Lot 25
Southwest Corner of Churton and King Streets
Young, Miller, and Co. aka The Blue House
c.1765
According to the earliest surviving deeds, this lot was first owned by merchants from Glasgow, Scotland and Edenton, NC who had established a company with headquarters in Halifax, NC. It was one of the many sites across the colony where they operated general merchandise stores. The primary partners in this firm included James Young, Andrew Miller, and George Alston; hence, the company was known as Young, Miller & Co.
The Sauthier map depicts four structures on Lot 26 by 1768. At this time, Young, Miller & Co. is presumed to have owned the entire lot. A 1771 deed lists “Ralph McNair merchant” as being in “possession” of the property. McNair may have lived in one of the four buildings, although he would soon come to own property across the street and operate a store there (See Lot 26).
The structure directly on the corner of Churton and King streets has been identified through records. It was erected in the 1760s, was 55’x52’, and has been presumed to be Young, Miller & Co.’s store. It became known as “The Blue House.” McNair managed this store and is believed to have moved to Hillsborough specifically for that purpose. However, Young, Miller, & Co. employed lawyers Thomas Burke and John Kinchen to collect their accounts.
Many historians believe that Young, Miller & Co. also operated a tavern on Lot 25 because the company also owned a stillhouse on E. King Street, later purchased by William Courtney. Some believe that the tavern was in the Blue House. However, general stores were rarely used for such dual purposes, especially because married women typically would not frequent a tavern due to the social stigma yet married women were often a general store’s primary customers. More likely, one of the other buildings on the lot – perhaps the building directly beside the Blue House – was utilized for that purpose.
The 1768 Sauthier map depicts four buildings on the Churton Street portion of Lot 25. Historians identified these structures as the Blue House on the corner with a kitchen and stable and then two private homes.
Of this partnership, Andrew Miller was one of the most prominent members. He earned a reputation as one of the “three firmest Tories in the Province” of North Carolina. Miller was born in Scotland and moved to Halifax, NC where he became a merchant and leading citizen, friends with Governor Josiah Martin. In 1774, he refused to sign the Resolutions of the Association, a non-importation agreement for goods to Great Britain. Consequently, the Halifax Committee of Safety decided to boycott Miller’s businesses as well as those of his partners. Soon, retribution against him for being a supporter of England became so severe that he and his wife Elizabeth and their children were forces to flee the country.
How Miller was regarded in Hillsborough is unknown, but by 1776, his name had been removed from the company title and people were calling the business Alston, Young & Co. By 1776, Alston, Young & Co only owned a 54’x55’ parcel of the lot on the corner. The remainder of the property had come into the possession of John MacClellan who sold it to William Johnston.
(L.) The 1776 indenture transferring the lot, excepting the parcel owned by Alston, Young & Co to William Johnston from the collection of the Orange County Historical Museum.
(R.) This advertisement for payment of debts to Young, Miller, & Co., ran in The North-Carolina Journal from February through June 1797.
State Treasurer's Office
1785-1789
After the American Revolution, the North Carolina state legislature confiscated the lot and its buildings as Tory holdings. Their goal was to raise much needed revenue for the state by selling the real estate. The majority of the lot was sold in one parcel for private usage. However, rather than sell the Blue House, they decided instead that it should be “reserved for the use of the Public Treasurer and other public uses until the General Assembly shall otherwise direct.” This marked the first known time that the lot was subdivided.
To accommodate its new purpose, the building was renovated. The House of Commons resolved that “Martin Palmer be allowed the sum of sixteen pounds, nine shillings & two pence for his labour and articles provided in preparing the [Orange County] Court House for the reception of this House & that the Treasurers or either of them, pay him the same.” Renovations were completed by the end of the year and the new Treasury opened on January 1, 1786 with Mecumen Hunt as the state Treasurer. In November 1789, the Treasury was moved to Fayetteville under a guard of nine men from the Orange Company of Horse.
(L.) Memucan Hunt (1729–1808) was the first person to hold the position of State Treasurer. He was appointed in 1784, at a salary of 500 pounds per year, and served until 1789.
(R). The 1786 confiscation record revealing the subdivision of the property. The majority of the lot was owned by the State of North Carolina. The remainder, a parcel that appears to be 84'x 54', was sold to George Doherty.
Although the Treasury had been moved, the state retained ownership of the building. After a fire destroyed much of the town in 1790, the state hired carpenter Martin Palmer, brick mason Thomas Bivens, and others to repair the Blue House. State treasurer John Haywood recorded payments of £2 to “Martin Palmer, House Carpenter, for repairing Houses after the fire.” In August Palmer received £96 for more extensive work, which included making steps, shutters, and windows, putting in a new sill 24 feet long and posts 7 feet tall, repairing stairs and mending weatherboards, installing and casing windows, framing and completing a carriage house, and installing flooring and chair board. He valued his work at £69. 6 s. 9 d. and added 25 percent for “diet and Lodging,” and additional materials. . After these repairs were completed, the building was rented out.
As this March 27, 1790, article in the State Gazette attests, a fire destroyed much of Hillsborough earlier that month, prompting the state of North Carolina to repair the Blue House.
This 1790 invoice (L) from state Treasurer John Haywood (R) lists the expenses for the repairs, including cash payments to Martin Palmer. Many of the materials were purchased locally. The July 15 purchases were made at Henry Thompson Sr.'s store (See Lot 6).
George Doherty
1785-1790
George Doherty purchased the bulk of Lot 25 in 1785. Around the same time, he married Mary Freeman Burke, the widow of NC Governor Thomas Burke. How he used the property is unknown, but given that his wife had two stately homes – one in town as well as a farm 2.5 miles north of Hillsborough – it is unlikely that they resided in any of the buildings on Lot 25.
Major General George Doherty (c. 1740-1792) served in the 5th North Carolina Regiment during the American Revolution.
As a member of the 5th NC Regiment, Doherty would have fought at the Battle of Germantown. Hillsborough attorney and Patriot General Francis Nash was mortally wounded at Germantown.
Barnabas O’Fairhill (also O'Farrel, O’Ferrell, O'Farell, O’Farril)
1798-1810
Barnabas O’Fairhill purchased property along King Street abutting the Blue house. As a doctor, O’Fairhill presumably used this location for an office to see patients. He sold his property in 1810 and moved across the street where he remained for the next twenty years until his death. (See Lot 6)
Surgical Tools used in the 1810s when Barnabas O'Fairhill was practicing medicine
Catlett Campbell
1798-1804
By 1797, the state government was firmly established in Raleigh and a bill was introduced into the General Assembly providing for the public sale of the Blue House. It was sold at the Hillsborough Market-House on April 16, 1798 to merchant Catlett Campbell for £650. Campbell continued to own the building until 1804 and is believed to have used it as a general merchandise store.
That same year, Campbell was first elected to serve as a Hillsborough Town Commissioner. Later, he would serve as Chairman of the Orange County Court. Catlett Campbell (1767-1845) lived until the age of 78 and was active in local politics, serving chair of the Orange County Whig party. He was also in various business ventures including the chartering of the State Bank of North Carolina and the creation of a cotton and wool factory in Hillsborough in 1813.
When Campbell died, he was in possession of “400 acres of Land, 18 Negroes, a number of Horses, Cattle &c., Wagons, Farming Utensils, Household Goods, with some Corn, Oats, &c,.”
(L) Obituary for Catlett Campbell from the January 28, 1845 Raleigh Register
(R) Terms for the Hillsborough Cotton and Wool Factory in the Raleigh Register, April 2, 1813
William Whitted
1804-1821
William Whitted Sr. (c.1760-1821) purchased the parcel and its structures from Catlett Campbell. He continued to run a general store. During his ownership, the site began to be called “The Corner” rather than the Blue House. The last reference to the property as containing the Blue House is a deed from 1810. Afterward, the building is no longer mentioned, presumably because it was replaced by another structure.
The Whitehead family moved to Orange County in the 18th century. The family name was changed to Whitted when they moved from what is now Alamance County to Hillsborough. The name became prolific in both the white and African American communities since William Sr., his several brothers, and their children all owned slaves and had offspring with their slaves. They were known for their “lenient” treatment, allowing their slaves to learn to read and write as well as to earn their own money. The Whitteds fought to be able to emancipate their slaves via their wills. Some were manumitted but a lawsuit returned several to bondage. Turner v. Whitted, 9 N.C. 613 (N.C. 1823)
The Whitteds were Quakers. They were recorded as being “Hickory Quakers,” denoting someone who followed the doctrine strictly as opposed to the “Gay Quakers” who were more open in their following of the tenets.
Whitted was also a founding director of the Mutual Insurance Society in 1804. His son Jehu was also involved in mercantile pursuits. (See Lot 6)
James Jeffers & Co. and James S. Smith and Company
c. 1812-c. 1840
James S. Smith had purchased a parcel on Lot 25 by 1812 and originally operated a general store, first in partnership with James Jeffers as James Jeffers & Co., then as James S. Smith and Company, and finally in partnership with Thomas Jefferson Faddis (See Lot 26). By 1824, his business was solely medical services and supplies. In the early 1820s, he was also in a partnership with Josiah Turner (See Lot 35) selling copper products. His largest venture was with Thomas D. Crain in the operation of mills, distilleries, and a tanyard of which Smith became sole owner in 1836.
James W. Jeffers (1765-1835) was born in Pennsylvania. When he came to Orange County and how long he remained is unknown. According to an Orange County license, he married Elizabeth Belton in 1809. They were the parents of at least 7 children. No records exist to indicate that he purchased or sold any property in the county or in Hillsborough. Jefffers died in New York.
James Strudwick Smith (1787-1852) is believed to have been the illegitimate son of William F. Strudwick, for whom the court issued bastardy charges in 1788. Unfortunately, his mother’s name was omitted from the record. Smith studied medicine with Dr. James Webb in 1810 and then continued his studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Although he did not finish his degree, he had mastered enough material and began practicing medicine in Hillsborough. In 1821, when the state of North Carolina contemplated reestablishing a medical society, Smith applied for a degree and was granted a diploma.
A Democratic Republican, Smith entered into politics in 1817, serving as the representative to the US Congress for the Hillsborough district until 1821. During his tenure as a congressman, he advocated for the repeal of internal duties and opposed the tax on bar iron and distilleries. Smith also tried to expand the power that common people had in the presidential electoral process. Despite his effectiveness as a worker and speaker, he was defeated in his bid for a third term.
In 1821 and 1822, Smith was elected to Hillsborough's seat in the state legislature. He was also elected to serve as a trustee of The University of North Carolina in 1821 and a member of its board of visitors in 1827. As a trustee he suggested that a physician be employed and paid for by fees collected from the students; he offered himself for this post. Smith was chosen as a delegate to the 1835 constitutional convention and successfully advocated to end borough representation in the state legislature.
As grand master of Eagle Lodge, Smith was active in the construction of the Masonic lodge building on the property adjacent to the west of his house. His portrait hangs in this building. He was also involved with the construction of the 1845 Orange County Courthouse.
Smith had received large tracts in Chatham County from his father-in-law, but he also bought land in Orange County, lots and houses in Hillsborough for his dwelling, office, and business operations, and over 7,000 acres in Illinois. He ran on the Whig ticket for the Senate in 1832 and the House of Representatives in 1841 but was defeated both times.
In the late 1830s, Smith was in poor health with failing eyesight. His son Francis joined him in his medical practice and assumed many of the duties. By 1845, Smith went bankrupt and was divested of all his property except what he had been able to transfer to his wife and children. At that time, he relocated to a house he named "Oakland" on Smith Level Road and Price Creek outside Chapel Hill.
Like most men of his age and station, Smith owned slaves. According to the 1850 census, 30 people enslaved were by Smith, a comparatively large number for Hillsborough.
(L.) A portrait of James S Smith
(C.) Notices from June 21, 1820 in the Hillsborough Recorder about Jeffers, Smith, and Turner's partnerships
(L.) James Smith's house at 150 W. King Street in 1938
John Young
c. 1822
In 1823, a parcel that had been owned by blacksmith John Young (See Lot 35), possibly related to James Young of Alston, Young & Co, was offered for public sale by Sheriff Thomas D. Watts. The property was described as containing a commodious dwelling house with seven rooms and two good cellars, with a kitchen, smokehouse, and icehouse on the premises.
A January 29, 1823 notice in the Recorder, which describes the buildings on the parcel.
Grocery Store
c. 1819-c.1830
In November 1821, James Phillips (1765-1847) announced in the newspaper that he and son William had opened a grocery store in the building previously occupied by Charles Bruce. Bruce’s store was presumably a grocery store. It was closed by November 1820. In 1823, William and partner RL Cook took over the management of the store and changed the name to William H Phillips and Co. Later, William partnered with Josiah Turner. Turner continued the business after the partnership was dissolved in 1829..
Advertisements in the Hillsborough Recorder:
(L.) November 7, 1821; (C.) April 16, 1828
(R.) Among the many items William Phillips advertised was Newark Cider, brewed in New Jersey since the early 1800s, it was made from a special variety of American apple, the Harrison. Image courtesy of Ironbound Farm.
Outside of this business, little is known about William Henry Phillips. He was one of the few member of his family not to be buried on Tryon Street (See Lot 99). He was elected a town commissioner in 1836.
Josiah Turner was an enterprising man, involved in a variety of businesses (See Lot 35). By the early 1860s, Turner had purchased several parcels of Lot 25, however he does not appear to have been operating any mercantile businesses on the lot at that time. Instead, he appears to have been renting the buildings. A house he owned and was leasing to several people was the epicenter for the September 1863 fire that destroyed much of Lot 25.
Although not an owner of the property, a man named Bacon operated a shoe store on the lot at this time. By 1820, he had removed from the location. Mr. Bacon’s identity is currently unknown. He may have been Joseph G. Bacon, one of the founding members of Hillsborough United Methodist Church.
1829, Bacon returned to his previous establishment, selling shoes under the company name Scarlett & Bacon. Mr. Scarlett’s identity is also unknown at this time but it may have been James Scarlett who married Mary Carson on March 15, 1820.
Advertisements in the Hillsborough Recorder
(L.) April 16, 1828
(C.) November 18, 1829 announcing the dissolution of the partnership
(R.) August 19, 1829
David Yarbrough (Yarborough), Grocery Store
1820-1834
David Yarbrough purchased a plot on Lot 25 in 1806 from his mother-in-law. He sold part of it in 1812. In 1820, Yarbrough announced that he had opened a grocery store in “the house formerly occupied by Mr. Bacon as a shoe shop.” In addition to the items of food he sold, Yarbrough’s inventory included paper, gunpowder, nails, and window glass.
David Yarbrough (1781-1841) was a town commissioner for Hillsborough and an administrator for the Hillsborough Academy. He was additionally a Mason and the manager of their 1822 lottery to raise funds to build new lodge. A member of the Orange Agricultural Society, he helped to plan their Cattle Show and Exhibition of Domestic Manufactures. He also served as the administrator for many men’s estates.
Yarbrough married Helen Doherty, daughter of George Doherty and Mary Burke (widow of the governor) and moved to Alabama around 1835.
June 14, 1820 announcement that David Yarbrough has opened a grocery store
Yarbrough partnered with William Bond (died c. June 1820) who owned portions of Lot 25 between 1806 and 1812 when he sold several pieces of property. Bond’s involvement in the grocery store is currently unknown. By 1820 when Yarbrough became his executor, Bond had been living in Tennessee.
This 1813 land deed for property in Grundy, TN may have been granted to William Bond of Hillsborough
William H. Adams' Tavern
1821-c.1831
William H. Adams is listed as receiving a license to operate a tavern in 1821. His ownership of a tavern is mentioned several times in the Hillsborough Recorder as a meeting place. It was most likely the second building north of the corner of N. Churton and W. King streets, which may have been the site of the original tavern. He purchased the property in 1824. By 1825, he was partnering with John Wilson and the firm Adams and Wilson owned a billiards table, presumably in this tavern.
A cartoon image published in 1775 of men in a tavern playing billiards
William H. Adams held many government positions. In 1818, he was the county jailer and he was elected town commissioner in 1822, remaining as such until 1825.He was a member of the Hillsborough Presbyterian Church where he was cited four times in the Session Minutes for his bad behavior:
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June 1823 – “The Session having learned (with much pain) from common report that two of their members, to wit William H. Adams and John Wall, had been engaged in the unchristian act of negro-trading.”
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In June 1825 – Adams was sent a citation and required to appear before the Session due to the reports that he had “erected a billiard table and was daily engaged in attending the same.”
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Later that month he received a second citation for his failure to appear.
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Three days later, when he still hasn’t appeared, they decided “in view of the several charges alleged against Mr. Adams to his conduct generally being so unbecoming a Christian,” the Session deemed it expedient and in the interest of the church that “Mr. Adams be suspended from the privileges of the church, and he is hereby accordingly suspended.”
Adams was also involved in many real estate transactions. In 1824, he purchased lots 152 and 153 in Hillsborough and is the presumed builder of the house there that later became the Burwell school. He bought 104 acres near Chapel Hill in 1824 and in 1827, he purchased ½ acre of lot on Franklin Street in Village of Chapel Hill. Like most people, Adams was a debtor. By 1831, Adams has lost nearly all his properties. On March 2, 1831, his trustee John Scott and attorney Allen Parks announced in the Hillsborough Recorder that the “Tavern lot and improvements” that had been transferred to Richard Clinton was for sale to the highest bidder at a public sale.
From the Hillsborough Recorder:
(L.) A February 6, 1822 notice that the Hillsborough patrolers will meet at Adams’ tavern.
(C.) A May 19, 1824 announcement that Adams’ had purchased his tavern.
(R.) A November 12, 1828 notice that mentions the billiards table.
Birdsall & Co.
1822-1823
After William Whitted ceased to be in operation, Birdsall and company occupied the corner store. They offered a wide variety of dry goods, primarily textiles. Jesse and Stephen Birdsall were merchants from Fayetteville.
(L.) A May 22, 1822 advertisement for Birdsall & Co. in the Hillsborough Recorder
(C.) The February 20, 1822 announcement of the establishment of the store
(R.) One of the items Birdsall advertised selling on March 6, 1822 was “Fayetteville Mould Candles.” Although the exact meaning of this phrase is unknown, candles were produced at this time by pouring hot wax or tallow into metal containers. This method created uniform candles faster than hand-dipping. Presumably, Fayetteville was known for high quality candles.
A candle mold from the collection of the Orange County Historical Museum.
Kirkland's Corner
c.1824-1839
Although William Kirkland did not purchase this parcel until 1825, the section of the lot that abutted both N. Churton and W. King streets was being called “Kirkland’s Corner” as early as March 1824. There, he operated a general store as he had done years earlier (See Lot 6), although he was now in partnership with his son John Umstead Kirkland (1802-1877). In 1828, Kirkland sold half of his interest in Lot 25 to his son.
John Umstead Kirkland (1802-1879) was the eldest son. His name was derived from family friend, Dr. John Umstead, who lived in the Efland area, calling on patients in Hillsborough and the Hawfields community. Umstead may have delivered his namesake.
John was educated in Glasgow, Scotland, returning to North Carolina in 1817 when he began working in his father’s mercantile business in Fayetteville. He moved back to Hillsborough in 1824. When William died in 1836, his financial difficulties prohibited John from inheriting the family home and businesses outright. John therefore had to purchase his father’s plantation (on St. Mary’s Road called Ayr Mount) along with other interests.
Throughout his career, John’s success was tied to national economic trends, rising and falling in response to wars and panics. He was, however, considered one of the most important businessmen of his generation. He served as a town commissioner in 1831. In 1832, he began service as a warden of the poor and became chairman of that committee from 1846-1868. John further served on the building committee of the “new courthouse” in 1844. In 1851 and 1852, he served as a councilor of the state and justice of the peace. He later served as a county commissioner from 1868-70 and again from 1874-76.
He died intestate.
(L.) William Kirkland; (C.) a December 1, 1824 advertisement in the Hillsborough Recorder;
(R.) John U. Kirkland
Lynch's Jewelry
1834-1883
Lemuel Lynch (1808-1893) trained as an apprentice under silversmith and jeweler William Huntington (See Lot 6). In 1828, he purchased Huntington’s business on King Street and continued to rent the shop. However, for most of his career, he worked in a building fronting Churton Street that he purchased along with the parcel that it was situated on, in 1846. Lynch trained three of his sons to carry on the family business and they were respected for their high-quality work.
From the Hillsborough Recorder:
(L.) A July 30, 1828 notice that Lemuel Lynch had purchased William Huntington’s business
(C.L.) A July 30, 1840 ad for Lynch’s goods and services
(C.R.) Lynch also sold books. A November 17, 1842 ad above and an August 21, 1845 ad below
(R.) A humorous anecdote about Lynch’s store sign, September 1, 1887.
Lynch is best remembered for his work repairing the town’s c. 1796 English cupola clock while the courthouse was being built. He was paid $250 in October 1846 for his work in this regard (equivalent to around $10,200 in 2024). Presumably, the payment was for installing as well as repairing the clock. Afterward, he was paid $25 annually to keep it well regulated.
(L.) A Lemuel Lynch watch paper; (C.) The copper seal that made the watch paper;
(R.) Two spoons made by Lemuel.
All items in the collection of the Orange County Historical Museum.
Lynch held many civic offices. From 1838-1852, he served as a town commissioner. In 1841, he was appointed a justice of the peace. After the new state constitution reorganized county governments in 1868, he served on the first Orange County Board of Commissioners. He was an active member of the Hillsborough Presbyterian Church and the Treasurer of the Washington Temperance Society. At the time of his death, he was noted as being the oldest citizen in Hillsborough.
In 1883, Lynch moved the family business to the property he owned on Lot 23 on King Street next to Masonic lodge
(L.) Lemuel Lynch c. 1880; (R.) Lynch’s sons. Standing from left: William Brown Lynch, Robert Lee Lynch, James Parish Lynch; Seated from left: Huntington Lemuel Lynch, Thomas Edwin Lynch, George Calvin Lynch. Images courtesy of Kathie Lynch Brown.
Dr. Washington Dorsey
1834
Dr. Washington Dorsey announced in 1835 that he had opened an office in the space recently vacated by David Yarbrough. How long he remained is unknown but he moved to Granville County where he became a leading physician and citizen.
(L.) An ad in the Hillsborough Recorder from January 23, 1835.
(R.) An 1835 lancet and its case from the collection of the Orange County Historical Museum. Lancets were used for bloodletting
Farmer's Hotel
c.1836-c.1848
Around 1836, Josiah Turner Sr. began operating a hotel on the northern-most portion of Lot 25, adjoining his businesses on Lot 35. The hotel accommodated travelers and long-term boarders for over a decade. Several proprietors ran the hotel, including William Piper in 1837, Richison Nichols from late 1838-1841 when he purchased the Orange Hotel (today's Colonial Inn on King Street), and then A.C. Murdock in 1847.
Richison Nichols (1787-1858) held several positions in local government, including Magistrate of the Hillsborough police and town commissioner. Sadly, his December 1, 1858 obituary stated that he died after a long and painful illness.
Advertisements for Farmer’s Hotel in the Hillsborough Recorder showing its many owners:
(L.) August 19, 1837; (C.) August 22, 1839; (R.) September 30, 1847
US Post Office
1839
The United States Post Office was constantly changing locations (See Lot 6, 26, and below). In 1839, Postmaster Thomas Clancy placed a notice in the Hillsborough Recorder to inform the public that it had moved to a Mr. Philip’s brick building in the rear of Lemuel Lynch’s Jewelry Shop.
Latimer & Jones
1848-1851
One of the many partnerships that Charles Latimer had over his long tenure as a downtown merchant (See Lot 26) was a dry goods business with P. Jones, presumably Dr. Pride Jones who maintained an office over Latimer’s previous store across the street. Latimer & Jones was located at Kirkland’s corner. The proprietors bragged that their stock consisted of “every article suitable for this market.”
(L.) A February 16, 1848 advertisement in the Hillsborough Recorder for Latimer & Jones’ new store. (R.) A textile sample book c.1840-1850 showing the types of fabrics that were on sale at dry goods stores like Latimer & Jones.
Waddill Mantua Makers
1848-1851
Mrs. J. Waddill and her daughter set up a shop in the “northern tenement in the house now occupied by Lemuel Lynch, esq. as a Silver Smith’s shop.” The meaning of this description cannot be fully discerned but is presumed to indicate that Lynch’s shop was two stories and that Waddill was renting a space on the second story on the northern side of the building.
(L.). Mr.s Waddill's announcement that she has opened her business on July 8, 1848
(R.) A fashion plate from 1848 depicting popular styles for women, similar to the clothes that Mrs. Waddill and her daughter would have been asked to make from scratch or rework from an old dress or repair. Image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Jacob Haughawout, Copper and Tin
1848-1851
Jacob and his brother William Haughawout moved to Hillsborough from Virginia in the 1840s and established a copper, tin, and sheet iron business, first as partners with a man named Elliot, then Jacob carried out the business solely in his own name. His business was along Churton Street, toward the northern end of the lot and at some point, he purchased the parcel.
Jacob Haughawout (1825-c.1851) married Amanda Berry in 1847. She was the daughter of the famous builder Captain John Berry. Unfortunately, Haughawout died young.
An October 10, 1849 advertisements for Jacob Haughawout’s copper and tin business. In addition to household items, they sold stills and did roof and gutter work.
Stephen Moore
1839-1852
Stephen Moore (1801-1882) was the grandson of Colonel Stephen Moore (1734-1799), a merchant who amassed a fortune in New York real estate both in New York City as well as in upstate New York. Col. Moore sold his estate called West Point to the US government. Sometime between May 1775 and September 1776, Col. Moore moved to Person County and built Mount Tirzah, the earliest documented home in the county. During the Revolutionary War, Col. Moore led Patriot forces and became a prisoner of war.
His son Phillips (Stephen’s father) was a planter, surveyor, and machinist who built a horsepower threshing machine. Moore’s aunt married Richard Stanford, one of North Carolina’s first US Congressmen.
Stephen Moore began his professional career as a farmer in Mount Tirzah. By 1831, he had moved to Hillsborough to try his hand at the mercantile trade. Initially, he was in a partnership with his brother William, as S. and W. Moore, and then with Thomas Cain on Cain’s Corner, in a business aptly called Cain & Moore (See Lot 26). After William Strudwick purchased Moore’s stock of goods, Moore operated a general store and shoe shop across the street on Lot 25, replacing the business of DH Cates, which had closed.
Moore’s financial assets were significant enough that in 1834, he was able to purchase the stately home on the NW corner of King and Cameron Streets known today as Seven Hearths. He resided there for eight years.
Moore was a slaveholder. From 1839-1841, Job Berry was enslaved to him. Job Berry (1798-1870) was a painter who worked for architect/builder John Berry on many of the most prestigious building projects in town. After the Civil War, Job Berry became an ordained AME pastor, helped to found Dickerson Chapel AME Church in Hillsborough, and established a Freedmen’s School.
In 1842, Moore filed for bankruptcy. He was able to recover and continued in business. In 1846, he advertised that he had formed a partnership with EM Holt and WA Carrigan. The store was in his “old stand” and he invited “his old customers and friends to call and examine his stock, which will be found low enough to suit the times.”
In 1848, Moore served as a Hillsborough Town Commissioner. Around 1853, he moved to Columbus in Hempstead County, AR.
(L.) A May 12, 1837 notice in the Recorder that Moore was selling his interest in his partnership with Cain
(C.) A January 10, 1839 advertisement for Moore’s shoe business
(R.) A December 8, 1842 notice of Moore’s bankruptcy
An 1854 letter from Stephen Moore in Arkansas to his brother Alfred Livingston Moore who was still living in Mount Tirzah. The letter discusses payments made by Stephen to his brother, his wife’s health, farming conditions in Arkansas, and a lawsuit by Mr. Read & Co. against the two of them.
Holt & Carrigan
c.1851
In 1852, in-laws Edwin M Holt (1807-1884) and William Carrigan (1792-1880) were advertising the closing of their mercantile business. The closure was precipitated by the latter’s decision to move to Arkansas. Since 1837, the two men had been involved with operating a major textile factory in Alamance County, makers of the famous “Alamance Plaid.” In 1847 had textile factory Alamance Factory with 55 workers that spun around 3,000 pounds of cotton yarn per week. Consequently, their foray into a general store in Hillsborough is surprising.
I(L.) A June 23, 1852 notice in the Recorder that Holt & Co was dissolved.
(R.) Edwin M Holt
JJ Freeland & Son
c.1853-1854
John J. Freeland (1798-1877) was a prominent man in Hillsborough. He served as a town commissioner, tax collector, Magistrate of Police, and was appointed to Special Courts and conducted civil marriages. He was active with the Whig Party and involved in securing a bank for Hillsborough. Freeland bought a house on Lot 18 in 1854. This house was later purchased by DC Parks and remodeled into what is now known as the Inn at Teardrops. Freeland also owned Lot 130 directly across Wake Street, which his son sold to the First Baptist Church of Hillsborough in 1858. Like most men of means in town, he also owned hundreds of acres in the county, kept slaves, and ran a plantation.
Freeland went into the milling business in the 1830s with James Webb as John J. Freeland & Co. This partnership was dissolved in 1837. John Freeland became the sole owner. However, Charles must have continued to be involved because until at least 1945, the parcel was referred to as having belonged to CJ Freeland in deed records.
Around 1854, he started a firm with his son Dr. Charles J “CJ” Freeland (1820-1903) and they purchased Holt and Carrington’s parcel on Lot 25 as well as their inventory. According to deed 37/447 from 1867, they built a new “store house” on the site. It was located one door east of Schoolfield’s drug store and John Freeland also owned property on Lot 25 with Schoolfield. Freeland’s business with his son was short-lived but he indicated in the newspaper that he planned to remain in business. However, in 1856, he moved to Freeland Point, Marrowbone Township, IL, where his brother James resided. The area had been named for his brother.
John Freeland lived there the remainder of his life.
Records indicate that Charles moved to Pomona, CA at some time and died there. In February 1856, he advertised in the newspaper that he was “determined to remove to the South,” and was hoping to sell his residence three miles east of town, other tracts of land, and “two new Business Houses in Hillsborough,” but as evidenced by his attendance at various meetings, he remained in Hillsborough for at least the next 10 years.
The Freeland family were Huguenot refugees who fled from Pickardy, France, and settled near Londonderry, Ireland. In the mid-1700s, they emigrated to Pennsylvania and then to North Carolina. Both John and his son Charles were Masons, as were other members if the family. John was Master of Eagle Lodge and attained the Thirty-second degree of Masonry.
(L.) In their May 31, 1854 advertisement, JJ Freeland and Son agree to accept beeswax as payment for goods purchased in their store. Beeswax has a high melting point, making it ideal for use in candles and other products that require stability and durability.
(R.) Beeswax for sale at Bailey Bee Supply in Hillsborough in 2024
Like most family bibles, this one, which was owned by CJ Freeland and passed down in the family, contains the names and dates of births, marriages, and deaths for many family members. CJ Freeland was married 3 times and had 11 children. His first wife Christina died at age 22, presumably in childbirth. She is buried in the Old Town Cemetery beside their infant son who died 2 months later. Freeland also included the names of his slaves as well as who their mothers were and the years they were born.
SD Schoolfield, The Drug Store
c.1850-1855
I
When Rev. Robert Burwell married Elizabeth Freeland and Samuel D. Schoolfield in 1845, Schoolfield was recorded as being from Guilford County. He purchased property on Lot 25 where he established a drug store. He also bought parcels on Lots 33, 34, and 35 along Tryon Street and presumably resided there. The date when Schoolfield opened his store is unknown but by 1853 he was in business with his brother in-law, William Johnston “WJ” Freeland (son of John J Freeland and brother of Charles J).
Ads for Schoolfield's store in the Hillsborough Recorder: (L.) March 26, 1851; (C.) JuneJune 7, 1854; (R.) In addition to drugs, Schoolfield sold books including Aunt Phillis's Cabin by Mary Henderson Eastman. This novel was published in 1852 as a reaction to the anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, which had been published earlier that year. In contrast to the latter, Aunt Phillis’s Cabin portrayed white plantation owners behaving benevolently towards their slaves, revealing “the essential happiness of slaves in the South as compared to the inevitable sufferings of free blacks and the working classes in the North.”
In January 1855, Schoolfield was still advertising in the newspaper, requesting that anyone who owed him for items purchased on credit should pay. The notice stated, “It becomes necessary for all the accounts on my books to be settled immediately.”
By April 1855, there were at least seven complaints filed against Schoolfield in the Orange County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions. The nature of these cases is unknown. Schoolfield did not appear in court to defend himself. Rather, the newspaper reported that had “absconded” from the county. To satisfy the judgment against him, his land and other holdings were confiscated.
(L.) An April 18, 1855 notice of the lawsuits against Schoolfield
(R.) The August 1, 1855 notice that Schoolfield's property was being sold
William W. & Harrison Smith/William Johnston Freeland
1854-1856
In 1854, Harrison Smith of the firm WW & H Smith and Co. of Philadelphia purchased Schoolfield’s property for $1,260. William Johnston Freeland continued with the business. However, by January 1856, Henry L. Owen was operating a general store in that location. His wife was in charge of the millinery department. That same year, Smith filed an ejectment to Owen who was in the “former Schoolfield Drug Store. The following year, CJ Freeland and Smith were selling “the store house and premises.”
Henry L. Owen (1814 - 1868) was a merchant in Chapel Hill and was involved with their merchants association. He died in Hillsborough and is buried in the Old Town Cemetery.
William Johnson Freeland (d. 1862) was a captain in Company C (the "Orange Greys") of the 6th North Carolina Infantry. He died in a hospital after having his leg amputated due to severe wounds sustained at the Battle of Seven Pines/Fair Oaks.
(L. and R.) Parisian fashion plates from 1856, depicting the style of millinery that the Owens would have sold
(C.) An October 29, 1856 advertisement for HL Owen's store in Hillsborough
(L.) A September 13, 1854 ad for WW & H Smith Druggists
(R.) Notice of the sale of the Schoolfield Drug Store building, June 17, 1857
Alexander Pleasants
1850s-1861 and 1868-c.1885
Alexander “Alex” Pleasants (1837-1924) owned a grocery store, originally on Lot 26 across from the courthouse. Among the items he stocked were oysters. Due to the readily available supply of this shellfish as well as their low cost, oysters became a popular food. They were not available in Piedmont North Carolina until the railroads provided a means to supply the highly perishable product. Oysters were served raw and cooked at oyster houses, where they were typically enjoyed along with alcoholic beverages. Because the sale of oysters was halted during summer months, purveyors typically operated grocery stores in conjunction, allowing the proprietors to have other goods to sell during months that do not include the letter “r.” Pleasants advertised that that he also supplied cigars, tobacco, candies, nuts, raisins, figs, Scotch herring, crackers, and more.
As soon as the Civil War broke out in April 1861, Pleasants joined the local Orange Guards, serving as a private. Upon returning to Hillsborough, he went into business again, this time on Lot 25. On November 25, 1868, he advertised that he not only offered “a good plate of cooked Oysters,” but also “Pickled Oysters for his country friends.” He also promised to give Republicans an extra plate “if it would induce them to turn from the error of their ways” but insisted that he had “malice towards none” and wished peace and goodwill to his friends.
He first married Amelia Hooker and then Euphemia Jane “Effie” Caddell. Pleasants had two children, both born in Hillsborough. His daughter married Joseph Taylor Hedgpeth. At some point between 1884 and 1897, the entire extended family moved to Greensboro where they are all buried.
(L.) An oyster saloon on Fayetteville Rd in Raleigh, photo courtesy of the NC State Archives
(R.) The November 25, 1868 announcement of Alexander Pleasants' oyster saloon
(B.) A 1858 ad for beer at Pleasants that was "recommended by all the doctors" in the US
Levin Carmichael, Tailor and Dry Goods
1860-1861
In 1860, tailor Levin Carmichael (See Lot 26) moved his business into Kirkland’s corner store. There, he combined dry goods and groceries with his clothing business.
A June 27, 1860 announcement in the Hillsborough Recorder of Levin Carmichael's move and expansion of inventory.
Josiah Turner, Saddler
1860s
Three Josiah Turners were associated with Hillsborough at this time. One, Josiah Turner, Sr. had begun as a blacksmith, became a property owner, and planter, one of Orange County’s wealthiest men. The second was his son, Josiah Turner, Jr., a Confederate congressman, newspaper editor, and opponent of Reconstruction, defender of the Ku Klux Klan, who raised a company of cavalry in 1861 and served as its captain until 1862 when he was severely wounded. The third was referred to as "Josiah Turner, saddler" to differentiate him from the others.
Where Josiah Turner’s saddlery was located is unknown but two parcels on Lot 25 are identified on the Museum’s 1863 map as being owned by “Josiah Turner.” As indicated by the newspaper account of the 1863 fire, Turner, Sr. was definitely renting some of that property as apartments. Whether the saddler was using the other parcel is unknown. His business appears to have moved several times. In 1882, he announced that he had moved “one door north of Roulhac’s store.” In 1886, he was in a new place of business, opposite the courthouse, next to the post office. In 1888, he was in the Berry Building.
An October 4, 1865 announcement of Josiah Turner's saddlery business.
DD Phillips Saddler/John J. Pleasants, Saddler
1863/1889
A small brick building that was located to the north of the corner store in front of its warehouse was labeled on the 1863 map as “Phillips.” The account of the fire on that block in 1863 stated that the building was “occupied by Mr. Phillips as a saddler’s shop, and belonging to Capt. Berry.” Presumably, the saddler was DD Phillips. (See Lot 26). How long Phillips was in this location is unknown but he died in 1870 at the age of 51.
In 1889, John J. Pleasants announced that he had opened a harness shop in that vicinity. Pleasants was presumably related to Robert F Pleasants the tailor. He married Miss McKerrall, daughter of John W. McKerral in 1890. In 1894 served as Poll Holder and in 1897 he resigned his position as Town Constable to become the Tax Collector.
John Pleasants’ December 7, 1889 ad in the Orange County Observer
Berry Brick Building
1870-1893
After a fire destroyed most of Lot 25 in 1863, self-taught architect and builder Captain John Berry decided to construct a large, brick mercantile building on a parcel of the lot that he owned. Construction work began in 1869. However, Berry contracted a serve cold in working on it and died in January 1870. Henry Richards Sr. completed construction on the building. It may have been the only brick mercantile building in town at that time because it was commonly called “the Brick Store.” Unfortunately, in 1893, this grand building was also destroyed by fire.
(L.) A photograph of John Berry from around the time that he was constructing the brick building
(C. & R.) An inscription and plaque on the site today, commemorating the builders.
Henry Richards, Sr. (1813-1890), was a native Hillsborough brickmason. The Richards family had resided in Hillsborough since 1769. Both Henry Richards and John Berry members of Hillsborough’s Eagle Lodge No. 19 and Richards worked with Berry as his associate and masonry overseer. Their first documented project was the 1850 construction of Smith Hall at UNC (Playmakers Theatre). Richards appears to have worked steadily with Berry until Berry’s death. No works have been attributed to Richards beyond those associated with Berry. The home of Henry Richards, Sr. and his wife Eliza J. Adams Richards (1821-1902) still stands at 307 West King Street.
The graves of John Berry and Henry Richards Sr. in the Old Town Cemetery
The building then became the property of Captain Berry’s son. He was also named John Berry but does not appear to have ever been referred to as “Jr.” but rather as “Dr.”
The Brick Store housed several different businesses. From 1871 to 1884 the first floor was used as a store by merchant Charles M. Parks. He then moved his business across the street into a new building he constructed (See Lot 36). The second floor was occupied as offices by Dr. Berry and Dr. DA Robertson, a dentist.
Dr. John Berry (1838-1906) earned his medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond and began practicing medicine in Hillsborough in 1860. Shortly after the war broke out, he mustered into service with the Confederate army as a 2nd Sergeant with the 3rd NC Infantry in early May of 1861. There, he served as a hospital Steward. After the war, he established a practice once again in Hillsborough. In 1866, his office was in the Strowd Hotel (today’s Colonial Inn). This practice included patients from Chapel Hill, which he visited bi-monthly. By 1872, Berry had moved his practice to the building that he owned on N. Churton. At this time, he was living at his boyhood home in Hillsborough with his mother and sister. The 1900 US census lists him as a farmer in Little River Township, living with his wife Mary along with their three daughters and one son. Their daughter Harriet Moorehead Berry would go on to play a critical role in promoting the Good Roads State agenda and ensuring that new, state-of-the-art roads were built in North Carolina.
Advertisements for businesses in Berry's Brick Building from the Orange County Observer
(L.) Charles Parks, December 13, 1871
(C.) David Robertson, February 7, 1872
(R.) C.A. Rominger, March 17, 1883
Dr. David Alexander Robertson (1835-1883) was born in Virginia. By 1857 when he married Sallie Sarah E. Nunn, he was living in Chapel Hill, advertising his services and visiting Hillsborough once a month and on court days. Later, Dr. MC Cameron" took over the practice in Hillsborough At this time there was also a Dr. William Cameron who operated out of his home).. Robertson continued to own the business and practice dentistry in Hillsborough and Chapel Hill until late 1882, when he moved to Greensboro. He died shortly thereafter. His obituary, written by the North Carolina Dental Association, noted that he was “earnest and untiring in the duties of his profession, yes, gentle and sympathetic toward the sufferings of those whom he ministered, he created a friendship lasting among his patrons and neighbors which will linger for many years to come.”
In March 1883, Dr. CA Rominger moved to Hillsborough and set up his practice in Robertson’s old office. Devout Baptist, attending Southern Baptist Convention, lived on N Churton Street. In 1886, Rominger moved to Reidsville. There, he earned notoriety for performing a difficult operation in which he drained the pus from an abscess, removed the tooth, cleaned the gums and the tooth of the woman, and then successfully returned the tooth to her mouth.
The next dentist to occupy this space was Dr. JD Webster. He remained there until the Berry Brick Building was destroyed in the fire of November 1888. The Orange County Observer reported that the building collapsed on top of a neighboring structure.
At the time of the fire in 1888, the basement was occupied by Julius Smith as an “eating house. The first floor was occupied by Robert Faucett’s shoe shop and Josiah Turner’s harness shop. The third floor was being used as a lodge by the African American chapter of the Odd Fellows.
Dr. Marshall C. Cameron, Dentist
1871-c.1877
Two Camerons offered their services as dentists. The first was Dr. William who operated out of his home in the 1860s. The second was Dr. Marshall C who was a student Dr. Robertson from 1871-1874 when he took over the most of the dental practice located in the Berry Brick building. In 1877, Cameron maintained his own office above Hooker’s Drug Store. How long he remained there is unknown.
Advertisements for Dr. Marshall Cameron the Orange County Observer
(L.) July 14, 1875; (R.) January 10, 1877
J. Rosemond & Son/EA Rosemond
1872-c.1915
Due to their impact on the community, the Rosemonds were an institution in Hillsborough. The family story began in 1830 when Polish soldier John Kwiatkowski (1809-1906) was captured by the Austrians during the war for Polish liberty. The 21 year-old Kwiatkowski was held captive for three years and then banished to the United States. On the boat ride to New York, he changed his name to John Rosemond. After a series of mishaps, Rosemond landed in Wilmington, NC, where he worked in the printing office of The Wilmington Advertiser. He married Sarah Pleasants (1820-1899) and they had four sons.
In 1872, John Rosemond made his way to Hillsborough and entered the mercantile trade with his youngest son, Edward Atkins "Ed" or "EA" Rosemond (1856-1921). Their store sold general merchandise but was known for its specialties, including confectionary, fancy groceries, cigars and tobacco products as well as toys. A July 29, 1885 article in the Durham Recorder noted that J. Rosemond & Son had “the most delicious soda water that we have ever drank from any fountain in the State and every one who has tried it will unite with us in pronouncing it best of the best.” An August 25, 1910 article in the Orange County Observer also mentioned that Rosemond’s carbonated drinks were “celebrated.”
Although the appearance of Rosemond’s soda fountain is unknown, it may have looked like one of these two c. 1890 establishments.
(L.) Courtesy of kristinholt.com; (R.) Courtesy of the Library of Congress
John and EA Rosemond continued to operate the store, presumably for the remainder of their lives. Other family members joined the business.
A c. 1911 photo of EA Rosemond in front of his store.
Rosemond advertised for many years as being Santa Claus’ Store.
(L.) December 20, 1906; (R.) December 17, 1908
In 1888, EA Rosemond expanded into the livery business when a Mr. Durham and a Mr. Mebane dissolved their partnership and Rosemond bought one half of Durham’s interest. The new firm was known as Mebane & Rosemond and it was located on Lot 24. However, in 1890, EA Rosemond appears to have struck out on his own when he purchased Central Warehouse and converted it into a livery stable where he also sold harnesses and tack. The rear portion of that facility, which had been a livery, was converted into a blacksmith’s shop. After the fire of 1894 destroyed the building, Rosemond built a large complex on Lots 24 and 25 that was called Rosemond and Brothers.
By 1890, EA has also opened an “ice factory” that remained in business for at least twenty years.
Both John and EA served as town commissioners. EA married Susan Gordon (1856-1926). For over 12 years, he served as an agent for the Southern Express Co. This company was founded during the Civil War to provide package and money-order delivery. Rosemond also had a profitable farm.
The Rosemond family is buried at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church.
Rosemond's livery c. 1900
Dr. Hooker's Drug Store
1874-1892
Dr. O.W. Hooker had a medical practice and drug store in Hillsborough for over forty years. He was also involved in several other business ventures.
Hymerick Octavius Wright Hooker (1823-1895) was born in Green County and moved to Hillsborough with his family in 1835. After graduating from the University of North Carolina, he earned a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1847 and began practicing medicine in the county. In addition to his regular patients, he also treated people at the poor house. After around five years, ill health compelled him to desist his country practice. He opened an office on King Street and concentrated on farming and mercantile operations. In 1857, he was in business with Dr. Pride Jones, selling iron and wooden items like sashes, blinds, and doors.
(L.) An April 6, 1850 announcement of OW Hooker’s medical practice
(C.) A July 8, 1857 advertisement for Jones & Hooker
(R.) A photo of Dr. OW Hooker
Around 1860, Hooker spent two years in New Bern, operating a dry goods firm with John F. Foard called Foard & Hooker. He returned to Hillsborough, and after the Civil War, formed partnerships with David C. Parks and Henry N. Brown (Brown married Hooker’s sister. (See Lot 26).
By 1870, Hooker’s primary business had become the dispensing of drugs. In 1874, he constructed a new building on N. Churton Street that still stands today. He never had a partner in this endeavor but his son Octavius Deems "O.D." Hooker worked for him.
(L.) A July 1, 1874 ad announcing that Hooker was in his new building on Churton Street.
(C.) A July 29, 1885 biography of Hooker in the Durham Record
(R.) A March 16, 1895 testimonial to Hooker after his death
Hooker was a stalwart in the Hillsborough Methodist Church and served on the Building Committee in 1859 that hired John Berry to build the brick structure that is still in use today on Tryon Street. He served as a member of the Board of Superintendents of the Common Schools and as a magistrate. In 1850, he married Mary Turner, daughter of Josiah Turner Sr. (see Lot 35)
In 1892, Hooker sold his business to W.A. Hayes; however, he continued to own the building until 1919 when he sold it to James B Mason.
A mortar and pestle and microscope used by Dr. OW Hooker from the collection of the Orange County Historical Museum
Dr. Marshall C. Cameron, Dentist
1871-c.1876
Two Camerons offered their services as dentists. The first was Dr. William who operated out of his home in the 1860s. The second was Dr. Marshall C who was a student Dr. Robertson from 1871-1874 when he took over the most of the dental practice located in the Berry Brick building. In 1877, Cameron maintained his own office above Hooker’s Drug Store. How long he remained there is unknown.
A July 14, 1875 announcement of Dr. Marshall C. Cameron’s dental practice.
JE Jones General Store
1878-c.1898
The JE Jones store was a fixture in Hillsborough for many years. Jones began his business in 1878, when he purchased the former Schoolfield Drug Store, which faced King Street. It was one door west of Rosemond’s store. A notice in the Hillsborough Recorder announced that Jones had “made his store house comfortable by placing an inside door to its front entrance.” This improvement was presumably done to keep cold and damp conditions from affecting the temperatures indoors.
In 1883, Jones moved to a site fronting Churton. This store was located in the brick building previously occupied by JBG Roulhac. Roulhac had recently closed his business, presumably due to ill health since.
In 1886, Jones returned to his former building on King. This structure was not damaged by the fire of 1888, but Jones sustained losses due to moving his stock out of the structure to prevent its destruction. By 1892, Jones was back on Churton Street, directly north of Hooker’s drug store. In 1894, an account of the fire of late January that year stated that his “brick wall and the brave and determined men with buckets of water prevented the fire from going and further south.
James Esley Jones (1841-1912) was the son of Caroline Hunt (1824-1899) and Robert Martin Jones (1812-1899) who was a farmer and the Sheriff of Orange County from 1852-1862 and again from 1864-1865. During the Civil War, he served in Company E 13th NC Battalion-Light Artillery which was organized in the spring of 1862.
In the 1870 census, Jones was recorded as living with his parents and listed his occupation as farmer. Within eight years, he was operating a general store and remained a merchant presumably for the remainder of his life. The location of his business appears to have always been on Lot 25, but it moved several times from facing King to fronting Churton and back again.
In 1877, he was selected by the Orange County Commissioners to serve on the School Committee for the Hillsborough district. He also served as Deacon and clerk at First Baptist Church and was married first to Tidy P. Jones (1846-1891) and then to Dora Kanouse Jones (1849-1932). Jones lived in the house that had been previously the residence of mapmaker William Henry Bailey.
(C.) A March 31, 1881 ad for JE Jones’ store announcing not only his merchandise but also his removal to a new site on Lot 25.
Among the many items that JE Jones sold were plows produced by (L.) the Avery Company of Louisville, KY and (R.) the Watts Company of Richmond, VA.
JBG Roulhac General Store
1874-1882
An announcement in the Hillsborough Recorder stated that Roulhac and Cameron "are getting fixed in their new and commodious building and will soon be busy at work." This building is presumably the 2-story brick structure at 113 N Churton.
John BG Roulhac (1849-1883) son of Joseph Blount Gregoire de Roulhac (1795-1856) and Catherine Roane Ruffin (1810-1880). She was from a prominent family. Her grandfather was William Kirkland, owner of the impressive estate called Ayr Mount. Kirkland had also been a merchant and operated stores on lots 25 and 6. Catherine’s father was Thomas Ruffin, who served as Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, who handed down the infamous decision in State v. Mann that allowed slave owners to enact any horrific punishment “to render submission of the perfect slave.”
(L.) Joseph Blount Gregoire de Roulhac
(R.) Catherine Ruffin de Roulhac
JBG Roulhac was only seven years old when his father died. His grandfather purchased a house on W. Tryon Street for his widowed daughter. The house passed through the family and eventually became the home of JG Roulhac Hamilton who is considered to be the founder of the Southern Historical Collection at UNC yet left behind a controversial legacy due to his championing of the ideals of the Old South and apologetic attitude toward the Ku Klux Klan.
The full extent of JBG Roulhac’s career is unknown. For the 8 years prior to his young death, he operated a general store on Churton Street. He advertised that his merchandise came from New York and went on a buying trip there with James Webb Jr. in 1882. Economic conditions at this time were unfavorable. The United States had been in the Long Depression from the Panic of 1873 to 1879, and another panic would occur in 1884. Several notices in the Orange County Observer, Roulhac complained of people who bought on credit and hadn’t paid.
Roulhac was a Democrat and is buried at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church.
(L) An October 23, advertisement for JBG Roulhac’s store; (L.C.) Among the items he boats of having Indian and Shaker corn; (R.C.) A May 28, 1881 notice that JBG Roulhac will not longer accept credit; (R.) “The Great Financial Panic of 1873 - Closing the door of the Stock Exchange on its members, Saturday, Sept. 20th,” in: Frank Leslie's illustrated newspaper, from the collection of the Library of Congress.
The Roulhac Hamilton House on W. Tryon Street
Hayes Drug Store
1873-1944
William Arrington “WA” Hayes (1844-1925) opened a drug store in a frame building on the north end of the lot. By July 1885, his business was so successful that it was featured in the Durham Record, which praised him for conducting “an exclusive drug house.” The described him as “prompt and courteous in attention – he consults customers’ interests as well as his own.”
A native of Hillsborough, Hayes served in the Confederate Army. He began his service in 1862 as a private in a combat position but was subsequently assigned to be an orderly but also acted as a courier. He remained enlisted until the surrender at Appomattox.
Hayes began working in the pharmaceutical business in 1867 for Webb and Whitted. He left town for several years, working in Salisbury, NC, Indiana, and Baltimore, MD. In 1873, Hayes returned to Hillsborough and opened his own store at “Whitted’s old corner” (Lot 26). In 1883, he moved his business into a two-story frame building. In 1892, he purchased Hooker’s business and moved two doors south, into Hooker’s shop. Hayes moved again in 1897 to “Laws’ old stand” on the corner of Churton and King streets where a drugstore remained until sometime after 1966.
Notifications in the Orange County Observer of Hayes Drugs opening and its subsequent moves:
(L.) September 24, 1873; (L.C.) September 29, 1883; (R.C) February 20, 1892; (R.) July 22, 1897
C.1900 images of Hayes Drugs on the NW corner of Churton and King streets; images taken with a view of the King Street side
WA Hayes married Susan Burns Beard (1848-1919) in 1872. They had 5 children. Their daughter, Susan Beard “Sue” Hayes (1881-1976) worked with her father. At his death, she took over the business, selling it to Jake Forrest who renamed it the Corner Drug Store. Afterward, she managed the rentals of her commercial property and was named Business Woman of the Year by the Hillsboro Business and Professional Women’s Club.
Son Robinette Burns “RB” Hayes (1877-1938) became a doctor and a pharmacist. He graduated from the University of Maryland in 1910 and served in WWI as an “Instructor of Gas Defense for Troops” and was promoted to Captain. RB married Minnie Bond Anderson. She presumably worked at the drugstore since she was Secretary of the Hillsboro Merchants Association in 1942.
Most of the family members are buried at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church.
(A. L.) A May 25, 1899 ad for Hayes Drugstore;
(A.R and B.R) Images from the 1919 World War I veterans parade with Hayes Drugstore in the background. The people in the front row of the photo have been identified as George Graham, Mrs. TJ Wilson, Alice Noble, and Mary Barry Brown. Festivities for the day of celebrations included a performance of the play Esther Wake, or, The Spirit of the Regulators;
(B.L.) RB Hayes who was presumably among the veterans in the parade
Per an article in the Durham Sun, in 1927, Sue Hayes replaced the frame building with a two-story brick structure. The first floor continued to be used as the drug store. Suites on the second floor were used as doctors’ offices, county government offices, and offices for other businesses (see below).
Owen Allison standing on Churton Street in 1938, facing Hayes Drug Store
Orange County Observer
1880-1892
The Orange County Observer was founded in 1880 by Joseph Alexander Harris (1848-1926). Unlike the Hillsborough Recorder, which remained at a consistent location during the nearly sixty-year ownership of editor Dennis Heartt, the Observer had many different offices downtown. When it started, it was located on the first floor of the Berry Building. By 1884, and in 1888 when the Sanborn map was drawn, it was above Hayes’ Drug store, next to Central Warehouse, on the northern end of Lot 25. It remained there until 1892, when it moved to the second floor of Harris’s son’s grocery store (See Lot 26).
The newspaper began in 1880 as a partnership between Harris, RC Strudwick, and John T. Johnston but soon became a sole proprietorship with Harris as the continued editor until 1916. The newspaper was published until 1918.
In addition to the work he did printing, Harris was active with the Prohibition movement as well as with the Sunday School Convention and served as mayor of Hillsborough. He is buried at St. Matthew’s Church.
Advertisements letting the public know that they could barter for the cost of a subscription in wood on October 23, 1880 and in wheat on July 22, 1882.
Frank Harris
1882
African American barber Frank Harris moved out of the basement of James Cheeks’ saloon (See Lot 26) in 1882 and began advertising his business. He shampooed and cut men’s, women’s’ hair, and children’s hair. In 1884, he moved back across the street and began operating a restaurant in addition to his barbershop.
A February 4, 1882 advertisement in the Orange County Observer
DM Laws
1883-1897
A native of Hillsborough, DM Laws built a frame building on the northwest corner of Churton and King streets in 1883 and opened a general store known for its confectionery, toys, notions, fancy goods, and shoes. It also had a soda fountain. By that time, he had been in the mercantile business for around 10 years. A July 1885 article in the Durham Recorder noted that “the house and all its departments controls a good and growing trade from all the country tributary to Hillsboro, and it deservedly stands in high favor. To the business Mr. Laws gives his personal attention.” Joe Latta worked in the store for Laws as a clerk and soda jerk.
In 1885, Laws was also manufacturing tobacco flues under a firm named Laws, Taylor & Co as well as working for his father’s tin business, in a company called J Laws & Son and with his brother George Laws (1857-1921) in a furniture business called DM & G Laws (See Lot 6).
Dudley M “DM” Laws (1851-1905) was presumably the son of John Laws (1824-1914) who served as Orange County’s Register of Deeds for 64 years. He also held positions in the Orange County government, serving as treasurer and registrar. Laws was a Methodist. He helped Rev. and Mrs. Cavendish settle into Hillsborough before they could move into the parsonage and installed a new tin roof on the church building in 1896.
(L.) A December 18, 1886 ad encouraging people to shop at Laws' store; (A.R) A May 26, 1888 ad for Laws' soda fountain; (B.R.) A September 29, 1888 notice of a wedding that occurred at Laws' store.
DM Laws' presumed father. John Laws served as Orange County Register of Deeds for 64 years
Hooker Tobacco/Central Warehouse
1886-1890
In May 1886, Josiah Wright Hooker and his brother OD contracted with the White brother to build a large tobacco warehouse on the northern-most parcel on Lot 25. The rear portion of the building was sued as a stable. The business was short-lived. In 1890, they sold it to E.A. Rosemond who used it as a livery stable and as storage for feed, guano, salt, shingles, and other such commodities.
J. Wright Hooker (1853-1920) was the eldest son of drug store owner OW Hooker and Mary Turner. He was named for his maternal grandfather and attended Trinity College (today Duke University) when it was in Randolph County. He married Mary Elizabeth White (1857-1946) of Hawfields. Because his primary business was tobacco, J. Wright and his family moved to Durham in 1900.
(L.) A January 26, 1888 ad for the prices of tobacco at Central Warehouse
(R.) A photo of J. Wright Hooker and his wife Mary Elizabeth White.
Dr. JS Spurgeon
1886-1950
Dr. John Sanford Spurgeon (1863-1950), was a prominent practitioner who served loyal patients not only from Hillsborough, but also some who traveled from as far away as New York. Spurgeon received his dentistry degree in 1886 from Vanderbilt University. That same year, he opened his dental practice with offices in Hillsborough and Chapel Hill as well as one at the Bingham School in Mebane. However, he closed the two others to focus on his growing number of patients in Hillsborough. His office was originally on the second floor of the building that housed Parks & Hedgpeth Furniture Store, next to Hooker’s Drug.
Spurgeon remained in the profession for sixty-three years. During that time, he published many articles and received numerous accolades, including President of the North Carolina Dental Society in 1902.
He was also a community leader, serving as a grandmaster of Eagle Lodge #19 AF&AM and President of the Bank of Orange from 1904 – 1936, and president of Spurgeon Building company (See Post Office below).
In 1890, Spurgeon married Carrie May Waitt Spurgeon (1869-1963). She was also very active in civic and charitable pursuits. Together, they had six children. The family lived in the former Burwell School residence on N. Churton Street from 1895-1965. They purchased it from Charles M. Parks.
(L.) The Spurgeon house on the corner of Churton and Union streets c. 1965.
Today it is the Burwell School Historic Site
(C.) A February 13, 1902 ad for Dr. Sprugeon's practice
(R.) A photo of Dr. JS Spurgeon in his later years
AA Springs
1886-1950
In 1886, Alex A Springs announced that he was engaged in the manufacturing of tobacco (the location of his Plug Tobacco Factory is currently unknown) and had opened a new store on Churton Street between the two drug stores. In 1887, LJ Weaver, formerly of Chapel Hill began working with him.
An October 2, 1886 ad for AA Springs new store.
In this ad, Springs advertises that he is selling “Maud Tobacco.” The meaning of this term has been lost but may refer to the fact that in the 1880s, W. Duke Sons & Co issued a “Actors and Actresses” series that featured trading cards of three different actresses named Maude: Maude Stafford, Maude Stafford, Maude Branscome, and Maude Waldemere
Also, in 1887, Springs attended the Piedmont Exposition in Atlanta where around 200,000 people viewed exhibits on the natural resources of the Piedmont as well as art and wood working. President Grover Cleveland attended the fair.
In 1888, Springs hosted an ice cream festival at his residence on Churton Street, which, according to the Orange County Observer, “was very much enjoyed by the young ladies and gentlemen who attended in large numbers.”
Two unidentified women enjoying ice cream c. 1885
Springs and his family left Hillsborough in 1890 and by 1891, he was serving as the Secretary of the Progressive Literary Society of Lexington, NC. In Lexington, he became the proprietor of the March Hotel.
As this June 25, 1897 article in the Sanford Express relates, Springs’ wife was horrifically murdered in her bed when a home invader shot her in the head.
Bud of Hope Lodge
1886-1891
The Bud of Hope Lodge was one of many lodges in the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows of America (GUOOF), a mutual aid and fraternal organization like freemasonry. GUOOF was established in 1843 by and for disfranchised African Americans. The organization served as both a social club and charitable institution, with a focus on morality and temperance. Benefits of membership included defraying the costs of illness, disability, burial, and widowhood.
Little is currently known about the local chapter except that it was founded in 1865 and was prominent enough that the members celebrated a large anniversary dinner in Webb’s Warehouse in 1887 (Seer Lot 3) and they were able to maintain the lodge on the third floor of the Berry Brick building. They began renting the space in 1886. They were listed on the Sanborn map of 1888 and were mentioned in the report on the fire that year. Although they were able to save all of their property during the fire, they purchased Lot 187 in 1891. The cornerstone for their new lodge building was laid in September 1893 and Odd Fellows from other lodges around the state attended. They remained the owners of that lot until 1993.
Names mentioned in the deeds as being associated with the lodge from 1966-1993 are:
George J. Mayo
Robert L. and Peggy Satterfiel
John K. Gattis
Ollie Cooper
George Moore
James T. Wall
James M. Koonce, II
Wilbur G. Jones (NC grand master)
(L.) Peter Ogden was the founder of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows of America
(C.) A March 12, 1887 article in the Orange County Observer about the Odd Fellows' anniversary celebrations.
(R.) A member of the Grand United Order wearing the fraternal order’s collar and apron. Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Newman & Smith
1892-1894
Newman & Smith sold an interesting assortment of goods. The few times they advertised in the newspaper, they were offering bibles and tobacco..
Ads for Newman & Smith
(L.) October 10, 1892 for bibles; (C.) February 17, 1894 for NW Brown’s tobacco;
(R.)February 17, 1894 thanking the public for helping to rescue their merchandise from the fire
During the Civil War, William Henry Newman (1845-1920) fought with the Orange Guard Co. G, 27th North Carolina Regiment. At Bristoe Station in 1863, he received two severe wounds which plagued him the remainder of his life: one in the thigh and the other entering his face near his left ear and coming out under his left eye. He wasn’t expected to survive and was left on the battlefield.
Upon returning home, he spent the next 23 years working as a clerk in JE jones’ store. After a spell of illness due to his war wounds, he opened Newman & Smith. The store was devastated by the fire of 1894 and closed shortly thereafter. By 1903, he was the manager of West End Grocery in West Hillsborough.
Newman held several positions in town government, including commissioner beginning in 1885 and mayor in 1892. He also served many years as a deacon and trustee of First Baptist Church. Newman’s father John acquired the house on Queen Street that had belonged to Mary Burke Doherty (widow of Governor Thomas Burke). WH Newman inherited it in 1917.
A devout Baptist, WH Newman placed spiritual notices in the newspaper from 1899-1912 like this thoughtful phrase that appeared on August 17, 1899.
Sanborn maps depicting the changes on Lot 25 (L.) 1888 (north to south) Hooker's warehouse, Hayes Drugs with the Orange County Observer on the second floor, Rosemond's general store, Hooker's drugstore, JE Jones with dentist JS Spurgeon on the second floor and Bud of Hope Lodge on the third floor, the post office, Phillips/Pleasants saddlery, and John Laws' store; (R.) 1894 after the fire (north to south) Rosemond's, Hayes drugstore, a butcher, Laws' store
JT Shaw, Jeweler
1894-1901
John T. Shaw began his career as a jeweler in Mebane around 1888. In 1890, a notice in the Orange County Observer announced that he had gone to Oxford attend horological school where he hoped “to perfect himself in the American Lathe. Mr. Shaw will not be satisfied until he knows as much about his business as any other first class workman.”
In 1894, Shaw moved his business to Hillsborough, renting space on the north side of Parks’ new building. Not only did his business prosper but he was popular enough to be elected Mayor, serving from 1898-1899. I
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Several articles in the newspaper told of people finding gold in Orange County and selling it to Shaw like this incident that appeared in the paper on January 28, 1897. Gold Quartz, or Gold-Bearing Quartz is one of the world’s rare gemstones.
Shaw and his wife Ellie purchased the yellow house on E. King Street that is today referred to as Courtney’s Tavern in 1896 from CG Holt, but the lot was auctioned off in March of 1901 due to a lawsuit brought against the Shaws by Holt.
In 1901, he and his family moved back to Mebane and he continued his business there.
(L.) JT Shaw had novel advertisements like this one from March 3, 1894;
(C.) In addition to selling jewelry and repairing clocks and watches, jewelers sold eyeglasses. This ad is from August 8, 1894.
(R.) Pince-nez eyeglasses possess a C-shaped bridge composed of a curved, flexible piece of metal that provided tension to clip the lenses on the wearer's nose. Although pince-nez glasses were available from the 1840s through the 1940s, they were especially popular between 1880 and 1910 and were notably worn by President Theodore Roosevelt. From the collection of the Orange County Historical Museum.
Parks & Hedgpeth
1895-1906
In March 1889, when Charles M. Parks removed his business from the building that he had constructed on Lot 36, his former sales team remained with the new owners, the Webb brothers. Among the sales staff was James H. Hedgpeth. Although Hedgpeth was originally supposed to remain a clerk at the old Parks store, now under the ownership of the Webb brothers, he continued his association with Parks, acting as his bill collector for old debts owed.
The conditions that led Parks to sell his successful business in 1889 are unknown but are likely related to the illness of his wife Virginia who died undergoing surgery in January 1894. By July 1894, after the January fire, which destroyed most of the buildings on Lot 25, Parks had hired African American contractor James Nichols to construct a two-story building on the northern most parcel facing Churton Street. The construction was completed in November. The building appears to have been rented out to Newman & Smith dry goods as well as jeweler JT Shaw.
In February 1895, the Orange County Observer announced that Parks was renovating the building that had been occupied by Newman & Smith. By March, Parks had formed a partnership with James Hedgpeth and had opened for business at that location. They began selling assorted dry goods but eventually became known primarily for the furniture they sold.
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An October 19, 1899 ad for Parks & Hedgpeth. Among the items they sold was furniture, possibly furniture made in the White Furniture Company factory in nearby Mebane, NC.
(L.) The White Furniture factory c. 1940
(R.) A dresser produced by White’s around the time that Parks & Hedgpeth was in business
James H. Hedgpeth (1857-1937) was the son of Emeline Warren (1836-1906) and Jesse Hedgpeth (1826-1900), who was also a town commissioner and made a walnut pulpit for the Baptist Church in 1889. James Hedgpeth married Rosalie Rosemond (1858-1933) in 1878 and they had at least one daughter. He was a Mason and member of Eagle Lodge where he served as Senior Warden.
(L.) An August 24, 1889 notice that James Hedgpeth was collecting money owed to Charles Parks
(R.) As this January 5, 1895 article attests, James Hedgpeth was an excellent hog raiser.
In May 1899, the newspaper announced that Parks & Hedgpeth had leased another building and were making improvements to it. The contractor was Haywood H. Thompson. On June 22, 1899, the Orange County Observer reported that, “Mssrs. Parks & Hedgpeth have moved their stock of goods into their brick store, formerly occupied by Mr. J.E. Jones. This store has been thoroughly repaired and renovated and is now one of the handsomest and most conveniently arranged stores in town.."
One of the many items Parks & Hedgpeth sold in the early 1900s was Devoe Paint.
Image courtesy of Historic New England
By March 1905, the two men decided to close the firm and they sold their inventory to OJ and BB Forrest. Hedgpeth had decided to move to Clio, SC to assist his son Bennett who had already relocated to Clio with his hardware, real estate, and furniture store. The following year, Parks & Hedgpeth placed many ads in the newspaper seeking payment for old debts.
Forrest Brothers Grocery
1895-1969
The Forrest Family was one of the earliest to settle in Orange County. James William Forrest (1700-1755) is listed on the tax list of 1755 along with his sons Thomas, William, and James. Although they would become one of the most prominent mercantile families in the county, they were farmers in North Efland until 1890 when The Farmers’ Alliance Exchange opened in a storehouse they rented from DC Parks on King Street. Stephen Taylor “ST” Forrest Jr., who was prominent in the Efland mercantile community, was the chairman of the board. His half brother Oswin Jones “OJ” Forrest became the manager of the exchange around 1891 and his younger brother Benjamin Brosier “BB” worked as a clerk for the exchange beginning in 1892.
In 1894, OJ and BB purchased JE Jones’ building on N. Churton but the Alliance Exchange continued to be located on King Street. The following year, the stockholders sold their interests to the Forrest brothers who maintained the name Hillsboro Exchange until around 1900.
In 1905, the Forrest brothers “removed their stock of goods from their store on King Street, into their store on Churton Street, Parks & Hedgpeth’s old stand.” The business grew exponentially. In addition to their large two-story building, they had five large warehouses, including one directly behind the store. Much of their business was conducted on consignment to eliminate middlemen and reduce costs.
Their sisters also moved to Churton, one door north. Maggie operated a millinery business. Josephine partnered with Maggie in this endeavor.
Forrest & Forrest grocery store. Pictured in the photo on the left (L.-R.): Vincent "Chunk" Forrest, Bobby Forrest, Marshal Luther Cates Jr., and Marshal Luther Cates Sr.
The Forrest brothers continued to expand their business, selling cars under the name Eno Chevrolet. Subsequent generations joined the firm, including BB’s sons Robert Oswin Forrest and Benjamin Felix Forrest.
An August 25, 1910 article in the Orange County Observer described their business in detail as well as the prosperous millinery operated by the Forrest sisters.
An eye-catching ad from May 10, 1906
In 1955, the Forrest family sold the building and Forrest Brothers Grocery had moved to 113 W King Street where it remained until it closed in December 1969.
Another endeavor for the Forrest brothers was the Osbunn movie theater (a combination of the brothers nicknames “Os” and “Bunn”), on W. King Street. The building was constructed in 1915. (Above L.) a c. 1915 postcard that depicts the theater; (Above R.) a photo of the Osbunn in 1922; (Below L.) A sketch of the Osbunn as it appeared in the 1950s; (Below R.) The Osbunn theater in 2024. It was renovated extensively in 2020 and is now a restaurant.
At the age of 18, after his father ST Forrest died, Oswin Jones Forrest (1856-1932), was left caring for his mother and younger siblings. He maintained the family farm for many years but eventually moved to Hillsborough. According to his great nephew Bob Forest, Oswin “was a large man, good humored, fond of drink and quite a character. He lived at Twin Chimneys with his sisters, and they adored him.”
Oswin was civically engaged. He served as a town commissioner and town booster, being a major contributor to Farmers and Merchants Bank and a stockholder in the Hillsboro Milling and Manufacturing Company. He never married. In 1931, he suffered a stroke and died following year.
Benjamin Brosier Forrest (1866-1947) attended the Graham School operated by Professor Long. He lived with his uncle, Freshwater Jones while in Graham. In January 1888, he opened a school in Melville, Alamance County, but by April of that year he was attending business school in Richmond, VA. The Orange County Observer stated, “If pluck and energy will win Mr. Forest will sure get it.”
Family lore maintained that BB went to California in 1890 as part of a gold rush but no evidence can be found to support this claim. They also maintain that he later worked in Richmond and Bedford, VA but the only information found to corroborate his working out of the area was in 1894 when he moved to Littleton, NC to work as a clerk at the Bon Air Hotel.
BB married, lived on King Street next door to his siblings and had children. His wife was from Greensboro and was quite the socialite, appearing many times in newspapers around the state, always as Mrs. BB Forrest. She was president of the Hillsboro Garden Club for many years.
B.B. retired in 1936 after 50 years in business.
According to her great nephew Bob Forrest, Josephine Ann Forrest (1860-1942) “was brilliant and one of the few really well-educated women in her day.” She attended Elon College and Peabody College in Nashville. There, she focused her studies on math and Latin, but was competent in history and had “read all the worthwhile literature.” Josephine taught at the Bingham School, Sullins College and several other schools including Mebane Academy where she served as principal in 1891.
A trailblazer, Margaret Elizabeth Forrest’s (1858-1929) first career was as an educator. When certification of teachers began in North Carolina, she was one of the first – if not the first – to be awarded a certificate. In addition to working with her sister at Mebane Academy in 1891, she operated a public school in the home of William Strain on Margaret Lane in 1896 and 1897. By 1898, she had switched to the millinery trade and had a booming business with Josephine.
(C.) An ad for the Forrest sisters' millinery from June 9, 1898
(L. & R.) Ladies hats from the 1890s
Graham-Yearby
1902-1903
During the summer of 1900, Dr. Joseph Graham worked in the practice of DC Parris. Two years later, Graham partnered with WM Yearby, a leading druggist in Durham. Yearby, who received national renown for his work with a drug called Vinol that helped people suffering from wasting disease, had previously opened a second store in Chapel Hill in 1894. Together, Graham and Yearby opened a drug store in the brick building that had belonged to OW Hooker and had been used for that purpose for many years.
This is presumably Dr. Joseph Graham (1878-1935). He was the son of John Washington Graham and grandson of North Carolina Governor William A. Graham. Both he and his father are buried at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Hillsborough along with many other family members.
(L.) Dr. Joseph Graham; (R.) William A. Graham and his 7 sons: (seated L.-R.) Joseph, Governor Graham, John Washington, William Alexander Jr. (standing L.-R.) James Augustus, Robert Davidson, George Washington, Augustus Washington.
Ads for Graham-Yearby April 24, 1902
Gaither Collins, Barber
1902
In 1902, Gaither Collins began advertising his services as a barber in the Parks & Hedgpeth furniture building. He also offered services cleaning and pressing clothes. Gaither Collins (c.1911-1975) was of Saponi and African American descent.
Two ads for Collins’ barbershop. (L.) December 25, 1902; (R.) January 15, 1903
Collins was extremely active at Dickerson Chapel AME. He provided janitorial services and performed “any other job that was to be done.” In 1962, he contributed information about Dickerson Chapel to Allen Lloyd’s History of the Churches of Hillsborough, NC.
The Gaither family. Front (L to R.): Mamie Collins, Charles Matthews, Jr., Gaither Collins, son Edgar Collins, daughter-in-law Fleta Harris Collins. Back: granddaughter Laura Ann Collins Matthews, her husband Charles Matthews, Sr.
Dr. CD Jones
1903-c.1919
In 1903, Clarence D Jones purchased the stock of Graham-Yearby and moved into the Hooker building, using it as an office for his medical practice. He was one of the most popular and sought after doctors in town. His brother James E Jones owned the building next door to the north and operated it as a general store.
Clarence Dupree “Buddy” Jones (1866-1937) trained at UNC and received his medical degree in 1887 from the Medical Department University of Nashville - Vanderbilt University. He originally worked with Dr. William Strudwick before opening his own practice. For many years, he made house calls, driving a buggy to reach his patients. Jones also served as County Superintendent of Health for many years.
Jones’ father, Richard M. Jones had been the sheriff of Orange County. His son, Clarence D. Jones Jr. opened and operated Western Auto on King Street. His daughter in-law, Margaret, who always referred to herself as “Mrs. Clarence D Jones,” was the guiding force behind the establishment of the Orange County Historical Museum.
Two ads for Foley's Honey and Tar for sale at CD Jones' drug store
(L.) August 4, 1904; (R.) January 5, 1905
Items that belonged to Dr. Clarence D Jones from the collection of the Orange County Historical Museum
(A.) Saddlebags and vials of medicine from the early days of his practice when he rode a horse to reach patients; (B.) A Cllark Heater foot warmer that he used in his buggy
Sanborn maps depict the changes to Lot 25
(A.L) 1900; (A.R) 1905; (B) 1911
Jordan Brothers, Groceries
1910-c.1927
In 1908, the Jordan brother bought out the Graham brothers. Their store had two distinct sides: the north with dry goods, including boots and shoes, the south with groceries. Items they were especially known for included “Screamer” shoes for children as well as for being the exclusive agents for Royal Tailoring Co. of New York, “whose splendid facilities suits are ‘made to measure’ at popular prices.” An August 25, 1910 article in the Orange County Observer noted that they were “young, energetic, and ambitious,” and that at their store, “a soda fountain is in constant operation during the summer months.”
The brothers, who were natives of Orange County, were WP and RE Jordan. Preliminary research suggests that the family was from Cedar Grove. By 1929, RE lived in Mebane and WP lived in Chapel Hill on Henderson Street. If this is correct, WP became the Deputy Sheriff of Chapel Hill in the 1930s.
A receipt for shirts purchased by John S Toob of Chapel Hill tfor shirts by Royal Tailors from the collection of the Orange County Historical Museum. At its height, Royal Tailors employed over 2,000 tailors in Chicago and New York and sold clothing in cities across America. Joseph Vehon, president of the company, is credited as the originator of the "Money back" guarantee. Jordan Brother were the exclusive dealer in Hillsborough.
OL Thomas, Jeweler
1910-c.1927
OL Thomas announced in the Orange County Observer in January 1910 that he had opened a jewelry store. Like most jewelers of his day, in addition to selling jewelry, clocks, watches, glasses, and other similar items, repaired all of these items. An August 25, 1910 article praised him for being “endowed with natural mechanical ability” and that he had “developed pronounced skill at the watchmaker and jeweler trade, under the direction of ZT Hadley, of Graham.”
From 1910-c.1927, Thomas’ store was the small brick building just north of the corner of Churton and King. In 1888, it was a harness shop and bakery; in 1894 a butchers shop. By 1900, the building was serving as a harness shop. It had been marked as “vacant” and “dilapidated” on the 1905 Sanborn map. The 1924 map simply notes that it was a store and by 1943, the building was gone. Presumably, it was taken down in 1927 when Hayes built his new brick drug store. After this building was removed, Thomas continued as a jeweler. He worked for 30 years until his death in 1940. Where his shop was at that time is currently unknown.
In addition to his work as a jeweler, Oscar Lee “OL” Thomas (1877-1940) served as chairman of the Orange County board of elections and was active in Democratic politics. He married Lola P. Isley in 1902. They were Methodists and had 8 children, 1 daughter and 7 sons. One son, William MP Thomas, was a 2LT in World War II and died in Tunisia in 1943 at the age of 23.
In this June 24, 1915 ad, Thomas announces that he sells South Bend watches. This South Bend dates to 1915
US Post Office
1917-1927
The Spanish Mission-style building at the northern end of Lot 25 was built around 1917 by the Spurgeon Building Company. The corporation was chartered by the state in May 1917, with $50,000 authorized capital and $10,000 subscribed, to construct, buy, and sell real estate. Dentist JS Spurgeon (See above) was the president of the company, Shepherd Strudwick was the treasurer. Other incorporators were PU Collins and JH Webb.
Originally, the first floor of the building was divided. In November 1917, the US Postal Service began leasing the northern half and basement. The lease called the building “The New Post Office Building.” Included in the lease not only were satisfactory “heating and lighting fixtures, the requisite water closets, urinals, and water,” but also all of the furniture required for a post office serving town and rural customers such as a fireproof safe.
In 1921, Spurgeon sold the building to the Orange Trust Company. This business was operated by James Cheshire and Sterling Roulhac.
Bill Bagley, an African American laborer at a wood business owned by Mr. Roulhac was the janitor for the building.
This picture appeared in a February 4, 1923 article about improvements in the town in the Durham Herald-Sun, entitled, “Hillsboro Shakes off Shackles.”
The Hillsboro Drug Company
1921-1932
On June 5, 1921, the Durham Morning Herald announced that JB Mason of Durham, who had purchased the “old Hooker drug store building” was renovating it, and that it would be “equipped with modern furniture and fixtures.” James Bruce Mason Jr. (1870-1938) was the president of Citizens National Bank. He was born in Chapel Hill and began working for the bank as its cashier in 1905 under BN Duke. After Mason renovated Hooker’s drugstore, Hillsboro Drug Company occupied that space. The company had previously been located on King Street, in a building first owned by Devereux Turner that was purchased and improved by Fletcher R. Faucette in 1903.
The Hillsboro Drug Company was founded in 1896, when Dr. DC Parris and jeweler John T. Shaw began advertising that they had opened a pharmacy. Dr. Parris’ office was in the rear of the drugstore. The business was also referred to as Parris & Shaw. In addition to drugs, they sold fancy goods, toiletries, and perfumes. They specified in 1896 and 1897 that their store was located next to the post office. In March 1899, Devereux Turner and George Lynch joined the firm. They incorporated as The Hillsboro Drug Co. and expanded their inventory to include paint.
Advertisements for Hillsboro Drug Company (L.) March 21, 1896; (R.) July 19, 1900
The company remained in business for the next 33 years with David P Parris, son of Dr. DC following into the business. After Mason renovated Hooker’s drugstore, Hillsboro Drug occupied that space. In 1932, the company declared bankruptcy and went into receivership.
David Clingman “DC” Parris (1854-1906) served as the county Superintendent of Health. He was also a Mason and served as the Secretary of Eagle Lodge in Hillsborough.
David P. “Dave” Parris (1888-1948) served in the Marines in World War I. He was noted in town for his “South African Ringtail monkey” named Sir Cicero who stayed in front of his store.
“South African Ringtail monkey” is an older term for a Ringtail Lemur. Duke University has been caring for these primates through its Duke Lemur Center since 1966.
Sanborn maps (L.) 1924; (R) 1943
As this May 21, 1925 article reveals, a Dr. JI Coleman had an office over Hillsboro Drug store in 1925. Presumably, since he was only in Hillsborough one day a week, he had an office in a neighboring town.
The Dollar Store
1930-1948
When Jack M. Blieden & Vallie Lee Blieden moved to Hillsborough from Henderson, they opened the Dollar Store, selling general merchandise. In 1946, the store stopped carrying dry goods but continued selling shoes and hosiery. By the close of 1947, Mrs. Blieden was in poor health. According to a January 22, 1948 article in the News of Orange, doctors “ordered her to take a long rest.” Consequently, they sold the building, stock, and fixtures to JM Crabtree and spent a month in Florida.
The Bliedens were active in many civic organizations. He served as the President of the Hillsboro Merchants Association. They were the only Jewish family in Hillsborough but Dr. Roberts gave Jack Blieden the nickname "the Greek."
(L.) A September 18, 1947 ad for the Dollar Store; (R.) The Dollar Store as it appeared in the H Lee Waters 1939 film of Hillsborough
James Pharmacy/James Drug
1932-1986
Charles Jordan James (1903-1957), commonly called “Charlie” or “CJ,” graduated in 1929 from pharmacy school at UNC. He then spent six months working at the Westside Pharmacy in Durham before taking a position as a pharmacist for the Hillsboro Drug Company in 1930. After 2 years, James purchased the business and changed the name to James Pharmacy. The drugstore was a local gathering place, with a soda fountain that served sandwiches, ice cream, and milkshakes.
The exterior of James Pharmacy as it appeared in H. Lee Waters’ 1937 film. The 2 men and the woman were most likely employees
An ad for Feen-a-mint appears in the pharmacy window. Feen-a-mint was a popular chewable mint-flavored laxative.
(R.) The interior of the pharmacy c. 1932
A native of Orange County, James was the son of Mary and Henry James and a graduate of Hillsboro High School. In 1945, he the News of Orange named him “Man of the Week,” and described as “marked with distinctive characteristics of a different laugh and an endless stream of cigars.” He was the president of the Merchants’ Association and a member of the Methodist church, Lions Club, and the Shriners.
James ran a series of humorous ads. This one is from September 25, 1947
After James died suddenly from a heart attack, his wife Oma Rhew James continued the business with pharmacist Allen Lloyd. Lloyd then purchased the business. After his daughter Evelyn Lloyd graduated from UNC’s Eschelman School of Pharmacy in 1965, she joined her father. In 1986, they moved to W King Street and started Lloyd’s Pharmacy.
Allen A. Lloyd (1914-2006) was a life long resident of Hillsborough. He received his A.B. in Chemistry from Elon College and earned his B.S. in Pharmacy from UNC in 1940. Allen served on the town board from 1965-1997, and was Mayor Pro Tem for ten years. Additionally, Lloyd was appointed "Keeper of the Hillsborough Town Clock" by the town board in 1960, was a volunteer fireman for 35 years, was a member of the Eagle Lodge #19, and was a life-long member of Hillsborough United Methodist Church. With his wife, Pauline, they wrote and published two books, History of the Town of Hillsborough and The Churches of Hillsborough.
Linda Greason Petty stated, “Most everyone in Hillsborough sought out Mr Lloyd’s advice on what over the counter treatment they needed for the ailments of their family members & themselves. He was always kind, sought spoken & willing to help.”
(L.) Allen and Evelyn Lloyd; (R.) The Pharmacy building in 1983
Dr. Marion Roberts
c.1932-1980's
Located on the second floor of the James Pharmacy building was the office of Dr. Marion Butler “Crocker” Roberts (1906-1998), a general physician. Roberts grew up in Hillsborough, graduating from Hillsboro High School. In a 1924 countywide academic contest of high school students, Roberts won 2nd place in declamation. He graduated from UNC and earned a medical degree from the University of Maryland. Roberts then returned to Hillsborough and opened a practice. His brother Dr. Bryan Roberts had a medical office across Churton Street (See Lot 26)
Roberts and his wife purchased the home of TN Webb Jr. on the corner of W King St and Hassel streets. After it burned in 1956, they built a new house on the property..
Mrs. Roberts was very involved in community and social events. Her name appears regularly in the “Hillsboro Happenings” column of the newspaper.
Bruce's 5 and 10 to $1
1935-1953
Although the north half of the building originally housed the Post Office, by 1943 both sides were operated as a variety store called Bruce’s 5 and 10 to $1. At the time it was a freestanding building with empty lots on both the north and south sides. The owner, Bruce Whitmire, lived in Chapel Hill. He owned 6 similar stores, including one on Franklin St. Whitmire opened his first store in 1934 after 10 years’ experience as the manager of McClellan’s, a five and dime chain with stores throughout the South.
Whitmire and his wife were active in the Chapel Hill community. He was an officer in the Merchants Association and the Rotary Club.
The manager in Hillsboro store was Nellie Gulick. She and her husband were members of the Hillsboro Historical Society, and their daughter Jean attended Hillsboro High. They lived on Churton St, just north of the library.
Sally Ann Webb McPherson who grew up in Hillsborough in the 1940s remembered, “Bruce's Five & Dime Store stood out as a favorite with children because it carried candy and toys and many other low-priced goods that we could afford, if we saved our weekly allowances. But our Dime Store was not like the Woolworth's or Kresge's stores in Durham that boasted huge candy counters and steamy lunch counters.”
Whitmore originally rented the space from the Orange Trust Company. However, in 1938, the company went into receivership. After a court-ordered sale of the property the following year, the Cateses became the new owner. In 1940, HS Cates and his wife Alice, along with FS Cates and his wife Virginia negotiated a new lease with Whitmire where they agreed to “remodel, repair and extend the said building so that the same shall have a modern glass front, have an inside depth of not less than sixty-five (65) feet. . .present outside walls being extended back to the depth required.” The 1943 Sanborn map depicts a rear addition that the Cateses made for Bruce’s Store.
(L.) An August 1, 1946 ad for Bruce's; (R.) Bruce's 5 and 10 can be seen in the background of this photo taken of a parade c.1950
Chevrolet Dealership
1935-1968
For 33 years, the brick building on the northern edge of Lot 25, which had begun as a general store, served as a Chevrolet dealership.
The original business, Eno Chevrolet, was owned by BF, RO, and VM Forrest. When they opened their dealership, the Forrests moved their grocery store to W King Street. (see Forrest Brothers above). The main two-story building served as a showroom and offices. The one-story warehouse behind it became the service and repair garage. Felix Forrest was the manager in 1955. After 20 successful years, the Forrests sold the dealership. However, they continued to own the building and the property, leasing it to the subsequent owners of the business.
Eno Chevrolet as seen in the H Lee Waters films of Hillsborough (L.) 1937; (R.) 1939
The "OK" logo was a Chevrolet trademark for their used car business
Herring-Conners Chevrolet Inc. owned and operated it from 1955-1957. Ed Herring served as the president and general manager; Jake Conners was the vice president. A graduate of UNC, Herring had been operating Herring Motor Finance on W Franklin Street in Chapel Hill for 15 years. Conner originally worked for Herring as a loan agent. He had moved to the area from Texas 5 in 1950 and had been living at the old Faucette Mill in Cedar Grove Township. Aside from this business, Conner had a Chevy dealership in Chapel Hill with his brother-in-law Robert Harriss.
(L.) From the the News of Orange, June 3, 1948; (R.) A repair order for a 1936 Ford
From the the News of Orange
(L.) June 14, 1956 (C.) Herring and Conners in 1955; (R.) April 19, 1956
The business then became Bason Chevrolet. Earl Bason was the President and General Manager. He had previously been connected with a local Ford dealership. A December 19, 1957 newspaper article described the building as having entrances on Churton and King streets. Bason was a native of Alamance County and a veteran of WWII, having served in the airforce. After the war, he married Violet Chance of Hillsborough and they settled in Hillsborough.
George Gilmore closed his own garage on King Street and became Bason’s Service Manager (See below).
In 1961, the dealership became Mason Chevrolet, Inc. under the ownership of RG Mason and his wife Mildred. He served as president of the corporation; she was the secretary. They were members of First Baptist Church. Ruby Miller (1938-2019), who graduated from Hillsborough High School in 1958 and worked as a bookkeeper for Mason Chevrolet as well as other stores.
Sometime after 1964, the dealership became Beck Chevrolet, Inc. under the ownership of Jerry B and Editha S Beck. He was president and she was secretary of the company. In 1968, they moved to South Churton Street.
(L.) A Bason Chevrolet matchbook cover; (R.) A September 14, 1964 ad
Young Men's Shop
1936-1968
Claude Sharpe began selling clothing and other items in 1907 (See Lot 36). In 1936, after selling his interest in a department store, Sharpe purchased the building directly north of the Chevrolet dealership from the Lynch family, and opened the Young Men’s Shop. At this time, it was a one-story freestanding building with an alley on its south, and an empty lot on its north.
The Young Men’s Shop sold a complete line of accessories and clothing for men, including dress suits, which had not been available in Hillsborough before that time. Mr. Sharpe and his wife Katherine “Kate” Jones Sharpe worked in the store, and their children helped out. Because the business was so successful, in September 1947, Sharpe purchased the vacant lot from Dr. JS Spurgeon and began constructing a two-story brick building. He described the new store as “ultra-modern.”
Claude Wilson Sharpe (1884-1970) was a native of Orange County, receiving his schooling at Elm Grove School. He was a trustee of First Baptist Church in Hillsborough and a town commissioner.
C. Wayland Sharpe (1919-1993) purchased the business on December 31, 1956 upon his father’s retirement.. He served 4 years in Navy during WWII and later worked for the Environmental Protection Agency in Research Triangle Park and Washington DC until he retired. He was a member of Eagle Lodge and the Hillsborough Methodist Church.
(A.L.) The May 5, 1949 announcement of the Young Men's Shop move into its new building;
(B.L) A February 6, 1947 ad for Corner Drug; (C.) A June 9, 1955 ad showing that both Claude and his son Wayland are managing the store ; (B.R.) Young Men's Shop stationery that had been used by the Orange County Historical Museum in the 1960s
Hillsboro Fire Department
1937-1947
Before any organized fire department existed, the residents of Hillsborough kept buckets on hand and worked together to fight fires. As most of the buildings in the business district were wood frame structures throughout the 1800’s and early 1900’s, large fires were a constant. The main sources of water were the town pump, located in the middle of Churton Street just north of King Street, and the Eno River. In 1937, a New Deal Public Works Administration program allowed the town to construct a water system to replace the old town pump. The new system included a new water plant, water lines, and hydrants. Edmund Rosemond became the head of the town Water Works Department which included the Fire Department.
Money from the project was also used to fund the purchase of a fire truck and to create the Hillsboro Fire Dept. A 1937 Chevrolet American LeFrance was purchased from Eno Chevrolet of Hillsboro. With limited resources, the new fire truck was kept in the garage of Eno Chevrolet, which served as the first fire station for the next 10 years. Local tradition maintains that the truck was kept in the garage at night and pulled out each day to allow the garage to conduct business. An electric siren was also purchased and kept outside the garage to alert the town of a fire. The siren was controlled by the phone operator at the telephone exchange on King Street.
I
Looking north on Churton Street c. 1900. The town pump can be seen in the middle of the street.
In March of 1937, the Town Board of Commissioners appointed George Gilmore as the first fire chief of the Hillsboro Fire Dept. The department consisted of a strong foundation of volunteers many of whom were the local merchants who would stop what they were doing and head to the fire station when the siren sounded.
In 1947, the Fire Dept. was notified by Eno Chevrolet that they needed the garage space for new equipment and would need to relocate. George Gilmore owned an auto repair garage on King St. and there was an open lot between his garage and the Western Auto, owned by Clarence Jones Jr. This space was acquired and a shelter was built between the two buildings to house the fire truck and become the new fire station.
1947 also brought in a new phone system. Dial phones were introduced and the electric siren control was moved to the new fire station since the station could be called direct at 2222.
For more information, visit https://www.orfd.net/content/history/
(A.) Members of the Fire Department c. 1937 with Eno Chevrolet and their truck in the background; (B.) (l-r kneeling) Rainey Roberts, Dr. H.W. Moore, Edwin Lynch, Mayor Ben Johnston, Chief George Gilmore; (l-r standing) Marvin "Jug" Walker, Herman Strayhorn, Curtis "Hank" Rhew, Jim Gordon, CD "Buck Knight, Vincent "Chunk" Forrest, Leonard Rosemond, Roger Wilson, Homer Watkins, Seth Thomas, Mitchel Lloyd, George Teer and Harvey Watkins
George Washington Gilmore (1903-1981) and his wife, Mae “Jack” Jackson Gilmore (1907-1996), moved to Hillsborough in 1928 with their two children. Originally, he worked for Bason Chevrolet. Later, he opened Gilmore Motors Garage on W. King Street. In 1962, the Town of Hillsboro purchased Gilmore Motors’ building to use as a town hall, garage, and storage facility. The following year, Gilmore purchased the City Amoco Service station on N. Churton (See Lot 36). Gilmore not only served as fire chief for 34 years, he was also the police chief for 6.
Draft Board
1940-1947
In September 1940, Congress passed the Selective Training and Service Act, which required every county in the US to have at least one local draft board. These local boards officially opened their doors to register men for the first nationwide draft in October. The office was located upstairs, above Bruce’s Dime store. Mr. GO Reitzel served for many years as the head of the Draft Board and Mrs. Willie Mae Lynch was the office manager. Historian Gee Coleman recalled that, “Norris Sharpe worked in that office for a short time, but it did not keep him from being drafted into the US Army.”
County Government
1940s-1950s
During the 1940s and early 1950s, the offices on the second floor of the Hayes building that were managed by Sue Hayes were rented out to different county agencies.
In 1948, the Orange County Draft Board moved its office into the suites above the Corner Drug Store. GO Reitzel was the chairman of the board. Mary Frances Kenion was its clerk.
In 1949, the voters of Orange County approved a bond by a 3-1 margin that allowed funds to be raised for a new courthouse as well as for construction and improvement of schools. The $1 million from the bond was added to $401,000 from state funds for the county’s schools. Interestingly, the funds included money to build new elementary schools for black students in Efland and Cedar Grove as well as a new high school for black students in Chapel Hill. Part of the money was also allocated for new administrative offices which had been located in a tobacco warehouse that was built in 1914 (See Lot 3) as this would now be the site of the new courthouse. In the interim, offices for the Superintendent were rented in the Hayes building, above the Corner Drug Store.
Although its primary offices were in Chapel Hill, the Orange County Health Department maintained a Hillsborough office. Dr. O. David Garvin served as the district health officer in Chapel Hill; Dr. William P Richardson provided immunizations and examinations with a fluoroscope throughout the county. Richardson was assisted by several nurses, including Mrs. Letha Rouse and Mrs. Statia Watson. Secretaries at the clinic included Mrs. Virginia Wilson and Mrs. LE Nichols. In the 1940s, the office held monthly clinics where patients could get x-rays.
The Orange County Welfare Board also maintained offices there. With the passage of state legislation in 1919, each county in North Carolina was required to provide public welfare services and to employ a superintendent of public welfare. Each county maintained a 3 or 5-member Welfare Board. The Orange County board had 3 members. Many notable people served on it like Hillsboro High School principal Grady Brown and Rev. John Ensign of New Hope Presbyterian Church. A June 10, 1948 article noted that new quarters were recommended for the Welfare Board. The date of their move has not been determined but by 1955, they were occupying office space in the recently vacated “Old Courthouse.” A controversy erupted because they installed venetian blinds in their offices and some people believed this modernization to be inappropriate for the historic building.
Parker's Shoe Shop
1941-1956
After working for 8 years in the shoe repair business of his uncle David A. Graves in Chapel Hill, Randolph “JR” Parker (b.1918) opened his own store in Hillsborough. Both he and his wife Pearl Parker did the repair work on the shoes. In 1946, Lawrence Summey began working for the Parkers. He continued in their employ until 1955 when he opened his own store on King Street. The location of Summey’s shop would change several times (See Lots 26 and 35).
During the 1950s, the Parkers hired teenagers of color like John Blackfeather Jeffries (1939-2023) and Harold Russell to shine shoes. Russell, who became an important scientist for the Centers for Disease Control where he developed the first test for Lyme disease, recalled in August 2020 in the News of Orange, “I shined shoes for 15 cents a pair. I got 7 and 1/2 cents. After each shining, the customer would pay the shop owner — it was a shoe repair shop. I would get a ticket and at the end of the day we would count the tickets. The owner would multiply it by 7 and a half. That’s what he would give me. But I made tips.”
(L.) This April 19, 1945 notice in the News of Orange announced that Parker was closing the store to join the army. (R.) this November 22, 1945 ad reveals that it was not closed long. The War officially ended September 2 that year.
In late 1955, the store with all of its fixtures and equipment was sold to Martin Irons who owned 6 other shoe repair shops across North and South Carolina. However, Irons experienced legal troubles and in August of the following year, the business was closed and the property was sold at auction.
(L.) A November 24, 1955 ad; (R.) Saddle shoes were the most popular shoes for teens in the late 1940s and 1950s. This pair is from the collection of the Orange County Historical Museum
Hillsboro Flower Shop
1946-c.1958
The Hillsboro Flower Shop had been opened by 1944 when it advertised in the News of Orange. Where it was located is unknown but an article written on January 24, 1946 about the Victory Clothing Collection drive stated that it would soon move into the vacant building that was next to the remaining shoe and hosiery department of the Dollar Store. The chairman of the drive was florist TN Webb Jr., the owner of the flower shop. The store also sold vases, candlesticks, and other related novelties. For some currently unknown reason, it had a “Grand Opening” in 1951 even though it was still owned by Webb. Perhaps it was a re-opening after improvements. By 1954, Webb had moved the business to his home.
Thomas Norfleet “TN” Webb Jr (1911-1972) was a 1933 graduate of UNC’s Department of Botany and an avid plant breeder, specializing in hybrid varieties of iris. He served as president of the Hillsborough Garden Club from 1934-5 and was a member of St. Matthews Episcopal Church. With his two sisters, he donated 20 boxwoods to the church in memory of their parents. Webb’s father, Horticulturalist Thomas Norfleet Webb, Sr (1877-1928), was the first director of Duke University's Sarah P. Duke Gardens. The Webbs lived in a stately home on the corner of W. King and Hassel streets. Upon his father’s death, Webb became the owner of the house. He sold it in 1952 to Dr. Marion Roberts. (A fire destroyed most of the house in 1956 and was demolished in 1967). Webb and his family moved to Florida where his wife Alice Cooke Webb was from. His daughter was Sally Ann Webb McPherson who wrote a memoir about her childhood in Hillsborough entitled, Warm Firesides Wide Porches.
(L.) TN Webb Jr.'s 1917 WWI draft card; (R.) A may 6, 1948 ad
In 1954, Lois Maggie Jackson Harder (1919-2012) opened The Blossom Shop at that location. After 1954, she ceased advertising and may have closed the business shortly thereafter. She worked with Gilmore Florist, Colonial Florist and Belks and was a member of Ebenezer Baptist Church, serving as the organist there for 57 years.
A February 18, 1954 ad for the new florist
Corner Drug Store
1947-1970
In 1947, Hayes Drugs was purchased by Bedford Brozier “Jake” Forrest, a registered pharmacist, who renamed it “the Corner Drugstore.” That same year, he hired pharmacist Allen A Lloyd to assist him. In addition to prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, and toiletries, the store sold candy, ice cream, clocks, watches, and books and was a community hangout. . Sally Ann Webb McPherson recalled, “Men gathered at The Corner Drug Store to discuss business and world events and drink Coca-Colas made with a squirt of syrup and carbonated water, 5 cents.”
(L.) A February 6, 1947 ad for Corner Drug; (C.) A February 27, 1947 announcement of Allen Lloyd's hiring; (R.) Bill Mitchell and Shepherd Strudwick at Corner Drug Store in 1958
Smith’s Ready-To-Wear
1947-after 1969
Smith’s Ready-To-Wear had been opened by 1947 when moved into new location in the Cole Motor building (See Lot 6) but in May 1949, it closed that location and moved up the street into the Sharpe Building (115 N Churton) after the new building next door for the Young Men’s Shop had been completed. Smith’s offered both men’s and women’s clothing. It was owned by Will Smith.
Ads for Smith's (L.) May 5, 1949; (C.) June 1, 1961; (R.) May 26, 1960
Pope's 5 and 10
1954-c.1990
In 1954, the Five and Dime store become Pope’s, part of a retail chain owned by John William Pope (1924-2006), a self-made man who was the first in his family to graduate from college. He attended UNC and became a trustee and important donor to the university. His company, Variety Wholesalers is still owned by the Pope family with more than 400 stores across 14 states. It is one of the largest privately-owned retail companies in the US, comprised of 112 Roses and 148 Maxway stores as well as Super Dollar, Super 10, and Pope’s.
The store was well known for its creeky wooden floors, toys, penny candy, and fresh roasted peanuts and hot popcorn. Many teenagers worked there, including Cathy Wagner, Betty Davis Mayes, Marvin Milton Williams, Corrina Peacock Ashley, Jo Champion, Joyce Forrester, and Carlene Kendrick who recalled that Dolly Weddle was the manager. Before her Mr. Gooch was the manager.
When Bruce Whitmire sold his merchandise to Pope in 1956, building owners F. S. and Virginia Cates and Nancy Cates Beard and her husband, David Beard negotiated a new lease and agreed to construct a one-story, cement-block addition to the rear of the building. Two years later, Pope purchased the building but he sold it in 1957 to Harold E Parker.
A June 28, 1962 ad for Pope's
Sis' Shoes
1956-1978
Elizabeth Ola Stone “Sis” Crabtree (1899-1989) opened her first shoe store in 1949 in the Cole Building (See Lot 6). In January 1956, she moved up the street. The property was owned by her brother-in-law, James Milton "JM" Crabtree (1914-1991). Sis was married to Newman “Newt” Dortch Crabtree (1905-1952), a billiards parlor owner. They were members of Methodist Church.
Sis grew up on a cotton farm in South Carolina, on the border with North Carolina. She used to joke that the house was situated on the line and that she ate meals in one state and slept in the other. At the young age of 8, she began working for her brother in his country store, selling shoes and other items. After working in a department store in Salisbury, she followed her sister Ida Mae Liner Pursley to Hillsborough.
Sis was a well-known personality in town. According to a 1970 interview, her three main loves were people – especially her customers, animals, and photography. She said, “There just ain’t a bashful bone in my body, I guess, I just try to love everyone.”
Photos of Sis' Shoe Store from the 1970s and a June 7, 1962 ad from the News of Orange
Photos taken by Sis Crabtree of her customers and friends outside her store.
(R.) The man holding the child is Fred Howard
Hillsboro Shoe Shop/Hillsborough Shoe Center
1957-c.1970
Beginning in 1957, WM Worrell began advertising that he was operating a shoe store called the Hillsboro Shoe Shop. He stated that he had 25 years of experience repairing shoes. The 1969 telephone directory lists the Hillsborough Shoe Center as being located at 105 N. Churton, the former Parker Shoes. People currently remember “Mr. Worrell’s store,” so presumably they are they same place.
The Worrells were involved in the social life of the community and appear often in the News of Orange in relation to happenings. Their daughter Sylvia participated in the Miss Orange County Pageant and was involved with drama at Hillsboro High School. Their son, William Jr., was a Sergeant in the US Air Force.
(L.) A June 12, 1957 ad, (C.) 1957 mens shoes; A 1950s shoe repair sign
North Carolina National Bank/Bank of America
1968-1988/1988-c. 2015
North Carolina National Bank (NCNB), acquired the building that had housed the Chevy dealership and renovated it with a pseudo-colonial façade (what historian Steve Rankin has humorously called “fauxlonial”). In 1988, Bank of America replaced NCNB.
(L.) Picture of NCNB after the renovations in the News of Orange in 1969;
(R.) Bank of America with an ATM and 24-hour depository
A plat depicting the owners of buildings on Lot 25 in July 1968
Selective Service
1969
The Selective Service Act of 1948 required all men 18 years and older to register with the Selective Service. All men between the ages of 18 and 25 were eligible to be drafted for a service requirement of 21 months. This was followed by a commitment for either 12 consecutive months of active service or 36 consecutive months of service in the reserves, with a limit set at a minimum of five years total.
The Military Selective Service Act of 1967 expanded the ages of conscription to the ages of 18 to 55. It granted student deferments but ended them upon either the student's completion of a four-year degree or his 24th birthday, whichever came first.
In 1969, during the Vietnam War, President Richard Nixon signed an amendment to the that established conscription based on random selection known as the lottery. Seven draft lotteries were held between 1969 and 1975.
In 1969, the Selective Service office was located upstairs at 119A N Churton. How many years it was in that location has not yet been researched.
MREs donated to the Orange County Historical Museum by Sharon Schiro. Her brother served in the army in Vietnam.
Do you have any information about Hutchins Cothes Closet (119 N Churton) or Wicker's TV Service (105 N Churton)?
Both were businesses in 1969
Please contact us and let us know: programs@orangehistorync.org
Do you have any information about Colonial Gun Shop?
It appears to have moved to Boone Square at some point
Please contact us and let us know
Wooden Nickel Pub
2003-Present
The Wooden Nickel opened in 2003 at 105 N Churton and quickly became a local favorite. In 2018, they expanded, moving into 113 N Churton after a substantial renovation. For more than two decades they have been a neighborhood gathering place, hosting some of the best food, beers & colorful characters.
The Wooden Nickel Pub (L.) at 105 N Churton; (R) at 113 N Churton
Wooden Nickel Owners Matt Fox and Dean James
More Coming Soon!!!!
Hillsborough Gallery of Arts - Garry Childs, Owener (operated by local artists)
Providence Smiles - Dr. Kwame A. Gyampo, DDS, Owner
Kim`s Bake Shop at The Wooden Nickel - Kimberly Mayer, Owner
Spiral Studios - Jeannine Rogers, Owner
DWELL home+life - Kyle and Bonne Cecil, Owners
Loftin & Loftin, PA Lawyers - John D. Loftin and John D. Loftin II, Owners
Antonia`s - Bryan Pearson, Owner