In the mid-1990s Durham’s Hispanic population was about 2,000 people. Since then, the population has grown to more than 38,000, about 14 percent of the city’s population, according to the 2010 U.S Census. The growth of the Hispanic population has changed Durham economically, culturally, and socially. Today there are… Read More
Cover of Pig Pickin’ Carolina Style, by Davco Productions, published in 1980. It is one of the many fun covers to be found on the cookbooks in the Durham County Library’s North Carolina Collection. In Bob Garner’s Book of Barbecue, he says that “if you were… Read More
Men and women from a West Durham Baptist Church Sunday School class enjoy barbecue in a backyard in Brookstown, ca. 1940. Much of Brookstown, including the West Durham Baptist Church, was demolished by the construction of the Durham Freeway. Photograph by Wiley Bowling, donated by Clara Bowling. Read More
“Cornbread and beans And those good old collard greens Keep your skillet good and greasy all the time, time, time Skillet good and greasy all the time” … Read More
Maize, or corn, has been grown in North Carolina for thousands of years. Native Americans, who baked bread by open fires, shared this method with European settlers and enslaved African Americans. Enslaved people were given cornmeal as a regular ration. Cornbread and hush puppies have remained a constant on dinner… Read More
In August 1962, four students, including Joycelyn McKissick and Guytana Horton, protested racial segregation at Howard Johnson’s Restaurant, and were arrested and sentenced to 30-day jail terms. In response, over 1000 persons staged a massive demonstration at Howard Johnson’s later that month. The protests reached a crescendo… Read More
Very early on, when one Duke student correctly guessed the symbol on a card an average of 9.6 times out of 25 in 1,000 attempts, the Rhines believed they were on to something. By Robert Chapman, board of directors, Museum of Durham History For 85 years Durham… Read More
By John Schelp, History Advisory Committee, Museum of Durham History Take a look in your closet. Just about all of us have them: blue jeans. They’re everywhere. But did you know that the first cotton mill in the south to produce denim was right here in the Bull City? The… Read More
By Dr. Steve Channing, board of directors, Museum of Durham History As the “Little Museum that Could,” Durham’s Museum of History is fast becoming known as inclusive and innovative. Recent exhibits have celebrated the stories of health care and soul music, of credit unions and denim . . . and… Read More
The newest member of the Museum team is oral historian and writer Nora Weatherby. Nora is heading up the newly formed Story Squad and leading the McMannen Project, which celebrates Durham’s entrepreneurial spirit by connecting established business leaders and young business innovators. Nora studied writing, documentary methods and oral history… Read More