Hillsborough, North Carolina
Hillsborough, North Carolina | |
---|---|
919 | |
FIPS code | 37-31620 |
GNIS feature ID | 2405840[4] |
Website | www.ci.hillsborough.nc.us |
The town of Hillsborough is the county seat of Orange County, North Carolina, United States and is located along the Eno River.[5] The population was 6,087 in 2010, but it grew rapidly to 9,660 by 2020.[6]
Its name was unofficially shortened to "Hillsboro" during the 19th century. In the late 1960s, residents voted to change the name back to its original, historic spelling.
History
Native American history
Local
English settlers developed Hillsborough at the site of the former Occaneechi village along the Eno River. In the early 18th century, the Occaneechi left Hillsborough for Virginia, though they returned to the area around 1780.[7]
In the 1980s, an archaeological team from
Colonial period and Revolutionary War
Hillsborough was founded in 1754 and was first owned, surveyed, and mapped by
Hillsborough was an early
As the western districts were under-represented in the colonial legislature, farmers had difficulty gaining redress from the legislature. Ultimately, the frustrated farmers took to arms and closed the court in Hillsborough, dragging those they considered corrupt officials through the streets.[9] Tryon and North Carolina militia troops marched to the region and defeated the Regulators at the Battle of Alamance in May 1771.[9] Several trials were held after the war, resulting in the hanging of six Regulators at Hillsborough on June 19, 1771.
The
William Hooper, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was buried in the Presbyterian Church cemetery in October 1790. However, his remains were later reinterred at Guilford Court House Military Battlefield. His original gravestone remains in the town cemetery.
Antebellum period and American Civil War
Robert and Margaret Anna (née Robertson) Burwell ran a girl's academy called the Burwell School from 1837 to 1857 in their home on Churton Street.[citation needed]
When the Civil War began, Hillsborough residents were reluctant to support secession[citation needed], but many men went off to fight for the Confederacy. In March 1865, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston wintered just outside Hillsborough at the large Dickson home. In the early 1980s this house was moved downtown in order to preserve it from commercial development; it now serves as the Hillsborough Welcome Center. The main portion of the Confederate Army of Tennessee was encamped around Greensboro.
After sweeping through the South on his
Historic sites
There are numerous historical sites to visit in Hillsborough, including some dating to the late eighteenth century. More than 100 surviving late eighteenth and nineteenth-century structures help illustrate its history of prominence in the early period of the state.
In addition, numerous secondary buildings, bridges, mill sites and dams along the Eno River document the local history. Native American relics have been recovered from the sites of ancient villages thousands of years old.[12]
Alexander Dickson House
The Hillsborough Visitors Center operates from this late-18th century Quaker-plan house. It was moved from its original location 1 mi (1.6 km) southeast of Hillsborough to its present location in the historic district. The site includes an office used by Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston.
Old Orange County Courthouse
The Old Orange County Courthouse is an 1844 Greek-revival building designed and built by local builder John Berry. The courthouse is still used for county judicial business. The Hillsborough Clock located atop the town courthouse was a gift to the town from King George III made in Birmingham, England and given in 1766. It was first placed in the town church, then moved to the Market-House. Its weights were melted down near the end of the Revolutionary War and made into lead bullets to fight the British. In 1781, David Fanning and the Tories raided the town, seized the bell of the clock, and threw it into the Eno River, but it was fished out by the people at war's end, the clock was fixed, given new weights, and placed in the courthouse where it still works today over 250 years later. It is one of the five oldest functioning tower clocks in the USA today. [13]
Ayr Mount
Ayr Mount is an 1815 Federal-era plantation house, restored and furnished with period antiques and fine art. The estate includes the 1 mi (1.6 km)-long Poet's Walk.
Green Hill
Green Hill is a 1750 Federal-style plantation house.
The Inn at Teardrops
The name comes from the teardrop-shaped glass on the front doors and the molding around the eaves of the house. It was owned by Edmund Fanning until 1768, when he sold it to Thomas King, an inn keeper.
The main body of the present structure is probably King's old inn. Notable eighteenth-century owners include General Thomas Person, Peter Malett, William Duffy, and John Taylor, who was clerk of the Superior Court from 1800 to 1845.
In 1938, the J.W. Richmond family bought the property and renovated the house as a private residence. After additional renovations, Richmond adapted it as 'The Inn at Teardrops', a bed and breakfast.[14]
Margaret Lane Cemetery
Margaret Lane Cemetery, sometimes called the Old Slave Cemetery, first appears in written records in 1885. It is believed that Peter Brown Ruffin, a landowner and employer to the west of Hillsborough, bought the two 1-acre (0.40 ha) lots that comprise the cemetery from the town in 1854 to use as a burial ground.
Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail
Occoneechee Speedway, just outside Hillsborough, was one of the first two NASCAR tracks to open in 1949. The track was made up of dirt. It is one of two tracks remaining from that inaugural season, Martinsville Speedway being the other. Today, the site has been preserved as a trail.
The Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail (HOST) is a 3 mi (4.8 km)-trail located on 44 acres (180,000 m2) at the site of the former Speedway.
Poplar Hill
A former plantation house once owned by
National Register of Historic Places
Numerous other properties in Hillsborough are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
They include the
Geography
Hillsborough is located along the Eno River. The town government has constructed the Riverwalk along the river—a paved, accessible, urban greenway that stretches approximately two miles, connecting the trail system in the Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area to trails on the Ayr Mount property and the Occoneechee Speedway trail. The Riverwalk is part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.[19]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.6 square miles (12 km2), of which 4.6 square miles (12 km2) is land and 0.22% is water.
The architecture of nearby Duke University incorporates the stone from the local Hillsborough Quarry. Now sometimes referred to as the Duke Stone,[20] it is included in the design of almost every building on Duke University West Campus which was originally designed by architect Julian Abele.[21]
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1800 | 474 | — | |
1850 | 582 | — | |
1860 | 751 | 29.0% | |
1870 | 809 | 7.7% | |
1880 | 781 | −3.5% | |
1890 | 662 | −15.2% | |
1900 | 707 | 6.8% | |
1910 | 857 | 21.2% | |
1920 | 1,180 | 37.7% | |
1930 | 1,232 | 4.4% | |
1940 | 1,311 | 6.4% | |
1950 | 1,329 | 1.4% | |
1960 | 1,349 | 1.5% | |
1970 | 1,444 | 7.0% | |
1980 | 3,019 | 109.1% | |
1990 | 4,263 | 41.2% | |
2000 | 5,446 | 27.8% | |
2010 | 6,087 | 11.8% | |
2020 | 9,660 | 58.7% | |
2021 (est.) | 9,716 | [22] | 0.6% |
U.S. Decennial Census[23][24] |
2020 census
Race | Number | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic)
|
6,076 | 62.9% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
|
1,786 | 18.49% |
Native American
|
34 | 0.35% |
Asian
|
216 | 2.24% |
Pacific Islander
|
2 | 0.02% |
Other/Mixed
|
559 | 5.79% |
Latino
|
987 | 10.22% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,660 people, 2,739 households, and 1,668 families residing in the town.
2000 census
As of the
There were 2,101 households, out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples living together, 20.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,111, and the median income for a family was $46,793. Males had a median income of $36,636 versus $29,052 for females. The
Arts and culture
Art galleries and museums
- Eno Gallery - Contemporary Fine Art Gallery.[26]
- Hillsborough Gallery of Arts - Artists cooperative gallery.[27]
- Hillsborough Arts Council Gallery[28]
- Orange County Historical Museum - Chartered in 1956 to preserve and interpret the history of Hillsborough and Orange County.[29]
Hillsborough is also home to the internationally recognized arts nonprofit organisation, the Music Maker Relief Foundation[30]
Education
Hillsborough is part of the Orange County School District, which includes River Park Elementary, Efland Cheeks Elementary, Grady A. Brown Elementary, New Hope Elementary, Pathways Elementary, Central Elementary and Hillsborough Elementary Schools (K-5), A.L. Stanback Middle School, Orange Middle School, Gravelly Hill Middle School, Cedar Ridge High School, and Orange High School. Durham Technical Community College also has an Orange County campus in Hillsborough.
Notable people
For its size, Hillsborough has a high concentration of residents who are nationally known artists and authors, including
- George B. Anderson (1831–1862), Civil War Confederate general, killed at the Battle of Antietam
- Thomas Hart Benton (1782–1858), U.S. Missouri Senator known as "Old Bullion" was born near Hillsborough. One of the early champions of westward expansion that would become known as Manifest Destiny.[32]
- Armistead Burwell (1839–1913), associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court from 1892 to 1894
- Kizzmekia Corbett (born 1986), Senior Research Fellow and Scientific Lead on the Coronavirus Vaccines & Immunopathogenesis Team at the National Institutes of Health[33]
- Margaret Mordecai Jones Cruikshank (1878–1955), first female president of St. Mary's Junior College
- Annie Dillard (born 1945), author
- Allan Gurganus (born 1947), author of Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All
- William Hooper (1742–1790), lawyer and politician who signed the United States Declaration of Independence for North Carolina
- Michelle Jin (born 1974), professional bodybuilder
- Elizabeth Keckley (1818–1907), dressmaker and confidante of Mary Todd Lincoln and enslaved in the Burwell Household
- Daytime Emmy Award-winning soap opera writer
- Doug Marlette (1949–2007), cartoonist and author, maintained a home in Hillsborough and was buried there[34]
- Elizabeth Matheson (born 1942), photographer
- Frances Mayes (born 1940), author
- Logan Pause (born 1981), soccer player
- Hilda Pinnix-Ragland, business executive
- Connie Ray (born 1956), actress
- Scott Satterfield (born 1972), head football coach at University of Louisville
- Lee Smith (born 1944), author
- Billy Strayhorn (1915–1967), jazz composer, pianist and arranger
- Shepperd Strudwick (1907–1983), actor
- Bryse Wilson (born 1997), Major League Baseball pitcher
- Trenton Gill (born 1999), NFL punter for the Chicago Bears
References
- ^ "Orange County Makes New Slogan Official - Chapelboro.com". Chapelboro.com. June 7, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
- ^ "Town of Hillsborough | About Hillsborough". Hillsboroughnc.gov. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
- ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Hillsborough, North Carolina
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation". Southern Neighbor. November 2009.
- ISBN 978-0738514604
- ^ ISBN 9780807856246.
- ^ "Church History". Hillsborough Presbyterian Church. Hillsborough, North Carolina. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
- ^ "Minding the museum". Chapel Hill News. July 25, 2007. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved July 30, 2007.
- ^ "About Hillsborough | Historic Hillsborough, North Carolina". Visithillsboroughnc.com. Archived from the original on March 10, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ "The Old Town Clock". Old Time Stories of the Old North State. 1903. p. 134-140.
- ^ "The Inn at Teardrops - Historic Downtown Hillsborough". November 21, 2014. Archived from the original on November 21, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
- ^ "Racing vs. Religion" (PDF). Historic Hillsborough. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 8, 2007. Retrieved July 16, 2007.
- ^ "'Never go back' – couple says haunted Hillsborough home has hidden history". November 2019.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 8/29/11 through 9/02/11. National Park Service. September 9, 2011.
- ^ "West Hillsborough Sidewalk Connections Project". Town of Hillsborough. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- ^ amy.mcdonald (August 13, 2013). "Duke Stone".
- ^ Dowell, Maurice (April 18, 2016). "Duke Hillsborough Stone". Duke University and the Hillsborough Stone. weebly.com. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
- ^ "QuickFacts Hillsborough town, North Carolina". United States Census Bureau. May 29, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ "Eno Gallery : Contemporary Fine Art in the Triangle, located in the heart of historic Hillsborough, NC". Enogallery.net.
- ^ "Hillsborough Gallery of Arts - Fine art and fine craft gallery by professional local artists". Hillsboroughgallery.com. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
- ^ "Arts Organization | Hillsborough Arts Council | United States". Hillsborough Arts. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
- ^ "Orange NC History-Orange County Historical Museum". Orangenchistory.org. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
- ^ Hunt, Shevonne (January 19, 2012). "The Music Makers". abc.net.au/. ABC RN. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
- ^ Nimocks, Amber (September 2010). "A Literary Community". Our State. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
- ^ "Benton, Thomas Hart - NCpedia". ncpedia.org.
- ^ Orange, Dale Edwards/News of. "She has our back: Vaccine push has local connection". News of Orange. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
- ^ "Cartoonist Doug Marlette dies in wreck". Raleigh News and Observer. Archived from the original on July 13, 2007. Retrieved July 16, 2007.