Gray Court downtown gets spot on National Register of Historic Places

Town of Gray Court officials received the historic word they had been waiting for this past week from Columbia.

Gray Court’s downtown area has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a designation town leaders have sought for over three years.

Virginia Harness, architectural historian and national register co-coordinator fo the State Historic Preservation Office, in formed officials that Gray Court had been added to the National Register this past week via email.

“We put all the rules and all that’s required for a Historic Preservation District into place several years ago,” said Town Administrator Garry Smith. “So, that’s been in place for several years to try and protect the downtown area.”

After receiving a grant from the state, Gray Court officials began the application process. Town council also included $100,000 in the 2023-24 town budget for downtown development, part of which was used to match a preservation grant from the state.

Gray Court’s beginnings were as a stagecoach stop. In 1889, the first trains rolled through the town and it became a railroad stop in a largely agricultural area. Buildings in the downtown area date back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Smith said the downtown area’s new status could benefit downtown businesses and property owners who may be eligible for grants to help renovate aging buildings.

“It gives them some breaks and some incentives to take and do some renovations in the downtown area,” Smith said. “The town has also put aside some monies for the downtown area. We’re still working on exactly how to take and utilize that to assist the property owners with the frontages and facelifts of their buildings and so forth.”

Those funds could also help downtown businesses with sewer-tap fees once long-awaited sewer is in place for the downtown area.

“There are a lot of thoughts and ideas on how to use those funds,” said Smith.

The process of joining the National Historic Register of Places went smoothly, perhaps giving credence to Gray Court’s wish to be included on the register.

“That National Park Service approved it quickly, and I was a little surprised when they didn’t come back with any questions or any comments or anything like that,” Smith said. “(Our application) just went right on through, so we were pleased with that.”