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]

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]

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 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]

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]

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]

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 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]