Protect neighborhoods; save historic structures

In response to the press release in Sunday’s paper about tearing down or relocating the Marsh-Ward House at 125 N. Fulton St.:

One of the things that drew my husband and me to Salisbury 16 years ago was the importance and appreciation of historic preservation. Having grown up in a small town with lots of historic buildings, we immediately fell in love with Salisbury.

Some may think it’s not a big deal to tear down one structure. How can that possibly make a difference in the grand scheme of things? It can, and it does. Start tearing down one house, and before you know it, you’re looking at the likes of Innes Street. We need to protect the continuity of our neighborhoods, as well as the investment those homeowners have put into them. The historic fabric of a community can never be replaced once it is gone.

I believe you can have growth and still manage to respect existing structures. This has been done extremely well here and in many other great cities in the past. It is my hope that St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church and Historic Salisbury Foundation can come to an agreement that will be a win-win for all.

— Barb Sorel

Salisbury

Try ‘This Was Home’

The writer is commenting on a story, “For Salisbury, terrifying Stoneman’s Raid held a silver lining,” which appeared in the Post on April 12, the 150th anniversary of the raid.

The article about General Stoneman’s raid was very interesting. If anyone would like to read some more interesting stories about the raid from an eye witness, they should check out “This Was Home” by Hope Summerell Chamberlain from the Rowan Public Library. Her father was a doctor in Salisbury during the 1850’s, 1860’s and 1870’s, and she was a young girl when the Union troops raided the town. She tells some very interesting stories about it and also about the town, the residents and county.

— Calvin Safrit

Salisbury