University of North Carolina library director Louis Round Wilson advocated for a new library during shortly after accepting his position at UNC in 1901. Wilson believed that a&nbsp;library is the heart of a university and worked to&nbsp;spread awareness of the centrality of the people and programs that might be better served by a new library. University president Harry Woodburn Chase agreed with Wilson and worked to convince the leaders of the school and the state that a new library would serve as a center for the intellectual life of the University of North Carolina.

In 1921, Wilson proposed the construction of this library which was projected to cost $1,000,000, a large sum at the time. Wilson Library was designed and built by architect Arthur Cleveland Nash and named in honor of Louis Round Wilson. In 1932, Wilson left UNC and became the dean of the library school at the University of Chicago.&nbsp;

Wilson Library underwent a renovation in 1952 to add two new wings and a stack expansion. Another stack expansion occurred in 1977. A renovation and restoration project occurred from 1984 to 1987 in order to expand the library for the special collections that are housed there today.

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Constructed in 1929, Wilson Library is home to the North Carolina Collection, Rare Book Collection, Southern Folklife Collection, University Archives and Records Management Services, and Southern Historical Collection. The library has been expanded several times and its mission has changed over the years from serving as a general academic library to its present use as the home of librarians, archivists, historians, and curators who preserve collections and interpret the history of the university, the state, and the American South. Wilson Library also houses a conservation lab and a sound preservation lab.

Wilson Library

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This walking tour includes a dozen campus landmarks and historic buildings, including the former statue known as Silent Sam that made national headlines when students protested and eventually toppled the monument.

Funded by John Motley Morehead (class of 1891) and Rufus Lenoir Patterson II, this 172-foot bell tower was dedicated on Thanksgiving, 1931, and is now one of the best-known symbols of the university (arguably second only to the Old Well). Botany professor William Coker designed the landscaping around the tower (he also designed the nearby Coker Arboretum). Though the tower used to feature mannually-operated bells, it now has 14 mechanized bells, which chime every hour. UNC seniors are permitted to climb the Bell Tower before graduating.

Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower

Dey hall was built by architects McMinn, Norfleet, and Wicker in 1962. William Morton Dey graduated from the University of Virginia. Dey went on to earn a doctorate from Harvard University. During his time at Harvard, Dey studied French Romantic literature.&nbsp;Dey joined&nbsp;the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as faculty in 1909 as a professor of romance languages and literature Dey went on to chair&nbsp;the romance languages and literature department for forty years. Dey Hall was originally built for the foreign language departments. Dey Hall now houses the English and Comp Literature, Germanic Slavic Language Literature, Linguistics, and Romance Studies Departments.Dey Hall was the last building built on
Polk Place. Dey Hall was built in a colonial revival design. All buildings in
Polk Place are built in the same architectural design of colonial revival.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Dey Hall was built in 1962 and is named in honor of William Morton Dey, a professor of romance languages and literature. Dey later became the chair of that department and served the university for forty years.



Dey Hall

Saunders Hall was originally named after William L. Saunders who graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1854. Saunders later became a trustee on the University and served as North Carolina's Secretary of State from 1879 to 1891. In addition to these roles&nbsp;at the university and in state government, Saunders also served in the Confederate army and became the leader of the Ku Klux Klan in North Carolina after the Civil War. During Reconstruction, Klan violence claimed the lives of many North Carolinians as part of a campaign of terror aimed at reversing the South's defeat in the Civil War.

In 1922, the Board of Trustees named this building&nbsp;in honor of Saunders for his contributions as a journalist, politician, historian, and fellow trustee. Along with those acknowledgments, the Board of Trustees also cited his Confederate service and leadership of the Ku Klux Klan in North Carolina as meritorious service that made him more qualified for the honor they were bestowing upon him. The decision to name this building after Saunders can only be understood by looking at the attitudes of the all-white leadership of the university in the era of Jim Crow when organizations such as the United Daughters of the Confederacy were dedicating statues that lionized Confederate leaders. The UDC's leadership at this time included members who published books praising the Klan while lobbying school boards to teach students that enslaved persons were treated with "great kindness and care."&nbsp;

In 2015, the University of North Carolina Board of Trustees renamed the structure Carolina Hall. In the name change, the board acknowledged that their predecessors made an error in honoring Saunders for his leadership of the Ku Klux Klan. Those who protested for Saunders Hall to be renamed wished to have the building be renamed Hurston Hall to honor African-American writer Zora Neale Hurston. Saunders Hall wasn’t renamed Hurston Hall, because it wasn’t as unifying as Carolina Hall.

Along with the renaming of Saunders Hall to Carolina Hall, the University of North Carolina Board of Trustees voted unanimously to place a 16-year freeze on renaming other building on campus as a compromise to appease members and alumni who feared that other buildings and monuments named in honor of Klan members, slave owners, and Confederate leaders might also be changed. The board also agreed to create accurate historical markers across campus and support measures to investigate the history of the campus and its connection to slavery and the racial violence that occurred during and after the Civil War.

An exhibit was installed in Carolina Hall in 2016 to educate on the university’s history and William L. Saunders. It is placed in the foyer of Carolina Hall and explores Saunders’ life, the racial violence of Reconstruction, and the movement that influenced the university to rename the building.

Dedicated in 1922 and known as Saunders Hall until 2015, this University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill building was named in honor of William L. Saunders. Owing to Saunders' support of violence against African Americans as the leader of the Ku Klux Klan in North Carolina following the Civil War, students, faculty, and some alumni petitioned to change the name of this building.  Other alumni reacted in opposition to this movement, partly owing to their perception that the building was only being renamed as a result of Saunders' service in the Confederate Army. On May 28, 2015, Saunders Hall was renamed Carolina Hall. 

Carolina Hall (Formerly Saunders Hall)

During the 1960s, UNC Chapel Hill was slowly taking actions towards integration. The first Black undergraduate students had been admitted in 1955, yet still only composed less than 1% of the student population by 1967. The university had only seen its first Black professor appointed in 1966, while nearly 100% of all non-academic workers were Black. Such blatantly discriminatory practices by the university led Black students on campus to form the Black Student Movement in 1967, founded by student Preston Dobbins, as a way of declaring their presence on campus while also providing themselves with a unifying voice against unequal treatment. The UNC Foodworkers’ Strike of 1969 was a collaborative movement between the foodworkers’ and the Black Student Movement on campus to demand fair labor practices. Under the food service director at the time, George Prillaman, workers were denied adequate payment, job descriptions and titles, the ability to move to a full-time position with benefits, and other oppressive employment practices. After attempting to speak with their supervisor, Ottis White, which was often met with the threat of being fired, the foodworkers sent a memorandum in October of 1968 to the “Employers of Lenoir Dining Hall” of 21 possible improvements to the current labor practices. Later that month, Prillaman cited a severe drought, which curtailed dishwashing, as reason to lay off ten employees. With the fear that all who spoke out would simply be laid off, the foodworkers reached out to the Black Student Movement to garner support, organization, and guidance as they began their fight for fair treatment. After months of unsuccessful meetings with administration, the foodworkers planned a peaceful protest. On February 23, 1969, the foodworkers of Lenoir Dining Hall set up their counters as usual, however, when supervisor Mr. White opened the doors to let students in, the foodworkers all sat down at the tables of the dining hall and announced that they were striking. Manning Hall had been UNC Chapel Hill’s Law School up until 1968, when the Law School was then moved into Van Hecke-Wettach Hall. Therefore, in 1969, Manning Hall, located close to Lenoir Dining Hall, was vacant and served as the ideal place for members of the Black Student Movement and the foodworkers’ to discuss their plans. When the foodworkers’ ultimately decided to go on strike, the vacancy of Manning Hall was again proved useful for their cause and became a makeshift dining hall, called the Soul Food cafeteria. Foodworkers cooked the food themselves and brought it to Manning to serve during normal dining hall hours. The BSM encouraged students to boycott Lenoir Dining Hall and eat in Manning instead, in support of the foodworkers. They also asked for donations to pay the foodworkers for their work and allow them to strike for as long as necessary. Manning Hall provided a safe space for members of the BSM and striking foodworkers during these times of unrest, while also functioning as a physical representation of resistance against the unfair labor practices in Lenoir Dining Hall. BSM leader, Ashley Davis, in an interview recalls, "While we were having the strikes, there was a building right next to Lenoir Hall and people were going into this building to sit around and rest. This building was Manning Hall, which was the old Law School, and people would go into what was the old main law library in there and sit around and rest and someone got na idea. Why not us open up a cafeteria? A soul food cafeteria. So what happened was that the workers got together and people donated money and everything and the workers cooked food at home or at the Baptist Student Union and all would bring all their food their for lunch and bring all their food there for dinner and serve two meals a day." (1) However, the peaceful protest witnessed violence less than a month later when on March 4, 1969, members of the BSM marched into Lenoir and overturned tables. To the Governor of North Carolina at the time, Bob Scott, this was the final straw. Governor Scott called in state troopers to remove the strikers and students from the Manning hall Soul Food Cafeteria and Lenoir Dining Hall. While the Soul Food cafeteria was shut down, Manning still served as a meeting place for strikers and students until the strike ended on March 21, 1969, and during the time leading up to a second strike on December 9, 1969.

While this academic building of UNC Chapel Hill now houses the School of Information and Library Science, it was also once the site of a makeshift dining hall during the UNC Foodworkers' Strike of 1969. After 17 Pine Room dining hall workers demanded fair labor practices from the UNC administration and saw no results, they went on strike, refusing to serve food in the Pine Room and gaining support from workers in Lenoir Dining Hall as well. However, a fund was organized through donated funds from students in support of the strike, sustained by the foodworkers’ partnership with the Black Student Movement, to pay foodworkers to serve food that they cooked themselves to students in Manning Hall. They affectionately named this alternative dining area the Soul Food cafeteria.


Manning Hall

The seven bronze figures in the original sculpture include: - an African-American woman with a book balancing on her head - a white man reading a book - a white woman holding an apple and leaning her head on his shoulder - a female student carrying an enormous stack of books - a male student with a backback - (removed) an African-American man twirling a basketball on his finger - (removed) an Asian-American woman holding a violin&nbsp; Critics of the sculpture noted harmful&nbsp;depictions of race and gender, such as the portrayal of the white man with his open book as a serious intellectual, while the female "Eve" tempts him with an apple. They further pointed out that the Asian- and African-American students were engaged in stereotypical activities. During this time, the&nbsp;Community Against Offensive Statues (CAOS) formed to petition against the sculpture, while the Black Student Movement held a study-in around it. In the months following the sculpture's installation, various vandals knocked over the basketball player and removed his ball, covered the work in mud, and placed a traffic cone over&nbsp;each figure's head. Soon afterward, the sculpture was moved to its current location. The basketball player and violinist were later removed, leaving only five figures, with no comment from university officials. In a letter defending the piece, artist Julia Balk writes: As its creator, I cannot help but respond to the debate that has arisen over my sculpture, “The Student Body.” Although I believe a work of art should speak for itself, in this case, unfortunately, my voice is not being heard. Nor is my sculpture being seen for what it is—seven students co-existing in a harmonious group [. . . .]I would like to take this opportunity to discuss the four figures which have been the focal point of discussion. First, the basketball player [. . . .] The figure is rendered as an African American because it has been made with reverence for the talent of an extraordinary athlete. It is neither racist nor stereotypical. If I had made him a white male, I might just as easily have been criticized for ignoring the contribution made by African American Athletes to the University [. . . .]&nbsp;(Quoted in Williams, full citation below).As historian Tim McMillan points out, this sculpture appeared at a time of increased racial tension in North Carolina due to the 1990&nbsp;U.S. Senate race between Republican Jesse Helms, who had already served three Senate terms,&nbsp;and Democrat Harvey Gantt, an African-American architect and the first Black mayor of Charlotte. The acrimonious race is famous for Helms's "Hands" ad, which you can watch below. The ad&nbsp;shows a pair of white hands crumpling up a rejection letter with the voice-over: "You needed that job, and you were the best qualified, but they had to give it to a minority, because of a racial quota. Is that really fair? Harvey Gantt says it is. Gantt supports Ted Kennedy's racial quota law that makes the color of your skin more important than your qualifications." Black UNC students who supported Gantt reported harassment and vandalism of their&nbsp;posters and fliers. The timing of the "Student Body" thus coincided with statewide events, likely contributing to&nbsp;the intensity of the backlash.

Tucked away behind Hamilton Hall, the "Student Body" sculpture by Julia Balk depicts diligent students toting books and backpacks, a familiar sight on campus. The sculpture originally appeared in a more prominent position in front of Davis Library in 1990, a gift from the class of 1985, but came under scrutiny for its stereotyped representations of race and gender. The piece was vandalized multiple times. In response to the public controversy, university officials relocated the piece to its new, less visible location. They later removed two of the figures: an African-American man with a basketball and an Asian-American woman with a violin. You can read Julia Balk's full 4-page letter explaining her intentions and defending her work at the links below, as well as watch Professor Tim McMillan's discussion of the controversy in the broader context of North Carolina's history.

"The Student Body" Sculpture

Archibald De Bow Murphey graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1799, and right after graduation, he went on to teach ancient languages at the university as a professor of Classics. He later became a lawyer and then served as a North Carolina Senator from 1812 to 1818. Murphey is known as the ‘Father of Public Education,’ because he strived to improve public education in North Carolina.

Additionally, Murphey sought to make North Carolina more independent by improving the transportation system through new canals, roads, ship ports, and local transportation. Without engineering skills, time and money, the plan didn’t succeed.

Vera Millsaps writes of Murphey:

<blockquote>“Murphey had the power to dream and conceive great plans, but not the engineering ability to execute, and so having to depend upon others with lesser intellectual ability, his scheme was doomed to failure for lack of men with sufficient foresight and intellectual grasp to transform his dreams into realities.”&nbsp;7&nbsp;</blockquote>

Murphey aimed to write the history of North Carolina, and this earned him the name of North Carolina’s first native historian. Although unfinished, he continued his work throughout his life. He died on February 1, 1832.

Originally constructed as part of a set of buildings that formed a quad, Murphey Hall served as a wing building on the side of Manning Hall, with Saunders Hall as the other wing building. The building progressed into disrepair by 1953. The first of the renovations made on Murphey Hall was in 1962. Damages occurred often and repairs were needed regularly. However, Murphey Hall underwent major renovations in 2001 and 2002 that updated classroom technology and overall building structure.

Built in 1924, Murphey Hall is named in honor of Archibald De Bow Murphey, a lawyer, University of North Carolina graduate and professor, and politician who was a North Carolina Senator from 1812 to 1818. Murphey Hall now houses the Classics and Religious Studies departments. 

Murphey Hall 

Hamilton Hall was originally scheduled to be built in 1967 and funded in that year by a special legislative appropriation. The structure was completed at a cost of $2,247,551 and included an auditorium, offices, seminar rooms, study areas, and a lounge for the political science, history and sociology departments. The building features the brutalist style of architecture that was popular for a short time during the late 1960s and 1970s. Elements of this style include the hall’s exposed concrete which was designed in a manner to bring the eye's attention to the concrete while other buildings might cover this with a facade. As a result, this style of architecture draws the eye to windows&nbsp;and doors that appear as cutouts in the concrete while most other buildings on the campus include architectural details that focus the eye on arches and decorative elements.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The building was constructed as the University of North Carolina was experiencing a growth in enrollment in the late twentieth century. The building is named in honor of scholar Joseph Gregoire de Roulhac Hamilton. Hamilton was a professor and author,&nbsp;and is credited with creating UNC's famed Southern Historical Collection. Hamilton believed that the collection of artifacts and records related to Southern history was vital because he felt that the South had “suffered culturally and politically because its records had not been preserved nearly as well as those of the North." For this reason, Hamilton suggested that "Northerners had written most of the history books" which led to a failure to adequately understand and recognize the history of southern states.1 Thanks in part to his influence, Wilson Library now stores one of the nation’s finest collections related to Southern history.

Hamilton is remembered by many for his views on race, his ties to white supremacy and his opposition to female professors. Hamilton had studied under William Dunning, a white Southerner who is best known for his defense of white supremacists during Reconstruction. Hamilton's first work echoes that of Dunning in its interpretation of Reconstruction in North Carolina. Hamilton’s book was titled Reconstruction in North Carolina and included praise for leaders of the Ku Klux Klan for their role of "redeeming" North Carolina from the political influence of Black and white legislators who attempted to encourage equality and economic diversification. Later works by historians interpret Reconstruction differently, praising the attempts of the nascent biracial Republican Party as they challenged the return of former planters to positions of power.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Hamilton wrote in Reconstruction in North Carolina:<blockquote>“Called into existence by this state of affairs, the Ku Klux
lifted the South from its slough of despond by the application of illegal force
which overthrew Reconstruction and ultimately restored political power to the
white race . . . Heart had been put into the despairing whites and a revolution
had been wrought through its operations, or, to be more exact, the results of a
revolution had been overthrown and a form of government, wickedly, illegally,
and unconstitutionally imposed upon the people, had come into the hands of the
class best fitted to administer government, and the supremacy of the white race
and of Anglo-Saxon institutions was secure.”2</blockquote>Guion Griffis Johnson described her experience as a faculty member in the Department of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in an interview. Johnson says she experiences resentment from the faculty and students for the presence of women on campus. She was one of less than a hundred women on campus. Johnson said she heard Hamilton say “no woman is competent to teach a class in history,” when she passed by him in the hall.3

Hamilton Hall was built in 1972 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the brutalist style of architecture which became popular for a short time on college campuses. The building became the home of the social science departments and was named after Joseph Gregoire de Roulhac Hamilton, a professor at the university who created UNC's famed Southern Historical Collection. 

Hamilton Hall at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Davie Hall was originally built in 1908 and was reconstructed and expanded by the university in 1967. Davie Hall currently houses the Psychology and Neuroscience Departments. The building is named after William Richardson Davie, a General in the American Revolution from 1777 to 1778 under General Allen Jones.&nbsp;Davie became an attorney after the war and later became a political leader. Davie also served on the University of North Carolina’s Board of Trustees from 1789 to 1807. He donated funds that enabled the children of donors of the university to receive&nbsp;a free education.&nbsp;&nbsp; Davie represented North Carolina at the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787. There, he aided in the&nbsp;ratification movement in North Carolina. He got the bill in the General Assembly to pass in order to charter the University of North Carolina. Davie was Governor of North Carolina from 1798 to 1799. Davie is remembered as one of the fathers of the University of North Carolina owing to his early support as a politician and as his service as a member of the University of North Carolina Board of Trustees. From 1799 to 1800, Davie was the Minister of France, but he continued aiding the university during this time. Davie later died at his plantation in South Carolina in 1820 at the age of 64. At that time, he enslaved 116 individuals.&nbsp;

Constructed in 1908, Davie Hall was originally home to for botany and zoology studies. The building was reconstructed in 1967 with a modern design and now houses the Psychology and Neuroscience Departments. Davie Hall is named after William Richardson Davie, a General in the American Revolution who later became the Governor of North Carolina. Davie is remembered as the father of the University of North Carolina because of his support of the university as governor, general assembly member, and member of the University of North Carolina Board of Trustees. 

Davie Hall at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

On March 4, 1850, Alexander Davis, an architect from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, wrote a letter to the University of North Carolina President David Swain with the idea to build the then Smith Hall differently than any other building on campus. Davis’ idea was to build the Playmakers Theater in the style of Greek Revival, which is inspired by the Greek Athenian temples. The theater was the only building on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s campus that wasn’t built in the American style structure.

The Playmakers Theater being originally named Smith Hall was initially named after Benjamin Smith. Smith was a Revolutionary war veteran. Smith was also the largest slave owner in North Carolina that was recorded in the nineteenth century. The Smith Hall was remodeled into the Playmakers Theater in 1925 after it was under the Carolina Playmakers control, who were founded by University of North Carolina professor Fredrick Koch in 1924. The Playmakers Theater was where the &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Department of Dramatic Arts studied. After the Department of Dramatic Arts outgrew the performance space, it became the campus’ main stage for performances.

The Playmakers Theater was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1974. The theater suffered from extreme wear and tear from years of use and was closed from 2006 to 2010. In 2010, the Office of the Provost and Office of Executive Director of Arts obtained funding to restore the theater. No other renovations are planned currently for the theater. The theater is still used for indoor performances.

Originally named Smith Hall, the Historic Playmakers Theater was built by architect Alexander Davis. Work began in the summer of 1850, and the structure was completed in 1852. The Playmakers Theater is on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s campus in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The structure was originally used as a ballroom and library and was named after Benjamin Smith. The theater now serves as the main stage for the University of North Carolina’s indoor performances. 

Historic Playmakers Theater

Old East's commemorative plaque reads as follows: The Right Worshipful William Richardson Davie, Grand Master of the most Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Freemasons in the State of North Carolina, one of the trustees of the University of the said state, and a Commissioner of the same, assisted by the other commissioners and the Brethren of the Eagle and Independence Lodges, on the 12th day of October in the Year of Masonry 5793 and in the 18th year of the American Independence, laid the cornerstone of this edifice.&nbsp;(Quoted in DeRespino, below) On the back side, a Latin inscription says the same in translation. The plaque owed its remarkable rescue to Thomas Foust, UNC alumnus (class of 1903) and owner of the Clarksville Foundry. George Moses Horton (c. 1797-1883), known as the "Black Bard of UNC" would have been familiar with this building. Though born into slavery, Horton taught himself to read and published three books of poetry in his lifetime. He often visited campus&nbsp;and sold love poems to Chapel Hill students (prices ranging from 25 to 75 cents, depending on quality). Some of his work reflects his familiarity the university. His poem "The pleasures of a College life" opens with the lament: With tears I leave these Academic bowers And cease to cull the scientific flowers With tears I hail the fair succeeding train And take my exit with a breast of pain (More of Horton's poetry is available at the link in 'sources' below).

Built by slaves in 1793, Old East is the oldest public university building in the United States. Today it serves as a student residence hall. The original cornerstone, along with its bronze commemorative plaque went missing at some point in the 19th century. Decades later, the plaque turned up--at the Clarksville Foundry and Machine Works in Tennessee. Since 1916, it has been back at UNC and is currently kept in Wilson Library.

Old East

In 1897, UNC President Edwin Alderman commissioned a drastic makeover of the&nbsp;Old Well in an effort to beautify campus. He explains the process in a letter to a friend in 1923: In the fall of 1897, if my memory does not fail me, I was possessed with a great desire to add a little beauty (which, after all, is the most practical influence in the world) to the grim, austere dignity of the old Campus at Chapel Hill.&nbsp;Looking out of my window on the first floor of the South Building, I beheld the old well squalid and ramshackled. I determined to tear it down and put something there having beauty. His letter also describes criticism he received over the cost of the well: I recall a fine shindy I had with a very distinguished professor who intimated broadly to me that I was foolish to spend money (about $200) for such luxurious gewgaws when so many vital things--sewers, water works, electric fixtures--cried out for improvement. I recall intimating to my distinguished colleague that he would do well to attend to his own 'damn' business.&nbsp; You can read more of his letter in Sarah Madry's Well Worth a Shindy or in Daniel Barefoot's Hark the Sound.&nbsp; Further improvements followed in the 20th century: in 1925, the drinking fountain was installed, and in the 1950s, more attention was given to the landscaping around the well. Today, students drink from the Old Well for good luck and good grades--the second&nbsp;video below features students explaining the Old Well's role in the university community.

The Old Well is one of the oldest and most famous symbols of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Board of Trustees approved its construction in 1795. At the time, the primary purpose of the wooden structure was functional: to provide water to students living on campus. The Old Well's current appearance, designed in 1897, is inspired by the Temple of Love in the Garden of Versailles. 

Old Well

The UNC Foodworkers’ Strike of 1969 was a collaborative movement between the foodworkers’ and the Black Student Movement on campus to demand fair labor practices. Under the food service director at the time, George Prillaman, workers were denied adequate payment, job descriptions and titles, the ability to move to a full-time position with benefits, and other oppressive employment practices. After attempting to speak with their supervisor, Ottis White, which was often met with the threat of being fired, the foodworkers sent a memorandum in October of 1968 to the “Employers of Lenoir Dining Hall” of 21 possible improvements to the current labor practices. Later that month, Prillaman cited a severe drought, which curtailed dishwashing, as reason to lay off ten employees. With the fear that all who spoke out would simply be laid off, the foodworkers reached out to the Black Student Movement to garner support, organization, and guidance as they began their fight for fair treatment. After months of unsuccessful meetings with administration, the foodworkers planned a peaceful protest. On February 23, 1969, the foodworkers of Lenoir Dining Hall set up their counters as usual, however, when supervisor Mr. White opened the doors to let students in, the foodworkers all sat down at the tables of the dining hall and announced that they were striking. The Campus Y played a mediation role during the UNC Foodworkers’ Strike, fulfilling the need for a neutral space for the foodworkers and the administration to meet. As an organization, it never fully endorsed either side, however, many of its member did play organizational roles on behalf of the foodworkers. The students of the Campus Y helped prepare food for the Soul Food cafeteria in Manning Hall, while its director at the time, Anne Queen, lobbied for the foodworkers in her role as a member of the Human Relations Committee on campus. As a hotbed of student activism throughout its history, the Campus Y has played a role in many student social movements on UNC Chapel Hill’s campus. Its involvement in the UNC Foodworkers’ Strike, though not ever officially active in the strike, its student members provided the organizational bridge between the foodworkers and the administration.

The Campus Y, founded in 1860, on UNC Chapel Hill’s campus is proudly the center for social justice on campus and affectionately identifies as the university’s “moral conscience.” It has played a vital organizational role in many social activist campaigns on campus throughout its history. As it is mainly student-run, it highlights students passions for social justice and serves as the space where that passion is cultivated into action.

Campus Y

Joseph Caldwell was raised by his mother alongside two siblings and began his studies at the College of New Jersey in Princeton, New Jersey at the age of fourteen. He graduated from the university in 1791. Later in 1796, he was offered a mathematics professorship at the University of North Carolina by the current professor Charles Harris. Caldwell was approved by the University Board of Trustees.

At the time, the University of North Carolina consisted of one two-story building, which is the Old East building today. At that time, the school only had one other professor other than Caldwell. Before serving as the first president of the university, Caldwell served as the presiding officer of the university at a time when the&nbsp;school had only one administrator. Once he was elected as president in 1804, the University of North Carolina saw enrollment increase. This resulted in the university building the South Building to accommodate the new students. Caldwell raised money to fund the construction of South Building.

Caldwell stepped down from his position of university president in 1812, and he went back to his position as professor of mathematics. Then, when his successor retired in 1817, Caldwell returned to his position as the University of North Carolina’s president. Caldwell held forward-thinking views at the time including statewide primary schooling without tax raises.Caldwell owned one enslaved person while he lived in North Carolina. This person was named November Caldwell, and he worked as Caldwell’s coachman and personal assistant. After Caldwell passed away on January 27, 1835, November became the property of the university and worked as a servant. November’s son Wilson also worked as a janitor for the university during the era when many Southern universities exploited the labor of enslaved persons.&nbsp;A monument at Joseph Caldwell’s grave was dedicated in 1858. Caldwell’s original memorial was later relocated and altered to honor three “faithful” enslaved persons who were owned by the university, including November and Wilson Caldwell. In 1911, the University of North Carolina named a new building after Caldwell, which became Caldwell Hall. Caldwell Hall was built in 1911 by I.G. Lawrence and designed by Milburn, Heister, and Company of Washington, D.C.

Caldwell Hall housed many animals that served as test subjects for the immunology department’s medical experiments. By 1927, the basement housed many dogs, rabbits, rats, guinea pigs, sheep, and stray cats. After the basement got electrical lights and heating, the university housed in Caldwell Hall their live Ram named “Rameses,” which served as their mascot. The ram died from the heat in the basement. The ram had a son, but it also later died after medical students took his blood.

Caldwell Hall transitioned into classroom use after the School of Medicine moved to a new building. A radio studio was added to Caldwell Hall after this, and after being used for many different departments and organizations, Caldwell Hall now houses the PARR Center for Ethics and the Department of Philosophy.

Caldwell Hall was completed in 1911 and is named after Joseph Caldwell, the University of North Carolina’s first official president following his selection to the post in 1804. Caldwell also worked at the school during its first forty years of university status. Caldwell Hall was built under the leadership of I.G. Lawrence and designed by Milburn, Heister, and Company of Washington, D.C. The building presently houses the PARR Center for Ethics and the Department of Philosophy. 

Caldwell Hall

Davie Bench is dedicated to General William Davie, who is regarded as one of the founders of the University of North Carolina. The marble bench sits at the base of the “Davie Poplar” tree, a tulip poplar that is more than 300 years old. The front of the bench is inscribed with “Davie's name and years of birth and death and the back of the bench recognizes the Davie Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution who dedicated the bench on Nov. 3, 1914.

William Richardson Davie was an officer in the Revolutionary War from 1777 to 1778 under General Allen Jones. David went on to become General Nathanael Greene’s commissary general in the later years of the war. Daie became an&nbsp;attorney after the war and served as the Governor of North Carolina from 1798 to 1799. Davie is known as one of the founders of the University of North Carolina given his involvement with the effort to create the college while he was a member of the North Carolina general assembly.

Davie also served on the University of North Carolina’s Board of Trustees from 1789 to 1807 and donated personal funds and created subscription funds that provided the children of donors with a free education at the university. While he was Governor of North Carolina from 1789 to 1799, and after he left to France to become the Minister of France from 1799 to 1800, Davie aided the university and its administration. Davie died at his plantation in South Carolina in 1820 at the age of 64. At the time of his death, he owned 116 enslaved individuals at his South Carolina plantation.

Since its dedication in 1915 to General Davie, the bench has adopted a legend that if a couple kisses on the Davie Bench, that couple will be married in the future. This legend has influenced many to mark this spot as a popular place to propose to their significant others.

Dedicated in 1914, this marble memorial bench honors William Davie, a General in the American Revolution. Davie is known as the father of the University of North Carolina as he was Governor of North Carolina, served on the North Carolina general assembly and the University of North Carolina Board of Trustees. The bench is located at the base of the “Davie Poplar” tree and is known as the “Davie Poplar Bench.” 

Davie Bench

Joseph Caldwell was a Professor of&nbsp;Mathematics at the&nbsp;University of North Carolina&nbsp;in 1796, and he later became the first president of the university from 1804 to 1812. He returned to his&nbsp;professorship in 1812&nbsp;but returned as president from 1816 to 1835. This&nbsp;was the only official leadership position at the time, and during his time as president, the university saw increases in enrollment. Caldwell fought for primary schooling that would reach statewide that excluded raising taxes.&nbsp;Caldwell also went on to become the governor&nbsp;of North Carolina. Caldwell owned one enslaved person once he lived in North Carolina. This man was named November Caldwell, and he was Caldwell’s coachman. November was given the last name Caldwell to ensure Joseph Caldwell's ownership of him. When Caldwell passed away on January 27, 1835, November worked as a servant under the ownership of the university. November's house was stoned by the Ku Klux Klan in 1869. November’s son Wilson went on to work as a janitor at the university. A monument at Caldwell’s grave was dedicated to him in 1858. Caldwell’s original memorial was relocated and altered to honor the “faithful” slaves of the university, which included November and Wilson Caldwell,&nbsp;David Barham, and Henry Smith; all individuals who were enslaved by the university.&nbsp;&nbsp;In 1911, the University of North Carolina named a new building after Caldwell, which became Caldwell Hall.&nbsp;

Created by Struthers & Co. from Philadephia, Pennsylvania, the Joseph Caldwell Monument at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill serves as the resting place of the former University of North Carolina President Joseph Caldwell, his wife Helen Caldwell, and her son William Hopper. The monument was dedicated to Caldwell on June 2, 1858, 23 years after his death.

Joseph Caldwell Monument at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

This monument was intended to serve as a reminder of the contributions made by the free and enslaved African Americans to the University of North Carolina and the state of Carolina. The artist and many of the students who worked to create this monument hoped it would be located in a prominent location. They also feared that placement near the larger monument of Silent Sam would overshadow this monument. University administrators selected this location and hoped that this monument would end the controversy around Silent Sam by "offsetting" that monument which honored students who were killed in the Civil War but also celebrated the university's connection to the Confederacy. As part of this desire to quell the Silent Sam controversy, the university selected this location. The decision was criticized by many as the monument is partly&nbsp;concealed by the nearby&nbsp;the trees, pathways,&nbsp;and&nbsp;benches.&nbsp;&nbsp;The monument&nbsp;by Do-Ho Suh was created at a cost&nbsp;of $94,000. The University of North Carolina class of 2002 voted to create the monument to serve as their class gift. 44% of a total of 750 students who voted chose to create the monument and the class of 2002 raised $54,000 for the memorial.&nbsp;As is customary with class gifts, the rest of the money came from the university as a match to the student's gift.&nbsp;

The monument was installed on May 11, 2005. The monument was dedicated on November 5, 2005 at McCorkle Place on the University of North Carolina campus. Even though the artist wanted the monument placed in a different location, the monument was ultimately placed near the Silent Sam Confederate monument. After discovering Silent Sam's dedication speech which celebrated violence against people of color, and after years of inaction to petitions and protests of the monument, a group of students removed that monument on August 20, 2018.&nbsp;&nbsp;

A gift from the University of North Carolina's graduating class of 2002, this Black granite and bronze monument commemorates the free people of color and enslaved laborers who built many of the university's first structures. The monument was created by sculptor Do-Ho Suh and dedicated on November 5, 2005, at McCorkle Place on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus. The monument depicts a table held up by 300 bronze figures who depict the free and enslaved persons who built buildings and worked to operate the university in its early decades.

The Unsung Founders Monument, University of North Carolina 

<div>Many of the first Confederate memorials were placed in cemeteries to honor family and community members who lost their lives in the Civil War. In the final years of Reconstruction, an era that saw temporary progress for former slaves that was later met with violence, many white Southerners joined organizations dedicated to the restoration of white supremacy.&nbsp;African Americans who attempted to vote or own land were met with violence in the 1870s and by the 1880s, and Southern legislatures passed&nbsp;numerous measures designed to restrict the freedoms of people of color. While organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan and the White Leagues received the greatest attention, white Southerners&nbsp;also formed institutions that sought to control the historical narrative of the antebellum South,&nbsp;slavery, and the Civil War. By the 1890s, local organizations and newly-created national organizations such as the United Daughters of the Confederacy were raising funds for a different kind of Civil War&nbsp;memorial. In contrast to the monuments of the post-war period that were located at cemeteries and battlefields, the monuments of the late 19th and early 20th century&nbsp;were increasingly located in prominent public spaces that reflected the goals of these organizations to "vindicate the South" and "Southern institutions"- a contemporary reference to the institution of chattel slavery.&nbsp;&nbsp; Memorials dedicated during this period placed Confederate military leaders in heroic poses and featured dedication ceremonies that celebrated the "Old South" and its racial hierarchy. While this monument demonstrates many of the features of early memorials, the dedication speech by former Confederate General Julian Carr was full of references to the superiority of the "Anglo-Saxon race." While his speech made few references to specific battles where North Carolina men engaged in combat, Carr made a point to defend and even celebrate acts of physical violence against African Americans that were intended to defend the racial hierarchy of the "Old South."&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div> During the growing tension between 2015 and the toppling of the statue in 2018, defenders of the statue including neo-Confederate groups and university administrators who took actions against some of the student protesters minimized the significance of the history of the UDC and significance of Carr's&nbsp;celebration of "Anglo-Saxon superiority" in the monument's dedication speech.&nbsp;They pointed out that the monument honored the actions of UNC students who served in the Confederate army and the&nbsp;inscription on the statue that honors the many "sons of the university" who fought in the Civil War. Minimizing of the cause of the Confederacy and the historical context of the creation of Confederate monuments in the early 1900s, defenders of the statue pointed out that Silent Sam also celebrated the values inherent in&nbsp;military service. The monument's inscription&nbsp;did not mention the cause of the war or its creators'&nbsp;desire to vindicate the antebellum South. Like most other wartime memorials, it only lauded the valor and sacrifice of Confederate troops&nbsp;"whose lives taught the lesson of their great commander that duty is the sublimest word in the English language." The large plaque on the front of the piece shows a woman (North Carolina) reaching out to a student to persuade him to fight. Inside Memorial Hall, plaques list the names of the student-soldiers to whom Sam pays tribute.</div><div> </div><div>The decision to create a monument celebrating the Confederacy serves as a reminder of the way that some Southern whites sought to create their own historical narrative through the creation of a monumental landscape that celebrated the "Lost Cause" of the Old South. It also demonstrates how the history of the Civil War shaped the South decades after the war had ended. Sam's presence on campus frequently ignites controversy in the Chapel Hill community. This entry includes links to a variety of primary and secondary sources related to the history of Confederate monuments and Civil War memory. It also includes a video of Professor Tim McMillan's discussion of Silent Sam.</div> Former Confederate General Julian Carr's dedication speech celebrated the connection between the Confederacy and white supremacy. In addition to repeated praise of the "Anglo-Saxon&nbsp;race," Carr suggested that the soldiers were noble owing to their possession of the "purest strain" of white blood. Carr even bragged that he had "horse-whipped a negro wench until her skirt hung in shreds" because he believed that she had insulted a white woman. In contrast to many statues and monuments that were genuinely intended to mourn and honor Confederate soldiers at cemeteries, this monument demonstrates a desire to celebrate white supremacy and deny the history and perspectives of white and Black Southerners who fought against it. &nbsp; Given this background, the presence of this monument on the UNC campus generates rigorous and heated debates. The statue has been vandalized several times, and many call for its removal. Defenders of Silent Sam argue that his presence on campus testifies to North Carolina's history and honors the sacrifice of Carolina students who died in battle. Silent Sam's detractors point to Julian Carr's 1913 dedication speech and several anti-civil rights rallies that were held at the monument throughout the 20th century. For many students, the solution is not so simple as a decision to keep or remove the statue. Several historians and student groups have proposed measures to better situate the statue in a historical context. For example, the Real Silent Sam Coalition, a group of Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff offered this resolution in 2015: We&nbsp;DEMAND&nbsp;that a plaque be placed on The Confederate Monument “Silent Sam” contextualizing its violent racial history. The monument is about so much more than the UNC students who fought for the Confederacy. It is about celebrating the preservation of the “Anglo-Saxon race” in the South. It is about marking this campus as a space that upholds white supremacy. Generations of students, faculty, and staff have fought for this violence to be formally recognized. We will not let it be ignored any longer.We&nbsp;DEMAND&nbsp;that the University incorporate mandatory programming for incoming students that teaches the historical racial violence of this university and town, as well as anti-racism training for faculty, staff, administrators, deans, and chairs. There is a culture of tolerance towards racism at this university, which must be called out and addressed.&nbsp;(Go to 'sources' for a link to the complete manifesto).A statement following the Board of Governor's meeting on August 28, 2018, has been issued. In the statement, a deadline is set for November 15, 2018, to provide a plan of action for the Confederate Monument. The plan of action is said to address the UNC core missions of education, research, and economic stimulation. The statement identifies one option that includes a location on campus where the monument would be placed in prominence, honor, visibility, and access. This option is said to ensure public safety, ensure the monument's preservation and place in the history of UNC and the nation.On December 3, 2018, Administrators at UNC proposed a&nbsp;$5.3 million&nbsp;building to display the statue. UNC Chancellor Carol Folt&nbsp;said the new indoor facility would be built on campus. The new structure would cost&nbsp;$5.3 million and $800,000 in annual costs. The new structure would provide a historical context for the statue and the university's history. The project is expected to be completed in early-2022 to mid-2022.&nbsp;On January 14, 2019, UNC Chancellor Carol Folt announced that the pedestal and plaques left of Silent Sam&nbsp;would be removed. Chancellor Folt also announced she was resigning as Chancellor of UNC. By the next day, the Silent Sam pedestal and plaques were gone. The same day, the panel that oversees public universities in North Carolina accepted Folt's resignation effective January 31, 2019.&nbsp;Silent Sam was part of a wider debate&nbsp;on university campuses (including also the renaming of buildings) about how difficult histories should be remembered and framed in the present. Statements by students and professors who opposed the statue emphasized their understanding of history informed by the work of David Blight and Karen Cox whose books on the memory of the Civil War and the&nbsp;history of the United Daughters of the Confederacy is linked below.&nbsp;

This University of North Carolina statue was dedicated in 1913 to honor students who served in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. According to campus mythology, Sam was "silent" because he lacked ammunition and could not fire his gun. Similar to many other Confederate statues dedicated in the early 1900s, this monument was funded by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and included a dedication speech that defended white supremacy. The speech by former Confederate General Julian Carr went even further, with a digression that celebrated violence against African Americans. After several years of petitions and protests by UNC students that were met by inaction and sanctions against students by university officials, a student-led protest on August 20, 2018, culminated in the toppling of this monument. Administrators at the university proposed on December 3, 2018, to build a new structure on campus to house the statue to provide historical context for the statue and university's history. However, on January 14, 2019, UNC Chancellor Carol Folt announced that the Silent Sam pedestal and plaques would be removed and that she was resigning. On January 14, the Silent Sam pedestal and plaques were removed and the panel that oversees public universities in North Carolina accepted Folt's resignation effective January 31, 2019. 

Silent Sam (1913-2018)

On December 11, 1789, state legislators in North Carolina passed an act establishing the University of North Carolina. The bill was introduced by William Richardson Davie, a former military officer in the American Revolution, who hoped&nbsp;to fulfill the promise of a state-sponsored university outlined in&nbsp;Article Forty-one of the state's&nbsp;1776 constitution. Davie, with the support of others, shepherded the bill through the meeting and&nbsp;is commonly referred to as the father of the university. The resulting act reflected the contemporary belief that the survival of democracies depended&nbsp;upon the education of&nbsp;future leaders. "[I]n&nbsp;all well-regulated governments," the act read, "it is the indispensable duty of every Legislature to consult the happiness of a rising generation, and endeavor to fit them for an honorable discharge of the social duties of life, by paying the strictest attention to their education." Legislators also agreed that&nbsp;permanent and sustainable funding for the university would ensure that it best&nbsp;meet its goals. University trustees moved forward with plans to develop the university and in 1792 selected Chapel Hill as&nbsp;the site of the&nbsp;new campus. Chapel Hill&nbsp;was particularly appealing to the trustees because the location was near the capital city, Raleigh, and far removed from the powerful political circles of eastern North Carolina. Writing of the site in 1793, Davie remarked: "This town being the only seat of learning immediately under the patronage of the public, possessing the advantages of a central situation, on some of the most public roads in the state, in a plentiful country and excelled by few places in the world either for beauty of situation or salubrity of air, promises with all moral certainty to be a place of growing and permanent importance."&nbsp;Davie officiated at the cornerstone ceremony of the campus's first building, now known as Old East, on October 12, 1793. Eight buildings, constructed between 1793 and 1860, still stand on the university's campus and are listed as national historic landmarks.&nbsp; &nbsp; The university steadily grew and by 1858&nbsp;boasted a student body of 456. However, enrollment plummeted to ninety-one students by September 1861 and the university was forced to close&nbsp;in&nbsp;February 1871.&nbsp;Kemp P. Battle, a lawyer and future president of UNC, played an integral role in securing funds to reopen the university. Classes resumed in September 1875 and by 1887 the university had developed a teacher training program and law school. Sallie Walker Stockard became the first female graduate of the university in 1890, earning a master's degree&nbsp;in history. The liberal arts defined the university&nbsp;curricula by the early twentieth century and the university achieved unprecedented growth. Today UNC-Chapel Hill&nbsp;is widely known as one of the nation's leading public research institutions.&nbsp;

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was established in 1789 and officially opened  to students in 1795 as the first public university in the United States. The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and is a member of the Association of American Universities. Chapel Hill offers 78 baccalaureate, 112 master’s, 68 doctoral, and seven professional degree programs and is widely known as one of the leading public research universities in the nation. The university has a student population of approximately twenty-nine thousand, a faculty base of nearly thirty-seven hundred, and boasts over 292,000 alumni that live in more than 150 countries. 

Historical Marker-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 

Additional Information&nbsp; Morehead Planetarium was designed by&nbsp;John Russell Pope, the architect who designed both the Jefferson Memorial and the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C. At the time, the planetarium was the most expensive building ever constructed in the state of North Carolina.&nbsp; Both the planetarium and its technicians played an instrumental role in the training of the nation's earliest astronauts. Every astronaut who participated in the&nbsp;Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and Apollo-Soyuz Test Project programs between 1959 and 1975 were trained in celestial navigation at the facility. Some of the most well-known astronauts to undergo training at the planetarium include Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, John H. Glenn Jr., and Alan B. Shepard Jr.1&nbsp; <div>The celestial navigation that these astronauts learned at the center has been around in some form for centuries, and perhaps even as long as&nbsp;ancient times. Celestial navigation is a method of navigating using celestial bodies, i.e., the sun, moon, stars, and planets. Before modern navigation, sailors used rising and setting stars to guide their ships across oceans. Celestial navigation even played a role in the Underground Railroad, a system of escape routes used by people seeking freedom during the days of slavery in the South. By following the North Star, slaves traveled between safe houses and towards freedom.</div><div> <div>While many of the center's programs do cater to children, there are plenty of programs for adults &nbsp;and teens as well. The Carolina Science Cafe occurs every month. This program is designed to discuss current events in science that the general public has become familiar with through the media. Past talks have included Dr. Sergey Krupenko's "Diet, Current Science and Cancer", Dr. Helen Lazear's "Fighting Zika", and Dr. Gail Henderson's "GeneScreen: Testing Healthy Adults for Rare Conditions."</div></div><div> </div>

Located on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's campus, The Morehead Planetarium and Science Center was the first planetarium to be built in the South and cost approximately three million dollars to construct. Morehead Planetarium opened on May 10, 1949 after nearly eighteen months of construction. It remains one of the oldest and largest planetariums in the nation. The facility receives approximately 1/3 of its funding from ticket/gift sales, 1/3 from state sources, and 1/3 from donations and contributions. 

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center

Spencer Residence Hall was originally called the Women’s Building. The university didn’t want to build a dormitory for women at first, but after being pressured, they built the structure. After increased female enrollment, the university expanded Spencer Residence Hall to include more bed space.

In 1963, women were able to enroll as freshmen and sophomores at the university. Previously, women were only allowed to enroll as juniors, seniors, or as a student in a professional school.

Spencer Residence Hall is named after Cornelia Phillips Spencer, who was a scholar who followed politics. She was asked to write a book that defended the president of the university in 1865, President David L. Swain, from claims that they surrendered to the Union too fast. After the university was under Republican control, Spencer published newspaper articles that defended white supremacy. She didn’t believe in coeducation or equal rights for Black individuals. On the other hand, Spencer was in favor of state public education expansion and education for women.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The University of North Carolina created the Spencer Bell Award that honored a woman at the university every year. In 2004, Chancellor James Moeser discovered that several women he wanted to give the award to said they would refuse the award if it was offered. Consequently, Moeser retired the award. Twelve women received the award before it was retired.

In response, Spencer’s descendants asked Moeser to begin giving out the award again or remove Spencer’s name from Spencer Hall. The family also threatened they would no longer be involved with the Center for the Study of the American South. As a result, Moeser dedicated the Spencer Bell Award to honor the descendants instead of Cornelia Spencer.

The name of Spencer Residence Hall has come into question recently by activists that seek to bring the history behind the building to light. The student activists question the ethicality of keeping Cornelia Spencer as the namesake of Spencer Residence Hall. Spencer Residence Hall is now a co-educational dormitory.&nbsp;

Built in 1924, Spencer Residence Hall at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is named after Cornelia Phillips Spencer, who was the daughter of a professor at the university and a sister to two other professors. The Spencer Residence Hall served as a place for the few women who were able to attend the university at the time. Spencer Residence Hall is now a co-educational dormitory.   

Spencer Residence Hall 

Philips had lived in the South most of his life, but his willingness to explore the possibility of voting rights for African Americans led to many Southerners calling him a "carpetbagger"-a derogatory nickname for a Northerner who came to the South after the war to seek personal gain. Despite the dangers involved,&nbsp;Phillips became one of the leading voices in favor of prosecuting Klan leaders when they committed acts of violence against Black citizens. In the 1890s, Phillips&nbsp;joined the more famous white Southern progressive attorney Albion Tourgee in representing Homer Plessy in the famous case that challenged segregation. Despite the legal arguments presented by Tourgee, Phillips, and other counselors, the&nbsp;Supreme Court declared that segregation was legal so long as "separate but equal" accommodations were provided to white and Black patrons.&nbsp; Phillips retired from law in 1900 and passed away three years later. He is buried in the Old&nbsp;Chapel Hill Cemetery-not far from his law practice or beloved alma matter.&nbsp;

This building held the law offices of Samuel Field Phillips starting in 1843-just two years after receiving his bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina. Like a number of progressive white residents, Phillips opposed secession and supported the Republican Party during Reconstruction. In 1872, Phillips became Solicitor General of the United States and worked to uphold the constitutionality of the Enforcement Act--a law passed by his fellow Republicans in Congress to confront the growing threat of terrorist organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan. He also supported Black petitioners who sought to secure convictions under the Civil Rights Act of 1875 and helped represent Homer Plessy in the landmark Plessy v. Ferguson case. Although Phillips and Plessy lost this case, his legal arguments helped attorneys in the next century. 

Phillips Law Office

The site of the Love House has been inhabited for thousands
of years. Archaeologists affiliated with the university discovered a seasonal
camp built by American Indians approximately two thousand years ago. Fragments
of pottery and points from projectiles found in the area date back to the
Middle Woodland Period, 800 BCE-800 CE.

The lot became part of Chapel Hill village after the
university was founded in 1793. During the early nineteenth century, the home of
UNC’s president was located on this lot. Presidents Joseph Caldwell and David
L. Swain were the only two university presidents to live in the house. The president’s
home built on the lot, commonly known as the Second President’s House, burned
down in a fire on Christmas Eve of 1886. In 1887, James Lee Love, assistant
professor of mathematics at the university, leased a portion of the lot to
construct his home. He named the new construction&nbsp;“The House of the Seven Gables.”Currently inhabited by the Center for the Study of the American South, this academic&nbsp;center offers a number of programs and publications
available to the public. This includes a lecture series, known as the Hutchins,
Chandler, and Charleston lectures. The Center's premiere&nbsp;publication, Southern Cultures, is released quarterly and contains articles
pertaining to the history and various cultures of the U.S. South. Furthermore, the&nbsp;Southern
Oral History Program, which was founded in 1973, seeks to preserve the stories and
perspectives of the South’s past by conducting interviews with individuals.
Those interviewed include diverse representations of southern lives and cultures, from&nbsp;mill workers to civil rights leaders to&nbsp;future Presidents of the United States. The breadth of people interviewed ensures that an ever-evolving and increasingly&nbsp;detailed and&nbsp;accurate history of the South is recorded for posterity. The
number of interviews the SOHP has&nbsp;collected exceeds five thousand.

This Center for the Study of the American South (CSAS), part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, focuses on providing the University and surrounding community with research, lectures, scholarships, conferences, and numerous cultural events focusing on the American South. A noted program under the direction of CSAS is the Southern Oral History Program, one of the leaders in oral history innovation, with an impressive archival collection containing myriad interviews touching on diverse topics relating to the history of the South. The Center also boasts numerous lecture series and is known for "Southern Cultures," an award-winning, peer-reviewed quarterly journal. The Center is headquartered in the historic Love House, dating to 1887.

Center for the Study of the American South

When the home was built in 1820, its original floor plan followed a traditional "hall and parlor" plan typical of two-story wood frame homes of the era. A later addition maintained the two-story height, but was built out along the back. Chimneys bookend the sides, with a sweeping veranda that wraps one side. Sitting at the corner of Franklin and Battle Streets, the home is located at the center of Chapel Hill, abutting the university. The prime real estate, combined with the home's historic status, combined to carry a hefty price tag; the home last sold in 2011 for 1.495 million. The home's most famous residents, Kay and Georgia Kyser, were darlings of the entertainment industry in the 1930s and 40s. While Kay was a talented musician and "big band" leader, Georgia was an actress and model who appeared in over a dozen films. However, her career came to an abrupt end when Kay decided to retire and the couple moved from Hollywood to the small town of Chapel Hill. After the initial shock of the move abated, Georgia enthusiastically embraced Chapel Hill and the university community. Having missed the opportunity to attend college earlier in life&nbsp;due to her entertainment career, she took advantage of the proximity to Chapel Hill to&nbsp;obtain a degree in studio art.&nbsp; Georgia gained a deep appreciation for historic preservation from her travels across Europe, and with her move to Chapel Hill she put her passion for preservation to good use. Teaming up with Ida Friday, Georgia's first foray into saving historic buildings from demise occurred in the 1970s when a home on the corner of East Rosemary and Hillsborough streets was in danger of razing. The two women's efforts resulted in the founding of Chapel Hill Preservation, an organization responsible for a preservation wave that has saved countless historic sites from destruction, and which marked the beginning of a massive rehabilitation of historic properties and renewed appreciation for Chapel Hill's historic built environment. Chapel Hill Preservation remains an important organization in the historic university town.&nbsp;

William Hooper represented North Carolina in the Continental Congress and was one of the singers of the Declaration of Independence. This home was built in 1814 for his son, professor William Hooper, and is notable today as the oldest home standing in Chapel Hill. A little over a century later, the home was purchased by Kay and Georgia Kyser, who moved to Chapel Hill in 1951. Georgia Carroll Keyser was a movie star who often performed with her husband Kay, a band leader and the star of a popular radio program. Georgia Carroll Keyser was also one of the founders of the Chapel Hill Preservation Society.  

University of North Carolina Walking Tour

Wilson Library

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information