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Chatham County Historical Association

Preserving and sharing the history of Chatham County North Carolina

Upcoming events

    • 8 Jan 2026
    • 10:30 AM
    • First Baptist Church, 314 North Second Avenue, Siler City


    We have a new schedule and new location for meetings of the Siler City History Club. In 2026, the Siler City History Club will meet every other month on the first Thursday of the month from 10:30-11:30.

    Our Next Siler City History Club Meeting will be held on

    Thursday, January 8, 2026

    at the First Baptist Church, 314 North Second Avenue, Siler City


    Everyone is invited to listen and learn or share at these informal meetings intended to help us preserve Siler City’s colorful history. Bring a friend!


    • 17 Jan 2026
    • 9:30 AM
    • Historic Chatham County Courthouse, 9 Hillsboro St., Pittsboro
    Register

     “NC History Between the Lines”- A Local History Book Club

    JANUARY 2026 ~ THE BATTLE OF ALAMANCE

    Farming Dissenters: The Regulator Movement in Piedmont North Carolina by Carole Troxler (2017)

    Chatham County was established in 1771 by the colonial government, largely in an effort to better control the populace following the Battle of Alamance. This history explores the Regulator Movement in Piedmont NC in the years leading up to the battle, offering a fresh look at a pivotal but often misunderstood chapter of local history and highlights how ordinary people helped lay groundwork for revolutionary ideas.

    The Chatham County Historical Museum invites you to join NC History Between the Lines, a monthly book club exploring our local area’s rich past through engaging reads that connect with historical themes. We’ll meet on the third Saturday of each month at 9:30 am at the museum for lively discussion and conversation.

    Each month’s selection will reflect our rotating historical focus. Whether you’re a lifelong history lover or simply curious about the people and events that shaped our area, we would love for you to join us. Come read, learn, and share your perspectives as we connect our local stories to the larger sweep of American history.

    Sign up here for the Saturday, January 17, 2026 session where we will discuss Farming Dissenters. Participation is free and you are welcome to bring friends.   

    Questions: Volunteers@chathamhistory.org

    • 1 Feb 2026
    • 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
    • Historic Chatham County Courthouse

    The Chatham County Historical Association continues its celebration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Join us on Sunday, February 1, at 2:00pm in Pittsboro’s Historic Courthouse as Carole Troxler, Professor Emerita at Elon University discusses “The Regulator Movement and the Revolution in the North Carolina Backcountry.” In the years leading up to the American Revolution, yeoman farmers in North Carolina’s Piedmont farmland became increasingly angry about the corruption and dishonesty among the colonial officials who collected their taxes and enforced their laws. A wave of popular support for stricter regulation of these laws slowly spread throughout the Piedmont, resulting in years of minor clashes between the farmer ‘Regulators’ and the royal militia. Although the militia finally defeated the Regulators at the Battle of Alamance in 1771, the seeds of revolt were planted. This little-known rebellion in North Carolina highlighted the growing discontent with colonial rule among American colonists, and helped to set the stage for the American Revolution.

    When: Sunday, February 1 , 2:00pm Where: Pittsboro’s Historic Courthouse, 9 Hillsboro St., Pittsboro 27312 All are welcome. Admission is free.

    Our presenter will be Carole Troxler, Professor emerita of Elon University, where she taught history for 33 years. She is the author of five books, including the 2011 work, Farming Dissenters: The Regulator Movement in Piedmont North Carolina. The North Carolina Society of Historians has honored Professor Troxler with a 2017 Historical Book Award for her newest book and first work of fiction, The Red Dog: A Tale of the Carolina Frontier (Lizzy’s Yarn), a work also set in the 1760s in the Piedmont region of central North Carolina. Dr. Troxler delights in the study of “obscure people”--people who left little in the way of letters and private papers and who haven’t been considered “important people.” 

    This program will be the first in CCHA’s 2026 Gene Brooks lecture series, which honors the contributions to Chatham history of the late Gene Brooks through his teaching and advocacy for the preservation and sharing of Chatham history.

    • 7 Feb 2026
    • 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
    • Chatham Historical Museum - Historic Chatham County Courthouse
    Register

    Museum Volunteer Orientation

    Saturday, 7 Feb 2026 11:00am

    Chatham Historical Museum

    09 Hillsborough Street

    Historic Chatham County Courthouse, Pittsboro

    Interested in local history? Looking for a fun and meaningful way to give back to the community? Join us at the Chatham Historical Museum for our Introductory Volunteer Orientation Saturday, February 7 at 11:00 am.

    Whether you are a new volunteer or simply curious about helping with greeting visitors, elementary school field trips, giving tours, or supporting special programs, this session will give you an overview of our mission and the many ways you can become involved.

    Come meet fellow history enthusiasts, learn about activities and projects, and discover how you can play a part in preserving and sharing the Chatham County story. We would love to have you on the team! Bring a friend!

    To secure your spot, please sign up here by February 4.

    If you have any questions or need further information, you may reach out to us at volunteers@chathamhistory.org. We look forward to seeing you!


    • 21 Feb 2026
    • 9:30 AM
    • Historic Chatham County Courthouse, Pittsboro
    Register

     “NC History Between the Lines”- A Local History Book Club

    FEBRUARY 2026 ~ BLACK HISTORY

    Soul City: Race, Equality, and the Lost Dream of an American Utopia by Thomas Healy (2021)

    This book tells the little-known story of an ambitious 1970s project to build a majority black, economically self-sustaining city in rural Warren County, NC. Backed initially by the federal government, “Soul City” was envisioned as a place where black Americans could thrive free from discrimination and economic exclusion. The hopeful beginning, political and racial backlash, and economic challenges are explored with the larger lessons about race, opportunity, and the limits of reform in America.

    The Chatham County Historical Museum invites you to join NC History Between the Lines, a monthly book club exploring our local area’s rich past through engaging reads that connect with historical themes. We’ll meet on the third Saturday of each month at 9:30 am at the museum for lively discussion and conversation.

    Each month’s selection will reflect our rotating historical focus. Whether you’re a lifelong history lover or simply curious about the people and events that shaped our area, we would love for you to join us. Come read, learn, and share your perspectives as we connect our local stories to the larger sweep of American history.

    Sign up here for the Saturday, February 21, 2026 session where we will discuss Soul City. Participation is free and you are welcome to bring friends.   

    Questions: Volunteers@chathamhistory.org

    • 21 Mar 2026
    • 9:30 AM
    • Historic Chatham County Courthouse, Pittsboro
    Register

     “NC History Between the Lines”- A Local History Book Club

    MARCH 2026 ~ WOMEN'S HISTORY

    Proud Shoes: The Story of an American Family by Pauli Murray (1956)

    In this classic family memoir, Durham born civil rights leader Pauli Murray explores her maternal grandparents’ lives: from slavery, war service, and Reconstruction into the Jim Crow era, revealing a personal history deeply rooted locally in Chatham, Orange, and Durham counties. Proud Shoes is a particularly meaningful read for anyone interested in our region’s complex past.

    The Chatham County Historical Museum invites you to join NC History Between the Lines, a monthly book club exploring our local area’s rich past through engaging reads that connect with historical themes. We’ll meet on the third Saturday of each month at 9:30 am at the museum for lively discussion and conversation.

    Each month’s selection will reflect our rotating historical focus. Whether you’re a lifelong history lover or simply curious about the people and events that shaped our area, we would love for you to join us. Come read, learn, and share your perspectives as we connect our local stories to the larger sweep of American history.

    Sign up here for the Saturday, March 21, 2026 session where we will discuss Proud Shoes. Participation is free and you are welcome to bring friends.   

    Questions: Volunteers@chathamhistory.org

Past events

2 Nov 2025 Other Revolutionaries: Life on the Home Front During the American Revolution
19 Oct 2025 Spirit Tour 19 Oct 2025
18 Oct 2025 Spirit Tour 18 Oct 2025
7 Sep 2025 Everything You Should Have Learned in High School about the Declaration of Independence
4 May 2025 North Carolina Ceramics Through the Centuries
15 Feb 2025 Museum Volunteer Orientation
2 Feb 2025 The Life and Legacy of Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray
3 Nov 2024 Nathanael Greene, Charles Cornwallis, and the Race to the Dan
19 Oct 2024 Spirit Tour 19 Oct 2024
5 Oct 2024 Spirit Tour 5 Oct 2024
1 Sep 2024 General Cornwallis in Chatham County
5 May 2024 Encountering Untold Matters of Race and Family in Chatham County
23 Mar 2024 Museum Open Saturday March 23 ~ 10 until 3
23 Mar 2024 Chatham History at Ag Fest
11 Feb 2024 George Moses Horton's Life in Poetry Program and Annual Meeting
5 Nov 2023 In Search of My Grandfathers ~ The Discovery of the Stedman Cemetery in Pittsboro, NC
3 Sep 2023 Chatham County Mining History
7 May 2023 Chatham Historical Museum Open
2 Apr 2023 Reclaimed from the Flames ~ Historic Chatham County Courthouse
25 Mar 2023 Smokehouse Dedication and Open House
19 Feb 2023 Historical Program: Meet Rednap Howell ~ Poet of the War of Regulation
9 Oct 2022 Program: Hearts Torn Asunder: Trauma in the Civil War's Final Campaign in North Carolina
2 Oct 2022 The Art of Frank Marsden London ~ Gallery Exhibit
5 Jun 2022 Chatham County Geology Drop-In
15 May 2022 Program on Chatham Geology
3 Apr 2022 Hands-On Introduction to Chatham County Geology - Rock Identification
6 Mar 2022 Museum Open First Sunday March 6
20 Feb 2022 CCHA Annual Meeting and Program ~ The Regulators
9 Oct 2021 CCHA at Goldston Old Fashion Days

Chatham County Historical Association

https://chathamhistory.org  ~  history@chathamhistory.org   ~  PO Box 93  ~  Pittsboro NC 27312  ~  919-542-6222  ~  

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