Where did their stories go? As I have studied the men that were known to be the founding fathers of Durham, I began to wonder about the women that loomed in the shadows. We live in a different time where women can shine brightly, but in the late 1800’s, women in Durham were only knownContinue reading “Hidden Women”
Tag Archives: Durham History
1893 in Durham
The year is 1893 in Durham, North Carolina. Julian Shakespeare Carr is the president of the William T. Blackwell Company. This company, with its playful bull painted on the sides of buildings all over the United States, has dominated the industry since the early 1870’s. But there is shift in the winds. Just across theContinue reading “1893 in Durham”
Durham’s World Traveler
Below is an article published by The Herald Sun on September 11, 1911. The title is Mr. Wright Returns He is back from a trip to London Many times crosses “Richard H. Wright has returned from London where he spent a few days recently on business. This last trip abroad on one of the bigContinue reading “Durham’s World Traveler”
History in the Present
Stepping back into history has been a journey unlike anything I have ever experienced. For the last two years I have made the thirty minute car ride to Duke University where the four hundred boxes of the Richard Harvey Wright archives are stored. Before entering the Rubenstein Library, I must walk past Duke Chapel, oneContinue reading “History in the Present”
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”
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”