Martha Susan Johnson Burns was a well-known Pittsboro fixture--and an interesting character. For many years, Martha ran the Cross Hotel--which became known as the Burns Hotel. It was located across East Street from the Pittsboro Presbyterian Church. According to newspaper accounts, the hotel was a busy place, hosting visitors to Pittsboro, many hunting parties, weddings, and itinerant professionals and tradespeople such as dentists, veterinarians, and piano tuners. Martha's accommodations and cooking were praised widely. Many northerners who came to Chatham to hunt stayed in the hotel year after year.

Martha's great granddaughter, Edwina Eubanks, has shared Martha's story with us. You'll see that she preferred to travel by horseback and loved fishing--even at 83! You can read more about Martha's life on our website:

https://chathamhistory.org/.../Martha%20Susan%20Johnson...

Edwina doesn't have a lot of information about her great great grandmother Eliza Ann Brantley Burns, but has written a short piece about her as well. You can read it here:

https://chathamhistory.org/.../Elizabeth%20Ann%20Brantley...

And we've already shared Edwina's article about her grandmother, Annie Thompson Burns:

https://chathamhistory.org/.../Annie%20Thompson%20Burns...

We're grateful to Edwina for sharing the stories and photos of these Chatham women, whose stories tell us much about Chatham County's past.

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