Winston-Salem, NC-- A rural area comprising about 2,300 acres in southwest central Forsyth County with ties to Hope Moravian Church and Fraternity Church of the Brethren is one step closer to becoming a national historic rural district. The North Carolina National Register Advisory Committee agreed October 8 to put the historic rural district application for the Hope-Fraternity area on the North Carolina Study List, a step toward National Register recognition.

The proposed Hope-Fraternity Historic Rural District is located at the confluence of the three forks of Muddy Creek. It is an agricultural landscape of fields, meadows, woodlands and streams with farmsteads that feature historic houses, barns, and many outbuildings. The area also has many archaeological resources, including the site of the first Hope Moravian Church, built in 1775. The congregations of Hope Moravian Church and Fraternity Church of the Brethren include many descendants of the original Moravian and German Baptist Brethren settlers who continue to farm ancestral land.

The North Carolina Study List serves as an early screening mechanism to remove applications for properties that clearly are not eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Placement on the list does not place any restrictions on private property owners in regard to a structure or land. The study list area will be seen as an eligible area and any federally funded projects will require a review of the historical resources in the area.

More information is available online by clicking on Forsyth County or calling City Link at 727-8000.