Under the T A L L G R A S S
ST. MARY’S COMMUNITY
Generations of the Woodard, Council, Harris, Hinton, and Burt families have been born in and around this neighborhood fondly known as Saint Mary’s for generations. The church parish was established in 1892 where Mayfield Woodard and his sibling were raised, right on church grounds. A tree they planted for Christmas now stands tall in the parking lot and they didn’t move very far from their home place. Mayfield went on to start a mechanic shop which would hold space as an incubator for local business, mentorship, and the place he explores his creativity building trains for community kids to do hay rides and most recently robot parts for a STEM team his daughter Kaye competes on. This is a piece of what this community is made of, and every home holds connections to the past by way of story, art, and most popular food.
Unclear plans about 540 impacting the community have loomed for years, however no clear details on how and who it will impact were released until late last year, for some the notice only dates back weeks. Mr. McNeil and his wife Margaret have been in their home for over 60 years, this is the story for Mr. Lynn and Laura Council as well. Ms. Carrie Lockley who is 90 and raised her 10 children on Sunset Lake, where she still resides alongside the homes of her children, and Ms. Annaclyde Burt who will be 90 this year and received news that this won’t impact her “yet”.
Those being displaced have been given 6-8 months to move from their homes, in the twilight of their lives.
Because of the hiked cost of living here in Holly springs it’s not only difficult to find something near by that fits their budget and doesn’t have a higher tax affiliated - they have community care infrastructure that will be damaged with separation and this is only a part of what this erasure will disrupt. DOT does little acceptable community engagement, the idea that everyone has access to the right information and how it will affect them is a misconception that has gentrification written all over it.
Their plans will scatter people between subdivisions And apartments if they want to stay in hollysprings and with the rising taxes may take them from being homeowners to struggling to stay above water on fixed incomes.
food sovereignty / local food system disrupted
Activities and access to help/ transportation
The history connected to the homes and neighborhood
The community is also known well for its 1-acre garden, that has fed people in and around Saint Mary’s for several years. This land has cultivated opportunities for intergenerational knowledge which is represented by its keeper's. The Woodard brothers, Andrew (74, farmer) and Mayfield (83, engineer) passing down the tradition and oral-history to Mayfield’s granddaughter, Gabrielle (28) and Great-grandaughter Anauria (11). By displacing Andrew this major part of a local food system is at risk of being disrupted and potentially discontinued. This level of ownership creates wealth for the offspring building on their income as a means of continuing to contribute to the community. There are also concerns that this is only the beginning of the displacement, as the plans unfold and continue to affect more people to make space for the road.
Fair market value unfortunately won’t compensate people belonging to close, interconnected, black communities, like this one and others in surrounding areas. When you consider safety, proximity to those you depend on, legacy and the ancestral connection to an area, none of which are considered “compensable” - we lose.