Orange County, North Carolina
Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.
At a glance
SummaryThe National Register of Historic Places includes 57 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1966; 3 are also National Historic Landmarks. Most listings are in or near Hillsborough, Chapel Hill, Carrboro.
Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.
Newspapers
Library of CongressNewspaper directory data for North Carolina is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Orange titles at the Library of Congress.
National Register of Historic Places
NPS NRHP30 of 57 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.
57 listed properties
| Property | City | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Alberta Mill Complex | Carrboro | 1976 |
| Ayr Mount | Hillsborough | 1971 |
| Bellevue Manufacturing Company | Hillsborough | 2003 |
| Beta Theta Pi Fraternity House | Chapel Hill | 2005 |
| Bingham School | Oaks | 1978 |
| Burwell School | Hillsborough | 1970 |
| Cabe-Pratt-Harris House | Hillsborough | 1999 |
| Carolina Inn | Chapel Hill | 1999 |
| Carrboro Commercial Historic District | Carrboro | 1985 |
| Cedar Grove Rural Crossroads Historic District | Cedar Grove | 1998 |
| Cedar Grove School | Cedar Grove | 2020 |
| Chapel Hill Historic District | Chapel Hill | 1971 |
| Chapel Hill Historic District (Boundary Increase and Additional Documentation) | Chapel Hill | 2015 |
| Chapel Hill Town Hall | Chapel Hill | 1990 |
| Chapel of the Cross | Chapel Hill | 1972 |
| Commandant's House | Hillsborough | 1972 |
| Eagle Lodge | Hillsborough | 1971 |
| Eno Cotton Mill | Hillsborough | 2011 |
| Faucett Mill and House | Hillsborough | 1988 |
| Faucette, David, House | Efland | 1999 |
| Gimghoul Neighborhood Historic District | Chapel Hill | 1993 |
| Hazel-Nash House | Hillsborough | 1971 |
| Heartsease | Hillsborough | 1973 |
| Hillsborough Historic District | Hillsborough | 1973 |
| Hogan, Alexander, Plantation | Chapel Hill | 1996 |
| Hogan, Thomas and Mary, House | Carrboro | 2001 |
| Holden-Roberts Farm | Hillsborough | 2002 |
| Jackson, Jacob, Farm | Hillsborough | 1994 |
| Jordan, Dr. Arch, House | Caldwell | 1998 |
| Lloyd, Thomas F., Historic District | Carrboro | 1986 |
| Montrose | Hillsborough | 2001 |
| Moorefields | Hillsborough | 1972 |
| Murphey School | Hillsborough | 2009 |
| Nash Law Office | Hillsborough | 1971 |
| Nash, Arthur C. and Mary S.A., House | Chapel Hill | 2017 |
| Nash-Hooper House NHL | Hillsborough | 1971 |
| Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) Naval Armory at UNC-Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill | 2024 |
| Neville, Jeter and Ethel, House | Carrboro | 2023 |
| North Carolina Industrial Home for Colored Girls | Efland | 2018 |
| Occoneechee Speedway | Hillsborough | 2002 |
| Old Chapel Hill Cemetery | Chapel Hill | 1994 |
| Old East, University of North Carolina NHL | Chapel Hill | 1966 |
| Old Orange County Courthouse | Hillsborough | 1971 |
| Paisley-Rice Log House | Mebane | 1979 |
| Playmakers Theatre NHL | Chapel Hill | 1971 |
| Pope, Capt. John S., Farm | Cedar Grove | 2013 |
| Ridge Road School | Hillsborough | 2023 |
| Rigsbee's Rock House | Hillsborough | 1988 |
| Rocky Ridge Farm Historic District | Chapel Hill | 1989 |
| Rocky Ridge Farm Historic District (Boundary Increase) | Chapel Hill | 2008 |
| Ruffin-Roulhac House | Hillsborough | 1971 |
| Sans Souci | Hillsborough | 1971 |
| Schley Grange Hall | Schley | 2020 |
| St. Mary's Chapel | Hillsborough | 1978 |
| St. Matthew's Episcopal Church and Churchyard | Hillsborough | 1971 |
| West Chapel Hill Historic District | Chapel Hill | 1998 |
| West Chapel Hill Historic District | Chapel Hill | 2019 |
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.
County formation
Newberry AHCBOrange was formed in 1752 (1752-03-31) from Bladen, Granville, Johnston.
ORANGE created from BLADEN, GRANVILLE, and JOHNSTON; western boundary limit was indefinite.
Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Population by decade
CensusOrange County population from 1790 to 2020 (Census historical series).
| 1790 | 1800 | 1820 | 1840 | 1860 | 1880 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12,216 | 16,362 | 23,492 | 24,356 | 16,947 | 23,698 | 14,690 | 17,895 | 23,072 | 34,435 | 42,970 | 77,055 | 118,227 | 148,696 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.
Cemeteries & historical places
USGS GNIS27 cemeteries and 0 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.
Cemeteries — 27 of 27 listed
| Name |
|---|
| Barbee - Hargraves Cemetery |
| Chapel Cemetery |
| Chapel Hill Memorial Cemetery |
| Cheek and Whitaker Family Cemetery |
| County Home Cemetery |
| Cresmont Memorial Park |
| Cross Roads Cemetery |
| Governor Burke Grave |
| Harmony Cemetery |
| Hillsborough Town Cemetery |
| Judea Reform Congregation Cemetery |
| Maplewood Cemetery |
| Margaret Lane Cemetery |
| McCauley Cemetery |
| Mount Moriah Baptist Church Cemetery |
| Oakwood Cemetery |
| Old Chapel Hill Cemetery |
| Old Eno Cemetery |
| Old Town Cemetery |
| Partin Family Cemetery |
| Payne Chapel AME Church Cemetery |
| Restland Memorial Gardens |
| Rosewood Cemetery |
| Sparrows Cemetery |
| Tilley Cemetery |
| Weaver Family Cemetery |
| West Chapel Hill Cemetery |
Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.
Historical markers
HMdb linkMarker text and photos from the Historical Marker Database (HMdb) are not embedded here. HMdb allows non-commercial reuse with attribution, but commercial/compensated use needs written permission; this is a commercial site, so we only link out.
Search HMdb for Orange County, North Carolina
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