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]

Along a quiet stretch of US Highway 158 in front of a regal looking home, this marker points out…read morethe person after whom this city and another county were named. The marker reads, "Congressman. A State legislator and political leader. Died in 1828 at the age of 42. His home and grave are here." Online, there is more information. "Bartlett Yancey of Caswell County served as a Congressman and legislator before dying at the early age of forty-two. Yancey's goal was to be a United States Senator but was never realized. However, his skill as a lawyer and as a Congressman ensured his position in both the state and national political arena. Despite his death at a young age, Yancey contributed significantly to both his own Caswell County and to other parts of North Carolina, leading to the renaming of Yanceyville and the naming of Yancey County, both in 1833." This is marker G-18. It was erected in 1974 by the North Carolina Division of Archives and History. [Review 2479 of 2024 - 3933 in North Carolina - 23491 overall]

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]

This marker is located on US-70 (Business) which is known as Churton Street here. It is south of…read morethe center of Hillsborough towards I-85 and there is a bit of room to pull over to read the marker. Like more North Carolina historical markers, there is little text here but it is the same on both sides. It reads, "Thomas Ruffin, 1787-1870. Jurist and agriculturist. Chief Justice of North Carolina Supreme Court, 1833-1852 and 1858-1859. Grave 3/10 mile east." There is more information online. Ruffin was born in Virginia in 1787, studied at Princeton, and began his legal career in Hillsborough, where he also served in the state legislature and as a Superior Court judge. Ruffin played a key role in stabilizing the State Bank of North Carolina and authored over 1,400 judicial opinions, including landmark cases like Hoke v. Henderson and State v. Mann. Though he supported secession, he viewed it as a revolutionary act rather than a constitutional right, and he opposed the Ku Klux Klan for its violations of constitutional law. Beyond his judicial legacy, Ruffin was a leader in agricultural reform and a devoted Episcopalian, donating land for St. Matthew's Church, where he was buried in 1870. This is marker number G-11 and it was erected in 2011 by the North Carolina Office of Archives and History. [Review 1378 of 2025 - 4487 in North Carolina - 24930 overall]

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]

Small little town that packs a punch! Recently visited here to pass the time and visit a new city…read more The trails and history here are absolutely some of the highlights of this interesting city. Great historical homes, small shops and even the cemetery too. Definitely a great town worth checking out!

please don't move here. Yes, it's a cute little town with lots of nice people. Unfortunately the…read moreinfrastructure is not at all ready to handle the people who are already here. Traffic is a nightmare with gridlock daily. The for instance could not handle a recent storm and the whole was without water. Not yet ready for prime time.

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.]

This marker is located in front of the Masonic Home for Children and points out the currently…read moreoperating facility. There isn't really room to park but the wide driveway of the orphanage has space for a quick stop and photo. The marker reads, "Opened by Masons, 1873, with John H. Mills first head, in plant of St. Johns College, which they had operated, 1858-1861." Online, there is more information. "The Oxford Orphanage began when the statewide organization of Masons, the Grand Lodge of North Carolina, passed a resolution in 1847 indicating that a seminary of learning should be created to educate children, whether poor or rich, whether orphan or not. The committee assigned to create the school proposed that astronomy, natural philosophy, chemistry, geology, electricity and application to machinery, various processes of manufactures, metallurgy, natural history and engineering be taught. The Masons wanted the students at their school to have as good an education as could be attained anywhere in the nation. On June 24, 1855, the anniversary of the birth of St. John the Baptist, the cornerstone of St. John's College was laid. The building was completed in December 1857 and opened on July 13, 1858. From the outset the school was unsuccessful. The campus was offered to the state for use as a military school, but, during the war years, served only to house squatters or war refugees. "John H. Mills in December 1872 suggested that the school should be turned into an orphanage. Trustees accepted his proposal and the former St. John's College became the first permanent orphanage in North Carolina. Mills moved onto campus and remained in the post until 1884. In February 1873 the first orphans, Robert L. and Nancy Parrish and Isabelle Robertson, took up residence. In the first year of operation, the orphanage welcomed 136 children, 109 of whom remained at the close of the year. The name of the institution was changed in 1923 to Oxford Orphanage and, in 1994, to the Masonic Home for Children. In 2000 the home launched an ambitious campaign to attain state licensing, improve and expand services, and construct a set of new, handicapped-accessible one-story cottages." This is marker number G-7 and it was first cast in 1936. [Review 2129 of 2024 - 3797 in North Carolina - 23148 overall]

Oxford Orphanage gets and deserves a 5 STAR - GREAT rating. Why someone would give it a 3 star…read morerating shows just how low our humanity has sunken. Take my word for it. I grew up there over 40 years ago. I left with a good head on my shoulders and have made myself a wonderful and productive life. I am educated, upper middle class, contribute to the community and world I live in, treat everyone as with dignity and respect. I am an E-level manager in the corporate world as many of my former classmates are. Most importantly, I left there with a sense of purpose and am happy with life and live in the present. I'm 60 now, but will never forget my roots as Oxford Orphanage paved the way for me to live a life that is reflective of it's founders back in 1873. One of contribution, caring for my fellow human beings, and a drive to be the best I can be in this world. I encourage those at the now MHCO to do what I did. Dream the biggest dream you can....and go for it. God bless all the Masons of NC for creating this magnificent place to begin a wonderful journey. I left with 100 dollars and a new suitcase the evening I graduated and have built a rich life full of love and contribute to my church, community, fellow-man, and the world I live in. Yelp, please remove the 3 star rating left by Bruce K. He obviously doesn't have a soul. THANK YOU to all my counselors, teachers, and administrators that taught me the respect for humanity and to have a spine. Kindly, Eric Earle / Class of 1984