COMPLEX LEGACY OF PHILANTHROPY Duke Homestead State Historic Site Offers a Look at 1800s Durham Life

A COMPLEX LEGACY OF PHILANTHROPY

DUKE HOMESTEAD STATE HISTORIC SITE OFFERS LOOK AT DURHAM LIFE IN 1800S

By TILDON DUNN

Looking 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.

DUKE HOMESTEAD STATE HISTORIC SITE

AFFILIATION:

ADDRESS:

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

At the Duke Homestead, visitors not only learn much from the tours and museum, but can often enjoy living history demonstrations to help them better connect with the past. And hearing the stories of tobacco and of the Dukes allows everyone to explore local, national, and global history – connecting with people from all walks of life.

The Dukes left behind a complex legacy of philanthropy and shaping Durham as we know it – but also of helping to drastically grow an industry whose products kill 1,200 people a day in the U.S.

“We also grow a small field of tobacco each year, which may often be the first time some of our visitors has actually seen the plant,” Vanhoy said.

Duke Homestead is a State Historic Site and a part of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, and all staff are state employees. “We also have a non-profit support group, Duke Homestead Education and History Corp., which helps to fund special events and programming and general operations.

Throughout the year, Duke Homestead hosts a wide range of events from “Pork, Pickles, and Peanuts” (celebrating North Carolina food ways and culture) to “Christmas by Candlelight” (celebrating an 1870s Methodist Christmas), to “Born at Duke Homestead “(exploring 19th century birth and motherhood).

“We also have an annual “Harvest and Hornworm” festival (about North Carolina tobacco farming culture and history), Halloween Phantasmagoria (exploring 19th Century traditions and ideas around Halloween and spiritualism), and “Family Farm Animal Day” (where kids can meet various farm animals that may have been on the Dukes’ farm),” said Vanhoy.

For more information on Duke Homestead, visit dukehomestead.gov. Tildon Dunn is a history buff and frequently writes for 919 Magazine.

AMERICAN TOBACCO CAMPUS

New Venture Planning a Major Project in Downtown Durham POTBELLY Potbelly Sandwich Shop franchisees Mohit Kishore and Tulshi Bhakar are opening a EXPANSION location in the Renaissance Center South

Morrisville Durham – directly across from South Point Mall at 6815 Fayetteville Road.

Franchisees The shop – which opened early this

Open New summer – will have significant outdoor seating available for up to 26 guests. Facility in The Potbelly Durham location is the

South Durham brand’s second shop in the 919, and the seventh in North Carolina.

“It’s very exciting to open our second Potbelly location in the Triangle,” said Kishore, who resides in Cary. “Our first restaurant has become a huge part of the community. We’re ready to continue serving friends and neighbors our variety of delicious sandwiches, soups, hot breakfast offerings and more from the new Durham location.”

Community involvement is very important to Kishore and Bhakar. At the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, Kishore and Bhakar knew they wanted to give back to their community. They quickly developed a partnership with First United Methodist Church in Cary, which is part of the Western Regional Food Security. Through their existing Potbelly restaurant in Morrisville, they were able to donate dozens of meals a week, reaching hundreds of local families in need. The franchise partners also started a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for Western Regional Food Security. International real estate firm Hines JV is forming a joint venture with Capitol Broadcasting Co. and USAA Real Estate to develop a 700,000-square-fo mixed-use project on 11 acres in downtown Durham as an extension to the current American Tobacco Campus.

A 14-story, 350-unit residential building is a part of the development, located on 11 acres o the west side of the ATC Historic District.

Also planned is 313,000 sq. ft. of office space and 90,000 sq. ft. of experiential retail. Construction is ex

pected to begin in late 2021 or early 2022.

Durham Short Takes

n John Buxton is the new President of Durham Technical Community College, following Bill Ingram – who led the school for 12 years. He was selected after a national search involving more than 100 candidates. Buxton – who has served as the deputy state superintendent of the North Carolina Department of Public

Instruction, senior education adviser to former North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley and legislative director for the N.C. State

Board of Education – is an adjunct professor of public policy at

UNC-Chapel Hill and a current member of the state Board of

Education. He has also held a number of positions on various boards, including the Raleigh Planning Commission, Durham Advisory Board and as founding chair of the North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs. n JPMorgan Chase plans to open a branch banking office in

Durham at 9th Street and West Main Street. n A major apartment development is planned for a 22-acre tract in South Durham, near Davis Drive and South Miami Boulevard.

Plans for Alta Davis – developed by Wood Partners – call for more than 400 apartments in seven four-story buildings. n Durham Farmers’ Market continues at 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturdays (through Nov. 21 at Durham Central Park, l501 Foster St.

Info: durhamcentralpark.org, 818-667-3099.