Chronology

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1. Antebellum and Civil War · 1800–1865

2. about 1827
   Construction or physical change · Montrose, 320 St. Mary's Road, Hillsborough The Rev. William Mercer Green builds the first house on the land later called Montrose

   Around 1827 the Rev. William Mercer Green, rector of St. Matthew's, built the first house on land he had bought that May from William Kirkland, who had acquired it in 1821; the tract had first belonged to James Hogg. William A. Graham bought it in 1842.

3. November 1842
   Property or economic transaction · Montrose, 320 Saint Mary's Road, Hillsborough William A. Graham buys the Eno River house that became Montrose

   Senator William A. Graham bought 59 acres on the Eno River east of Hillsborough from John U. Kirkland, with the house the Rev. William Mercer Green had built there, paying $3,200 plus his town residence and three lots. Graham named the place Montrose, and his son and grandson lived there after him until 1977.

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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 4, 2026.