Elizabeth “Lizzie” Hobbs Keckly was born into slavery in Dinwiddie County, Virginia in 1818 where she lived with her mother, Agnes Hobbs. Keckly was brought to Hillsborough when she was 17, and worked at the Burwell School from 1835-1842. The Burwell School was one of the earliest schools for girls in North Carolina and is still standing today. During her time in Hillsborough, she was overworked and endured many brutal beatings. She was also a victim of rape, which resulted in the birth of her child George Kirkland.

In 1842 she and her son went to Virginia to work for Rev. Burwell’s younger sister, Ann Burwell Garland, and her husband, Hugh Garland. She was hired out as a seamstress and soon became known for her talent. Her abilities led to patrons giving her a generous loan of $1,200 dollars to purchase her and her son’s freedom in St. Louis, Missouri, 1855.

After purchasing her freedom, Keckly was able to open her own dressmaking business in Baltimore in 1860. Soon after, her talent and hard work attracted the First Lady, Mary Todd Lincoln, who hired her. Keckly was Mary Todd Lincoln’s dressmaker while Abraham Lincoln was President. However, soon after Elizabeth started her own business, her son, a Union soldier, died fighting in the Civil war.

In 1868, Elizabeth Keckly once again defied all expectations and published her memoir, Behind the Scenes or Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House. She proceeded to teach Sewing and Domestic Science Arts at Wilberforce College in Ohio. In 1907, at the age of 88, Keckly died in Washington, DC. Keckly was an important figure in Hillsborough’s Black history because she overcame slavery, Black Codes, Jim Crow, other racial and gender-based stereotypes of the time, and built a successful life for herself despite these challenges.