Writing a book can be an arduous task. For me, if I am not passionate about the subject, it can leave me without words. But, if I gravitate towards a topic that strikes a chord, I can be drawn into the process of creating something magical. If you ask me why I wanted to writeContinue reading “History in the Making”
Category Archives: A Practical Approach to Experiencing Joy
A Step into the Past
Let’s take a trip into the past. It’s 1931 and Richard Harvey Wright has died. His two nephews, Richard Harvey Jr. and Thomas Davenport were running the Wright’s Automatic Machinery Company. They decided to move the manufacturing company to Durham where they purchased the Yarborough Hosiery Mills Building for $12,000. Given it was in theContinue reading “A Step into the Past”
History All Wrong
A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about locating Bartlett Durham’s final resting place at Maplewood Cemetery. At that point I didn’t realize how wrong the information was on Durham’s grave marker. And to be honest, I am puzzled by the fact that the marker hasn’t been corrected. Julian S. Carr advocated for years toContinue reading “History All Wrong”
My Most Recent Treasure Hunt
I recently read a blurb from Open Durham about Bartlett Snipes Durham, the man which whom the city of Durham was named after. Apparently, when he died in 1858 he was buried in Orange County. In 1934, the city of Durham decided to exhume his body and have it moved to Maplewood Cemetery. So theyContinue reading “My Most Recent Treasure Hunt”
A Trip to the Coast
Last week, my husband and I went down to Wrightsville Beach for a wedding. Right before we left, I was reading through my grandfather, Richard Harvey Wright Jr.’s archives and found a letter about a trip he and his family took to Wrightsville Beach in 1930. Inserted in the correspondence was a map of WrightsvilleContinue reading “A Trip to the Coast”
The Bull
I know that many of us, me included, assumed the bull was the trademark of the American Tobacco Company. But for those who think this way, they are as far from the truth as you can get. James Buchanan Duke, the president of the W. Duke Sons and Company, (later to become the American TobaccoContinue reading “The Bull”
The Events of 1901
Yesterday, I spent time going through box twenty-three of the four hundred boxes in my great uncle’s archives. The box was a treasure trove of documents that clearly defined what Uncle Richard was doing in January and February of 1901. If Uncle Richard wasn’t discussing the purchase of tobacco through his Gorman Wright Leaf TobaccoContinue reading “The Events of 1901”
The Complexities of a Man
A few years ago, Julian Shakespeare Carr was at the forefront of the Silent Sam controversy in Chapel Hill. If you do any research, what Julian shared as he was presenting this monument to the University of North Carolina will alarm you. My intention is not to defend him or his actions, but to enlightenContinue reading “The Complexities of a Man”
A Man With No Excuses
What will our future generations have to say about us? Or maybe the question should be, what incredible feats can we say we have accomplished in our lifetime? Richard Harvey Wright lived in a time where good medical care was practically nonexistent and travel was very difficult. But even so, Richard didn’t allow the lossContinue reading “A Man With No Excuses”
A House Long Gone
The year is 1899 and E.J. Parrish, a well known tobacco auctioneer and investor has found himself in financial ruins. This respected man among the Durham citizens has an offer by the Dukes he cannot refuse. He packs his bags and leaves the United States for Japan where, as vice-president of Murai Brothers Company, Ltd.,Continue reading “A House Long Gone”