A Clear View of History Traditional Cache
mclem829: sorry to see this one go.
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From here you can see Durham, City of Medicine. … And Duke University. … And tobacco.
From this vantage point several of the taller buildings in downtown are visible including NC Mutual Life and the SunTrust Buildings as well as the Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company, the sires of numerous lovely old churches, the head of the American Tobacco Trail, and the whole of the American Tobacco campus.
From The History of American Tobacco:
"In 1865, Washington Duke of North Carolina was released from Libby Prison, having been captured during the Confederate army's retreat from Richmond. He was sent to New Bern, North Carolina-137 miles from his 300-acre farm four miles north of Durham. A federal soldier gave him 50 cents for his 5 dollar Confederate note, and with that Duke set off, walking 137 miles to his home.
There was little left of the farm except for a small amount of Bright leaf tobacco. Duke subsequently sold some of his land and became a tobacco farmer. With his family's help, he pulverized and cleaned the crop in a small log barn. Then he packed it into muslin bags and labeled it "Pro Bono Publico"--for the good of the public. The first wagon load he took to Raleigh was drawn by two blind mules
Soon Duke & Sons found itself in tight competition with the Genuine "Bull Durham Tobacco Factory. His son, James Buchanan "Buck" Duke, decided the company could generate much needed profit for the relatively small but growing cigarette market. He succeeded in this area so well that in 1890 his four biggest rivals joined him and he became president of the new firm--The American Tobacco Company.
Duke & Sons found W.T. Blackwell's Genuine "Bull" Durham Tobacco Factory to be strong rival. In fact, it was one of the largest in the world. The "Bull" had many imitators, other brands that capitalized on the words "Bull" or "Durham" in their tobacco advertising. Buck Duke refused to follow suit, choosing instead to delve into the cigarette market in order to compete.
In subsequent years, American became the biggest tobacco company in the world with successful products such as the unique, "toasted" tobacco in the Lucky Strike brand. Pall Mall and Tareyton also ranked among their successes. American even enjoyed the help of celebrities such as Frank Sinatra and Jack Benny in its promotional efforts.
In the early 1890's, Washington Duke left the business for his sons to handle while he became involved with local affairs. He succeeded in bringing Trinity College to Durham. Through the continued generosity of the Duke family, the school soon became the largest endowed college in the Southeast and, in 1924, Trinity College became Duke University."
The company closed its doors in 1987 and the property sat derelict for a dozen years. But now it has been developed into a thriving multi-use facility that retains a great deal of its original architecture, improved by modern amenities, revitalizing the whole area of downtown Durham. Now under construction nearby are the new Performing Arts Center as well as continued construction and renovation of the American Tobacco buildings. Great effort has been made to preserve the historic buildings or at least their materials - the huge water feature that courses the length of the campus and holds almost half a million gallons of water is dotted with the remnants of the original drives and concrete docks that were broken up to build the courtyard.
This facility is a piece of North Carolina's history, both social and economic. Even today if you sit in the courtyard long enough you will hear snatches of conversations of elderly people talking about what it was like when they worked here in the factory or the warehouse. This area is history at its most charming.
Please note security cameras atop the area where you will search and be discreet.
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