While hunting for a parking space, I spotted this marker and stopped to check it out. It is located…read morein downtown Greensboro and is easily legible. The marker reads, "First steam-powered cotton mill in North Carolina Operated circa 1834-50 in large brick building that stood 2 blocks north." Online, there is more information. "In her 1925 book Bettie Caldwell referred to the Mount Hecla Steam Cotton Mill as "long the pride of old Greensboro." Completed by 1834 in the center of the city by Henry Humphreys (1787-1840), the mill was the first in North Carolina powered by steam. Eventually the steam mode of operation would become the standard (by 1905 sixty-seven percent of the cotton mills in the South were steam-powered) but at the time it represented an innovation. Textile entrepreneurs, among them Edwin M. Holt, consulted with Humphreys on steam technology. "Humphreys got his start in the mercantile business and soon profited to the point that in 1822 he could purchase the Greensboro mansion (later owned by John Motley Morehead) known as "Blandwood" The first Mount Hecla cotton mill, only the third built in the state (after Schenck-Warlick and Rocky Mount) was a typical waterpower driven operation opened in 1818 on the outskirts on Greensboro. By 1828 Humphreys had closed this mill and purchased a lot at the corner of Bellemeade and Greene Streets. He purchased machinery from New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and brought down James Danforth to design and equip the mill. The masonry building was four stories tall with a basement, 150 feet long by 50 feet wide, working 2500 spindles and 75 looms. "An advertisement in July 1834 indicated that the mill was "in the full tide of successful operating." Initially employing a mixed workforce of slaves and whites, Humphreys soon moved to whites only (100 in 1840 produced 3000 pounds per week), supplying "employment for numerous hands hitherto doing nothing for the community, and but little for themselves." He issued scrip currency in 50 cents, $1, and $3 denominations featuring an illustration of the mill. Humphreys died in 1840 and was succeeded by his son-in-law Thomas R. Tate as operator of the mill. An ad in 1843 indicated that the mill was shipping "immense quantities" to distant markets but by 1850 it had relocated to the Catawba River in Gaston County and returned to traditional waterpower." This is marker number J-104 and it was erected in 2001 by the North Carolina Office of Archives and History. [Review 2494 of 2024 - 3947 in North Carolina - 23506 overall]

Walking downtown looking for a place to eat and we came across this historical marker. On South Elm…read moreStreet near the corner of W. Washington. It states that the inventor of Vicks Vaporub had a pharmacy a few hundred yards from that corner. It's crazy to think that something we have been using since we were kids, was invented so close to home! If you close your eyes and think real hard......you can smell the Vicks! I have a cold at the moment so I was not able to smell anything. Oh well, heading to the nearest pharmacy to get me some! You should try it, you won't be disappointed!

I spotted this marker as I was headed to a coffee shop in Greensboro and once I'd settled in with…read moremy laptop, I looked up and learned about this inventor. Interesting stuff! The marker reads, "A pharmacist and entrepreneur, he created Vicks VapoRub in 1894 while operating a drugstore 150 yards north." Online, there is more information. "Lunsford Richardson, born in 1854 in Johnston County, was educated at the Horner and Graves Academy in Oxford and enrolled at Davidson College in 1872. His mother, who had raised Lunsford and his four siblings alone, died the following year, leaving Richardson with enough money for only three years at Davidson. Richardson graduated from Davidson in 1875--number two in his class and with medals in Greek, Latin, and debating. He served four years as a principal in Cumberland County, but left school to become a pharmacist--one of the only other jobs that he felt would be served by his Latin skills. "In 1880 Richardson purchased the only drugstore in Selma. Ten years later he moved to Greensboro, where he and partner John B. Fariss purchased W. C. Porter's drug store. At Richardson-Fariss Drug Store, he began to utilize his lifelong interest in chemistry, inventing a variety of over-the-counter medications. In order to promote his medicines, Richardson sold the drugstore and established a wholesale business, the L. Richardson Drug Company. In 1905, after disagreements with stockholders over how the operation should be run, Richardson sold the business, retaining rights to his twenty-one medicines, and opened the Vick Family Remedies Company. "Vicks Salve, developed by Richardson in 1894, offered promise, but was difficult to market with such a nondescript name. Richardson's eldest son, H. Smith Richardson, joined the family business as sales manager in 1907 and recognized the need for a more descriptive name. With the honed salesmanship of Smith Richardson and under the catchy name Vick's VapoRub, the cold remedy had garnered a national following within five years. The flu pandemic of 1918 to 1919 made Vick's VapoRub an indispensible part of medicine chests. With operations focused on VapoRub, Richardson incorporated his business in early 1919. "Ironically, Lunsford Richardson did not live to see his creation become a worldwide phenomenon, succumbing to the flu in August of that year. Richardson married Mary Lynn Smith, sister of his college classmate Henry Louis Smith. They had five children. Active in the Presbyterian Church and his community, Richardson was a champion of race relations. He was a trustee at Palmer Memorial Institute. He is buried in Greensboro's Green Hill Cemetery. During World War II, a Liberty Ship was named Lunsford Richardson in his honor." Everything had to be invented somewhere. VapoRub was invented here in Greensboro. How about that! This is marker number J-112 and it was erected in 2010 by the North Carolina Office of Archives and History. [Review 2497 of 2024 - 3950 in North Carolina - 23509 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]

It's ok just be prepared to wait and bathrooms are out of order and elevatordon't workread more

This courthouse is a beautiful example of government interaction with the people "back in the day."…read more The Courthouse Square was once the center of community. It portrays a time when government was more accessible to the people, and people were more a part of government decisions. I love seeing these old courthouses. Many of them have lost their surroundings, but this one still has buildings around it. It makes for a living downtown area, heartening back to yesteryear. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

This marker is located in downtown Greensboro and points out what was here during the Civil War…read more North Carolina had a number of Civil War battles and many of them in this area. The marker reads, "Set up in the First Presbyterian Church to receive wounded from Battle of Bentonville, 1865, was here." Online, there is more information. "During the winter and early spring of 1864-1865, General William Tecumseh Sherman's army wreaked destruction on Georgia and South Carolina. On March 8, his men entered North Carolina. Concerned with the ability to feed and supply his 60,000 men, Sherman divided his army into two wings: the left, commanded by Major General Henry Slocum and the right commanded by Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard. Both wings advanced in the direction of Goldsboro, as Confederate forces from across the region were cobbled together in an attempt to delay their progress. "On March 19-21, at Bentonville, Sherman's army lost 304 killed in action, 1,112 wounded, and 221 missing. The Confederates lost 239 killed, 1,694 wounded, and 673 missing. While many of the wounded were treated immediately at the numerous field hospitals established by both Federal and Confederate forces, some Southern soldiers were sent west to Greensboro. Many of these men were attended to at temporary Confederate hospitals established at the First Presbyterian Church and Edgeworth Female Seminary. The congregation of the church had offered their services and their facility to the Confederacy as early as April 1862, but it had not been used as a hospital until the latter half of March 1865. "Locals recorded their shock at the number of wounded. A local woman who was present recorded that those who died of their wounds "were laid in a semi-circle around the pulpit in their last long sleep." The exact number of those who died at the church remains unknown. A monument to them is located at Green Hill Cemetery. After the Federal occupation of Greensboro, the field hospital was converted back into the church once more." This is marker number J-30 and it was erected in 1950 by the Archives, Conservation and Highway Departments. [Review 2493 of 2024 - 3946 in North Carolina - 23505 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]

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 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]