Durham NC Real Estate

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History of Durham NC

Durham’s roots date back to 1853. A search was underway for a suitable depot for the North Carolina railroad. It was to be located between Wilson and Hillsborough.

A country physician named Bartlett S. Durham, who lived somewhat further to the northwest, lived and practiced along the route. He donated land to the railroad, which in turn named the resulting depot “Durham Station”.

Prior to the Civil War the town’s growth was slow, but following the war the town grew rapidly. The current city charter dates from 1869. Much of the town’s growth is attributed to the emergence of a robust tobacco industry.

The rapid growth and prosperity of the Bull Durham Tobacco Company and Washington Duke's Duke & Sons Tobacco Company had a dramatic effect on the city of Durham.

While initially the tobacco industry dominated the city's economy, eventually multiple textile mills grew to rival the tobacco industry’s economic significance.

Within Durham, a vibrant African-American community emerged. The heart of that community was an area located just south of the town’s center, known as “Hayti” (pronounced HAY-tie). There, some of the most prominent and successful black-owned businesses during the early 20th century were established. Among the best known are North Carolina Mutual Insurance Co. and Mechanics & Farmers’ Bank. They were centered on Parrish Street, which would come to be known as “Black Wall Street”.

With a strong African-American community, a strong Civil Rights movement developed in Durham. Multiple sit-ins were held, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. paid a visit to the city during the equal rights struggle. However, this strong community was not enough to prevent the demolition of portions of the Hayti district for the construction of the Durham Freeway during the late 1960s.

Durham's growth surged again during the 1970s and 1980s. Prompting that growth was the construction of several housing developments in the part of the city nearest Research Triangle Park.

This was also the beginning of downtown revitalization. In 1975, the St. Joseph's Historical Foundation at the Hayti Heritage Center was incorporated to "preserve the heritage of the old Hayti community, and to promote the understanding of and appreciation for the African American experience and African Americans' contributions to world culture.”

In 1994, a downtown baseball stadium was constructed for the Durham Bulls.
In 2003, a major historic renovation of the American Tobacco Company (formerly Bull Durham) began.