Presented by the 2019-2020 and the 2021-2022 8th Grade Classes of The Expedition School. Special Thanks to The Alliance for Historic Hillsborough.
The students and teachers of The Expedition School, are dedicated to representing all sides of history as accurately as possible. With that in mind, 8th grade students from the class of 2020 and 2022 have created a tour of Hillsborough with the aim to educate tourgoers and celebrate the many people and places related to Black history in Hillsborough. The stops in this tour were chosen for their historical significance and representation of the rich and varied Black community here in Hillsborough. While the tour focuses specifically on Black history, each of these people and places are undeniably important to Hillsborough's history as a whole, as well. All the information shown on this tour is as historically accurate as possible and taken from primary and secondary sources (if you think something is historically inaccurate or have more information, please submit your ideas on the feedback page). During this tour, you will read about formerly enslaved individuals, instances of false accusations, and violent crimes, (which are named, but not described). There will also be stops celebrating Black politicians, a musician, and other important and influential people in our community. We hope that this tour can capture some of the complex and rich history of Hillsborough and what has happened to make it the place it is today.
The idea for this tour originated two years ago. At the time, the 8th grade class of 2020 was working with the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough (AHH) to create a walking tour highlighting key people and places related to Black history in Hillsborough. These students hosted guest speakers, conducted historical research, and created drafts of the stops you see here. This process was unfortunately interrupted by COVID-19 in 2020. The 8th grade class of 2022 decided to continue the work and complete the tour. Of course, you can see the end results here, but what did they do to get there? First, they had to read over the stops on the AHH website's African American history tour and the drafts created by the previous 8th grade cohort and combine them. Then, each tour stop had to be edited and revised several times for clarity, tone, and grammar. After that, students thought about the tour's goals of education and celebration, and decided which tour stops to keep and which to cut. Lastly, they updated and completed the website you see here. In the end, it took The Expedition School's students more than 2 years from start to finish and they're proud to share the final product with you!
The students invite you to walk and/or drive around Hillsborough and visit the sites listed. They certainly hope that you enjoy this tour and if you did, please share it with your friends and family so they can enjoy it, too.
Stops to Walk to: Approximately 1 mile and 45 minutes
Jefferson & Daniel Morrow & Journey of Reconcilliation
Billy Strayhorn
Africa Parker
Osbunn Theater
Horace Johnson
Stops to drive to: Approx 2 miles and 45 minutes
6. Elizabeth Keckly
7. Mt. Bright Baptist Church
8. Richard E. Whitted
9. Central High School
10. Margaret Lane Cemetery
Our guest speakers and tour editors from the town of Hillsborough and local universities:
Renée A. Price - Chair, Orange County BOCC; Co-Founder, Free Spirit Freedom
Dr. Freddie L. Parker - North Carolina Central University, Professor Emeritus
Dr. William Sturkey - UNC Professor & Author of Hattiesburg: An American City in Black and White
Seth Kotch - UNC Professor & Director of the Southern Oral History Project
Christie Norris - Director of Carolina K-12
Sarah Sandbeck - Executive Director at the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough
Annie Newton - Program Coordinator at the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough
Rebecca Bayham - GIS Developer
Interested in learning more about Hillsborough's history? Check out The Alliance for Historic Hillsborough's website.