Digital Durham

One of the leading businessmen of Durham, Eugene Morehead, depicted Durham on his bank checks as the hub of a wheel. Leo De Colange's National Gazetteer published in 1884 illustrates that Durham was an emerging town in 1880, a rising economic power still dwarfed by the surrounding metropolises of Raleigh, Greensborough, Lynchburg, Richmond, and Norfolk. The following descriptions of nearby cities are drawn from De Colange's National Gazetteer. Abbreviations have been spelled out in most cases and typographical errors have been silently corrected.

Charlotte, N.C., a city, capital of Mecklenburg County, on Sugar Creek, 125 miles. W.S.W. of Raleigh. The Charlotte, Columbia, and Augusta, the Wilmington, Charlotte and Rutherford and the North Carolina Railroads meet here. A plank road 120 miles long connects it with Fayetteville. The city is situated upon the gold range of the Atlantic States, and its prosperity is principally owing to the working of the mines in its vicinity. A branch mint for coining gold was established here in 1838. Under the coinage act of 1873, this establishment ceased to be operated as a mint, but is continued as an assay office. Charlotte contains several schools, churches and cotton factories and 4 national banks. It has 2 daily, 2 tri-weekly, and 4 weekly papers, and a monthly periodical. The "Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence" was adopted here, May 31, 1775. The British troops occupied Charlotte in 1780, and for a time it was the American headquarters. Population 7,094; of township, 10,547.

Durham, N.C. post-village, money order office and township, Orange County, 26 miles N.W. Raleigh by Richmond & Danville Railroad. It has several snuff and tobacco factories, 1 bank and 3 weekly papers. The surrender of J.E. Johnson, April 25, 1865, took place here. Population 2,041 of township 5,507.

Greensborough, N.C., post-village, money order office, in Gilmer township, capital of Guilford County, 48 miles S.W. Danville by Richmond & Danville Railroad. It has a graded school, a public hall, 1 national and 1 other bank, a female college. Manufacturing, iron, tobacco, lumber, spokes and handles, sashes and blinds &c. Population 4,996.

Lynchburg, Va., city, money order office, Campbell County, on the S. bank of James River, and on the James River and Kanawha Canal, at the junction of Norfolk & Western Railroad with Western Maryland line, and also on Richmond & Alleghany Railroad, 146 miles W. by S. from Richmond, and 123 miles W. of Petersburg. It occupies a steep acclivity rising gradually from the river bank, and breaking away into numerous hills, whose terraced walks and ornamented dwellings give a picturesque and romantic appearance to the town. Lynchburg is favorably situated for a large inland commerce and for manufactures. It has tributary to it a great extent of magnificent country, enjoys almost inexhaustible water-power, which is yet, however, undeveloped, and is in the neighborhood of vast field of coal and iron ore. The celebrated Botetour iron works are not far distant. Tobacco manufacturing, which is the chief industry, employs about 40 establishments, and there are two iron foundries, besides the extensive machine shops of the Norfolk & Western Railroad company. There are 3 national banks, an insurance and banking company, 2 savings banks, a court-house, jail, smallpox hospital, female orphan asylum, 2 high schools, several private schools, 2 daily, 3 tri-weekly and 3 weekly papers, and 15 churches. Lynchburg was laid out in 1786 and incorporated in 1805. Population in 1870, 6,625; in 1880, 15,959.

Raleigh, N.C., a city, money order office, capital of the State and of Wake County, 6 miles W of Neuse River, on the Raleigh & Gaston, Raleigh & Augusta Air Line, and the Richmond & Danville Railroads., 97 miles S. W. Weldon, 48 miles N.W. Goldsborough and 149 miles N. from Wilmington. Its soil is elevated and healthy. It is very regularly laid out, and possesses many fine streets, shades with old oaks, which having attained a giant growth, have conferred upon the city the title of the "City of Oaks." The principal public buildings are the State House, the new United States Court-House and a post-office, the State geological museum, the State institution for the deaf, dumb, and the blind, the State insane asylum, the State penitentiary, the county court-house, and the county jail. There is a large trade in cotton and dry goods. The city contains the shops of the Raleigh & Gaston and the Raleigh & Augusta Air Line railroads, 2 iron foundries, 2 cigar manufactures, a manufacturer of pumps, several printing and binding establishments, and 3 national banks. There are 2 public halls, separate public schools for white and colored children, 3 female seminaries, several private schools, 2 libraries in the State house ( the law library with 4,000 volumes, and the State library with 25,000 volumes), and 3 daily, 7 weekly and 2 monthly papers. Raleigh was incorporated as a city in 1794. Population 9,265; of township 13,843.

Sanford, N.C., post-village, in Jonesboro township, Moore County, 44 miles S. of Raleigh by Raleigh & Augusta Air Line. Population 236.

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