Additional information
by Brian Burns (Author)
Delve into the forgotten past of town and university.
Well known as a university town, Chapel Hill's rich and fascinating history dates back to the eighteenth century. Learn all about the origins of the 1,200-acre Strowd plantation and its complete transformation into a modern neighborhood. Robert Strowd was vital to the town's prosperity, growth and image. Meet aristocratic slaveholder Hardy Morgan, who grew tobacco in today's Glen Lennox area and wealthy dry goods merchant Jesse Hargrave, whose plantation home stood in today's Greenwood. Learn about Adelaide Walters, who in 1957 became the town's first female alderman, and Harold Foster, the Black high schooler who spearheaded the 1960s fight against segregation. Witness the thirteen-year controversy over fluoridating water and dig into the details of a mysterious case of cyanide poisoning on the UNC campus.
Author Brian Burns recounts lesser known tales of Chapel Hill.
Author Biography
Brian Burns grew up in Chapel Hill and attended UNC his freshman year. After graduating magna cum laude in 1983 from the School of Design at North Carolina State University, he worked as an art director for advertising agencies. As the years passed, he turned to copywriting. He got his first taste of history writing in 2006 as co-producer of The Rainbow Minute, a radio show about LGBTQ+ heroes, history and culture. He has three previous titles with The History Press: Lewis Ginter: Richmond's Gilded Age Icon (2011), Curiosities of the Confederate Capital (2013) and Gilded Age Richmond (2017). Brian currently lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, maintaining strong ties to Chapel Hill.
