This marker is along the Eno River where it is crossed by US-70. There is enough space at the side…read moreof the road to pull over. The actual site it references is no longer. The marker reads, "Grist mill. Site of key Regulator meeting, 1766, and skirmish in 1781 that boosted the Patriot cause. Stood 1/5 mile north." Online, there is more information. "By August 4, 1755, a Quaker by the name of Joseph Maddock was operating a grist mill on the Eno River just outside what is now Hillsborough. For years Maddock's mill had steady business as it was the closest mill to the Orange County seat. In 1766, it was the site of large and well-publicized gathering of Regulators. Edmund Fanning deemed the meeting "an insurrection" when he believed the men were attempting to usurp power from the local court." "Cornwallis reached Hillsborough in Feb. 1781, and dispatched a detachment to the mill. The facility was used by the troops for grinding corn and about thirty soldiers were posted to protect the site. Maj. Joseph Graham learned of the troops at Hart's Mill and ordered his militia to attack. The cavalry and mounted riflemen divided to effectively surround the British. Americans killed or wounded nine men and took nineteen prisoners; all but two were British regulars. Graham and his militia, with prisoners in tow, fled to General Andrew Pickens's camp nearby. Graham's exploits inspired confidence in the weary American soldiers. Thomas Jefferson referred to the skirmish in a letter to George Washington, dated March 8, 1781. He wrote that the skirmish at Hart's Mill, combined with the defeat of Loyalist Col. John Pyle's forces on February 23, "had a very happy effect on the disaffected in that country."" This is marker number G-122 and it was originally cast in 2006. [Review 2123 of 2024 - 3791 in North Carolina - 23142 overall]

Many of the markers in Hillsborough point to Colonial Era or Civil War people with a very few…read moreexceptions. This is one of them. A positive. The marker reads, "Moses A. Curtis. Botanist, authority on North American flora, author, and Episcopal minister. Home was two blocks east." Online, there is more information. "For Moses Ashley Curtis, an Episcopal priest and botanist, there was no conflict between religion and science. Moses Curtis was born in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, on May 11, 1808. The son of the Reverend Jared Curtis and Thankful Ashley attended Stockbridge Academy and graduated from William College in 1827. While at Williams, Professor Chester Dewey and Professor Amos Eaton significantly influenced Moses's interest in the natural sciences. After graduation, he left New England for Wilmington, where he served as a tutor for the family of Governor Edward B. Dudley and began studying the local plants. Curtis returned to Massachusetts in 1833 to study for the ministry under the Church of the Advent. On December 3, 1834, he married Mary De Rosset of Wilmington. The following year, he received his ordination. "The Reverend Curtis began his ministry immediately as a missionary in western North Carolina, serving congregations in Lincolnton, Salisbury, Morganton, and Charlotte. From 1837 to 1839, he taught at the Episcopal School in Raleigh, the predecessor to St. Mary's. He was called back into the mission field in 1840 to Washington, North Carolina. After serving there for a year, he accepted a call to St. Matthew's Church in Hillsborough where he remained for the rest of his life, except from 1847 to 1856, when he lived in Society Hill, South Carolina. Curtis was a talented musician, playing the piano, organ, flute, violin, and composing anthems and hymns such as "How Beautiful upon the Mountain." "Although a dedicated priest, Curtis is best known by people outside of North Carolina for his accomplishments in the field of botany. He was considered an expert in the field of mycology, the study of fungi. Prior to his contributions, the study of lichen had been very limited. Among his published works was the 1860 Geological and Natural History Survey of North America, Part III, Botany. Curtis reported having collected and eaten forty different species of mushrooms within two miles of his house and believed that if people had a better knowledge of edible fungi, the food shortage for southern armies during the Civil War would not have been as severe. Moses Ashley Curtis died on April 10, 1872, and was buried at St. Matthew's Church in Hillsborough." This is marker number G-64. It was erected in 1955 by the Archives Conservation and Highway Departments. There is parking nearby. [Review 105 of 2025 - 4074 in North Carolina - 23672 overall]

This marker is located along US-158 between Oxford and Roxboro. It points out the namesake of North…read moreCarolina's Person County. There is room to stop here to read the marker. It has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Leader of popular movements: Regulation, Revolution, and Antifederalism. His home in Goshen stood five miles north." Online, there is more information. "Thomas Person, a North Carolina political leader from Granville County, was born in Virginia in 1733. His father, William Person, was the first sheriff of Granville County after moving his family to North Carolina around 1740. Person is best known for his involvement in three integral parts of North Carolina history: the Regulator Movement, the American Revolution, and North Carolina's admission to the United States of America. "Person acted as both justice of the peace and sheriff before representing Granville County in the North Carolina General Assembly in 1764. At the outbreak of the Regulator Movement, Governor William Tryon ordered Person to be jailed in Hillsborough, despite his absence from the Battle of Alamance. Person was considered a high powered and influential figure within the movement, and was charged but exonerated due to lack of evidence. Person was called upon during the Third Provincial Congress to persuade former Regulators to join the Revolutionary cause. "Remaining actively involved in politics before the Revolutionary War, Person represented Granville County in each of the five North Carolina Provincial Congresses. He played a vital role in the Congresses, sitting on most important committees, including the committee that drafted the Halifax Resolves in April 1776. Person also contributed to the planning of the state constitution of 1776. After the Halifax Resolves were adopted and North Carolina declared its independence from Great Britain, Thomas Person was elected brigadier general of the Hillsborough district militia, but returned to state government as the "radical" faction leader after 1776. "Following the Patriot victory in the Revolutionary War, Person continued his representation in the North Carolina House of Commons, acting as an Anti-Federalist leader. Person strongly opposed the ratification of the federal constitution, voting against it in the Hillsborough convention of 1788 and the Fayetteville convention of 1789. He fought for equality and justice in government, fearing the effects on the poor of federal taxes. "At the time of his death, Person owned over 65,000 acres in ten counties in North Carolina and an additional 16,000 acres in Tennessee. Additionally, in present-day Halifax County, Person operated a tavern and inn, Person's Ordinary, which existed from around 1700. Person lived at "Goshen" plantation in Granville County until his old age, at which time he moved to another house in Warren County where he was buried after his death in 1800." This is marker number G-17. It was erected in 1972 by the State Department of Archives and History. [Review 2473 of 2024 - 3927 in North Carolina - 23485 overall]

A historical marker about a historian seems a little meta but here we go with your history lesson…read more This marker is located on the main street that joins downtown Hillsborough towards the interstate exit and is near the Orange County Historical Society. The marker reads, "J. G. de Roulhac Hamilton, 1878-1961. Historian, professor, and founder of the Southern Historical Collection at UNC. Born 1/2 block west." Online, there is a lot more information. "Born in Hillsborough, N.C. on August 6, 1878, Joseph Gregoire de Roulhac Hamilton came from a family with deep South roots. His great-grandfather was Nullification governor of South Carolina. His father came to North Carolina to teach at Hillsborough Military Academy and remained to fight in the 13th N.C. Regiment. Hamilton studied first at home and then did college work at the Sewanee: University of the South graduating with the M.A. degree in 1900. He taught at the Horner Military School at Oxford before continuing his education at Columbia University (1902-4) with historian William Archibald Dunning, and was awarded the Ph.D. degree in American history in 1906. Hamilton, as did many Dunning students, wrote his dissertation about reconstruction in his home state (NC) which was then published as a history book, Reconstruction in North Carolina in 1914. "Hamilton returned to teaching, first at the Wilmington (NC) High School (1904-1906) and then, in 1906, he was appointed an associate professor of history at the University of North Carolina. He served UNC until his retirement in 1951. He was among the important historians of his era, however, like many in his time, his writings were slanted to the Lost Cause mythos of Civil War and Reconstruction history, favoring a narrative crafted to support white racial ideology over actual events. His monograph on North Carolina Reconstruction was not refuted for half a century. "While Hamilton's work as an historian supported white supremacist narratives, it was his work as a nascent archivist for special collections at the University of North Carolina that built a collection to memorialize that narrative. In 1927 he announced plans for what he initially called the "National Southern Collection." In 1930, Sarah Graham Kenan gave a gift to establish the Southern Historical Collection. Hamilton was named as the first director. His manuscript-collecting travels across the South, placing almost a million miles on a series of Ford coupes, are legendary. Some states attempted to block his efforts and he came to be known as "Ransack" Hamilton for his gathering practices. While he gathered and built an amazing collection of southern history materials, it was singular in focus on the history of white southerners. Recent writings in 2020 argue his tenure was dedicated to shaping the university (and collections) to the benefit of white supremacy. "Nonetheless, some credit the renaissance in southern history in the mid-twentieth century to Hamilton's foresight (in the collecting of what materials he did gather). In partial recognition of that fact, and his contributions to the field of history, the 1972 new building occupied by the UNC History Department was named for him. After a reevaluation of his career and contributions, the History Department building was recommended in 2020 for a name change. "Hamilton passed away on 10 November 1961. He is buried in the Old Chapel Hill Cemetery on the campus of the university." There is parking at the police department. This is marker number G-103. It was erected in 1989 by the Division of Archives and History. [Review 106 of 2025 - 4075 in North Carolina - 23673 overall]

This marker along Oxford Road points out a local who lived nearby. There is room at the corner to…read morestop and read the marker. It has the same text on both sides, reading "William R. Webb (Sawney). Founder, 1870, of Webb School, since 1886 in Bell Buckle, Tenn. Confederate soldier, U.S. Senator, 1913. Born 1842, one mile south." Online, there is more information. "William Robert Webb (1842-1926) in 1870 founded the Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. Widely respected in the Volunteer State, Webb was selected to fill out an unexpired term in the U.S. Senate in 1913. He remained the principal at Webb until his death in 1926. "Webb, born near Mount Tirzah in Person County, North Carolina, was reared by his mother after the death of his father when he was six. The nickname "Sawney" originated at an early age, being a Scottish diminutive of Alexander, his father's name. His formal education was gained at the Bingham School and at the University of North Carolina. After Confederate service he completed studies at UNC, he took a teaching post at Horner Military School in Oxford but soon moved to Tennessee, married Emma Clary, and took over a moribund preparatory school in Culleoka. At the school he was joined by his brother John, also a UNC graduate. Early graduates of the Webb School, all young men in its early years, excelled at Vanderbilt University, opened in 1875. "Webb's objection to the sale of liquor in Culleoka led him in 1886 to move the school thirty-five miles west to Bell Buckle. Of his classroom style it is said that he "made of teaching a drama in miniature" and cut a striking figure in his frock coat. By force of personality he engendered loyalty from Webb graduates. The Senate appointment came in 1913 when Tennessee Sen. Robert Taylor died. Webb then filled out the term, serving from January 24 until March 3. "Upon his death in 1926 Webb was eulogized widely and praised as the "South's greatest teacher of boys." During Webb's tenure, the school produced more Rhodes Scholars than any other secondary school in the nation." This is marker number G-79 and it was erected in 1962 by the North Carolina Archives and Highway Departments. [Review 2141 of 2024 - 3808 in North Carolina - 23160 overall]

This marker is located just south of downtown Hillsborough and points out some of the earliest…read moresettlement of the area. The road doesn't widen and there really isn't room to pull over here. The marker reads, "William Churton. Cartographer. Surveyed Granville District. In 1749 extended N.C.-Va. boundary line 90 miles west. Lived nearby." There is more information online. "William Churton was a colonial cartographer and surveyor employed by the offices of the Granville District. Arriving in North Carolina about 1748, he initially was assigned to the Granville Land Office in Edenton. Churton and lawyer Daniel Weldon were appointed commissioners to extend the colonial Virginia-North Carolina boundary line in 1749 in cooperation with Virginia commissioners Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson (father of Thomas). Together these men established an extension of the colonial boundary ninety miles to the west. The resulting map, created by Fry and Jefferson, was presented to the British government by North Carolina governor Gabriel Johnston. "In 1753 Churton and another Granville agent were appointed trustees for 635 acres of land for the establishment of the town of Salisbury. The following year, Churton was appointed trustee for 663 acres for the establishment of the community that today is known as Hillsborough. Planned under the name of Orange and first established as Corbin Town, the community soon was renamed Childsburgh. By that time, Churton had become public register for Orange County and a town commissioner for Childsburgh. He also represented Orange County in the colonial General Assembly 1755 to 1760 and 1761 to 1762. He was appointed as both a county surveyor and justice of the peace in 1757." [Review 76 of 2025 - 4051 in North Carolina - 23644 overall]

This marker is located along Business 70 at the south end of the city of Hillsborough and points…read moreout the original inhabitants before settlers and colonial explorers arrived. There is no good spot to pull over to read the marker but the traffic was light this morning. It reads, "Village of Occaneechi Indians on the Great Trading Path. Inhabited ca. 1680 - 1710. Visited in 1701 by the explorer John Lawson. 1/2 mi. E." Online, there is more information. "A short distance east of the bridge on the southern edge of Hillsborough's historic district, in a bend of the Eno River, lie the excavated remains of the village of Occaneechi. The importance of the area was first recognized in the 1930s by historian Douglas Rights who theorized that this was the site of John Lawson's visit of 1701 as recorded in his A New Voyage to Carolina (1709). Initial excavations in 1938-1941 by Joffre Coe of the University of North Carolina encouraged Coe's successors to conduct a full-scale investigation between 1983 and 1986. Today the excavations are recognized as "some of the best preserved and scientifically most significant archaeological sites in southeastern North America."" "The occupation of the village by the Occaneechi Indians extended from roughly 1680 to 1710. Consequently, the research complements that conducted at Upper Saura Town and Lower Saura Town, other Piedmont sites dating to the same period. The Occaneechi maintained a distinctive level of economic and political power among neighboring tribes owing to their strategic location along the Trading Path and control of the deerskin trade. Although the name (also spelled as "Aconechy" among other variations) appears on maps through the mid-1700s, disease, warfare, and rum had virtually destroyed Indian societies in the Piedmont by the early eighteenth century. Lawson in 1701 estimated that the native population was only one-sixth that of fifty years before." This is marker number G-33 and it was erected in 1991 by the North Carolina Division of Archives and History. It has the same text on both sides. [Review 101 of 2025 - 4071 in North Carolina - 23668 overall]

Across from what is now the Burlington Amtrak station, this marker points out some of the earliest…read morehistory of trains in North Carolina. The marker is high on the post but in excellent condition. The marker reads, "Company Shops built here in 1857 for maintenance and repair of the North Carolina Railroad. Closed in 1866." Online, there is more information. "Progressive leaders of North Carolina led by former Governor John Motley Morehead organized the North Carolina Railroad in July 1850. The first rails were laid in Greensboro in 1851 and by 1856 the railway was open for traffic between Goldsboro and Charlotte, passing through many of the state's prominent piedmont towns along its 223 miles of track. The new railway opened a new era of transportation in the state and created new markets for goods and products throughout the region. The railway served as the backbone of future railroad growth and led to the expansion of towns along its corridor. "One town that grew out of the railroad boom was Company Shops, now Burlington. Soon after construction was complete on the new railway and trains began their east-west travels, officials realized that centralized repair and maintenance operations were needed. After some deliberation, they decided that the offices and shops should be placed along the railroad corridor in an area roughly at the center of the laid track, in Alamance, a rural county. The North Carolina Railroad Company contracted with local families to purchase almost 632 acres of land for repair shops, offices and railroad employee homes. The company intended to control the growth of their new town, called Company Shops, by owning all land associated with the track repair shops. Brick buildings were constructed to house repair operations including two repair shops, a carpentry shop and a blacksmith shop. Company Shops grew into a bustling town until the start of the Civil War and, during the war, the town was a hub of activity as North Carolina's railroads were vital to the Confederate war effort. At the end of the war the shops were targets of both retreating Confederates and advancing Union forces. "The railroad industry struggled through Reconstruction and slowly rebuilt its network to meet the growing needs of the state. Despite post-war financial troubles, the shops and the town that grew up around them and Company Shops flourished until the 1880's. In 1886, after changes in the management of the railroad industry, officials moved the maintenance and repair operations to Manchester, Virginia, effectively cutting off the town's major source of employment and local business (NOTE: the marker incorrectly indicates the year of the closure as 1866). Following the devastation of losing the shops to Virginia, the townspeople changed the name of the town to Burlington in 1887." This is marker number G-89 and it was erected in 1972 by the Office Of Archives And History. [Review 58 of 2025 - 4033 in North Carolina - 23626 overall]