Regular consultations to Catawba County History Museum have aided development of archaeology exhibits and two excellent survey books. Over 200 sites have been recorded in the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office's statewide inventory.
Comprehensive surveys have been conducted of Catawba County and the city of Hickory, and the results of these projects have been published. These surveys were cooperative local-state projects accomplished with grants and staff assistance from the Historic Preservation Office. In 1998 to 1999, a federal grant administered by the Historic Preservation Office enabled Hickory to update its architectural survey.
Federal pass-through grants totaling $41,935 have assisted the architectural surveys of Hickory and the county and the completion of National Register nominations. A 1992 federal grant of $3,000 aided the Maple Grove restoration. State grants totaling $360,000 have helped restore key local landmarks, including the Hickory Town Hall, Claremont High School, Murray's Mill, the Dr. Quintus M. Little House, the Newton Depot, and the Bunker Hill Covered Bridge.
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
National Register nominations in the county developed in coordination with Catawba County and the Hickory Historic Preservation Commission are among the most numerous in the region, including eight urban and rural National Register historic districts and forty-five individual properties.
LOCAL PRESERVATION COMMISSIONS
The Historic Preservation Office has provided technical assistance and review on fifteen local historic designations, as well as extensive technical assistance to the local commission concerning district boundaries in Hickory. Hickory is a Certified Local Government.
Four income-producing tax credit projects have been completed in Catawba County at a total construction investment of $2,507,000, including the former Highland School and former Kenworth School, both in Hickory. One residential renovation project has been completed utilizing the new state tax credit for non-income-producing historic structures; three other residences are currently undergoing renovation under the program. The Historic Preservation Office reviews and provides restoration technical services for all preservation tax credit projects.
PUBLIC EDUCATION AND PUBLICATIONS
The Historic Preservation Office assisted the city of Hickory and the Hickory Landmarks Society, Inc. in publishing the results of the survey in From Tavern to Town; An Architectural History of Hickory, North Carolina in 1988, and assisted the Catawba County Historical Association in publishing Catawba County: An Architectural History in 1991.
Technical assistance has been given for restoration of numerous properties in Catawba County, including projects supported by federal or state grants such as the Bunker Hill Covered Bridge, Murray's Mill, former Claremont High School, the Quintus M. Little House, and Maple Grove, as well as smaller projects.