Support sought to restore
former slave's farm house
BY TODD LUCK
THfc CHRONICLE
A local man is asking for the commu
nity's help to save a farmhouse . built by a
former slave, thai has been in his family
for generate wis
Ali Shaba// is trying to restore the
small, two-story farmhouse on his proper
ty on Bethania-Rural Hall Road in
Bethania Shaba// said the house was
built in 1900 b> his great grandfather,
Sanford Conrad, and grandfather.
William, on plantation land purchased
from Sanford 's former slave master.
Generations of Shaba// 's family lived in
the house until 1480. Since then, the
house fell into severe disrepair. The City's
Neighborhood Services Department
found that it doesn't meet the minimal
housing code, putting it in a category for
possible demolition by the city.
The matter came before the City
Council in February Shaba// appealed to
the Council for time to fix the house and
was given until August to make improve
ments before the council reviews the mat
ter again. Shaba// said he is determined to
restore the house
"In order for us to know our future, we
have to be able to know our past." said
Shabazz.
The damage to the house, which was
literally falling apart, was extensive,
including ceiling supports that had deteri
orated and needed reinforcement, and a
large part of the house's wall was missing.
Shabazz hired carpenter John
Robertson late last year to repair the farm
house. There's been a lot of work done,
including repairing and painting the metal
roof, replacing exterior rafters, bracing
ceiling rafters and replacing windows
Robertson ux>k the job after several
local carpenters turned it down, thinking
the damage was too extensive. But
Robertson said he had no doubts that the
house could be restored and was glad to
be part of the project.
"It's not a. big structure, but it holds a
lot of history," said Robertson
Assistant City Attorney Al Andrews
said the Council makes determines if a
structure in the demolition category
should be demolished or if the owner
should be given more time to bring it up to
the housing code. Once repairs are done,
then the Neighborhood Services
Department can do an inspection to deter
mine if it meets the housing code so it can
be removed form the demolition category,
said Andrews.
Shaba// hopes the repairs that are cur
rently underway will buy him enough
time to restore the farmhouse to its former
glory. He would like to turn the restored
house into a community facility that could
house meetings and conferences. He also
plans to sell homemade jelly and jams out
of it.
History is a passion for Shaba//, who
founded the Bethania Freedmen's
Committee, which champions local his
toric causes including getting Bethania's
freedmen's plots, where former slaves
lived, on the National Register of Historic
Places.
Shaba// has his own history with the
farmhouse. He went to live there as a
teenager with his late grandmother. Patsy
Lash Conrad, who was in her 90s. Known
in the community as "Aunt Patsy," she
was a mid-wife and did domestic work.
Photo b> Todd Luck
Above: John Robertson and Ali
Shabazz (right) in front of the house.
Left: A picture of the farmhouse
before the restoration efforts.
Shabazz said he walked many miles with
her to collect the food that was often trad
ed for her services.
"She walked me to death, carrying
those buckets of goods, of fish and ham
bones wrapped in newspapers," he fondly
recalled.
The house had no electricity and run
ning water, so they drew water from a
well and used an outhouse, both of which
he'd like to eventually restore.
Shabazz. who is personally paying for
the building materials and labor on the
farmhouse, said the restoration is an
expensive process. He hopes the commu
nity will be willing to donate building
supplies to help the effort or give money
towards the purchase of materials. The
materials needed for the repairs are: 36
1x12x12' boards, 36 2x12' metal sheeting,
18 2x6x16' boards, 15 bags of quick
Kreete cement, 40 bags of stucco mortar.
20 sheets of 4x8' screen. 12 2x4x8'
boards, four square feet of French shingle
and two 2x4x16" boards.
Those interested in donating to the
restoration effort can call Shabazz at
(336) 99 5-3888.
Herron
from page A1
big thing." he related. "You
got to know the officers that
were working the beats in the
neighborhoods."
William Capers, Herron's
campaign manager, retired
from the Sheriff's Office
after three decades of serv
ice. Moving the department
back to a more neighbor
hood-focused model would
be an improvement for citi
zens, he believes.
"We both came at a time
when community policing
was a very impor
tant thing... the
officers knew you
by name, and I
think they've got
ten away from
that," he comment
ed. "I think Mr.
Herron can bring it
back to the citizens
of this county."
Herron, who
once worked under
Schatzman, says
the sheriff lacks visibility in
community. Law enforce
ment requires a human touch,
Herron says.
"He has taken the depart
ment^ forward as far as tech
nology - 1 will agree with
that, but technology does not
answer the calls and commu
nicate with the citizens," he
said of Schatzman. "It is a
tool, but it doesn't beat face
to-face interaction with the
public."
If elected. Herron says he
would work to strengthen
connections between the
Sheriff's Office and the com
munity it serves through
community forums similar to
those the Winston-Salem
Police Department has been
known to hold.
"I think we have to come
outside of our com/ort zones
and go into the city," he said.
"...You have to be more
proactive instead of reac
tive."
If he were to win in
November. HerTon would be
the county's first black sher
iff and the first Democrat to
serve in that capacity in some
time. County wide elections
have not been kind to blacks
Capers
in Forsyth. In 2002, while
African-American Denise
Hartsfield handily won the
votes of enough Forsyth
County residents to win a
seat on the local District
Court bench, John Polite,
another black former veteran
of the of Sheriff's Office,
was trounced by Schatzman.
Both Herron and Capers
are hoping for a much better
outcome this fall.
Capers, also a city native,
believes increased interac
tion with county residents
could help bridge the mis
trust that exists between law
enforcement and some mem
Ders 01 me Diacn
community.
"Mr. Herron
can bring the
integrity back to
the department that
the community is
looking for," he
said. "...I think
this county
deserves some
body who has their
best interests at
heart, somebody
who will get out and interact
with the community and
somebody who they can say
they know ."
Increasing child support
enforcement; sex offender
monitoring; and bolstering
diversity within the depart
ment are among his chief
objectives. Herron said.
A graduate of the FBI
National Academy, Herron
says his proudest accom
plishments stem from the
many officers he helped to
train during his tenure. If
elected. Herron hopes to con
tinue the rapport he says he
enjoyed with the officers in
the past.
"There's two groups of
people that are important,
that's the citizens and the
officers that serve them," he
said. "...I want to be a
leader that they can trust so
that they can go out and do
their jobs fully."
For more information
about Herron's campaign,
contact Capers at 336-462
9501 or wpca
pers? gmail .com .
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