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]

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]

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]

Traveling through Hillsborough, it was nice to spot a marker that denoted something other than…read moreColonial or Civil War history. This one is much more modern. The marker reads, "Bill Strayhorn. 1915-1967. Jazz composer & pianist. Wrote "Take the A Train" and other songs for Duke Ellington Orchestra. Boyhood home site 1/4 mi. W." Online is more information. "William Thomas ("Billy" professionally) Strayhorn, Duke Ellington's longtime collaborator, was among the most influential figures in American jazz. A versatile composer, arranger, and pianist, Strayhorn joined Ellington's orchestra at age 22 in 1939 and worked with the bandleader the rest of his life. Ellington publicly acknowledged the central role Strayhorn played in his success, writing the band's theme "Take the A Train" and penning popular and widely recorded songs such as "Lush Life" and "Satin Doll." Strayhorn was a formative influence on an entire generation of musicians. Living in New York City most of his adult life, he was actively involved in the civil rights movement and was a personal friend of Martin Luther King Jr.. "Although Strayhorn was born in Dayton, Ohio, his roots ran deep in Orange County and, importantly, his frequent stays in Hillsborough as a boy were essential to his musical development. His father and grandfather both worked at the Eno Mill. His grandparents, who owned a piano, lived in a house (now gone) at the corner of Margaret Lane and Hillsborough Avenue. Returning with his mother and siblings to North Carolina from Ohio regularly from age five, Strayhorn attended his first year of school while in Hillsborough; a classmate remembered him as "small and bright." He spent breaks and summers in North Carolina through his early teenage years (by then the family had moved to Pittsburgh) and often took the train to visit an uncle in Durham. "Biographer David Hajdu contends that North Carolina became the young man's spiritual home, the place he was introduced to music. Initially gospel tunes drew him to the piano. He often wandered through the slave cemetery across from his boyhood home and walked along the Eno River. At Strayhorn's death at age 52 in 1967, Ellington said his friend "had no aspirations to enter into any kind of competition, yet the legacy he leaves, his oeuvre, will never be less than the ultimate on the highest plateau of culture." In 2007 Strayhorn was the subject of a PBS documentary." This is marker number G-125. It was erected in 2008 by the North Carolina Office of Archives and History. [Review 102 of 2025 - 4072 in North Carolina - 23669 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]

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 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]