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Churches and lodges

First Baptist Church (Hillsborough)

In Hillsborough. 37 dated events, 1853–1962.

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.

People in its history

People named in events about this site, ordered by number of mentions. Each example links to an entry with a source citation.

Sites linked through the same people

In the chronology

  1. The new Hillsborough Baptist church joins the Beulah Association On organizing, the Baptist congregation in Hillsborough entered the Beulah Association. It later moved to the Mount Zion Association, formed at Mount Moriah Church. Pauline O. Lloyd and Allen A. Lloyd, History of the Churches of Hillsborough, N.C., ca. 1766-1962 (1963), scan p. 30
  2. Hillsborough Baptists call their first pastor Three months after organizing, the congregation called Rev. A. Jones Jr. as its first pastor, and he accepted. The church counted 29 pastors in its first hundred years. Pauline O. Lloyd and Allen A. Lloyd, History of the Churches of Hillsborough, N.C., ca. 1766-1962 (1963), scan p. 26
  3. F. M. Jordan preaches to enslaved people in the Baptist church basement Rev. F. M. Jordan held services for enslaved people of Hillsborough in the basement of the Baptist church and married and baptized many Black members. One night his hearers gave him so much Confederate money that he carried it home in a handkerchief. Pauline O. Lloyd and Allen A. Lloyd, History of the Churches of Hillsborough, N.C., ca. 1766-1962 (1963), scan p. 30
  4. Hillsborough Baptists hold a prayer meeting called by Jefferson Davis The Baptist church gathered for prayer in response to a proclamation by Confederate President Jefferson Davis, a few weeks after North Carolina left the Union. Charles E. Maddry, History of the First Baptist Church of Hillsboro, North Carolina (1953), scan p. 23
  5. Hillsborough Baptists give their church bell to the Orange Light Artillery Meeting in conference, the Baptist church voted to hand its bell to the Orange Light Artillery so it could be melted down for Confederate cannon. After the war the church bought a replacement, sold it as unsatisfactory, and bought the bell that still hung in the belfry in 1953. Charles E. Maddry, History of the First Baptist Church of Hillsboro, North Carolina (1953), scan p. 9
  6. Hillsborough Baptists begin worshipping in the basement of their unfinished church With its building money lost in the war, the congregation appears to have moved into the basement of the new Wake Street church around 1864 and met there for some years. The builder John Berry finished the building later. People: John Berry Pauline O. Lloyd and Allen A. Lloyd, History of the Churches of Hillsborough, N.C., ca. 1766-1962 (1963), scan p. 30
  7. The Baptist State Convention meets with the Hillsborough church The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina held its session with the Hillsborough Baptist church, and townspeople of every denomination boarded the delegates. Thomas Ruffin asked in particular to host the evangelist Elias Dodson. People: Elias Dodson Charles E. Maddry, History of the First Baptist Church of Hillsboro, North Carolina (1953), scan p. 14 · Also: Hillsborough Recorder, November 4, 1868, p. 2
  8. Hillsborough Baptists dedicate their new church during the state convention The Baptists of Hillsborough dedicated their newly completed church, said to be one of the handsomest church buildings in the state, at a Sunday night service with a sermon by Rev. Thomas H. Pritchard, while the Baptist State Convention was holding its annual session in the building. People: Thomas Henderson Pritchard Hillsborough Recorder, November 4, 1868, p. 2
  9. Arbitrators settle the builder's claim against the Hillsborough Baptist church The contractor sought $1,400 plus interest from 1862 for the last payment on the church's brickwork, which the congregation said departed from the contract. Arbitrators awarded him $1,107, leaving a debt the war-weakened church had to raise money to pay. Charles E. Maddry, History of the First Baptist Church of Hillsboro, North Carolina (1953), scan p. 12
  10. Susan Washington Graham reports the Baptist church's building debt paid Susan Washington Graham, wife of former governor William A. Graham, told the church that the last of the debt on its building was settled. Much of the money came through her appeals by letter to friends after the church's building savings were lost in the war. Charles E. Maddry, History of the First Baptist Church of Hillsboro, North Carolina (1953), scan p. 23
  11. W. L. Wright comes to Hillsborough as pastor of the Baptist church The Hillsborough Baptist church called a new pastor, who arrived in late October 1880 to take charge of the pulpit. The Observer names him as the Rev. W. L. Wright, formerly of Montgomery County. Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), October 23, 1880, p. 3
  12. W. L. Wright resigns the Hillsborough Baptist pulpit for Reidsville The Hillsborough Baptist church accepted the resignation of its pastor, Rev. W. L. Wright, who had taken a call from the Baptist church at Reidsville. He preached at Hillsborough for the last time on October 11. Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), October 3, 1885, p. 3
Show all 37 dated events
  1. C. C. Newton accepts the pastorate of the Hillsborough Baptist church The Rev. C. C. Newton accepted a call to the Baptist church at Hillsborough, agreeing to preach there on the fourth Sunday of each month, and gave his first two sermons as pastor on Sunday, January 30. Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), January 15, 1887, p. 3
  2. Eagle Lodge celebrates St. John's Day at Hillsborough with an address by Judge Walter Clark Eagle Lodge No. 71, A. F. & A. M., marched to the Baptist church, where Dr. Pride Jones installed its new officers and Judge Walter Clark gave the address before a crowd from town and country. A festival that night raised $58. People: Walter Clark, Pride Jones, Calvin E. Parish Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), July 2, 1887, p. 3
  3. Rev. G. W. Harman accepts the pastorate of the Hillsborough Baptist church Rev. George W. Harman of Rutherfordton accepted a call from the Hillsborough Baptist church. He came with his family in December, moved into the parsonage and preached his first Sunday sermon on December 16, taking charge on January 1, 1889, when Rev. C. C. Newton's pastorate ended. Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), November 17, 1888, p. 3 · Also: Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), December 22, 1888, p. 3
  4. First Baptist Church of Hillsborough repairs its church and ties the walls with rods In 1889 the Romanesque Revival brick church at 201 West King Street, which John Berry finished by 1868, was fully repaired, including reinforcing its walls with rods. People: John Berry NC State Historic Preservation Office: Hillsborough Historic District Additional Documentation, National Register (OR0077ad, 2014), 201 W. King Street (First Baptist Church)
  5. Rev. G. W. Harman resigns the Hillsboro Baptist pastorate for Monroe Harman resigned as pastor of the Baptist church at Hillsboro and preached his last sermon there in mid-May. On May 20 he and his family left for Monroe, where he had taken the Baptist pastorate. Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), May 17, 1890, p. 3
  6. Orange County Sunday School Convention meets at the Hillsborough Baptist church The county convention of Sunday schools met in Hillsborough on Saturday, March 12, with reports from 21 schools. It elected officers, with J. W. Gore of Chapel Hill as president, and named delegates to the state convention at New Bern. People: Joshua W. Gore Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), March 26, 1892, p. 3
  7. The western union of the Mount Zion Baptist Association holds its first session at Hillsborough Delegates from ten churches met at the Hillsborough Baptist church for the first session of a union of the western division of the Mount Zion Baptist Association. The local Baptist pastor presided, Rev. Mr. Cleveland of Chapel Hill preached, and the union named an executive committee and planned its next session. Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), December 2, 1897, p. 3
  8. Dr. N. H. Cobb resigns as pastor of the Hillsborough Baptist church Dr. N. H. Cobb, pastor of the Baptist church at Hillsborough for the past three years, resigned and preached his farewell sermon on Sunday night, March 26. Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), March 30, 1899, p. 3
  9. Wade D. Bostic becomes pastor of the Hillsborough Baptist Church Rev. Wade D. Bostic came to the Hillsborough Baptist Church as its new pastor, with his first services there set for Sunday, August 27. Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), August 24, 1899, p. 3
  10. Hillsborough Baptist Church ordains Robert P. Walker The church ordained one of its own, Robert P. Walker, to the Baptist ministry, the first of the ordinations the book lists for the congregation. Pauline O. Lloyd and Allen A. Lloyd, History of the Churches of Hillsborough, N.C., ca. 1766-1962 (1963), scan p. 28
  11. Charles E. Maddry resigns as pastor of the Hillsboro Baptist church The Rev. Charles E. Maddry, pastor of the Baptist church at Hillsboro and county superintendent of schools, resigned the pastorate on June 26, effective after the fourth Sunday in August, to enter the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary at Louisville. Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), June 30, 1904, p. 2
  12. Charles E. Maddry marries Emma Parker at Hillsborough Baptist Church The former pastor Charles E. Maddry married Emma Parker, daughter of church members T. B. and Penelope Parker, in the Hillsborough Baptist church. Hight C. Moore and the pastor A. C. Hamby performed the ceremony. Pauline O. Lloyd and Allen A. Lloyd, History of the Churches of Hillsborough, N.C., ca. 1766-1962 (1963), scan p. 35
  13. County school superintendent John C. Hocutt becomes pastor of Hillsborough Baptist Church The Rev. John C. Hocutt, county superintendent of schools, became pastor of the Hillsborough Baptist church, preaching there on October 13 and from January 1908 on the second Sunday of each month. On a Thursday night in October he baptized seven converts in the church pool. People: John C. Hocutt Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), October 10, 1907, p. 3
  14. Baptist pastor S. W. Oldham and his wife nurse the sick in the flu epidemic During the influenza epidemic the Baptist pastor S. W. Oldham and his wife cared for the sick of Hillsborough, a neighbor recalled in the Baptist paper Charity and Children. Pauline O. Lloyd and Allen A. Lloyd, History of the Churches of Hillsborough, N.C., ca. 1766-1962 (1963), scan p. 38
  15. First Baptist Church of Hillsborough replaces its steeple In 1924 the steeple of the First Baptist Church at West King and South Wake streets was replaced; the bell tower now carries a tall four-sided copper steeple. NC State Historic Preservation Office: Hillsborough Historic District Additional Documentation, National Register (OR0077ad, 2014), 201 W. King Street (First Baptist Church)
  16. Hillsborough Baptists resolve to build a baptismal pool in honor of Charles E. Maddry After a week of preaching by Charles E. Maddry, then executive secretary of the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board, the deacons and trustees voted to build a baptismal pool named for him and to mark it with a plaque. Charles E. Maddry, History of the First Baptist Church of Hillsboro, North Carolina (1953), scan p. 21
  17. Hillsboro stores and county offices close for the funeral of the Bivins brothers, returned war dead All stores and Orange County offices in Hillsboro closed from three to four o'clock on May 27, 1948, for the double funeral at Hillsboro Baptist Church of T-5 Carl E. Bivins and Robert P. Bivins, sons of Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Bivins, killed in France and Belgium in 1944 and brought home for burial. They were buried in the Efland Methodist Church cemetery. The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), May 27, 1948, p. 1
  18. The Rev. T. Paul Deaton resigns as pastor of Hillsboro's First Baptist Church The Rev. T. Paul Deaton offered his resignation as pastor of the First Baptist Church in Hillsboro, effective by the end of 1950, after months in which the congregation had been divided between members who wanted him kept and members who wanted him out. A statement from a deacon praised Deaton and his wife, who had come to Hillsboro from a Parkton pastorate. The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), October 5, 1950, p. 1
  19. Hillsboro Baptist Church votes to name women deaconesses At a business session on March 11 the church elected ten men as deacons and voted to name four deaconesses, which the News called the first in the church's history; they were to be elected the following Sunday. People: Charles Edward Maddry The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), March 15, 1951, p. 1
  20. Hillsborough Baptist Church ordains J. G. Goodwin Jr. J. G. Goodwin Jr. was ordained in the Hillsborough church and later went as a missionary to Korea. Pauline O. Lloyd and Allen A. Lloyd, History of the Churches of Hillsborough, N.C., ca. 1766-1962 (1963), scan p. 28
  21. First Baptist Church of Hillsborough celebrates its centennial The congregation marked its hundredth year in November 1953 under Charles E. Maddry, with its new educational building finished for the occasion. People: Charles Edward Maddry Pauline O. Lloyd and Allen A. Lloyd, History of the Churches of Hillsborough, N.C., ca. 1766-1962 (1963), scan p. 37
  22. Hillsboro High holds its first Career Day About 135 juniors and seniors of Hillsboro High spent the day at the First Baptist Church hearing local speakers on careers they had chosen, after an opening address by Roy Armstrong on planning for careers. The program was put on by the high school service committee of the Hillsboro PTA, and the students asked that it be held every year. People: G. Paul Carr The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), March 17, 1955, p. 8
  23. Charles E. Maddry publishes his autobiography Charles E. Maddry, pastor of Hillsboro's First Baptist Church and former head of North Carolina Baptist work and of the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board, published Charles E. Maddry: An Autobiography, which began with his boyhood on an Orange County farm and his walk to the Canada school in Chapel Hill, where he cut wood to pay his tuition. Phillips Russell reviewed it in the paper. People: Phillips Russell The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), June 9, 1955, p. 2
  24. Charles E. Maddry resigns the First Baptist pulpit in Hillsborough Dr. Charles E. Maddry, former executive secretary of the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board, told his congregation he would leave the pastorate of Hillsborough's First Baptist Church on April 10, his 81st birthday, saying harmony had been restored and he needed time to finish a history of the Foreign Mission Board and a life of Shubael Stearns. He had come back six years earlier for a three-month interim after a bitter split in the church and stayed to lead the building of an education wing. The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), January 10, 1957, p. 1
  25. Charles E. Maddry's funeral is held at Hillsborough Baptist Church Charles E. Maddry, pastor of the church at the start and end of his fifty-three-year ministry and former head of the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board, died on September 17 and was buried at Richmond after a funeral in the Hillsborough church. Pauline O. Lloyd and Allen A. Lloyd, History of the Churches of Hillsborough, N.C., ca. 1766-1962 (1963), scan p. 37

Open these in the chronology →

Indexed works

The index has no works about First Baptist Church itself yet. The surveys and maps below cover where it stands. Search the index for First Baptist Church, or tell us about a book or record we have missed.

Surveys and maps of the area

Not about First Baptist Church alone: the architectural surveys that cover its town or the county, and maps drawn while it stood. Several of the surveys can be read free online at NC Digital Collections.

Hillsborough architectural survey

Slane, Heather Wagner · 2017 · hmwPreservation

Survey of Hillsborough's historic buildings by Heather Wagner Slane of hmwPreservation, completed in September 2017. The 40-page report covers the town's architecture and history with color illustrations and maps.

Included because: A survey or map of the town or county where the site stands.

NC Cardinal NC Digital Collections DPLA

NC Digital Collections record courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Time in place, place in time : history and sense of place in Hillsborough, North Carolina

Warren, Cheryl Davis · 2005

Cheryl Davis Warren's 2005 study of history and sense of place in Hillsborough, 216 leaves with illustrations, maps and a bibliography. Written as human geography, it treats the town's past alongside its social conditions and the ways residents understand where they live.

Included because: A survey or map of the town or county where the site stands.

UNC

Plan of the town of Hillsboro, taken in October 1863

1863

Plan of Hillsborough drawn in October 1863, showing the downtown blocks around the crossing of Tryon and Churton Streets, with the Eno River, spelled Enoe on the sheet.

Included because: A survey or map of the town or county where the site stands.

DigitalNC DPLA

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Hillsboro, Orange County, North Carolina.

1905

Fire insurance map of Hillsborough, spelled Hillsboro, drawn by the Sanborn Map Company in January 1905 on two sheets, from the Sanborn Maps collection.

Included because: A survey or map of the town or county where the site stands.

Library of Congress Digital Collections

Birdseye View of Hillsboro, N.C. Looking East

1905 · A. C. Bosselman & Co., New York, N.Y

Bird's-eye view of Hillsborough looking east, with houses and industrial buildings, on a postcard published by A. C. Bosselman & Co. of New York about 1905 to 1915. Card number 11116.

Included because: A survey or map of the town or county where the site stands.

DPLA

Found a book OCPL doesn’t own? You can often borrow it through interlibrary loan at OCPL.

Start at OCPL

    Where to look on the shelf

    These books don’t necessarily mention First Baptist Church, but they cover where it stands, its kind of building and the land, family and burial records behind it, and they are where a search for a place like this usually goes next. All are at OCPL, most in the Wall Collection.

    Histories of the town and county

    • Start here · NC 975.656 LLO History of the Town of Hillsborough, 1754-1982 Lloyd, Allen Alexander · 1983

      A 1982 revision of Allen Alexander Lloyd's history of Hillsborough, now written with Pauline O. Lloyd and carried forward from the town's founding in 1754 to 1982. Published in Hillsborough by A. A. Lloyd, 310 pages with illustrations and a bibliography.

    • Rebecca Wall Collection · NC 975.656 HOLADAY Hillsborough Holaday, Chris · 2002

      J. Chris Holaday's Images of America volume on Hillsborough (Arcadia, 2002), built mostly from photographs and postcards. Chapters cover homes, churches and schools, business and industry, local people, scenes around town, and sports, entertainment and events.

    • Foundational · 975.656 RYAN Orange County Trio: Hillsborough, Chapel Hill, and Carrboro, North Carolina, Histories and Tour Guides Ryan, Elizabeth Shreve · 2004

      Elizabeth Shreve Ryan's combined histories and tour guides for Hillsborough, Chapel Hill and Carrboro, the three towns of Orange County, with the University of North Carolina treated alongside Chapel Hill. Each town gets a narrative history and a tour of its streets and buildings. Published by Chapel Hill Press in 2004, 369 pages with illustrations and maps.

    Buildings and surveys

    • Foundational · NC 720.975 BIS A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Piedmont North Carolina Bishir, Catherine W. · 2003

      Catherine W. Bishir and Michael T. Southern's field guide to the historic buildings of the North Carolina Piedmont, arranged county by county from Wake and Franklin in the east to Mecklenburg and Gaston in the west. The Orange County section takes in Hillsborough, Chapel Hill and Carrboro along with the rural county, with entries on individual buildings and maps for finding them. Published 2003, 596 pages with illustrations and maps.

    • Foundational · NC 720.975 HILLSBOR Hillsborough Historic District Inventory 2006

      An inventory of the buildings in the Hillsborough Historic District, dated 2006. It concerns historic buildings and the buildings and structures of Hillsborough. Useful for anyone checking a particular property in the town's historic district.

    • Start here · NC 720.975 BEL Photocensus: A Photographic Survey of Buildings in the Hillsborough, N.C. Historic District Built Before 1950 Bellinger, Susan McArtor · 1991

      Susan McArtor Bellinger's photographic survey of the buildings in the Hillsborough Historic District put up before 1950, self-published in Hillsborough in 1991. Arranged as a guidebook, it records houses and other structures in photographs. 142 pages with illustrations.

    Show 2 more
    • Rebecca Wall Collection · 917.565 DUL The Pelican Guide to Hillsborough, Historic Orange County, North Carolina Dula, Lucile Noell · 1989

      Lucile Noell Dula's guidebook to Hillsborough and its historic buildings, published by Pelican in 1989. It pairs a tour of the town with notes on its history, in 128 illustrated pages with a bibliography. Part of the Wall Local History Collection.

    • Start here · REF 275.6 LLO History of the Churches of Hillsborough, N.C. Ca., 1766-1962 Lloyd, Pauline O. · 1962

      Pauline O. Lloyd's history of the churches of Hillsborough from about 1766 to 1962, nearly two centuries of the town's congregations, with attention to the church buildings themselves. Published in Hillsborough in 1962, 151 pages with illustrations, maps and portraits, and a bibliography on the final page.

    Land, family and burial records

    • Foundational · NC 333.3 DUNAWAY Hillsborough, North Carolina History of Town Lots: The Complete Reference Guide Dunaway, Stewart E. · 2013

      Stewart E. Dunaway worked through Hillsborough, N.C., lot by lot, giving each town lot a synopsis of its history, a plat showing where it sits and transcripts of the deeds he could locate for it. The second issue runs to 720 pages with illustrations, maps and facsimiles.

    • Rebecca Wall Collection · NC 333.3 DUNAWAY Hillsborough, North Carolina History of Town Lots: Addendum 2015 Dunaway, Stewart E. · 2015

      Stewart E. Dunaway's 2015 addendum to his history of Hillsborough's town lots, adding deed records arranged by lot number and further town history, with the expansion of the 1890s covered for the first time. Self-published in North Carolina as version 1.0, 446 pages with illustrations, facsimiles and maps. Topics include deeds, court records, land titles and real property in Hillsborough.

    • Foundational · NC 333.3 IND An Index to the Town Lots of Hillsborough: Orange County, North Carolina 1982

      An index to the town lots of Hillsborough, Orange County, compiled in 1982 as a guide to the deeds and court records that trace each lot's ownership.

    Show 1 more

    Research sources

    Sources cited in this site’s history, National Register documents, and places to get research help. Research guide: Investigate a school or community institution.

    National Register files

    Historic sites, markers, and maps

    Records of the time 25

    Show all 25

    Collections and databases 5

    Local help 5

    Nearby

    Two mice reading back to back against a leaf, with the hand-lettered words Friends of the Orange County Public Library
    Illustration by Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell, gifted to the Friends 2026