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Black History in Carrboro
The Strayhorn House located at 109 Jones Ferry Road is one of Carrboro’s most historically significant structures. The home was built around 1879 by Toney and Nellie Strayhorn, who were both formerly enslaved people. Home to generations of the Strayhorn name, the house stands as a testament to one Black family’s success in the midst of racial violence that consumed Orange County during Reconstruction.
The truth plaque educates readers on their journey, which included buying 30 acres of property and building a one-room log cabin in 1879. Since then, the house has been upgraded and the great-granddaughter of Toney and Nelly, Dolores Clark, still owns the house.
The Strayhorn Truth Plaque
An official unveiling of the Town of Carrboro Truth Plaque for the Strayhorn House took place on Sept. 1, 2023.
The plaque states: “Enslaved in Orange County, Toney and Nellie Strayhorn were one of the first Black families to settle in Carrboro. After purchasing 30 acres of land, they built a one-room log cabin in 1879, which has been added onto over the years. This home is a historic landmark and a testament to their faith, resilience, and determination to persevere.”
Watch the video of the plaque installation at https://youtu.be/oKZMwa9rHWE?si=KDQww0UEdlfKcwXG
Seven Generations in Carrboro
Learn more about the Strayhorn Family by watching “Seven Generations in Carrboro: A Conversation with Dolores Clark and her daughter Lorie Clark” on the Carrboro YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/xcUgT0S1EUA
In the video, Dolores Clark and Lorie Clark share their family connections throughout the community.
“My great-grandparents were pillars in the community,” Dolores Clark said. “They were really hard workers, but they thrived.”
Toney Strayhorn taught himself how to read and write and became a minister, a magistrate and one of the founders of the First Baptist Church in Chapel Hill.
“We are very proud of our legacy and the work that our ancestors and the contribution they have made to this community," Lorie Clark said.
Braxton Foushee has helped lay the foundation when it comes to equality here in Orange County -- it all began in 1960 when he sat down at Colonial Drug Store (then both a store and lunch counter) and requested to be served. Though Orange County has always been progressive for the South, this was a time when African Americans were not expected – or allowed – to dine in.
In 1961, Foushee began to work with the local labor movement in Carrboro and Chapel Hill, advocating for equal pay and fair treatment for Black residents.
Once elected as the first African American Alderman in Carrboro (1969) in a 6-1 victory, Foushee got right to work! His passion for his community helped save Carr Mill Mall when it threatened to close, and he played a vital role in getting Hank Anderson Park built. He championed many issues which impacted the Black community in Carrboro, including ensuring equitable access to paved roads, sidewalks and bicycle infrastructure. According to an interview in the Carrboro Citizen, Foushee says his proudest moment was “bringing bus lines to Carrboro” at a time when many of the roads in black communities still didn’t have paved roads. Foushee worked to get repairs made to these roads, as well as having them paved.
Foushee worked tirelessly to fight injustices against Black residents by law enforcement in the 1970s, resulting in state agencies investigating and diversifying the Carrboro Police Department in the late 1970s.
Foushee’s community service includes being a lifelong member of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP, serving on the OWASA Board of Directors from 1986-88, and a volunteer for the National Kidney Foundation for North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama for over 30 years. He has been instrumental in the redevelopment of the Rogers Road neighborhood by advocating to bring water and sewer services to that community.
Foushee continues his community service even today and currently serves on Carrboro’s Truth Plaque Task Force . The goal of the truth plaques is to recognize Carrboro’s history while uplifting the truth and acknowledging an unjust past. The first plaque, located at Carrboro Town Hall, explains Julian S. Carr’s ties to racial segregation. The second plaque is located at the site of the former Freedman School next to St. Paul’s AME Church at 101 N. Merritt Mill Road. The third plaque is located at the Strayhorn House at 109 Jones Ferry Road.
On Wednesday, March 27, 2024 the Town of Carrboro renamed Carr Street to Braxton Foushee Street to honor Foushee’s long-standing commitment to advancing civil rights and other community interests. Watch the street dedication event on our YouTube channel and read the poem "Braxton Foushee Street" written by Liza Wolff-Francis in honor of Braxton Foushee and the street dedication.
His wife Barbara continues the family’s legacy of public service, as Mayor of the Town of Carrboro.
The Town of Carrboro recognizes Braxton Foushee for his courage, sacrifices, and his continued effort to make Carrboro a more equitable place for all.
The Town of Carrboro expresses its deepest sympathy following the death of Carrboro Mayor Robert “Bob” Drakeford (April 25, 1945 - May 16, 2022).
Mr. Drakeford made history as Carrboro’s first and only Black mayor, elected in 1977 and serving until 1983. Longtime residents remember him as the young activist mayor who was elected as part of the progressive Carrboro Coalition in the 1970s.
“Mayor Drakeford brought a planner’s sensibility and a forward-looking vision to a Carrboro that was ripe for both,” Carrboro Mayor Damon Seils said. “Many of his priorities, from expanding public transportation and improving pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure to fostering a welcoming, inclusive community, are at the heart of what we in Carrboro continue to reach for today.
“I offer sincerest condolences to Mayor Drakeford’s family from the community he made a better place.”
Mayor Drakeford served as alderman from 1975 to 1977 before being elected as mayor in 1977. A graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill’s city and regional planning program, he was an advocate for public transit and cycling, and he developed valuable collaborations with other progressive Black mayors in the South during his tenure.
Mayor Drakeford held public office when the Council (then Board of Aldermen) hired Richard Knight as the town’s first Black town manager, employed from 1976-1980. And he served as mayor during the hiring of the Town’s first professional planner, who was Black. This decision helped set high standards that eventually made Carrboro more accessible to pedestrians and cyclists. He also established a loan program to encourage business entrepreneurs, and created the Carrboro Community Park, later renamed the Hank Anderson Community Park. The biggest issue during his tenure was planning the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Bus System.
The Town of Carrboro will remember Mayor Drakeford for his service to the community, for his courage and dedication, and for laying the foundation for an inclusive community.
An obituary has been published at https://www.richardbolesfuneralservice.com/obituary/DrRobert-DrakefordPhD