A ceremonial transfer of deed was held last Tuesday for the 246-acre site from the Conservation Fund to the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and an official pronouncement of it constituting the new “Shallow Ford State Historic Site.” The program at the property included an overview of the site’s history by Scott Douglas, historic site manager with the Division of State Historic Sites. Other speakers included: Michael Leonard and Will Summer of the Conservation Fund; Michelle Lanier, director of State Historic Sites; and Reid Wilson, secretary of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

The ceremony for stakeholders and other representatives included the planting of two native persimmon trees and concluded with a walk of the property. In total, about 40 people attended. Historic Sites will be working over the course of the next year to establish public parking, interpretive trails, and other facilities, with a goal of opening the site to the public by early 2024.