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Sam Crawford

Sam Crawford came from a family that had farmed land along Cane Creek in Orange County for generations. He helped lead the Cane Creek Conservation Authority against OWASA's reservoir, serving as its president, secretary and communications person, and OWASA acquired 50 acres of his family's land. He recorded an oral history of the fight in October 1985.

Source: Documenting the American South: Oral history interview with Sam Crawford, October 26, 1985 (K-0006)

1949– as the Library of Congress records it · Library of Congress authority record ↗

1 indexed work is connected with this person.

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Oral history interview with Sam Crawford, October 26, 1985: interview K-0006, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007)

Crawford, Sam · 2007 · University Library, UNC-Chapel Hill

Sam Crawford (born 1949) helped found Cane Creek Conservation Authority, the residents' group formed in 1975 to fight plans by OWASA, the Chapel Hill area's water utility, for a reservoir on Cane Creek in rural Orange County. In this October 1985 interview with Judith Wheeler, joined by Patty Crawford, he recounts how residents learned of the plan and organized, and the environmental and water-supply arguments on each side. A little over two hours; electronic edition from the UNC library, 2007, through Documenting the American South.

Why this is here: Catalog heading in the NC Cardinal record: Crawford, Sam, 1949- -- Interviews.

NC Cardinal UNC

Life and Orange County connections

Dated events connected with this person, earliest first. See these 3 dated events in the chronology →

  1. Opponents sue in federal court, arguing the dam permit has lapsed The Cane Creek Conservation Authority filed suit in U.S. District Court claiming OWASA's Corps permit expired on August 31, 1982 because no fill had actually been placed at the site. OWASA said its preliminary work before the deadline kept the permit valid. People: Sam CrawfordDaily Tar Heel (DigitalNC): Fights on to stop OWASA dam, October 20, 1982
  2. OWASA buys out most of the Cane Creek landowners By April 1986 OWASA owned 48 of the 50 parcels needed for the reservoir, almost all bought through negotiated sales. Sam Crawford recalled an opening offer of $500 an acre that rose to about $3,500 to $3,600, and that his family lost 50 acres, including their biggest field. People: Sam CrawfordDaily Tar Heel (DigitalNC): N.C. Court of Appeals upholds (Valerie Stegall), April 4, 1986
  3. Cane Creek Conservation Authority members go to the General Assembly to oppose an OWASA bill Fifteen members of the Cane Creek Conservation Authority traveled to the legislature to oppose a bill OWASA sought to settle its outstanding court cases and widen its authority.Search the index · Documenting the American South: Oral history interview with Sam Crawford, October 26, 1985 (K-0006)

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Background

  • Cane Creek ReservoirANCHOR (NC history online resource) An overview of the reservoir and the landowners' opposition to it.

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  • NC LIVE: prepared search for Sam Crawford Library card An advanced search of the state’s shared databases already scoped to Orange County’s places and this subject; edit it freely, and sign in through your North Carolina library to read
  • Ancestry Library Edition In the libraryOrange County Public Library Census, birth, death and marriage records, and more, free on the public computers at OCPL libraries

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