Native American history Local
Native American groups had lived in the Hillsborough area for thousands of years by the time Spanish explorers entered the region. The Great Indian Trading Path, used by generations of Native Americans, crossed the Eno River in this area. Historic
Siouan-language tribes such as the
Occaneechi and the
Eno were living in the Hillsborough area at the time of European contact. The English explorer
John Lawson recorded visiting "Occaneechi Town" here when he traveled through North Carolina in 1701. The tribes suffered high losses due to new infectious diseases brought by Europeans and conflicts with
northern Native American groups; most of the survivors were eventually pushed out of their territory by British and other European settlers. English settlers developed Hillsborough near the site of the former Occaneechi village and its
river fords. In the early 18th century, some Occaneechi left Hillsborough for
Virginia, though they returned to the area around 1780. In the 1980s, an archaeological team from
UNC-Chapel Hill excavated a historic Occaneechi farming village in this area. Hillsborough was an early
Piedmont colonial town where court was held, and was the scene of some pre-
Revolutionary War tensions. In the late 1760s, tensions between Piedmont farmers and county officers arose in the
Regulator movement, which had its strongest support in Hillsborough. With specie scarce, many inland farmers found themselves unable to pay their
taxes and resented the consequent seizure of their property. Local sheriffs sometimes kept taxes for their own gain and sometimes charged twice for the same tax. Heavy-handed and corrupt local officials and Governor
William Tryon's conspicuous consumption in the construction of
a new governor's mansion at
New Bern exacerbated the movement's resentment. 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.
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. When the Civil War began, Hillsborough residents were reluctant to support secession, but many men went off to fight for the
Confederacy. In March 1865, Confederate General
Joseph E. Johnston and his troops wintered just outside Hillsborough at the Alexander Dickson home. In 1982 this house was moved downtown in order to preserve it from commercial development; it now serves as the Hillsborough Welcome Center. After sweeping through the South on his
March to the Sea, Union General
William T. Sherman camped in
Raleigh. He offered an armistice to Johnston, who agreed to meet to discuss terms of surrender. Johnston, traveling east from Hillsborough, and Sherman, traveling west from Raleigh along the Hillsborough-Raleigh Road, met approximately halfway near present-day Durham (then Durham Station) at the home of James and Nancy Bennett. This farmhouse is now known as
Bennett Place. The two generals met three times on April 17, 18, and finally on April 26, when they agreed on the final terms of surrender. Johnston surrendered 89,270 Southern troops who were still active in North Carolina,
South Carolina, Georgia, and
Florida. This was the largest surrender of troops during the war, and effectively ended the conflict.
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.
Alexander Dickson House The Hillsborough Visitors Center operates from this late-18th century Quaker-plan house. It was moved from its original location 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 circa 1760s Hillsborough Clock located atop the town courthouse was once believed to be a gift from King George III, but its origin is currently unknown. It was first placed in the town church, then moved to the Market House. 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.
Ayr Mount Ayr Mount is an 1815 Federal-era plantation house, restored and furnished with period antiques and fine art. The estate includes the -long Poet's Walk.
Green Hill Green Hill is a Federal-style plantation house. It was built circa 1750-1784 for George Johnston. It was moved in the late 1960s from its original location approximately 12 miles south of Hillsborough.
Parks-Richmond 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. The property was owned by Edmund Fanning until 1768, when he sold it to Thomas King, an inn keeper. The main body of the present structure might be 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.
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 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 five tracks remaining from that inaugural season. Today, the site has been preserved as a trail. The Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail (HOST) is a -trail located on at the site of the former Speedway.
Bill France Sr. and the early founders of NASCAR bought land to build a oval track at Hillsborough, but opposition from local religious leaders prevented the track from being built in the town. Instead, NASCAR officials moved their project to Alabama, where they built the large
Talladega Superspeedway in
Talladega.
Poplar Hill A former house once owned by
Julian Carr named
Poplar Hill is located in the town's historic district. It was moved from its original location south of the
Eno River in 1980.
National Register of Historic Places Numerous other properties in Hillsborough are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. They include the
Bellevue Manufacturing Company,
Burwell School,
Cabe-Pratt-Harris House,
Commandant's House,
Eagle Lodge,
Eno Cotton Mill,
Faucett Mill and House,
Hazel-Nash House,
Heartsease,
Holden-Roberts Farm,
Jacob Jackson Farm,
Montrose,
Moorefields,
Murphey School,
Nash Law Office,
Nash-Hooper House,
Rigsbee's Rock House,
Ruffin-Roulhac House,
Sans Souci,
St. Mary's Chapel, and
St. Matthew's Episcopal Church and Churchyard. The
Hillsborough Historic District is also listed on the NRHP. ==Geography==