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Bridging Morgan Creek: McCauley’s and Merritt’s mills, 1793–1818

How the county court bridged Morgan Creek where the Fayetteville road crossed it: Matthew McCauley’s public mill, the bridge site, the commissioners and inspectors, the nine-to-nine vote on Tobias Rogers’s pay, Henry Merritt’s mill and toll bridge and the county’s payment to Merritt in 1818.

In briefWhere the road from Hillsborough to Fayetteville crossed Morgan Creek, the county court had to get a bridge sited, built and paid for, and the record shows how a county did public works through its court. The court fixed a site at Matthew McCauley's public mill in 1794 and named commissioners and inspectors, and after a nine to nine vote in 1797 it paid the builder, Tobias Rogers, 94 pounds in 1798. Henry Merritt later built a mill and a bridge, which the court made a toll bridge in 1811, and in 1818 it paid Merritt 195 dollars for a bridge across the creek.

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The full story

At its August term of 1793 the county court gave Matthew McCauley leave to build a grist mill on the waters of Morgan's Creek and declared it a public mill, one bound to grind for all comers at the toll the law allowed. In November 1794 the court sent a jury to view and alter the road from Hillsborough to Fayetteville where it crossed Morgan Creek at McCauley's mill, to fix on a spot for a bridge and to report to the next court. In February 1795 it named Edmond Jones, Alexander Piper and John Hogan to oversee the building of the bridge, to be let to the lowest bidder, and in May 1796 it appointed John Strain, Alexander Strain and James Strayhorn to examine the finished bridge, report whether it was built in a workmanlike way and give their opinion of the value of the work.

In August 1797 the justices split nine to nine on a motion to pay Tobias Rogers for building the bridge, so the motion failed. In February 1798 the court allowed Rogers 94 pounds, to be paid by the county trustee, the officer who held the county's money. On February 27, 1810, on Henry Merritt's petition, the court gave him leave to build a water grist mill on Morgan's Creek on his own land. On February 28, 1811 it established the bridge Merritt had built across the creek as a toll bridge, letting travelers' fees pay for it, with tolls from 20 cents for a wagon and team and 10 cents for a cart or chair down to 5 cents for a man and horse. In August 1817 the court appointed Pleasant Henderson, John Taylor, Bryant Kittrell and William Barbee to contract for a bridge at or near Merritt's mill, and on May 29, 1818 it ordered the county trustee to pay Merritt 195 dollars for building a bridge across Morgan Creek.

In the chronology

Events in this storyline, in date order. See these 10 dated events in the chronology →

  1. Matthew McCauley gets leave to build a public grist mill on the waters of Morgan's Creek The court gave Matthew McCauley leave to build a grist mill on the waters of Morgan's Creek and declared that it would be a public mill.Search the index · Mark Chilton, transcription of the Orange County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions minutes: August Term 1793
  2. The court sends a jury to alter the Fayetteville road and fix a bridge site on Morgan Creek at McCauley's mill The court appointed a jury to view and alter the road from Hillsborough to Fayetteville where it crossed Morgan Creek at Matthew McCauley's mill, to fix on a spot for a bridge across the creek, and to report to the next court.Search the index · Mark Chilton, transcription of the Orange County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions minutes: November Term 1794
  3. The court names commissioners to build a bridge over Morgan Creek at McCauley's mill The court appointed Edmond Jones, Alexander Piper and John Hogan to oversee the building of a bridge over Morgan Creek at Matthew McCauley's mill, to be let to the lowest bidder. People: Colonel John HoganSearch the index · Mark Chilton, transcription of the Orange County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions minutes: February Term 1795
  4. The court names men to inspect the new Morgan Creek bridge at McCauley's mill The court appointed John Strain, Alexander Strain and James Strayhorn to examine the bridge built over Morgan Creek at Matthew McCauley's mill, report whether it was built in a workmanlike way, and give their opinion of the value of the work at the next court. People: James StrayhornSearch the index · Mark Chilton, transcription of the Orange County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions minutes: May Term 1796
  5. An evenly divided court turns down pay for the Morgan Creek bridge The justices split nine to nine on a motion to pay Tobias Rogers for building the bridge over Morgan Creek at Matthew McCauley's mill, so the motion failed.Search the index · Mark Chilton, transcription of the Orange County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions minutes: August Term 1797
  6. The court pays Tobias Rogers for the Morgan Creek bridge at McCauley's mill The court allowed Tobias Rogers 94 pounds for building a bridge on Morgan Creek at Matthew McCauley's mill, to be paid by the county trustee.Search the index · Mark Chilton, transcription of the Orange County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions minutes: February Term 1798
  7. The court gives Henry Merritt leave to build a grist mill on Morgan's Creek On Henry Merritt's petition, the court gave him leave to build a water grist mill on Morgan's Creek on his own land.Search the index · Mark Chilton, transcription of the Orange County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions minutes: February Term 1810
  8. The court makes Henry Merritt's bridge over Morgan Creek a toll bridge The court established the bridge across Morgan Creek built by Henry Merritt as a toll bridge and set its tolls, from 20 cents for a wagon and team and 10 cents for a cart or chair down to 5 cents for a man and horse.Search the index · Mark Chilton, transcription of the Orange County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions minutes: February Term 1811
  9. The court names a committee to contract for a Morgan Creek bridge near Merritt's mill The court appointed Pleasant Henderson, John Taylor, Bryant Kittrell and William Barbee a committee to contract for building a bridge across Morgan Creek at or near Merritt's mill and to report to the next term. People: Pleasant Henderson, William BarbeeSearch the index · Mark Chilton, transcription of the Orange County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions minutes: August Term 1817
  10. The court pays Henry Merritt for a bridge across Morgan Creek The court ordered the county trustee to pay Henry Merritt 195 dollars for building a bridge across Morgan Creek.Search the index · Mark Chilton, transcription of the Orange County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions minutes: May Term 1818

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