The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-03-26
Durham a Great
Tobacco Town
HUGE FACTORIES HAVE BROUGHT
WEAIITH-THE CITY'S INSTI-
TUTIONS.

! Durham, though not large city, is
one Of the most widely known places
in America, for its cigarettes and
smoking tobacco are sold in every
continent. Most of the business
quarter that was burned out has sur
vived from the period before 1t began
to assume the air Of a city, but be-
side the older stores are handsome
modern buildings
There are located the immense fac
tories of w. Duke, Sons & Co. the
Blackwell Bull Durham and a dozen
other plants. 1t is in the center Of
the golden" tobacco belt and millions
of pounds of leaf are sold on its ware
house floors every season, to be later
turned into smoking tobacco, cigar
cites, plug and snuff.
Fortunes Founded There.
Large fortunes have been made
there in manufacturing. and it IS a
common saving that Durham has
more millionaires than any other city
OF its size in the South" James b.
Duke, long president of the American
Tobacco company. now head of the
British American; Benjamin n. Duke,
who has made millions out of tobacco;
George w. Watts. formerly of Balti-
more, but a resident OF Durham for
many years and associated with the
Dukes in building up the tobacco in
dustry; General Julian S. Carr. former
president of the Blackwell Bull Dur
ham company. now larger banker
and manufacturer; Richard Fl. Wright
E. j. Parrish and a number OF other
men OF large wealth founded their
fortunes in Durham and a majority Of
them have handsome homes there.
Brodie l.. Duke, owner of the building
in which the fire started, is a brother
of James B. and Benjamin n. Duke.
He owns considerable property in the
business section.
Durham has a number of paiatial
residences like those of George w.
Watts. Benjamin N. Duke. John
Sprunt Hill, Julian S. Carr. e. j.
Parrish. Mrs. Morehead and j. Edward
Stage, but these are located some dis
lance from the business section, where
the fire occurred. The Duke factories,
which cover acres, are located some
distance from the scene of the fire and
the large Bull Durham plant is sew
eral blocks in distance. The large cot
ton factories, like the Erwin Mills.
Commonwealth. Durham Manufactur-
ing company. the Southern Hosiery
Mills and other factories, are located
at the edge of the city
Trinity College and Watts Hospital.
Durham has produced philanthro-
Dukes have given millions to Trinity
college, which occupies an extensive
campus, dotted with modern buildings
In the western part Of the. city. Trinity
is said to be the most richly endowed
college south of the Potomac. Mr.,
George W. Watts has erected and en-
doved a model hospital at Durham
in the planning and arrangement of
which Baltimore specialists have been
interested. He has also contributed
literally to church enterprises and
was the founder of Elizabeth college,
for women. at Charlotte, General
Julian 8. Carr and others have made
liberal contributions to education and
the church.
Advertised Around the Globe.
Durham business men have been for
two generations noted for their en-
terprise. They have always been great
enterprises ever since one tobacco
company sent a sign painter around
the world to paint it trade marks on
buildings. fences and conspicuous OBJ
jects In every country. The story ran
that he even rented space in Egypt
and painted the Durham bull on one
of the pyramids.
The way the town got it's start is
interesting 1t was there that, at the
close OF the War Between the States.
General Joseph F.. Johnson surrend-
cred to General William T. Sherman.
Before the surrender both armies
were quartered in the vicinity: they
got to smoking the leaf tobacco raised
by the neighboring farmers, and when
the Confederates went. South and the
Federals returned to their home 10 the
North they spread the fame of the
golden lear tobacco. When they
sent back for fresh SUPPLIES the people
began to make smoking tobacco, lit
tie at the time. to supply the demand.
William r. Blackwell, Washington
Duke and others grasped the oppor-
tunity and in twenty years the little
railroad station near which johnson
and Sherman met had become lively