Chronology

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1. Antebellum and Civil War · 1800–1865

2. 1813
   Founding or opening · Chapel Hill (site unknown, perhaps near Franklin Street) William Watson and William Barbee open a lumber yard

   William Watson came to Chapel Hill in 1813 to work on South Building and went into the lumber business with William Barbee. Their yard supplied much of the lumber used in village building; its site is not known.

3. 1831
   Chapel Hill Christopher Barbee turns over his home tract and blacksmith shop to his son William

   In 1831 Christopher Barbee sold his son William the village blacksmith property and the tract where he lived, with all adjacent land. He died the next year, and his will left William more land on Morgan Creek and Bolin Creek.

4. January 22, 1834
   Property or economic transaction · The Mountain (now Meadowmont), east of Chapel Hill A notice offers Christopher Barbee's livestock and household goods for sale at his late home

   Two years after Christopher Barbee died, a public notice offered his horses, cattle, corn, farm tools and household and kitchen furniture for sale at his late residence on The Mountain. His son William was the executor.

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Compiled and maintained by the Friends of the Orange County Public Library from county records, the sources named on each card, and the index’s event pages. Last updated October 2, 2026.