Chronology

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1. Revolution and early republic · 1775–1799

2. December 5, 1792
   Law, policy or court · Chapel Hill Trustees fix the university at Chapel Hill and list its Orange County land donors

   Meeting on December 5, 1792, the trustees voted unanimously to place the university at New Hope Chapel Hill and recorded nine donors of Orange County land, among them Matthew McCauley (150 acres) and William McCauley (100 acres). Each donor could have one student educated free of tuition.

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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 1, 2026.