919 | DURHAM
A COMPLEX LEGACY OF
PHILANTHROPY DUKE HOMESTEAD STATE HISTORIC SITE OFFERS LOOK AT DURHAM LIFE IN 1800S
DUKE HOMESTEAD STATE HISTORIC SITE AFFILIATION:
By TILDON DUNN
ADDRESS:
L
ooking for a family outing, in these unusual pandemic times? Well, the Duke Homestead State Historic Site and Tobacco Museum is right here in the 919. Encompassing the historic home, farm, and factory buildings of Washington Duke and his family as they lived on the property from 1852 until 1874, the site interprets the early farming life of the Duke family and the beginnings of their tobacco manufacturing business on the property after the Civil War. “Washington Duke lived on the homestead with his second wife, Artelia, and his five children: Sidney, Brodie (both from his first marriage), Mary, Benjamin, and James,” said Katie Vanhoy, Assistant Site Manager. “Also living with them was Caroline, a young enslaved girl purchased by Washington in 1855, likely to do domestic work.” Washington spent much of his life as a farmer, but after returning from his time in the Confederate Navy, he started W. Duke & Sons – a pipe tobacco manufacturing business in a small building on his farm. This family business continued to expand, and was eventually moved into what is now downtown Durham, joining the booming tobacco industry in town. “James Duke eventually developed his father’s business into the American Tobacco Company, the largest tobacco manufacturing company in the world during its time,” Vanhoy explained.
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HOURS: PHONE: EMAIL: SOCIAL: WEBSITE:
Division of State Historic Sites and Properties 2828 Duke Homestead Road Durham Tue-Sat, 9 am-5 pm 919-627-6990 duke@ncdcr.gov @dukehomestead dukehomestead.org
COVID-19 PROTOCOL: n Grounds re-opened to public May 29 n Procedures in place to ensure safety n Limited visitation (25 people at a time) available (depending on staff availability, weather) n Self-guided tour brochures available n Visitor Center, historic buildings closed n Sanitizer stations installed n Cleaning frequency of public areas increased n Guided tours, living history demonstrations
www.919Magazine.com
Fall 2020
