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Title: James Patterson's Memorial to the Building Commissioners, December 25, 1793: Electronic Edition.
Author: Patterson, James
Funding from the University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill supported the electronic publication of this title.
Text scanned (OCR) by Brian Dietz
Images scanned by Bari Helms
Text encoded by Sarah Ficke
First Edition, 2005
Size of electronic edition: ca. 10K
Publisher: The University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
2005

No Copyright in US

The electronic edition is a part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill digital library, Documenting the American South.
Languages used in the text: English
Revision history:
2005-11-16, Sarah Ficke finished TEI/XML encoding.
Source(s):
Title of collection: University of North Carolina Papers (#40005), University Archives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Title of document: James Patterson's Memorial to the Building Commissioners, December 25, 1793
Author: James Patterson
Description: 1 page, 1 page image
Note: Call number 40005 (University Archives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Editorial practices
Text transcription of this document was produced by OCR (optical character recognition) from R. D. W. Connor's A Documentary History of the University of North Carolina 1776-1799 (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1953), vol. 1: 286-288. Used by permission of the publisher (www.uncpress.unc.edu).
Page images were made from the original manuscript held in University Archives, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Connor's transcription was compared against the original document and in the case of any discrepancy we have been faithful to the original.
The text has been encoded using the recommendations for Level 5 of the TEI in Libraries Guidelines.
Originals are in the Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Original grammar, punctuation, and spelling have been preserved.
DocSouth staff created a 600 dpi uncompressed TIFF file for each image. The TIFF images were then saved as JPEG images at 100 dpi for web access.
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Any hyphens occurring in line breaks have been removed, and the trailing part of a word has been joined to the preceding line.
All quotation marks, em dashes and ampersand have been transcribed as entity references.
All double right and left quotation marks are encoded as ".
All single right and left quotation marks are encoded as '.
All em dashes are encoded as —.
Indentation in lines has not been preserved.
Spell-check and verification made against printed text using Microsoft Word.

For more information about transcription and other editorial decisions, see the section Editorial Practices.
James Patterson's Memorial to the Building Commissioners, December 25, 1793
Patterson, James



Page 1
Whereas a Late board of the Commissioners apointed to Contract for the publick buildings of the University of North Carolina at their Last Meeting at Hillsbro. Resolved that the watertable of the wing Undertaken should be Raised to the Height of the surface of the Earth on the Eminance where the Main building is to be Erected, which will Elevate the watertable five feet from the surface of the Earth at the Lower End of ye building.
Consequently there Must be outer-stairs built Leading to the Four outer Doors; and as No Mention or Direction has been Given Either in the Contract or in the said Resolve, the subscriber wishes to be Directed by this board in what Manner and of what Materials those stairs are to be built of, whether of solid timber as those at Hillsbro Courthouse, or of Plank as those at the state house at Fayettevill and whether they Lead to Right and Left or Go streight up from the surface of the Earth to the Doors.
Farther the subscriber having Examined the building stone Near the seat of the University and finds them ill shaped, and hard to shape and form fit for any Part of a Capitall building, he has also Consulted Mr Rogers the person that Conducted the building the walls of the Statehouse at Raley who is also of opinion that well burnt Glazed bricks are Much better than such stone to build the foundation off. Especially as the foundation will only Go one foot under the surface of the Earth. Should the Commissioners aprove of that alteration they will please to Give Directions acordingly to prevent Disputes in future.
Farther the subscriber having as Much fire wood already Cut on the streets of the Vilage as would burn about one hundred thousand Bricks He therefor Prayes the favour of the Comissioners to Have Leave to Make and burn such a number of bricks on the bricke yard where Colol. John Hogen Made his bricks, which will be the Means of Getting the Limestone burnt with the bricks, and of Getting it slacked just as it is wanted on the spot where it will be Made use off; this Undoubtedly will prove the Means of Greatly Strengthening his Most ardent Endeavours of Not only furthering the publick buildings, but also of improving the Vilage For the Reception of famileys who wish to Retreat from the Lower Parts of the State to that Most Healthy Situation in the summer season. This Privilege would not be Asked for, was there a Probability of its Ever Doing an injury to the Place in any shape whatsoever as the Clay Reaches No Deeper in the Earth than from two to three feet and a Graduall Dessent from the place where the Clay will be Dug which will be the Means of Preventing any Stagnated water from settling there, and there shall Not be one tree Cut for that Purpose on the Lands belonging to the University, and this Most Graccious indulgence will Lay under obligation

Your Most Obedt Humble Servant

J PATERSON

To the Gentlemen Composing the board of Commissioners apointed to Contract for the buildings of the University of North Carolina Now sitting at Fayatte Ville this 25th Decr 1793