1894
Population of Hillsborough Approximately 670
Historical Context
Number of States in the US – 44
President – Grover Cleveland
1889 -- James B. Duke incorporates the American Tobacco Company and manufactures half of the cigarettes consumed in the US
1891 -- The NC General Assembly charters the State Normal and Industrial School as the first state-supported institution of higher education for women (now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro)
1891 -- Thomas Edison patents the kinetoscopic camera, which takes moving pictures on a strip of film
1891 -- James Naismith invents basketball in Springfield, MA
1892 -- Ellis Island Immigration Station begins processing immigrants
1893 -- the Duryea Brothers road-test the first American-made, gasoline-powered automobile
1893 – Pepsi-Cola invented in New Bern, NC
1894 -- Congress passes the first graduated income tax. The U.S. Supreme Court declares it unconstitutional the following year
1896 -- The United States Supreme Court rules in Plessy v. Ferguson that “separate but equal” racial accommodations are constitutional
1896 -- the last great North American "Gold Rush" begins when gold is discovered in the Yukon District of Canada
1897 – City of Chapel Hill passes legislation to officially segregate its schools
Based on a Map by the Sanborn Fire Company
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In the mid-19th century, American insurance companies began creating detailed maps to give underwriters the information they needed to assess fire risk. Among the many mapmakers was Daniel Alfred Sanborn, a civil engineer and surveyor. Sanborn began working in the field in 1866 and soon established the D. A. Sanborn National Insurance Diagram Bureau in New York City. Within several decades, his map company had become the largest and most successful in the US.
The Sanborn Company sent out legions of surveyors to map building footprints in all major urbanized areas, along with building details related to fire risk. At its peak in the 1920s, the company employed about 700 people, including around 300 field surveyors. Over time, Sanborn diversified into other mapping activities. As of 2020, it is primarily a geospatial specialist and holder of electronic GIS assets and systems; however, the fire insurance business continues as a niche department. Corporate headquarters are now in Colorado.
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Fire was a constant problem for the residents of Hillsborough. At least five fires destroyed large swathes of the business district. They occurred in 1790, 1888, 1894, and 1920. There were two especially destructive fires in 1888: one in March that consumed most of Lot 6, the other in December that destroyed much of Lot 25. Several of the businesses that were affected in March were hit again in December. The 1894 fire happened in February on Lots 25 and 35. As the gaps on the Sanborn map reveal, many buildings were lost.
A February 3, 1894 account of the fire in the Orange County Observer