Chronology

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1. Antebellum and Civil War · 1800–1865

2. 1854 to 1858
   Chapel Hill Richard H. Battle teaches at the university as a tutor

   After graduating with first honors in 1854, Richard H. Battle stayed in Chapel Hill as a tutor of mathematics and Greek until 1858, reading law with his father, the law professor William H. Battle, and serving on the vestry of the Chapel of the Cross.

3. 1855 commencement
   Life event · Chapel Hill Richard H. Battle hosts the first class reunion dinner on record

   At the 1855 commencement Richard H. Battle of the class of 1854 gave a dinner for all his returning classmates. Battle calls it the first class dinner recorded in the public prints.

4. Reconstruction and the New South · 1866–1899

5. 1890
   Publication, speech or performance · Chapel Hill William James Battle publishes a register of the Dialectic Society

   The Dialectic Society catalogue, edited by William James Battle, was published in 1890. Its 168 pages hold a history of the society, members' recollections and sketches of members since 1795.

6. 1891 commencement
   Chapel Hill Trustees elect Richard H. Battle secretary and treasurer of the university

   At the 1891 commencement meeting the trustees elected Richard H. Battle of Raleigh, a trustee since 1879, secretary and treasurer of the university in place of the late William L. Saunders. He held the office until his death in 1912.

7. Early twentieth century · 1900–1944

8. 1900 commencement
   Construction or physical change · Chapel Hill Julian S. Carr gives the university the Carr Building

   At the 1900 commencement the trustees accepted the Carr Building, a three-story dormitory that Julian S. Carr paid for at a cost of $18,000. It was designed by Pearson and Ashe and housed seventy-four students.

9. 1912
   Chapel Hill Richard H. Battle gives his law books to the university

   Shortly before his death, Richard H. Battle gave the University Law Library all his law books, about 500 volumes including full sets of the United States and North Carolina Reports.

10. June 1912
    Law, policy or court · Chapel Hill Trustees split the secretary-treasurer office after Richard H. Battle's death

    After Richard H. Battle, secretary and treasurer of the university, died on May 12, 1912, the trustees divided his office, required the treasurer to live in Chapel Hill, and abolished the office of bursar. Julius A. Warren became treasurer.

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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.