Hill's Durham (Durham County, N.C.) City Directory [1960], Part 2

Author: Hill Directory Company.
Publication date: 1960
Publisher: Hill Directory Co.
Number of Pages: 1406

USA > North Carolina > Durham County > Durham > Hill's Durham (Durham County, N.C.) City Directory [1960] > Part 2

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Durham had now grown into a very prosperous and thriving community, but its citizenship was not satisfied with having purely a commercial and indus- trial town. The people felt the need of better schools and, in 1885, after a heated political campaign, bonds were voted for public school buildings and a tax levied for maintaining a public school system. Today, Durham has one of the finest public school plants of any city of its size, with physical property valued at $10,603,005, and with a personnel of teachers and management that gives it first rating among the cities of North Carolina.

XII

INTRODUCTION

Duke Hospital (for the Public) and Duke Medical School Situated on the West Campus

Airplane View Showing East Campus, Duke University, and Part of City of Durham

View of Hope Valley Country Club

XIII

INTRODUCTION

In 1892, Trinity College, now Duke University, was brought to Durham through the philanthropy of Mr. Washington Duke and General Julian S. Carr. Today Duke University has a physical plant worth $54,355,000, 5,612 students, and a 600-bed hospital, and ranks among the leading educational institutions of the nation.

As the tobacco industry grew and prospered, certain persons used some of their dividends in establishing cotton mills, and this industry soon assumed a position of importance in the industrial life of the city. Later hosiery mills were established, until today Durham ranks as the first city of the South in the manufacture of full-fashioned hosiery. Other industries were added from time to time, including flour mills, fertilizer plants, iron works, woodworking plants, printing establishments, etc., until now there are engaged in industry over 19,000 wage earners, producing $200,000,000 worth of manufactured products annually. These industries pay into the Federal treasury approximately $70,- 000,000 each year. Durham today produces 19 per cent of all the cigarettes made in the U. S.

In 1914 a program of civic improvement was undertaken, and although it was interrupted by the first World War, it has now reached the point where Durham has all the conveniences of a modern city, including complete sewer- age, asphalt streets, paved sidewalks, electric power, gas, the latest dial telephone service, Western Union Telegraph Service, American Telephone & Telegraph repeater station, insuring rapid long-distance telephone communi- cation; a fine recreation program, and a system of waterworks with an im- pounding reservoir sufficient to care for the needs of a city of 100,000 people.

Any story about Durham would be incomplete without mention of the notable contribution which the Negro race has made to the industrial, commercial and civic development of the community. The progress the race has made here has been truly amazing. Under the leadership of E. R. Merrick, and later, C. C. Spaulding, and their associates, Durham's colored people have established in- dustries, insurance companies, banks and other commercial businesses which would be creditable to any city. The labor which they furnish the city's indus- trial plants is intelligent and dependable. The high type of leaders among the colored people here has made Durham a conspicuous outpost in the advance- ment of Negro civilization.

One of the finest things about the founders of Durham is the material pros- perity merely opened to them avenues of service to mankind. It has been said that more philanthropists have been produced in Durham than in any other city of the South. Watts Hospital, of 338 beds, was a gift to the city and county by Mr. George W. Watts. Lincoln Hospital, of 148 beds, is largely the gift of Mr. Benjamin N. Duke. Duke University is a living memorial to Mr. Washington Duke and his two sons, Benjamin N. Duke and James Buchanan Duke. Other philanthropists have remembered the city from time to time in ways that help in making Durham a good place in which to live and work.

Durham is today the fourth city in North Carolina in point of population, having 89,000 inhabitants, and is second in industrial payrolls, and second in importance in the value of its manufactured products. It is far in the lead in its educational facilities, having an unexcelled public school system and Duke University within its corporate limits, and having within a radius of a few miles the University of North Carolina, Southern Baptist Seminary, Meredith College, North Carolina State College, Peace Institute and St. Mary's.

The colored people have in Durham, in addition to excellent public schools for their race, the North Carolina College for Negroes, the only college of lib- eral arts for Negroes supported by taxation in the state.

All these things have been accomplished by people not especially favored by nature, but who by their determination, unconquerable will and tireless ef- fort, and by their faith in mankind and in this community, have created a city that proudly takes its position as one of the representative cities of the new South and of America.

BRIEF FACTS ABOUT DURHAM, ALPHABETICALLY ARRANGED

Altitude: 406 feet above sea level.

Area: 21.45 square miles.

Banks: 7 commercial banks, with debits to individual accounts, $1,210,865,- 000 (1958).

Savings and Loan Associations: Year No.

1958 4 Bonded Debt: $14,561,000.

Assets

$ 64,116,779.86

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INTRODUCTION

Building Permits :

Year

No.

Value

1,952

2,046

$ 9,273,076.00

1953

1,689

7,086,659.00

1954

1,522

5,821,139.00

1955

1,141

9,849,540.00

1956

991

8,958,504.00

1957

1,031

8,924,597.00

1958

1,278

11,483,921.00

Churches: 148, representing 21 denominations. Durham is noted for its many beautiful church edifices.

City Incorporated: The City of Durham was incorporated by act of the General Assembly, ratified April 10, 1869.

Civic Organizations: Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club, Lions Club, Sertoma Club, American Business Club, Civitan Club, Exchange Club, Optimist Club, Altrusa Club, Business and Professional Women's Club, Pilot Club, Junior Chamber of Commerce, National Secretaries Association.

Climate: Equable. Annual mean summer temperature, 71.3; winter 48.3. 63 per cent sunshine days. Annual rainfall, 40.98 inches. Annual mean snow- fall, 2.6 inches. Prevailing westerly winds.

Colleges :

Duke University Enrollment

1946-47

5,121

1951-52 4,778

1947-48

4,890

1952-53 4,776

1948-49

6,882

1953-54

4,839

1949-50

5,211

1954-55 5,011

1950-51

5,018

1955-56

5,180

1956-57

5,219

1957-58

5,310

1958-59

5,612

FFET

Graduate Dormitory Tower, Duke University

INTRODUCTION

View of City Hall

....

Veterans Administration Hospital

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INTRODUCTION

There is also located in Durham the North Carolina College for Negroes, the only college of liberal arts for colored people, supported by the State, in North Carolina. Enrollment for 1958-59, 1,612.

Convention Facilities: Four hotels with total of 570 rooms. Maximum ca- pacity of lodging accommodations, 1,374 persons; capacity in excess of ordinary requirements, 700 persons. Assembly halls, capacity, 800; ballroom capacity, 500; twelve committee rooms, auditorium, seating capacity, 1,750; Armory Auditorium seating capacity, 2,500.

County: Durham County was created by act of the General Assembly in 1881, from parts of Orange and Wake counties. While Durham is not a large county, it is the center of the famous bright-leaf tobacco belt. Between 40 and 57 million pounds of tobacco are sold each year on the Durham market. Tobacco is the principal money crop, although cotton, corn and truck crops also are im- portant. Dairying has increased rapidly during the past few years. The county has good roads and splendid schools and churches. According to the 1950 U. S. Census there were 1,784 farms in the county.

Education: Durham is recognized as being one of the leading educational centers of the South. Its colleges and university, its public school system, its schools of music and business are rated among the best in the South by leading educators. (See Colleges, also Schools).

Fire Protection: Durham has a well-equipped fire department, with five stations, 116 paid men and 17 pieces of motor equipment. Value of fire depart- ment motor equipment $252,000; giving Durham first-class insurance rating.

Government: Durham has had the council-manager form of government since May 4, 1921. It is admitted to be one of the best-governed cities in the state.

Health: Durham has a well-organized board of health, with 60 employees, charged with the supervision of health conditions in the entire county. It has been remarkably successful in its work. The white resident death rate for 1958 was 7.1, colored residents, 7.7 to the 1,000. The death rate for both races was 7.3. The birth rate for white was 19.4; for colored, 24.1, total 21.0. Milk, meats, water, markets, dairies, hotels and eating places are carefully in- spected.

Hospitals: Watts Hospital (public, white) is one of the finest hospitals in the South, value, $4,786,817; 338 beds; personnel of 80 physicians and 138 nurses; endowed by Mr. George W. Watts and partly supported by contribu- tions from city and county. Lincoln Hospital (public, colored); value, $ 1,180,- 115; 148 beds; personnel of 8 resident and 90 practicing physicians, and 22 graduate and 42 student nurses; partly supported by contributions from city and county. McPherson Hospital (private-eye, ear, nose and throat); value, $120,000; 45 beds and personnel of 11 physicians and 19 nurses. Duke Hospital with 673 beds, representing an investment of more than $3,000,000 is said to be the best-equipped hospital in the world. It was opened on July 21, 1930. During 1932, the Duke Hospital Nurses' Home was completed at a cost of over $300,000. Two other nurses' homes have been added. The North Carolina Ce- rebral Hospital (palsy), has 40 beds. The State has taken over the 2,400-bed Army Hospital at Camp Butner, and this is now a mental institution. Durham also has a 500-bed U. S. Veterans medical and surgical hospital here. Durham is the chief medical center south of Baltimore.

Hotels: Durham is unusually well provided with hotel facilities. The Wash- ington Duke is one of the finest hotels in the South, having been constructed at a cost of more than $1,750,000. It has 300 bedrooms, all with bath. The Mal- bourne Hotel-200-room capacity-is a fireproof hotel. Other hotels are the McArthur; the Biltmore and Isler hotels for Negroes.

Industries: Durham is the second largest industrial center in North Carolina, its output of manufactured products being valued at $200,000,000 annually (U. S. Census of Manufactures). It has large tobacco industries, manufacturing such well-known brands as Duke's Mixture smoking tobacco, and a great many brands of cigarettes. It is the home of the Durham Hosiery Mills (manufactur- ers of hosiery and synthetic yarns), and the Golden Belt Mfg. Co. (manufactur- ers of cloth bags). There are also manufactured in Durham, Erwin and White- Star sheetings and pillow cases; Virginia-Carolina fertilizers; Occoneechee, Peerless and Climax flours; blank books, corrugated boxes, wooden boxes, castings and iron products, harness and saddles, bread, ice, mattresses, brick, building materials, proprietary medicines, furniture, roofing, meat-packing products, machinery, and hogsheads. Due to proximity to source of raw ma- terials, natural gas, cheap electric power and its transportation facilities, Durham offers unexcelled opportunities for the location of industries.

Location: Durham is situated in the geographical center of North Carolina, a few miles north of the center of population of the state. Its terrain is slightly rolling and is well drained.

XVII

INTRODUCTION

Malbourne Hotel

View at One Eleven Corcoran Street In the Heart of Durham's Business District

Newspapers: 2 dailies, 1. Sunday and 4 weeklies. Parks: 16, with total of 243 acres, valued at $1,216,900. Also 19 summer playgrounds and four 18 hole, and two 9 hole golf courses.

Payrolls: The payrolls of Durham exceed $110,000,000 annually.

Police Department: Has 116 men and 33 women, with 1 station and 32 pieces of motor equipment, all cars being equipped with two-way radio facilities. Population (U. S. Census) : City of Durham

County of Durham

1890

5,485

1890

18,041

1900

6,679

1900

26,233

1910

18,241

1910

35,276

1920

. 21,719

1920

42,219

1930

52,037

1930

67,196

1940

.60,195

1940 80,244

1950

71,311

1950

101,639

Post Office Receipts :

1946

$ 640,006.00

1951 $ 815,003.00

1947 584,333.00

1952

881,003.00

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INTRODUCTION

1948

661,413.00

1953

919,819.00

1949

751,039.00

1954 .

974,143.00

1950

777,205.00

1955

983,966.00

1956

$ 1,003,793.00

1.957

1,021,346.00

1958

1,183,755.00

Durham Public Library

DURHAM COUNTY COURT

HOUSE

Durham County Court House

Public Libraries: 7, Duke University Libraries have 1,343,768 volumes. Public Utilities: Durham has public utilities furnishing bus service, gas, telephone and electric current service. These facilities compare favorably, both in cost of service and in efficiency, with those in other cities of similar size.

Public Services:

1954

1955

1956

1957

1958

Electric meters

47,138

49,621

51,611

54,679

54,481

Telephones

31,577

33,226

34,978

36,485

38,054

Gas meters

4,823

5,243

5,721

6,018

7,051

Miles of paved

streets .

129.23

136.81

168.24

183.94

Miles of water

mains .

197.68

201.955

211.56

218

226.47

Miles of sewers

336.7

339.44

342.87

346.79

354.73

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INTRODUCTION

Number of water

meters . . 18,902 19,426 19,799 20,113 20,433 Radio Stations : 4; W D N C and W D N C-FM; W T I K, W SS B and WS R C

Recreation: Community recreation, under supervision of the Playground and Recreation Commission, supported by public taxation. Sixteen municipal parks, containing swimming pools, tennis courts, etc., nineteen summer play- grounds, and several large playgrounds maintained by industrial plants for the use of employees. Four 18-hole golf courses; 2 magnificent country clubs, tennis and gun club; college football, baseball, basketball, track, lacrosse, soccer, swimming and wrestling. The schedules of Duke University and the University of North Carolina offer Durham citizens the opportunity of seeing some of the best college teams of the nation in action. Both these universities have magnificent stadiums, that of the University of North Carolina seating 44,000 with temporary stands, while the stadium of Duke University has a seat- ing capacity of 41.,000, and 56,500 with temporary stands.

Schools: The public school system of Durham is nationally-known for its equipment, high scholastic standards and progressive policies. Croft Secretar- ial School and Kennedy's Commercial School are fully accredited class "A" institutions.

City Schools Enrollment

1947-48

9,791

1948-49

10,409

1.949-50 10,665

1950-51

11,135

1951-52

11,220

1952-53

11,503

1953-54 11,012

1954-55

12,656

1955-56

13,226

1956-57

13,643

1957-58

14,158

1958-59

14,556

Number of Schools: White, 14; colored, 9. Number of teachers, 552. Value of public school plant, $11,364,975.94.

Social Agencies: Young Men's Christian Association, Young Women's Christian Association, Salvation Army, Red Cross, King's Daughters, Board of Charities and Public Welfare. Wright Refuge for Children, Junior League, Council of Social Agencies, Association for the Blind, Family Service Associa- tion, and Duke Legal Aid Clinic.

Streets: Durham is today one of the best paved cities in the state. The white-way lighting system in the business district is admitted to be one of the best in the South. Excellent street markers.

Taxes and Valuation: As of 1958, the city of Durham had an assessed valu- ation of $178,679,206, with a city tax rate of $1.50 on the $100. The county of Durham had an assessed valuation of $317,098,374, and a county tax rate of $1.27. No property tax is levied by the State.

Television Stations: 1; W J V D Channel 11.

Theatres: 5 motion-picture theatres for white, 1 for colored. 3 drive-in theatres for white, 1 for colored. Total seating capacity in the motion-picture theatres, 5,000.

Tobacco Market: The tobacco market in Durham sold in the 1948 season, 45,541,102 pounds for $22,466,317.40 1949 season, 37,023,456 pounds for $17,949,631.94 1950 season, 43,661,544 pounds for $24,245,803.10 1951 season, 47,163,724 pounds for $25,657,065.86 1952 season, 45,429,642 pounds for $22,037,694.08 1953 season, 31,507,206 pounds for $14,789,264.30 1954 season, 40,728,718 pounds for $21,820,042.63 1955 season, 43,109,762 pounds for $22,772,071.70 1956 season, 50,728,478 pounds for $26,836,810.85 1957 season, 33,672,106 pounds for $18,102,709.75 1958 season, 36,365,316 pounds for $20,764,154.50

Transportation: Durham has five lines of railroad, radiating in seven di- rections. It has two lines of the Southern Railway, the Seaboard Air Line Rail- way, the Norfolk & Western Railway, the Durham & Southern Railway, and the Norfolk Southern Railroad. These railroads afford unusually good freight fa- cilities. Durham is on the National Highway and the Central Highway, the principal routes between the North and South and between the East and West. Excellent bus service is maintained between Durham and Raleigh, Wake Forest, Henderson, Oxford, Roxboro, Greensboro, Chapel Hill, Pittsboro, Siler City and Danville, Va. One airport owned jointly by Durham and Raleigh. City served by Eastern, Capital and Piedmont Lines.

INTRODUCTION

Water: Durham has an ample supply of pure water. An impounding reser- voir completed in 1926 stores 4,600,000,000 gallons, which, if used for no other purpose, would, at the present rate of consumption, supply the demand for a period of two years. There is no longer any danger of a water shortage. The water is excellent for domestic uses and is soft and free from iron, making it very desirable for industrial purposes.

YELLOW PAGES

DURHAM ( NORTH CAROLINA)

1960

PRO PUBLICO ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICAN

1898

Hill's Durham (Durham County, N.C.) City Directory [1960], Part 2

Author: Hill Directory Company. Publication date: 1960 Publisher: Hill Directory Co. Number of Pages: 1406

Author: Hill Directory Company.
Publication date: 1960
Publisher: Hill Directory Co.
Number of Pages: 1406