The Williamson Page House, part of which was built about 1830, is being considered as a Wake County historic landmark and to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Morrisville doesn't have any properties with either distinction.

The James M. Pugh House was on the National Register in 2003, but was taken off in 2008 when the house was relocated due to a road widening project.

The Page House, which was the site of a Civil War skirmish on April 13, 1865, is Morrisville's oldest standing structure.

"A lot of people don't understand the history of the area they're living in," said Mary Jo Lumley, whose family has owned and lived in the Page House since it was built. "We need to preserve the history."

The county landmark program would preserve the house's appearance by requiring Lumley to submit a "certificate of appropriateness" request if she wanted to change its exterior.

In return, Lumley would receive a 50 percent deferral of the home's property taxes. The national program would provide the home with some protection from federally funded projects that could affect the home.

Part of the plan

Gaining landmark status for the house is part of the Morrisville town center plan, adopted in 2007, which seeks to celebrate the town's history and create a downtown.

Other projects include creating a Main Street, restoring the Pugh House and the historic Christian Church, establishing a Rural Heritage Park and creating the Morrisville History Center, which opened June 24.

"We hope to use all of those investments to help create a dynamic and vibrant central gathering place for the town," said Benjamin Hitchings, the town's planning director.

With Lumley's permission, the town and Wake County split the $5,000 cost of nominating the Page House for the two distinctions.

The national register nomination draft is being reviewed by the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. Once the draft is made final by that office, it will be submitted to the keeper of the National Register in Washington.

The Wake County historic landmark nomination draft is being reviewed by Wake County's nonprofit historic preservation organization, Capital Area Preservation.

By Aug. 9, CAP is expected to submit the reviewed draft to the Wake County Historic Preservation Commission, which will review it and decide if they will recommend the landmark designation to the Morrisville Town Council.

Gary Roth, CAP's chief executive, said the house is being considered as a landmark for its architectural significance. "Its setting is really evocative of what Morrisville looked like in the time that this house was built," he said.

The Page House will be part of a Historic Crossroads Village containing other historic buildings. Visitors to the area can see what Morrisville looked like in the 19th century, Hitchings said.

"It's that texture and the authenticity that remains in that place that helps to create a distinctiveness for this part of town," Hitchings said.