge, North Carolina, which is named after the school...
that became today's Oak Ridge Military Academy. Its theme recalls agrarian origins, and its purposes sustain a tradition of service that shapes the civic character of new generations of inhabitants.
Architectural History
The Oak Ridge community has representative buildings of most of the architectural styles developed in America since 1800. For the most part, they are understated, vernacularVernacular
A vernacular is the native language or native dialect of a specific population, as opposed to a language of wider communication that is not native to the population, such as a national language or lingua franca.- Etymology :The term is not a recent one...
versions of the styles they represent. It makes for an interesting mix in a rural village landscape.
The Charles Benbow House, the earliest surviving structure in the District, is a two-story Flemish
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
bond brick home of traditional Quaker
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
plan with eclectic
Eclecticism in art
Eclecticism is a kind of mixed style in the fine arts: "the borrowing of a variety of styles from different sources and combining them" . Significantly, Eclecticism hardly ever constituted a specific style in art: it is characterized by the fact that it was not a particular style...
vernacular
Vernacular
A vernacular is the native language or native dialect of a specific population, as opposed to a language of wider communication that is not native to the population, such as a national language or lingua franca.- Etymology :The term is not a recent one...
detailing, including Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
, Federal
Federal architecture
Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...
and Greek Revival elements. His son Jesse Benbow , built a more refined Greek Revival four-square home in 1858 on land inherited from his father. This structure has been described as being "expressive of the Guilford citizen's preference in architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
as in lifestyle for simplicity, modesty, and the fundamental elements."
The Oak Ridge Military Academy
Oak Ridge Military Academy
' is a college-preparatory military school in northwestern Guilford County, North Carolina. The academy is located within the town limits of Oak Ridge, North Carolina, which is named after the school...
has several exemplary Neoclassical and Colonial Revival brick institutional buildings, as well as vernacular
Vernacular
A vernacular is the native language or native dialect of a specific population, as opposed to a language of wider communication that is not native to the population, such as a national language or lingua franca.- Etymology :The term is not a recent one...
frame structures. Most of the sixteen buildings on the 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
were erected in the pre-Depression decades of the 20th century. Although many of the buildings have been updated and renovated, as a group they reflect the school's transformation from a classical preparatory
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
and business school to today's military oriented definition of the educational program.
There are two distinctive houses associated with the Institute's
Oak Ridge Military Academy
' is a college-preparatory military school in northwestern Guilford County, North Carolina. The academy is located within the town limits of Oak Ridge, North Carolina, which is named after the school...
(as it was previously known) administrators. Maple Glade is the stately Neoclassical home built in 1905 for the principal, J. Allen Holt. Oakhurst, the elaborate Queen Anne home at the eastern edge of campus, designed by state-wide noted architect Frank P. Milburn, was constructed in 1897 for Holt's brother and co-principal, Martin H. Holt.
West of the campus and just east of the Charles Benbow House, around the intersection of Oak Ridge Road and Linville Road, is an important collection of architectural styles including the 1863 log I-house
I-house
The I-house is a vernacular house type, popular in the United States from the colonial period onward. The I-house was so named in the 1930s by Fred Kniffen, a specialist in folk architecture who identified and analyzed the type in his 1936 study of Louisiana house types...
belonging originally to the Moore family, the 1898 Neoclassical Robert M. Stafford House with its large vernacular
Vernacular
A vernacular is the native language or native dialect of a specific population, as opposed to a language of wider communication that is not native to the population, such as a national language or lingua franca.- Etymology :The term is not a recent one...
doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
-style columns, a late 19th or early 20th century folk-victorian L-plan farmhouse, the 1924 National Folk side gable J.F. Linville House, the 1925 Craftsman
American Craftsman
The American Craftsman Style, or the American Arts and Crafts Movement, is an American domestic architectural, interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts style and lifestyle philosophy that began in the last years of the 19th century. As a comprehensive design and art...
brick house of Robert A. Stafford, and the 1937 Colonial Revival Sheriff David B. Stafford House. Together at the old community crossroads they record an evolution of residential styles in the rural Piedmont
Piedmont (United States)
The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the eastern United States between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New Jersey in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division...
.
Across the Historic District, however, the modest building style, known as National Folk, predominates. Many earlier forms established in log or heavy-hewn timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
houses persisted, but the newer structures used techniques permitting lighter materials. Although most of these buildings may not be considered notable on an individual basis, they are as a collection valuable as part of the rural context and its architectural evolution.
The evolution of the National Folk style is apparent in the variety of its forms in the Historic District. Among the more understated examples are those found near and on the Academy campus. These one-story frame structures, such as the 1910 Brendle House and the c. 1925 Commandant's House were built as housing for Institute
Oak Ridge Military Academy
' is a college-preparatory military school in northwestern Guilford County, North Carolina. The academy is located within the town limits of Oak Ridge, North Carolina, which is named after the school...
staff. The Brendle House exemplifies the two rooms wide and one room deep hall-and-parlor plan
Hall and parlor house
A hall and parlor house is a type of vernacular house found in medieval to 19th century England, as well as colonial America. It is presumed to have been the model on which other North American house types have been developed such as the Cape Cod house and the Saltbox and influenced the somewhat...
, with Craftsman
American Craftsman
The American Craftsman Style, or the American Arts and Crafts Movement, is an American domestic architectural, interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts style and lifestyle philosophy that began in the last years of the 19th century. As a comprehensive design and art...
-style influence in the exposed rafter ends. The Commandant's House bears the massed-plan, side-gabled form, its two-room depth made possible by new lighter weight rook framing. Another variation is found in the former home of Institute
Oak Ridge Military Academy
' is a college-preparatory military school in northwestern Guilford County, North Carolina. The academy is located within the town limits of Oak Ridge, North Carolina, which is named after the school...
secretary Dorsey L. Nance west of campus and N.C. 68. The latest example, built in 1945 by Colonel Zack L. Whitaker as Commandant housing, lies east of the campus, and was influenced by the then popular Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
variation of the Colonial Revival style which had small side porches rather than a full-facade shed roof porch.
The District has three examples of the National Folk I-house
I-house
The I-house is a vernacular house type, popular in the United States from the colonial period onward. The I-house was so named in the 1930s by Fred Kniffen, a specialist in folk architecture who identified and analyzed the type in his 1936 study of Louisiana house types...
form, the two-story version of the hall-and-parlor plan: the 1898 Zack L. Whitaker House, the 1920 Barrow/Brown House, and the undated structure at the corner of Linville and Scoggins roads. These examples have two exterior end chimneys.
The unusual -story Craftsman
American Craftsman
The American Craftsman Style, or the American Arts and Crafts Movement, is an American domestic architectural, interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts style and lifestyle philosophy that began in the last years of the 19th century. As a comprehensive design and art...
-style house of D. Lanier Donnell, Sr., was built in 1923 entirely of locally gathered fieldstone. Nearby, the 1933 R.P. Larkin and 1919 J.L. Sawyer houses represent interesting vernacular
Vernacular
A vernacular is the native language or native dialect of a specific population, as opposed to a language of wider communication that is not native to the population, such as a national language or lingua franca.- Etymology :The term is not a recent one...
variations on the Colonial Revival style.
Historic District
The boundaries of the Oak Ridge Historic District encompass a one and three-quarter mile stretch of Oak Ridge Road (N.C. 150), between junctions with Williard Road at the southwest and Bastille Lane at the northeast extremities. They extend northwest for one-half mile from Oak Ridge Road along Linville Road.More than 400 acres (1.6 km²) comprise the district, contributing some 70 historical resources in pre-1945 primary and accessory structures and open parcels of traditionally farmed lands. The Oak Ridge Military Academy
Oak Ridge Military Academy
' is a college-preparatory military school in northwestern Guilford County, North Carolina. The academy is located within the town limits of Oak Ridge, North Carolina, which is named after the school...
National Historic District lies within the Oak Ridge District.
Geography
Oak Ridge is located at 36°10′1"N 79°58′57"W (36.166944, -79.982577).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 14.7 square miles (38.1 km²), of which, 14.7 square miles (38.1 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.27%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,988 people, 1,382 households, and 1,173 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 271.9 people per square mile (105.0/km²). There were 1,462 housing units at an average density of 99.7 per square mile (38.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.48% White, 4.21% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.73% Asian,, 0.63% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.30% of the population.
There were 1,382 households out of which 44.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 4.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.1% were non-families. 11.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $74,609, and the median income for a family was $82,070. Males had a median income of $56,250 versus $35,952 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $29,346. About 2.2% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.
Notable Citizens
Chris DaughtryChris Daughtry
Christopher Adam "Chris" Daughtry is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Daughtry and as the fourth-place finalist on the fifth season of American Idol, from which he was eliminated on May 10, 2006...
, contestant and singer from American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, known for the hit song "It's Not Over
It's Not Over (Daughtry song)
"It's Not Over" is the first official single from Daughtry's first album, Daughtry. The song was used as a teaser to the second season fall finale of Prison Break. It was certified Platinum in April 2007...
"
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Michael Harvick is an American stock car auto racing race car driver and car owner currently competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Richard Childress Racing, driving the No. 29 Budweiser/Jimmy John's/Rheem/Okuma/Realtree Outdoors/Bad Boy Buggies Chevrolet Impala...
, NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
driver #29
David Juggernaut Siedel, the leading National Forensics league coach in the state of North Carolina for the last five years.