This marker is located along US-70 (Wendover Ave) and points the way to the nearby historic…read moregovernment offices that were a new thing back in the day. Marker J-89 was erected by the North Carolina Division of Archives and History. It has the same text on both sides and reads, "Established in 1911, it was the first county health department in North Carolina and second in United States Now two blocks north." There is an adjacent parking lot where you can stop and read the marker. There is more information online. The county health movement grew out of early twentieth‑century campaigns against hookworm, typhoid, and other diseases, and Jefferson County, Kentucky, created the nation's first county health department in 1908. North Carolina authorized county boards of health in 1911, and Guilford County became the first in the state and the second in the nation to establish a full county health department that same year. The commissioners hired Dr. G. F. Ross on May 1, 1911, after citizens requested a physician who would devote his entire time to county health work. Robeson County followed in 1912, and although the movement expanded steadily, all 100 North Carolina counties did not have health departments until 1949. [Review 1173 of 2026 - 4822 in North Carolina - 26352 overall]

There are many unsung cities, places and people that can claim the monicker BLACK WALL STREET…read moreDurham, NC is one of them. It was home to Mechanics and Farmers Bank and North Carolina Mutual. At a time when it was difficult for Blacks to own businesses, homes or pay for services and good. Several of North Carolinas citizens including two African-American entrepreneurs: John Merrick and Charles Spaulding worked toward the goal of generational wealth. These innovative Black citizens used their resources from their smaller businesses such as a barber shop to create North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance and others. Although this initiative received support from the wealthy Duke family (tobacco) with its growing success in the community it soon faced opposition. Several businesses and buildings were vandalized. On March 2, 1902, a group of whites burned down an office owned by North Carolina Mutual. Black Wall Street Historic Parrish Street had several businesses throughout out four blocks. Pictures, a historic building and historical marker stands to depict the history of HISTORIC PARRISH STREET DURHAM, NC.

Well, the more you know. I was unfamiliar with this bit of history as I'm not a Durham native. The…read moremarker helped me learn something and perhaps you'll learn something too. Erected in 2004 by the North Carolina Office of Archives and History, marker G-116 has the same text on both sides. It reads, "In the early decades of the 1900s, Durham acquired national reputation for entrepreneurship. Businesses owned by African Americans lined Parrish Street. Among them were N.C. Mutual Life Insurance Co. (moved to Parrish, 1906), led by John Merrick, Dr. Aaron Moore, & C. C. Spaulding, and Mechanics and Farmers Bank (1907), led by R. B. Fitzgerald and W. G. Pearson." Online, there is more information. The essay on the state's web page explains how Parrish Street's rise was driven by a network of ambitious Black business leaders whose companies expanded into insurance, banking, real estate, and textiles, creating a nationally noted hub of economic strength. It highlights the praise Durham received from figures like Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois, who contrasted the city's unusually supportive racial climate with harsher conditions elsewhere in the South. It concludes by noting that mid-century urban renewal severely damaged the surrounding Hayti community and accelerated the decline of the district's once-thriving business ecosystem. I would also encourage you to read Leah's review that details the much less positive side of the hisstory. [Review 1162 of 2026 - 4811 in North Carolina - 26341 overall]

Zipping around Durham these days, it might slip your mind that it wasn't always this open and…read moreaccessible. That there were dark times in American's recent past. I mean, this is the South and they were different back then. Thankfully, it's changed. Marker G-123 was erected in 2008 by the North Carolina Office of Archives and History. It has the same text on both sides, "Segregation protest at an ice cream parlor on this site, June 23, 1957, led to court case testing dual racial facilities." The 1957 protest at Durham's Royal Ice Cream Company involved seven young African Americans who deliberately sat in the whites‑only section to challenge segregation. Their arrest for trespassing led to a series of court cases that tested the legality of racially divided facilities in North Carolina. Despite mixed media coverage and appeals reaching the state's highest court, every ruling upheld the segregation laws of the time. The case ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which declined to hear it, leaving the convictions in place. [Review 1158 of 2026 - 4807 in North Carolina - 26337 overall]

Located at a busy intersection so it gets plenty of traffic, this marker points out the history of…read morea local Colonial-era resident. There is a space nearby to stop and read the marker. It has the same text on both sides, reading "Regulator leader. Outlawed after Battle of Alamance, 1771. Nearby house was burned by Gov. Tryon's troops." Online, there is more information. "Two James Hunters--one most noteworthy as a Regulator and the other a legislator--were prominent in North Carolina during the late colonial and Revolutionary periods." "James Hunter, the Regulator, was born around 1735, probably in Pennsylvania... Active in local affairs and displaying some degree of education, Hunter was at the forefront of the Regulator movement in the backcountry. He is believed to have helped write the "advertisements" and petitions, and was entrusted to deliver some of them. While he did not consider himself a military leader and is even said to have refused to assume command at the Battle of Alamance in 1771, Hunter later became known as "the General of the Regulators." "James Hunter, like many of the Regulators, sided with the King during the early days of the Revolution. He went to Cross Creek to join other Loyalists in February 1776, and then proceeded to New Hanover County. Hunter was captured at the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge and paroled a few months later. He took the Oath of Allegiance on September 6, 1776, and was accepted as a "free citizen" of North Carolina." Proving that yes, people can change. [Review 19950 overall - 3437 in North Carolina - 924 of 2023.]

In town for the first time to attend a women's lacrosse game at Greensboro College, we wanted to…read moresee some things nearby rather than risk a late arrival. My niece encouraged us to check out Blandwood Museum, based on comments she'd heard, though she'd never been there herself. It was a great suggestion. When we arrived, late morning, we were the only ones there. The docent, a history major, essentially gave us a private tour. She explained that currently the museum was in the process of changing some of the exhibits so a few areas we could go to were temporarily closed. She seemed to have lots of information about Thomas Day an African American furniture maker, several of whose pieces were now on display. She was excellent about asking if we noticed differences/similarities in various furnishings and seemed pleased that we had at least some of the correct answers. While we didn't take photos, I wish now I had taken at least a few. I think I was so absorbed in her tour, it seemed like a private home tour with a good friend, that it would have seemed overly intrusive. Our guide shared a lot of details, seemly a great judge of when to keep talking and when to stop. I regret not knowing her name as 75 minutes went by exceedingly quickly. If we return to Greensboro again, it would interesting to see it again.

Blandwood Mansion is a privately owned museum in Downtown Greensboro. The museum opened in 1984…read moreafter Preservation Greensboro acquired the property in 1966 as it was going to be demolished. After preserving the building and reconstructing out buildings that had been torn down. The museum offers tours on the hour. The house was the home of NC Governor John Motley Morehead. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. In 1988 it was named at National Historic Landmark because of its architecture. It is the oldest Italianate architecture in the country. Governor Morehead was the 28th Governor on North Carolina and served two terms from 1841 to 1845. He had eight children that were raised at Blandwood. Eight women and nine men were enslaved at the home. The Blandwood Mansion is Italianate architecture. The current house is the original house and two additions. The original farmhouse was built in 1795 and the first addition was made in 1822. The second expansion was in the 1844-1846 in the Italianate style by AJ Davis. The house is decorated as it would have been when Governor Morehead lived there. The house is in great condition and contains original items of the Moreheads that were donated back to the museum by descendants. The kitchen is not original but one of the reconstructed buildings according to the plans they found during a dig. The kitchen also houses the gift shop. The museum does not have a parking area but you can park on a nearby street. I was charged $8 admission to take the guided tour throughout the house. Masks are required to tour the museum. Hand sanitizer was also available inside. I arrived on the half hour but was allowed to join a tour in progress and then complete the first half afterwards. I expected that I'd need to wait until the next tour so was pleasantly surprised. I also bought items in a gift shop and when a bag wasn't available the tour docent offered up his bag for me to use which was very thoughtful. After my tour I realized that I need to learn more about this house and Governor Morehead and his family. I highly recommend this tour to other history buffs.

Easy to spot this marker as I was heading towards the interstate. It is on a small triangle where…read morethree roads meet up, two of which are State Road 86 and State Road 57. It recalls one of North Carolina's heroes and earliest Governors. It reads, "Thomas Burke. Governor, 1781-82. Member of Revolutionary, Provincial, & Continental Congresses. Grave is 1 1/2 miles northeast." Online, there is more information. "Thomas Burke, skilled in the literary as well as the political arts, was taken prisoner by Loyalists shortly after taking office as governor. He was born ca. 1744 in County Galway, Ireland, the son of Ulick Burke and the former Letitia Ould. Burke emigrated to Virginia and took up residence in Norfolk. There he established himself initially as a physician, but later turned to the practice of law." "In 1772 Burke removed to Hillsborough where he acquired a small plantation and resumed the practice of law. Rising quickly to prominence, he represented Orange County in all but the first of the Provincial Congresses where he was an outspoken advocate for independence. In 1777 and briefly in 1778, Burke represented Orange County in the House of Commons. On three occasions he won election to the Continental Congress, where the form of government for the new nation was slowly taking shape. As a delegate to the Continental Congress, Burke emerged as a strong advocate of states' rights and limited central government. He also earned a reputation for his brashness and irascibility, several times becoming the center of controversy." "When the embittered Burke convened the General Assembly in April of 1782, his rather ambiguous offer to retire from public office was accepted almost without remark. Having served only ten months as governor, two of those as a prisoner, he returned to Hillsborough a ruined and deeply disillusioned man. He died less than two years later, on December 2, 1783, and was interred on the grounds of his plantation, "Tyaquin."" [Review 14022 overall, 1344 of 2020, number 2662 in North Carolina.]

This is such a cool little museum and place to see if you are wanting to do something unique in…read moreDurham that's rich in the city's history. Museum: 5/5 The museum has a ton of cool displays that show the early days of the tobacco industry and Duke family. Right outside of the museum is a large area with a trail that takes you by the Dukes original house, tobacco plants and the tobacco field. You are free to wonder the grounds. However, I recommend paying for the guided tour. With that you get to go inside the structures and hear all about the history of the property and early tobacco industry. In addition you get to learn a lot about the events that shaped the city. Price: 5/5 The museum and grounds is FREE! The guided tour is only $4. Coming from CA, it doesn't get much better than this! Customer Service: 5/5 The guide was great! Very friendly and very knowledgeable in the content. Parking: 5/5 Huge parking lot right in front. Parking was great.

I think it best to take the guided tour, you get a great history of the Duke family's transition…read morefrom farming to production - leading to an efficient industry. Highlights include entering the 2nd factory and the Duke family home. (And I can't get "Duke, duke, duke... Duke of Earl, duke, duke out of my head). You even get to whack tobacco. While the tobacco industry goes back earlier, it is just about the time after the Civil War ends that it really gets interesting, as soldiers coming home chew (or is that "chaw"), smoke, or sniff tobacco. Washington Duke capitalized on it. And now... there's a university and gardens named after the family - with a top notch basketball program, of course! The tour is about an hour. There are other building to see from the outside. Can ask as many questions as you like!

woman who did my fingerprints for the CCP was great. easy breezy experience from arrival and the…read morecheck in paperwork to leaving. Took 10 min tops

The Orange County Historical Courthouse is a place you should stop while in Hillsborough. The…read morecourthouse was built in 1844 and tours are offered from time to time.