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Ben F. Wilson

Ben F. Wilson of Cheeks Township joined the Orange County Board of Commissioners in 1938 and attended his last meeting in November 1950 after twelve years, saying in a statement that he had tried to serve all citizens alike.

Source: DigitalNC: The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), November 9, 1950, p. 1

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Life and Orange County connections

Storylines this person is part of, in date order. Select a title to open its page or chronology entry.

Orange County's property revaluations, 1930–19631930–1963 · Orange County passed over a general revaluation of property for taxes in 1937 and postponed one in 1945, and when it hired professional appraisers, the county's valuation rose by about 89 percent. Assessors were appointed in 1930 for a 1931 revaluation. In 1937 the commissioners chose a review of the tax lists instead of a general revaluation, and in 1945 the wartime labor shortage postponed another. In 1947 a board of assessors inspected nearly every tract, and the valuation was raised. In 1952 the commissioners hired the J. M. Cleminshaw Company to revalue all property at market value, and some 40 citizens protested its values in 1954. In 1963 Associated Surveys of Greensboro began the next ten-year revaluation. Interstate 85 comes to northern Orange County, 1955–19621955–1962 · 22 events · Rebuilding US 70 to interstate standards through northern Orange County meant a road that would bypass Efland, Hillsboro and University Station, and at a 1957 hearing landowners on the new route and businesses on old Highway 70 protested. In 1956 the Highway Commission had decided to rebuild the road as a limited-access highway, with the new federal road act paying 90 percent, and federal officials approved a route south of Hillsboro. Contracts for the stretch south of Hillsboro were let in November 1957. Near the new Interstate 85 James Freeland built a motel, the General Sherman Restaurant and the county's fourth ABC store, a government liquor store, in 1960 and 1961, and in 1962 the Dixie Motor Inn.

Dated events connected with this person, in date order. See these 17 dated events in the chronology →

  1. Orange County's new board of assessors organizes to review the tax lists Under a special act of the 1937 legislature allowing a review of the tax lists in place of the general revaluation then due, the county commissioners named D. D. Carroll, E. L. Lockhart and Ben F. Wilson as assessors. Meeting first at the courthouse in Hillsboro, they chose Carroll chairman and set a hearing in every township, at the White Cross Grange Hall, Efland, Cedar Grove, Little River, Hillsboro, Eno and Chapel Hill, between April 19 and May 6. People: Dudley Dewitt Carroll, Ben F. WilsonSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, April 16, 1937, p. 1
  2. Orange County's assessors report on their countywide review of real estate values The Board of Assessors, D. D. Carroll, E. L. Lockhart and B. F. Wilson, reported to the county commissioners, sitting as a board of equalization, that after hearing complaints in every township and looking at nearly every parcel they had raised assessments by an average of about 2 per cent, counting new buildings, and lowered some that were out of line. The board had begun in April in the White Cross neighborhood and put Chapel Hill property at 65 to 70 per cent of market value. People: Dudley Dewitt Carroll, Ben F. WilsonSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, July 30, 1937, p. 3
  3. Chapel Hill aldermen keep the town tax rate at $1.65 At their monthly meeting the aldermen set the 1937 town rate at $1.65 per $100, the same as in 1936, after the board of assessors raised total assessments in the town to $3,255,000. The operating share of the rate fell 1 cent and the school levy rose 1 cent. People: Dudley Dewitt Carroll, Ben F. WilsonSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, August 13, 1937, p. 1
  4. Orange Democrats nominate Carl Durham, J. Ed Laws and Ben F. Wilson for county commissioners In a primary fought between two informal slates, Ben F. Wilson (2,213), Carl T. Durham (2,201) and J. Ed Laws (2,071) won the three Democratic nominations for the Orange County board, defeating incumbent Dr. S. A. Nathan (1,492), Robert O. Forrest (1,360), T. J. Wilkerson (1,040) and James H. Whitted (186). People: Carl T. Durham, S. A. Nathan, Ben F. Wilson, Robert O. ForrestSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, June 10, 1938, p. 1
  5. Orange County Democrats sweep the county offices In the general election every Democratic candidate in Orange County won by a wide margin: S. W. Andrews was re-elected register of deeds, 2,146 to 475, S. T. Latta Jr. was elected sheriff, A. W. Kenion clerk of court and Grover C. Bivins treasurer, and Collier Cobb Jr., J. Ed Laws and Ben F. Wilson county commissioners. Roland McClamroch of Chapel Hill won the House seat over W. H. Sparrow, John W. Umstead Jr. and Joseph H. Warren the two Senate seats, and Carl T. Durham carried the county for Congress 1,966 to 199 over write-in candidate Oscar Barker. People: Collier Cobb Jr., Samuel Weldon Andrews, Roland P. McClamroch, John W. Umstead Jr., Ben F. Wilson, Alonzo W. Kenion, Samuel T. Latta Jr.Search the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, November 11, 1938, p. 1
  6. Orange Democrats choose John W. Umstead Jr. for the state House and keep their county commissioners In the Democratic primary John W. Umstead Jr. won the nomination for the House with 2,085 votes to 993 for Roland McClamroch and 418 for Raymond Stainback, losing only the South Chapel Hill precinct. Commissioners Collier Cobb Jr., J. Edd Laws and Ben F. Wilson were renominated over Dr. S. A. Nathan, and Orange gave Congressman Carl Durham 2,991 votes to 422 for his three opponents. People: Collier Cobb Jr., S. A. Nathan, Carl T. Durham, Roland P. McClamroch, John W. Umstead Jr., Ben F. WilsonSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, May 31, 1940, p. 1
  7. Orange County's officers face no opposition in the Democratic primary C. A. Bivins, chairman of the county board of elections, announced that every county officer would run again without a primary opponent, so the clerk of court, sheriff, register of deeds, coroner, board of education and county commissioners would stay in office. John W. Umstead, Jr., was also unopposed for the county's seat in the state house. People: Houston J. Walker, Collier Cobb Jr., Samuel Weldon Andrews, Ben F. Wilson, Kemp S. Cate, James S. Compton, Alonzo W. Kenion, Samuel T. Latta Jr., Charles W. StanfordSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, April 24, 1942, p. 1
  8. Orange County commissioners vote to buy $25,000 in war bonds At their regular monthly meeting, with Ben F. Wilson of Mebane presiding in the absence of chairman Collier Cobb Jr., the county commissioners voted to invest $25,000 in war bonds. S. A. Johnson, trustee of the county road sinking fund, reported that the county held $116,500 in bonds and that the fund stood at $156,244.15. People: Ben F. Wilson, S. A. JohnsonThe News (Chapel Hill), February 17, 1944, p. 1
  9. Orange County votes Democratic in the 1944 general election With 13 of 16 precincts reporting, Orange gave Roosevelt nearly three votes to one over Dewey, and only the Caldwell and Rock Springs precincts went Republican for president. W. Dennis Madry beat Alan T. Garrison for the state Senate, J. W. Umstead Jr. kept his House seat, clerk Edwin M. Lynch was reelected, and commissioners Collier Cobb Jr., Ben F. Wilson and H. G. Laws won new terms. People: Collier Cobb Jr., Edwin M. Lynch, John W. Umstead Jr., Ben F. Wilson, Hubert G. LawsSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), November 9, 1944, p. 1
  10. Commissioner Ben F. Wilson asks the school board to route buses to the Mebane school A delegation of Orange County people living near Mebane, whose case was put by county commissioner Ben F. Wilson, asked the county board of education to arrange school bus routes so that their children could attend school in Mebane. The board said it would recommend changes in the routing.Search the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), August 8, 1946, p. 1
  11. Orange County Democrats sweep the 1946 general election In a vote of about 2,500, Democrats won every county office: Sheriff S. T. Latta beat Luther Parker 1,892 to 845, John W. Umstead beat J. R. Evans for the House 1,881 to 697, and Collier Cobb Jr., Ben F. Wilson and H. G. Laws were elected commissioners. Coroner H. J. Walker led the ticket with 2,018 votes and James Webb of Hillsboro was elected state senator. People: Houston J. Walker, Collier Cobb Jr., Carl T. Durham, Edwin M. Lynch, Ben F. Wilson, Samuel T. Latta Jr., Hubert G. LawsSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), November 7, 1946, p. 1
  12. Orange County voters return the incumbent board of commissioners in the Democratic primary In the May 29, 1948, Democratic primary, the largest primary turnout in years, Orange voters renominated commissioners Collier Cobb Jr., Ben F. Wilson and H. G. Laws, who had run as a team, over M. L. (Steve) Allison and T. J. Wilkerson. Allison led until the two Chapel Hill boxes reported; the county also gave Kerr Scott its vote for governor and Carl T. Durham a majority of 1,963 for Congress. People: Collier Cobb Jr., Ben F. Wilson, Hubert G. LawsSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), June 3, 1948, p. 1
Show all 17 dated events
  1. Orange County casts its largest presidential vote and returns the Democratic ticket Orange voters cast 5,843 votes for president, the most in the county's history: 3,523 for Truman, 1,813 for Dewey and 362 for Thurmond. Kerr Scott, J. Melville Broughton, Carl Durham, State Senator James Webb, Representative John W. Umstead and Commissioners Collier Cobb Jr., Ben F. Wilson and H. G. Laws all won easily; the county was one of 29 to favor raising legislators' pay and voted against the amendments on debt limits and property taxes. People: W. Kerr Scott, Collier Cobb Jr., Ben F. Wilson, Hubert G. LawsSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), November 11, 1948, p. 1
  2. County commissioners back a bill giving them power over beer licenses Unhappy with lax beer dealers, the Orange County commissioners approved a local bill for the legislature that would let them refuse beer licenses at their discretion, where the law then required them to grant any qualified applicant. They also opposed a statewide bill that would leave licensing to the state revenue commissioner. People: Collier Cobb Jr., Ben F. Wilson, Hubert G. LawsSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), March 10, 1949, p. 1
  3. Orange County turns out in record numbers for the 1950 Democratic primary About 7,000 of the county's 8,964 registered voters went to the polls, the heaviest vote on record in Orange, and gave Senator Frank P. Graham about 75 percent of their votes for the U.S. Senate. Sheriff S. T. Latta and Register of Deeds J. Ed Laws were renominated, Sim Efland unseated commissioner Ben F. Wilson, and Harry P. Breeze edged school board member Zeb C. Burton. People: Frank Porter Graham, Sim Efland, Collier Cobb Jr., Ben F. Wilson, Samuel T. Latta Jr.Search the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), June 1, 1950, p. 1
  4. Ben F. Wilson attends his last meeting after 12 years as a county commissioner Ben F. Wilson of Efland ended twelve years on the Orange County Board of Commissioners, which he had joined in 1938, at its November meeting, where chairman Collier Cobb Jr. said the county had never had a better commissioner. In a statement Wilson said he had tried to serve all citizens alike and had worked for both bond issues; Sim Efland, who beat him in the spring primary, took the seat in December. People: Collier Cobb Jr., Sim Efland, Ben F. WilsonSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), November 9, 1950, p. 1
  5. Commissioners ask the state for a bridge to keep Ben Wilson Road open across the new US 70 Former commissioner Ben Wilson asked the county board to back a bridge carrying his road, a school bus and mail route south from Mebane, over the new limited-access US 70 bypass being built with interstate funds, and the board agreed without dissent to write the State Highway Commission. The Alamance commissioners and the Mebane town board had already passed resolutions. People: Ben F. WilsonSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), July 10, 1958, p. 1

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Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Site locations from the N.C. State Historic Preservation Office survey, Open Orange, Orange County GIS, OpenStreetMap and a few other published sources named on each site’s page; town and community pins show approximate locations.

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