snippets ~ chatham history BLOG

This image shows the Siler City Livery Stables, which was located on the northwest corner at the intersection of North Chatham Avenue and West 2nd Street. It was in operation by 1891 and was operated by James M. Marley from 1903 to 1913. This photo was made around 1908.

Livery stables kept horses, buggies, and carriages for hire, and also boarded and sold horses, feed, and buggies. Travelling salesmen were important customers. They came to Siler City by train, checked in to hotel, and hired a horse and buggy to visit the country stores of the surrounding area.

Siler City had several other liveries in the 1880s and 1890s.

Information from Wade Hadley's The Town of Siler City: 1887-1987.

#ChathamNCHistory #ChathamCountyNC #SilerCityNC #livery #stable #1880s #1900s

Anyone interested in the history of the dozens of communities in Chatham--some of which still exist and others which have long disappeared--will find information of interest in this postal history of the county. The document traces the history of post offices, noting name changes and the names of postmasters--useful information for genealogical research. Siler City, for example, was previously called Energy and Siler Station. Bear Creek was formerly Richmond, Bonlee was Causey, and Bennett was Boaz. People have wondered when the spelling of Pittsborough changed to Pittsboro. Well, the official post office name changed on 29 April 1893. The Stork post office was created in 1892 and discontinued in 1910. Silk Hope had a post office from 1882 to 1909. The Truth post office lasted from 1887 to 1930, when mail was sent to Merry Oaks.

The postal route map shown here shows only a small portion of the 140 post offices covered in the document, which is a project of the North Carolina Postal History Society. We thank them for this excellent resource!

https://www.ncpostalhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/PostmarkCatalog_Chatham-County-20240817.pdf

There's no date on the map, but we are guessing that it was from the very early 1900s. Grove PO was discontinued in 1905 and is shown on this map, as is St Lawrence, which was discontinued in 1903.

#ChathamNCHistory #ChathamCountyNC #ChathamPostalHistory #PostOffices #Postmarks #Postmasters #NorthCarolinaPostalHistorySociety

Larry Pickard has shared this family photo of the Gilliland family along with information about the family.

Standing: Nan, King, Henry ( Killed walking on the roadside in Ore Hill), William Thomas (Larry's Grandfather). Sitting: Larry's Great-grandfather Leander, Great-grandmother Mila, and baby Allie Gilliland sitting on Great-grand's lap. The photo was taken in 1908. The Gilliland Family lived in Mt. Vernon Springs.

#ChathamNCHistory #ChathamCountyNC #FamilyHistory #Gilliland #FamilyPhoto #1900s

Here's a treat for you! These photos of the Patrick St. Lawrence House/Tavern are just a sample of the beautiful photos contributed by Ray and Janet Carney--the current owners, residents, and skillful restorers of the Tavern, which, after several moves within the town of Pittsboro, is located on Small Street. The photos highlight the careful restoration of the interior that Ray and Janet Carney have carried out over the last several years and they show the structure in its Christmas finery! We are so fortunate that the Carneys chose to come to Pittsboro and to make the Patrick St. Lawrence Tavern their home.

See more photos on our website:

https://chathamhistory.org/Patrick-St-Lawrence-House-Christmas/

You can learn more about the Patrick St. Lawrence House/Tavern and see some "before" photos on our website as well:

https://chathamhistory.org/resources/Documents/PDFs/ResearchArticles/StLawrenceHouse-TavernUpdateAugust2016.pdf

#ChathamNCHistory #ChathamCountyNC #PittsboroNC #PatrickStLawrence #Christmas #1790s

This is Jordan Dorsett. Sometimes you come across a tiny bit of information that that leads you to look for more--even though it interrupts the task you were working on when you accidently came across it. That was the case when doing some routine updating for the recently photographed Corinth AMEZ cemetery. It was noted in the records that the earliest birthdate in the cemetery was that of Jordan Dorsett, who was born on 16 Feb 1847. His cemetery marker, shared with his wife Alpha Alston Dorsett, had no death date (as sometime happens when the marker is placed at the death of the first spouse and not inscribed at the death of the second.)

A search for other records that might give a death date led to his death certificate, which indicated that he died in 1930, but also indicated that his mother was Elizabeth Chavers. Recalling from a paper about apprenticeships involving free children of color that there was an apprentice named Jordan, whose mother was Elizabeth Chavers, a look there was in order. In the paper, Jordan was listed as Jordan Chavers and his birthdate on the apprenticeship record was 16 Feb 1847--the date on Jordan Dorsett's marker in the Corinth cemetery. Jordan, his mother, and younger sister were were living in the household of Robert Dorsett. Could this be the same Jordan?

In census records reported in the apprenticeship paper, Jordan Chavers was found in various Dorsett households in 1850 through 1870. Marriage records indicate that Jordan and Alpha were married in 1877. Sometime between 1877 and 1900 Jordan apparently began using the last name Dorsett. The 1900-1920 censuses show Jordan and Alpha Dorsett in Matthews Township, owning their own home. Jordan is variously shown as a saddler and harness repairer, and appears to have owned his own shop next to the Farmer’s Alliance Store in Siler City. In 1920, granddaughter Pauline, 14, is living with the couple. In 1930, Jordan, 83 is widowed and head of the household that also consists of granddaughter Pauline, her husband Herman Siler, and their children Doris and Bobbie. Jordan’s death certificate indicates that he died on 13 Oct 1930 and confirms that his mother was Elizabeth Chavers/Chavis. Jordan and Alpha are buried in the Corinth AMEZ Church cemetery in Siler City.

We checked Ancestry to see if any additional information was documented there and found this great photo in several public family trees. We've subsequently updated and reposted the apprenticeship paper on the CCHA website, but Jordan's story seemed worth sharing here as well.

Link to the updated apprenticeship paper:

https://chathamhistory.org/.../ApprenticeshipsInvolvingFr...

#ChathamNCHistory #ChathamCountyNC #SilerCityNC #FreePersonsofColor #FPOC #Apprenticeship #Chavers #Dorsett

Piggly Wiggly Pig Mascot in Siler City Christmas Parade 1970s

Christmas parade in the early 1970's. Harold Willett was manager of the Piggly Wiggly, and it was his pick-up truck he was driving that day. Harold also worked at that store when it was A&P.

Photo and information from Teresa Willett Phillips.

#ChathamNCHistory #ChathamCountyNC #SilerCityNC #ChristmasParade #PigglyWiggly #1970s

"Land Beneath the Waters" is a 35-minute documentary tracing the history of the New Hope River valley through the development of Jordan Lake and covers native population, early settlement, Revolutionary and Civil Wars, acquisition of properties and construction of the dam, and present-day recreational activities.

You'll note that the video is old-school. It was originally produced on video cassettes--if you remember those. But the information is still valid and covers an important part of Chatham's history.

You can view it here on our YouTube channel:

https://youtu.be/WYjaJl3_Ujw

#ChathamNCHistory #ChathamCountyNC #NewHopeRiverValley #JordanLake

Did you know that Pittsboro's town well stood at the intersection of Hillsboro and Salisbury Streets? It was removed in 1921 and the street was graded at the same time. Main Street (Hillsboro) was still not paved at that time.

We don't have a photo of Pittsboro's well, but Annie Bynum's paintings of old Pittsboro show it.

#ChathamNCHistory #ChathamCountyNC #ChathamHistory #ChathamNC #PittsboroNC #MainStreetPittsboro #oldwell #townwell #MainStreet

Siler City's Farmers' Alliance Store has a long and unique history. It was created in 1888 as a way to buy in bulk and provide lower costs to farmers, and, when it closed in 2018, it was the oldest business still in operation in Siler City. The Alliance published two books covering the history of the store--one for its 100th anniversary, and the other for its 115th. You can read them both on our website:

https://chathamhistory.org/resources/Documents/PDFs/ResearchArticles/FarmersAllianceHistoryIntro.pdf

If you have memories or photos of the Alliance Store, please share them with us!

#ChathamNCHistory #ChathamCountyNC #ChathamHistory #ChathamNC #SilerCityNC #FarmersAlliance #FarmersAllianceStore

Kelly Gomez writes about the history of the Lawrence School in Corinth and the people who created and attended it in an article on our website. Family names in the article include Buchanan, Cross, Ellis, Harrington, Lawrence, Marks, Mims, Peele, Thomas, and Utley.

https://chathamhistory.org/resources/Documents/PDFs/ResearchArticles/The%20Lawrence%20School%20Corinth.pdf

#ChathamNCHistory #ChathamCountyNC #CorinthNC #LawrenceSchool