Orange County Historical Museum

The Orange County Historical Museum is proud to be a valuable resource for education and enjoyment for Orange County residents, and a tourist destination for visitors to Hillsborough and Orange County.

News

A Sense of Place, a history of architecture in Hillsborough

Eudora Welty often wrote about a ‘sense of place.’ She defined it as a profound relationship to a particular house or land – one that offers countless stories and reflects a sense of how to live.

From May 15th to August 15th, in collaboration with architect Fred Stewart, the Museum will present Hillsborough’s historical architecture with a focus on preservation and restoration, while presenting the history and heritage of the Hillsborough community.

A number of historic structures will be featured, such as the Methodist Church, Masonic Hall, St Matthew's Church and the Colonial Inn, pictured below. The exhibit will highlight major architects, builders and designers responsible for Hillsborough's classical look and its most recognizable homes and buildings.

Featured Artifact of the Month: The Wall/Collins Quilt, c. 1883

The story behind this Victorian Era Crazy Quilt is a sad one about a woman, who we only know as "Miss Collins," and the love of her life. We think some time in 1882 she met and fell in love with a young, college educated man from Virginia. It is obvious by the young boy's offer of marriage that the couple were very much in love with each other. Wedding plans were in full swing when suddenly the young man fell ill with consumption (tuberculosis).

While he recovered the bride-to-be sat by his bedside and along with his mother and sister. While they nursed the boy back to health, his mother and sister worked on stitching a quilt. The young man would suggest things which could be sewn onto the quilt, such as flowers, strawberries, the dates of his birth and graduation from University of Virginia, his fraternity pin and ribbons to the 1883 Democratic convention. But the young man did not get better and died. The mother of the boy gave Ms. Collins the quilt. It was handed down to her daughter, Rebecca Wall.

This quilt is one of the museum's artifacts that tells a story which touches us all but sadly the deteriorating condition of the quilt won't allow us to display it without stabilization. The colors are fading and many of the fabrics, especially the silks, have deteriorated.

If you would like to help conserve this artifact please contact Director Brandie Fields at (919) 732-2201 or director@orangenchistory.org