Chatham Historical Museum

Chatham Historical Museum We follow Chatham County Schools weather closings. Comments that contain political commentary, advertising, or personal attacks will be deleted without notice.

OPEN Wednesday and Friday, 11AM - 4PM
Open Thursday 11:30 - 4PM
Open Saturday* noon - 4PM
*Closed first Saturdays all year
Open First Sundays April - December noon-3PM
See calendar for holiday closings. The Chatham Historical Museum is an all-volunteer effort, welcoming visitors from near and far to stop, stay a while and soak up the history of the county. Learn more on our webpage -- https://cha

thamhistory.org -- about planning a visit, what to see, learning experiences, the museum history, how you can help. The Chatham County Historical Association supports the free exchange of ideas here on our Chatham Historical Museum page. The views expressed in comment fields reflect those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCHA. However, we moderate this page and reserve the right to remove comments, posts, photos, or any content that is derogatory, obscene, or off topic. Multiple violations of these guidelines may result in the commenter being blocked from making future comments on our page. Comments posted on our page may be used by us for noncommercial educational or promotional purposes. Our page is a public site. Please do not post personal or other information that you would not want the public to know, and do not post what is not yours to post.

This is not the Bynum mill you remember! Odell Manufacturing Company of Bynum. The original frame structure pictured her...
09/07/2026

This is not the Bynum mill you remember! Odell Manufacturing Company of Bynum. The original frame structure pictured here was built in 1872 by two brothers-- Luther and Carney Bynum. It is said to have been the county's first important cotton mill. (The second, which operated longer, was the Hadley Peoples mill in Siler City.) In 1886 the Bynums sold the mill to J. M. Odell of Concord, NC. This building burned in 1916 and about a year later, a brick mill was constructed. The mill provided employment for the mill village of Bynum until it closed in 1981.

The photo of the mill workers is from 1915.

If you have photos of either of the old Bynum mills, please share them with us! Post here in comments or email them to [email protected]

More about the Bynum Mill can be found here:
https://chathamhistory.org/resources/Documents/PDFs/ResearchArticles/BynumCottonMillinWorkersWords.pdf

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TODAY, SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 6Everything You Should Have Learned in High School about the US Constitution (and probably didn'...
09/06/2026

TODAY, SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 6
Everything You Should Have Learned in High School about the US Constitution (and probably didn't)

Presenter: Courtney Smith

Sunday, September 6, 2026 ~ 2pm
Historic Chatham County Courthouse, Pittsboro

Why was the American Constitution written? What are the basic powers provided and forbidden to the government? How was the Constitution ratified? Why did North Carolina resist? What was Hillsborough’s role in the process? Find the answer to these questions and more in this presentation by Orange County Historical Museum Exhibits Coordinator Courtney Smith. No homework, no tests.

Our speaker, Courtney Smith began her professional career teaching US Government and World Geography in the Richmond, VA metro area. After returning to school for a Master's in Public History, she moved to Hillsborough in February 2020 and became the Exhibits and Programs Coordinator for the Orange County Historical Museum. Smith is also a writer of historical fiction. Nine of her plays have been produced and her three novels have all received excellent reviews by Kirkus Reviews. Her most recent book, The Hammer: Tales of Edward I was published in October 2024.

Please join us for this program in our Semiquincentennial event series. The program is free and all are welcome!

We're not the only ones interested in Chatham County history, and others are doing a great job of documenting and sharin...
09/06/2026

We're not the only ones interested in Chatham County history, and others are doing a great job of documenting and sharing some interesting things. Here's a link to posts by Small Town NC about the community of Gulf in Chatham. Enjoy! And add what you can!

Shortened link since the long one didn't work for some people: bit.ly/Gulf

Long link:
https://www.facebook.com/profile/100077576773821/search/?q=gulf

Or, go to the home page and then use the search function. https://www.facebook.com/SmallTownNorthCarolina (search for Gulf)

These photos are from a cemetery near Pittsboro that was not recorded until 2020. The inscribed marker indicates that th...
09/05/2026

These photos are from a cemetery near Pittsboro that was not recorded until 2020. The inscribed marker indicates that this was the family burial ground for the Peoples family--possibly dating back to the late 1700s when the family first arrived in Chatham County. Hugh Peoples settled in Chatham County on the west side of the Rocky River prior to 1780. He acquired large land holdings in Hickory Mountain Township. His home, Bellvue, overlooked the Rocky River about six miles from Pittsboro. Info from Chatham County, NC 1771-1971. The Hugh W. Peoples buried here would be the son of John Peoples and grandson of Hugh.

The photos were taken by Francis DiNardo, who knew the cemetery location from a visit about twenty years ago. We are very pleased that he was able to locate the site and share the photos with us.

This site is on private property and access is restricted, but you can learn more about the Peoples cemetery here: http://cemeterycensus.com/nc/chat/cem261.htm

If you know of an old family cemetery that you are willing to photograph, we'll be grateful for your help. You'll be saving another little part of Chatham history!

Questions? Contact us at [email protected]

Bear Creek takes up a lot of real estate in Chatham County and we want to know more about its tributaries. Creeks provid...
09/04/2026

Bear Creek takes up a lot of real estate in Chatham County and we want to know more about its tributaries.

Creeks provide some of the only clues for property locations in early deeds. Those early records contain a lot of named tributaries of Bear Creek. Existing maps show the locations of Little Bear Creek, Sandy Branch, Harts Creek, and Flaggy Branch.

But a search of a database of abstracted deeds (created by Mark Chilton) also reveals 19 other named tributaries of Bear Creek which do not appear on any maps that he can find. If you have knowledge of any of these tributaries, please let us know. You'll be helping Mark and others who hope to locate their Chatham ancestors' properties.
Patricks Branch
Pine Poal Branch [Pine Pole Branch?]
Rocky Branch
Haw Branch
Great Branch [also “Big Branch” which is presumably the same thing?]
Oaky Branch
Crooked Pine Branch
High Hill Branch
Pigs Branch -- we've been given some clues for this one.
Dunlaps Branch
Sall Youngbloods Branch
Ashe Branch
Rokke Nole Branch [Rocky Knoll Branch?]
Gum Branch
Joel Barker’s Spring Branch
Camp Branch
Long Branch
Watery Branch
Horse Branch

The Bear Creek deeds and land grants also reference Poplin’s Ford, Raccoon Ford and Beach Spring -- all of which would be interesting to locate on a map as well.

Please help if you can! Comment here or contact us at [email protected].

You can see Jim Wiggins' effort to map Chatham's waterways here:
https://chathamhistory.org/waterways-new

The opening of Chatham Hospital in Siler City was celebrated on 11 June 1950.The original Chatham Hospital opened in a t...
09/03/2026

The opening of Chatham Hospital in Siler City was celebrated on 11 June 1950.

The original Chatham Hospital opened in a two-story brick house in 1937 (behind the new hospital in the photo below). A new multi-story building was constructed in 1950 with a major addition and patient wing completed in 1968. The last addition was a new emergency department built in 1997. Much of the financing through the decades came from generous donations from corporations and citizens within the community, as well as more than 60 years of support by the Siler City Rotary Club. Chatham Hospital affiliated with the UNC Health Care System in 2008 and the new Chatham Hospital opened on Progress Boulevard, in the Central Carolina Business Campus in Siler City.

The 1950 hospital building was vacant from 2008 to 2018, when it was sold and demolished to make way for 52 new townhomes.

Thanks to Duane Hall for these photos from his Siler City collection.

This old-fashioned flower--most often called spider lily--is blooming now in Chatham County. We sometimes find these in ...
09/02/2026

This old-fashioned flower--most often called spider lily--is blooming now in Chatham County. We sometimes find these in the yards of old homesteads that were abandoned decades ago, as well as in cemeteries. Look for more over the next few weeks.

Traditionally, these are called spider lily because, well, you can see why--and hurricane lily because they come up after a rainy spell during hurricane season. Others refer to them as naked lady lilies or magic lilies-- because the naked flower stalk comes up and the blossoms open before the green leaves appear. The Latin name is lycoris radiata.

Do you remember any of these from your granny's garden? What other old-fashioned flowers are Chatham County favorites?

Many Chatham and Alamance families are mentioned in this interesting article about the early furniture of the Cane Creek...
09/02/2026

Many Chatham and Alamance families are mentioned in this interesting article about the early furniture of the Cane Creek Settlement. Names include Hanner, Siler, Clark, Pyle, Allen, Foust, Wells, Hadley, Lindley, Cox, Woody, Piggot, Cloud.

https://www.chipstone.org/images.php/753/American-Furniture-2016/The-Early-Furniture-of-North-Carolina%E2%80%99s-Cane-Creek-Settlement.

Note: To see photos of the furniture referenced in the article, click on the figure number and the image will display to the left.

Earthquake rings bell in Chatham Courthouse!On 31 August 1886, at 9:50pm, some Chatham residents felt the largest earth...
09/01/2026

Earthquake rings bell in Chatham Courthouse!

On 31 August 1886, at 9:50pm, some Chatham residents felt the largest earthquake ever recorded on the east coast of the United States. Its center was Charleston, SC, pictured here, where it destroyed homes and other property, leaving as many as 150 dead in that city alone. Registering between 6.6 and 7.3 on the modern Richter scale, the quake cracked chimneys and plaster walls across North Carolina.

The Chatham Record reported on 2 Sept 1886 that at least three shocks were felt in Pittsboro. The first was said to be quite violent, with houses shaking as though they might fall to pieces. The bell in the courthouse cupola rang from the vibrations. Not surprisingly, the event caused great fright.

Click on the images to enlarge.

Our Next Siler City History Club Meeting will be held onThursday, September 3, 2026 ~ 10:30 - 11:30at the Siler City Cen...
08/31/2026

Our Next Siler City History Club Meeting will be held on
Thursday, September 3, 2026 ~ 10:30 - 11:30
at the Siler City Center for Active Living
112 Village Lake Dr., Siler City

Everyone is invited to listen and learn or share at these informal meetings intended to help us preserve Siler City’s colorful history. Bring a friend!

Questions? Contact [email protected]

Address

9 Hillsboro Street
Pittsboro, NC
27312

Opening Hours

Wednesday 11am - 4pm
Thursday 11am - 4pm
Friday 11am - 4pm
Saturday 11am - 4pm

Telephone

(919) 542-6222

Website

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