Shaping Orange County's Future Final Full Report

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Orange County - 100 years ago This period of Orange County's history is shaped by the bust, boom, and bust again of the agricultural sector. Still dealing with the social and economic effects of the civil war, the nature of farming in the county changed, small towns became larger, and new towns sprang up along the rail lines. It was an exciting time as Orange County started to develop an identity which it would carry into the modern era. However, 1875 saw Orange County farmers in bad shape, with the value and size of farms shrinking. Due to financial burdens, changing regulations and new patterns of land ownership, cash crops slowly replaced subsistence farming in Orange County. Bright leaf tobacco became a major crop in the northern parts of the county. Cotton became the main cash crop of the southern part of the county. Along with crop types, farm ownership patterns were also changing. In fact, by 1910, 25% of black farmers in Orange County owned their own land. At its 1920s peak, tobacco was selling for about 25¢ per pound. Cotton prices in 1910 were about 30¢ per pound. Post -Civil War financial troubles also interrupted the development of public education in Orange County. However, small log and framed single -room school houses continued to emerge in the county. By the 1880s, African American schools numbered 31 and white schools, 33. By the end of the 19th century both white and black churches had been organized in Hillsborough, Chapel Hill, and the surrounding rural areas. Just after the turn of the century, taxes became more burdensome for Orange County residents as the county paid for its expanding railways and roads. Also Carrboro's history began during this period. First named Venable in 1911, its name was officially changed to Carrboro in 1913. Other new communities forming along rail links were Efland, University Station, and Blackwood. Finally, two giant steps toward the modern world we know today were undertaken during this period: the beginning of aviation as a means of transportation with the Wright Brothers first flight in 1903; and the generation of electricity for growing manufacturing operations, provided by large companies like Southern Power, now Duke Power, which still operate in Orange County.