Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-01-17

| CllaG lite 6DONc itSt uOeS not pIctttnt 10
be full one for the reason that it was
made up on the spur of the moment by
two or three gentlemen who happened
to be i'll casual conversation.
Tomorrow / will write another let
ter as to the present condition of the
village.
Chapel Hili-Its Decay s1rhc Old
Hetcl-The Episcopal Church-The
Former Residences of the Eacul.
ty-Mfss Nancy Hilliard-Presi-
dent Pool and Sheriff lsuthrie-Old
Acquaintance and Recent Re.
cOllectiOns-TheC hurches-Dr. No.
vember, Dave Barham and Tom
Jones.
CHAPEL HILL, January, It'll, 1873.
My Dear Journal As Il conse
quence of the diminution in the popu-
lation of this village, the stores that
made the students trade a specially
soon closed, leaving the business of the
town in the hands of those merchants
who had looked more especially after
| the country trade. There are now only
three dry goods stores open here and
| one drug store. There are seven other
large ones and several smaller ones
| that then were also needed to do the
business of the place that are now shut
| up and without tenant, and that too
| on Main street between the old
Num- corner and Governor SWANS
| house. On three of these buildings
| there were outside stairways to get to
| the upper stories. These stairways
have rotted and fallen away until they
seem to hang by the merest shreds,
though the buildings are but little
over a dozen years old. Along this
same street and between the points
named, with 8 few exceptions, the fences
have fallen down and so remain or have
been patched up with odd pieces of
plank of every conceivable size and
shape. The dwelling hol.:es that are
not occupied have scarcely q pane of
| glass left in the windows. OF those
that ale occupied, some, at least one,
| large two story house, have the broken
i pares stuffed with old rags to keep ont
| the wind and rain. The old rtotel,
| where Miss Nancy Hilliard ruled over
"the boys" for so many years, seems
almost ready to fall to pieces. The
Episcopal Church, for the building of
| which the venerable Bishop Green
| spent so much time and labor in secl-
ring the funds, is nailed up. Fisk P.
Brewer, or rather his family. occupy
the residence that formerly was occr,-
pied by DIR. Wheat, and afterward by
Professor Kimberly. Governor Swain s
house is occupied by Mr. Harris, late
an Internal Revenue officer. Professor
letters house is occupied by Nat
King. Mr.. Gattis occupies Professor
Martins house. DIR. Phillips house
is vacated. Wash Davis occupies Pro-
lessor Smiths house, and Mr.. McIver,
the Superintendent of Public Instruc-
ton, and late Professor under the
Pool dynasty, lives at DIR. Mitchells
old home
Mr.. Brewer has Just left here, having
recently come home from some part of
Greece, where he represents the United
States Government rs Consul. or in
some other capacity. 1t is long way
to come from Greece to Chapel Hill. to
spend Christmas, or for any other pnr-
pose bnt L suppose that he got leave
of absence from President Grant, and
that it is all right under the new style
of Civil Service Reform.
None of the houses referred to pay.
we suppose, more than IL nominal rent,
as there are SO many vacant residences
here that the owners are glad to have
them taken care of, and the taxes paid
on them without rent. 1t is said
that there are not more than four
houses in the village that would
bring more than fifteen dollars in
cash, If put up at public auction,
and not even then, unless bought by
the present owners, and yet there are
probably more desirable residences in
this place than III any village of it's
size in the State of North Corolina
[ called to see Miss Nancy billiard
for few moments this morning She
now occupies the new part of the
old Hotel, having recently returned
from Raleigh, where she had charge of
the Exchange Hotel. She says she
would rather live here, on bread and
water, than anywhere else in the world
in ease and luxury. When she came
back here she found herself without
house or home. 1t seemed that some
time ago her new house, "The Crystal
Palace, as it used to be called, was
sold under execution, and that the
Reverend Solomon Pool bid it off at
some absolutely low figure, the in
tended sale being bnt little known, /
somehow or other, and occurring at
Hillsboro'. One hundred and fifty-six !
dollars, we think, is the sum named as
the amount paid by Mr.. Pool. The /
house contains eight large rooms and
basement story, and stands upon lot
of nearly two acres Of ground in the !
middle of the town. learn that Pres I
ident Pool took deed for the property
and still holds it. During Miss Nan
cy's sojourn in Raleigh, Hugh B. .
Guthrie was put in possession by Pres.
ident Pool, and as Mr.. Pool was I'M
willing to eject him, Miss Nancy, after
a long life Of hard labor, found herself,
on her return here, without place
that she could call her own.
Mr. Guthrie will he remembered as
a former sheriff of this county, who
made himself at one time obnoxious to
our people during the war. One story
about him says that as Killpatricks
Bummers came in here, just at the