This small marker just north of I-40 on MLK Jr Blvd recalls this great woman who fought for the…read morevery road you're probably driving on today. The marker reads, "Harriet M. Berry, 1877-1940. Champion of good roads. Her intensive lobbying led to 1921 law creating modern state highway system. Born 8 mi. N." As is customary with North Carolina's markers, there is more information online that I summarize. Ms. Berry attended the Nash-Kollock School in Hillsborough and the State Normal and Industrial School (presently UNC-Greensboro). Following graduation in 1897, she taught for two years at the Oxford Orphanage. In 1901 Miss Berry began work in Chapel Hill with the North Carolina Geological and Economic Survey, led by Joseph Hyde Pratt. She rose from stenographer to secretary for the Survey to its acting head in 1917 when Pratt entered military service. During those years Miss Berry became active with the Good Roads Association and in 1919 led that organization in lobbying for legislation to create a state highway commission. In 1921 the General Assembly created a strong highway commission, thus setting the foundation for the modern highway system. The News and Observer called her "the best woman politician in the state." Aside from her interest in good roads, she was also an active campaigner for equal suffrage laws. Thank you, Ms. Berry. I appreciate it. [Review 12959 overall, 275 of 2020.]

This marker is located just before the intersection with a couple of others. It is easily legible…read moreand there is room on the side of the road to stop to read it. The marker reads, "Stephen B. Weeks. Historian, bibliographer, collector of North Carolina books and manuscripts, professor at Trinity College, 1891-93. Grave 6 miles northeast" Online, there is more information. "Stephen Beauregard Weeks, considered the first professional North Carolina historian, was born on February 2, 1865, near Nixonton to James E. and Mary L. Weeks. His parents died at an early age and Weeks was raised by his father's sister and her family. A prolific writer, Weeks produced nearly two hundred books and articles. In addition, he avidly collected material related to North Carolina, amassing a library of over 9,000 items. At his death, the University of North Carolina purchased his collection forming the special collections now housed in Wilson Library. The Raleigh News & Observer editorialized his death: "There is little reward of a financial kind in ransacking old libraries and musty correspondence files to establish the facts of history. But few men have wrought more capably and helpfully for the State than he did and the heritage of duty faithfully and efficiently rendered is more to be prized than great riches."" This is marker number G-50 and it was erected in 1949 by the Archives, Conservation, and Highway Departments. [Review 2164 of 2024 - 3821 in North Carolina - 23183 overall]

Interesting spot to walk around and learn about some Civil War history. You can walk inside some of…read morethe structures and the house on the property. The staff were all very friendly - they were setting up for a field trip the morning we visited. Next time, I'd like to go on a guided tour to learn more about the site. We also took a walk through the trails in the woods, that only took us about 15 minutes. The trails were easy but they do have a lot of roots, so you need to be careful not to trip! Some parts of the trail were a little overgrown, but still passable.

Really interesting historical site, kind and knowledgeable staff. The trails are also lovely for…read moresome added walking opportunities.

On the sidewalk in front of the massive complex that is the Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital, this…read moremarker is a reminder that things weren't always the way they are today. Historical marker J-120 has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Landmark federal court of appeals decision 1963 involving Cone Hospital led to racial integration of hospitals in the U.S." Simkins v. Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital challenged segregated hospital systems in Greensboro, arguing that facilities built with federal Hill-Burton Act funds could not lawfully discriminate. George C. Simkins and other African American physicians and patients sued after one hospital barred Black patients entirely and the other allowed only limited access. The Fourth Circuit ruled in 1963 that hospitals receiving federal funds were subject to the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, making separate but equal policies unconstitutional. When the Supreme Court declined review in 1964, the decision stood and helped pave the way for the Civil Rights Act's desegregation of public facilities. As it was a weekend, I was able to quickly stop in the medical office across the street to park. On a weekday, there is no good parking nearby. [Review 654 of 2026 - 4742 in North Carolina - 25835 overall]

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]

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]

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.