This marker is located in downtown Hillsborough and points out a local citizen who earned the ire…read moreof other locals thanks to his abuse of ower. The marker is legible and in good condition. There is parking nearby. The marker reads, "Edmund Fanning, 1737-1818. Judge and local official. Target of Regulators who ransacked and destroyed his nearby home, 1770." There is more information online. "One of the most despised figures in North Carolina history, Edmund Fanning was born in Suffolk County, New York in 1737. Fanning, a Loyalist and colonial official between 1760 and 1771, held a variety of positions while living in Hillsborough. Because of his abuse of his office, Fanning became a prominent target of the Regulators. After leaving North Carolina in 1771, Fanning served as a Loyalist commander, a General in the British army, and a Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. "Fanning attended Yale University, graduating in 1757 before attending Harvard College and King's College (present-day Columbia University). In 1760, he moved to Childsburgh, renamed Hillsborough in 1766, and soon thereafter was elected town commissioner, a position he held until 1771. Fanning developed mercantile partnerships and gained additional power in Orange County, beginning as a representative to the General Assembly. Slowly, Fanning supplemented his position as assembly representative with other positions, so that between 1766 and 1768 he served simultaneously as assemblyman, register of deeds, a Superior Court Judge and a Colonel in the militia. "The public was outraged at Fanning's abuse of power, but probably more angered by his close personal friendship with Governor William Tryon. Fanning's authority was challenged in 1768, when he was sued for taking excessive fees as the register of deeds. Although he was found not guilty on all charges, the acquittal did not assuage the rapidly growing ranks of Orange County Regulators. They fired warning shots through the roof of Fanning's house, but did no further damage, dispersing after Governor Tryon called out the militia. "By 1770, the Regulator Movement again gained strength in Orange County, leading to riots in September of that year. The Regulators destroyed Fanning's house, but his law offices were left unharmed and overran the courthouse, physically abusing members of the "Courthouse Ring," which included Edmund Fanning. With Fanning's urging, Governor Tryon again called out the state militia, who defeated the Regulators at the Battle of Alamance on May 16, 1771. Fanning led the left wing of Tryon's army during the engagement. "Soon after the Battle of Alamance, Edmund Fanning left the state, following Governor Tryon to New York as his private secretary. He then served as a colonel in the Loyalist militia throughout the Revolutionary War, during which time he was wounded twice. After the conflict, Fanning was made a Colonel in the British army and appointed Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. In 1786 he was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island, a position he held until his retirement in 1805. Promoted to major general in the British army in 1793 and full general on April 25, 1808, Edmund Fanning died at his home in London in 1818." I am unable to find where Fanning is laid to rest. With the above history, it's not here in Hillsborough. [Review 104 of 2025 - 4073 in North Carolina - 23671 overall]

Part of a proud constellation of historical markers, this one support Hillsborough's claim in…read moreshaping the early American story. The name at the top struck me instantly and before I even read the inscription, I could tell it belonged to someone of great significance. The marker reads, "One of North Carolina's three signers of the Declaration of Independence. His home is 150 yards west. Was buried a few yards west." It is marker number G-4 and it was erected in 1975 by the North Carolina Division of Archives and History. Hooper was one of 56 delegates who signed the Declaration of Independence, I've seen his name on the Charters of Freedom installations around the country. He was born in Boston in 1742 and educated at Harvard, becoming a prominent lawyer and political figure in North Carolina after relocating to Wilmington in 1764. A staunch advocate for colonial rights, he played a key role in opposing the Regulator movement, helped form North Carolina's first Committee of Correspondence, and was elected as one of the colony's initial delegates to the Continental Congress. He later contributed to designing North Carolina's state seal. After resigning from Congress in 1777, Hooper served in the state legislature and endured personal and political setbacks during and after the Revolutionary War, including the British occupation of Wilmington and a failed bid for office in Hillsborough. Plagued by declining health and disappointment over being excluded from the 1788 Constitutional Convention, he died in Hillsborough in 1790 at age 48. His legacy is honored with a statue at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, where his remains were reinterred in 1894. [Review 1418 of 2025 - 4491 in North Carolina - 24969 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]

This marker is along US501 and denotes a local politician who went on to serve in Washington during…read morethe years before the Civil War. It reads, "Willie P. Mangum. Member of United States Senate for 18 years and president pro tempore, 1842-45. Congressman, Whig party leader. Home site, grave, 10 miles northeast." Online, there is more information. "Willie (pronounced "Wylie") Person Mangum, long a powerful United States Senator, was born at Red Mountain in Orange (now Durham) County in 1792. In 1823, Mangum was elected as a member of the Whig Party to the first of two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives." "In 1831 Mangum was elected to the United States Senate, where he strongly contested the protective tariff and was a supporter of states rights. In 1833 he voted against the Force Bill which established his complete break with President Andrew Jackson. In 1836 Mangum resigned from the Senate, in part over the issue of whether state legislatures could instruct Senators on how to vote. In 1837 Mangum received the eleven electoral votes of South Carolina for President, likely as a reward for his perceived stance on nullification. That same year, he again elected as a Whig to the United States Senate." "With the death of President William Henry Harrison and the rise of Vice-President John Tyler to the Presidency in 1842, Mangum, as President pro tempore of the Senate, for several months was second in line to the White House." [Review 14020 overall, 1342 of 2020, number 2660 in North Carolina.]

A great spot for this marker, it's at the intersection and you have something to read and ponder as…read moreyou wait for the traffic light to turn on to US-501. The marker reads, "Trading Path. Colonial trading route, dating from 17th century, from Petersburg, Virginia, to Catawba and Waxhaw Indians in Carolina passed nearby." Online, there is more information. "In North Carolina, the early history of the colony is replete with stories of the reliance by colonists upon Indian trade and trading routes, and the consequent establishment of villages where they engaged in bartering. Such routes were well known, well marked, and well trodden. The Occaneechi Path, stretching from Petersburg, Virginia, to the Waxhaws region, was one of a hundred such trails running throughout the state and the southeast. But the Trading Path was the central highway, the most fabled route, the interstate of its day. (Its course approximates that of Interstate 85.) "The course of the Trading Path entered North Carolina near present-day Norlina, then passed through Bullock, northern Durham County, Hillsborough, Mebane, Alamance, Julian, central Randolph County, Denton, western Davidson County, Salisbury, and Concord. In Mecklenburg County the path forked, with a spur to Indian Trail and Waxhaw, and another to Charlotte and Pineville." This is marker number G-32 and it was erected in 1941 by the Division of Archives and History. [Review 2163 of 2024 - 3820 in North Carolina - 23182 overall]

For the past three years, Husband & I have attended Preservation Chapel Hill's "Voices From The…read moreGrave" at this fascinating cemetery. This is a great way to experience its' history! Deep Dish Theater company puts on this dignified "show". A Tour Guide leads you to several different graves where Actors bring to life in an informative and entertaining way, that person's story. The writing this year was extra good, and the acting as well! So interesting!!! It is conducted at night, so you do have to be a bit careful walking around, but each group has a couple lanterns to help with that. Parking can be a PAIN since it's on campus and last year the night we went had a game going on to complicate that issue. Just allow extra time for dealing with that...we just know we'll have to walk a distance. This year we did notice there is a parking garage next to the cemetery, but can't attest to the availability of it. We walk. TIP: This event has been taking place in October...look for Living Social deals around that time...it is a VERY affordable event, and well-worth the small amount of money it costs.

I have visited this historic cemetery a number of times over the years. It is very old (founded in…read more1798), quite peaceful and attractive, and is located just across South Road from old Woollen Gym. There are many famous folks buried here, including legendary North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith, band leader Kay Kyser, playwright Paul Green, novelists Alice Adams and Max Steele, university president Frank Porter Graham, university president Robert Burton House, university system president William Friday, and CBS newsman Charles Kuralt. I came on this day to pay my respects to Coach Smith, and Coach Guthridge (who's ashes were scattered in the adjacent Memorial Grove portion of the cemetery). It took awhile to find Coach Smith's plot as it still has no headstone or marker of any kind, other than the simple funeral home plaque - a bit surprising since it has been almost 18 months since his passing.

This marker is along the main street. It is in front of the Orange County Historical Museum and…read moreHillsborough Presbyterian Church with the Olde Town Cemetery. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "William A. Graham. Governor, 1845-1849; Secretary of the Navy; United States Senator; Whig nominee for Vice-President in 1852. His home stands 150 yards west." It is marker number G-40 and it was erected by the North Carolina Division of Archives and History. Graham was born in Lincoln County in 1804 to Revolutionary War veteran Gen. Joseph Graham, pursued a distinguished career in law and public service. Educated at Hillsborough Academy and the University of North Carolina, he studied law under Thomas Ruffin and established a practice in Hillsborough. A supporter of Henry Clay's "American System," Graham served in the North Carolina State House, where he championed public education and internal improvements, including railroad expansion and a school for the deaf and mute. He opposed secession, advocating compromise during the turbulent pre-Civil War years, and later served in the Confederate Congress. Though elected to the US Senate in 1865, he was denied his seat during Reconstruction. In retirement, he worked to challenge Republican dominance in North Carolina and served as an arbitrator on the Virginia-Maryland Boundary Commission. He died in 1875 while attending a meeting in Saratoga Springs, New York, and was buried in Hillsborough. [Review 1417 of 2025 - 4490 in North Carolina - 24968 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]