Hillsborough Street

Hillsborough Street is a staple of NC State. As NC State has grown and changed, the stores along Hillsborough and the street itself have reshaped as well. Hillsborough Street is also a site of school events, protests, and celebrations. The street runs from the State Capitol building to Interstate 40 where it cuts between Raleigh and Cary, but this entry will cover Hillsborough Street from Dan Allen Drive to Hillsborough’s intersection with Oberlin Road, which is the path of Hillsborough Street next to campus.

When NC State opened in 1889, Hillsborough Street was a dirt road with a house and a grocery store, Ellis and Brown Grocers, although it is uncertain where on the street the buildings were. The house next to the grocers had stood on Hillsborough since 1709. Treasurer of West Raleigh Baptist Church, Andrew Jackson Ellis, owned the store and his daughter, Martha Luvenis Ellis, was married to Louis T. Yarbrough, a student of the first graduating class of NC State. The Ellis’s and Yarbrough’s connection with NC State continued into the next generation through Martha and Louis’s daughter, Mary Yarbrough, one of the first women to receive a graduate degree from NC State. The state fair was across the campus from 1873 to 1928 in the southeast section of what is now University Park, which is bordered by Hillsborough St., Kilgore Ave, Brooks Ave, and Chamberlain St. The fair changed location due to the change of ownership from the Agricultural Society to the state Department of Agriculture. The University Park area (which ran north by Wade Avenue, Hillsborough Street to the south, Faircloth/Meredith College to the west, and Oberlin Road/Cameron Village to the east) was where Camp Polk was set up. Tank training for World War I took place at Camp Polk. 

On the south side of Hillsborough, the campus did not stretch to the street until around 1900 with the construction of Patterson Hall. Prior to around 1900 about 50 people resided in the African American community of Cook’s Hill. About a quarter of the residents were African American and the village had a store owned by African Americans. Businessman William R. Crawford Sr.(Jr.?) bought some of the houses for Patterson Hall’s construction. More of the property in the Cook’s Hill area became available to buyers because the General Assembly passed an act that declared the property for public use. Such a practice was a common way of acquiring land for public projects in the United States, but the method disproportionately displaced economically disadvantaged people and communities of color. After the Civil War, formerly enslaved people across the South focused on institution-building, investing time and energy into creating schools, churches, and businesses. Three of these communities were on land that eventually became NC State or neighbored the campus: Cook’s Hill, Method, and Oberlin Village. 

After Patterson Hall’s construction, NC State acquired more land along Hillsborough Street. According to professor of NC State’s history and government department from 1935-1945, David A. Lockmiller, students were not very active off campus and they could only go as far west as St. Mary’s Street. But “after the street car line was constructed out Hillsboro Street to College Station, an ever increasing number of cadets participated in the religious and social life of the community.” Students also needed permission to leave the campus during the daytime. 

From the 1950s to present, the northern side of Hillsborough Street became immensely popular with students. Restaurants and bars were strewn along the street catered to students, and during the 1960s and prior some establishments accepted only white customers. Many of the establishments lasted about 30 years and a couple over 50 years. Players Retreat Tavern (1951), Weatherman’s Jewelry (1945), and Sam and Bill’s Hair Design were the original businesses of Hillsborough Square. Two Guys Restaurant (2504 Hillsborough) opened in 1964, Sadlack’s Heroes (2116 Hillsborough) was open for 40 years until 2013, and Mitch’s Tavern (2426 Hillsborough) has been in business since the late 1950s. In January 1962, NC State’s newspaper, the Technician, conducted a survey of what establishments would serve African Americans students. The result was four out of seven restaurants would not serve African Americans, which included Varsity Theater and beer parlors. A few restaurants would serve African Americans at the bar but not the booth, and others would only do take-out, including Players Retreat. Establishments that served African Americans were Hillsboro Soda Shop and Baxley’s. The theater stated they did not serve African Americans because the chain that owned them did not admit African Americans; however, the newspaper stated that other theaters under the chain served African Americans. In April 1963, the theater patronized African Americans, however Technician writer, Dick Paschall was sure to mention that little has changed otherwise. In April the next year, the Technician published a list of integrated and segregated establishments in the university area and downtown Raleigh. Technician editors Grant Blair and Cora Kemp fought strongly for the integration of Hillsborough Street restaurants.

In addition to a place of business, Hillsborough Street itself was also a place for protest and celebration. On May 8, 1970 the Technician wrote that 6,000 students marched from the university to the State Capitol to protest the Vietnam War extending into Cambodia on April 29, 1970 and the deaths of four Kent State University students on May 4, 1970 . Student Government Body President Cathy Sterling led the march and was one of the organizers of the peace retreat, which was a continuation of protest efforts. The march was peaceful and gained respect from North Carolinians who opposed or were unsure about the march. Hillsborough Street has also hosted the Krispy Kreme Challenge, which raises money for UNC Children’s Hospital. The challenge involves running 5 miles and attempting to eat (and keep down) a dozen donuts in the second half. Other celebrations include celebrating sports victories and Packapalooza, such as the parade following the 1974 NCAA championship and the wins during the 1983 ACC and NCAA championships. In 2000 NC State football team’s victory against Georgia Tech led to celebrants carrying the football goal post down Hillsborough Street. Packapalooza is a festival that began in 2012. It takes place at the beginning of the Fall semester and is part of WolfPack Welcome Week, which is like a homecoming celebration for new and returning students. Packapalooza, a newer tradition, welcomes the community to celebrate alongside the university to learn about NC State, and enjoy food, music, and games. 

Hillsborough Street has served NC State in more ways than one. Both sides of the street have been through great change, from a site of the state fair to a mile of stores and restaurants and from African American residences and a couple campus buildings to a swath of university facilities. Hillsborough Street is in constant change.

References

Original Source References:

North Carolina State Special Collections Resource Center: 

University Archives Photograph Collection, Raleigh (NC) and Triangle Area, 1884-1997. UA023.26. 

North Carolina State University, University Archives Reference Collection, University Buildings, Sites, Landmarks Files, 1888-2019. UA050.004.  

North Carolina State University, University Archives Reference Collection, General Records, 1862-2019. UA50.1.11.

Lockmiller, David A. “History of the North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering of the University of North Carolina, 1889-1939”. Raleigh: General Alumni Association of the North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering of the University of North Carolina

The Technician

Secondary Source References

Cooley, Angela Jill. To Live and Dine in Dixie: The Evolution of Urban Food Culture in Jim Crow South. Athens: The University of Georgia Press, 2015. 

Herbin-Triant, Elizabeth A. Threatening Property: Race, Class, and Campaigns to Legislate Jim Crow Neighborhoods. New York: Columbia University Press, 2019.

McLaurin, Melton.”The History of the State Fair”. NCpedia. Accessed April 11, 2020. https://www.ncpedia.org/government/fair/history 

“Historical State Timelines”. NC State University Libraries. Accessed April 1, 2020. https://historicalstate.lib.ncsu.edu/timelines/search?q=hillsborough

“Map of UPHA”. University Park Homeowners Association. Accessed April 11, 2020. https://myupha.com/about/map-of-upha/

“Historical Context for the Pope House”. Historical Resource Management. Accessed May May 13, 2019. https://raleighnc.gov/places/pope-house-museum

Curt S. Players Retreat. 2019. Accessed April 11, 2020. https://www.playersretreat.com/

“Right of Passage at NCSU”. TripAdvisor. Accessed April 11, 2020. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g49463-d2548515-Reviews-Mitch_s_Tavern-Raleigh_North_Carolina.html

“Yarbrough, Mary Elizabeth, 1904.” NC State University Libraries' Rare and Unique Digital Collections NC State University Libraries' Rare and Unique Digital Collections. https://d.lib.ncsu.edu/collections/names/2708-yarbrough-mary-elizabeth-1904.

Multimedia

Waller, Kirstyn. “‘Biology is not Destiny’: Cathy J. Sterling as NCSU’s First Female Student Body President”. NC State University Public History Program. YouTube. December 6, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi4wdIOhycQ&t=1s