CARRBORO, N.C. -- The public is invited to the official unveiling of the Town of Carrboro Truth Plaque for the Strayhorn House at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1.
The plaque will be placed in front of the house at 109 Jones Ferry Road. Nearby parking is available nearby off Laurel Street.
The home is one of Carrboro’s most historically significant structures. The home was built around 1879 by Toney and Nellie Strayhorn, who were both former slaves. Home to five 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 will educate 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.
Learn more about the Strayhorns 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 ;
The Strayhorn Truth Plaque will state the following:
“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.”
Carrboro Truth Plaques
The goal of the truth plaques is to recognize Carrboro’s history while uplifting the truth and acknowledging an unjust past. This will be Carrboro’s third plaque. 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.
For more information, contact the Carrboro Communication & Engagement Department at communications@carrboronc.gov
