Durham celebrates the past 150 years and looks forward to the future

Durham, NC- Durham 150 is a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the City of Durham’s incorporation. From 1869 until now, the City of Durham has undergone massive change filled with successes and shortcomings. 

Opening ceremonies began on Saturday April 13. From then until closing ceremonies on November 2, Durham 150 will hold more than 150 events geared towards community members. According to the press release, each event will fall under one of the four pillars of Durham: history & education, innovation & entrepreneurship, social equity & robust democracy and arts & leisure. Durham 150 highlights all of the good and bad that has occurred over the last 150 years in hopes of reflecting on the city’s history in its totality. 

The Past

One of the most important moments in Durham’s history begins with its roots in tobacco. In 1890 the American Tobacco Company (ATC) was founded by J. B. Duke through the merger of several tobacco companies. At one point they produced more than 90 percent of the cigarettes in the United States and were one of the original 12 members of the Dow Jones. 

Tobacco played such a pivotal role in Durham’s culture that Durham’s first baseball team was named after tobacco. 

The Tobacconists, now the Durham Bulls, played their first game on April 24, 1913. To celebrate their roots, the Bulls wore throwback Tobacconists uniforms on Saturday. They will wear these uniforms five times throughout their 2019 campaign. 

Quinton McCracken, third base coach for the Durham Bulls, attended Duke University during his playing days. He recognized the honor that it is to be a part of the 150-year celebration as a member of the Bulls organization. 

“It means a great deal to be able to represent the city, the rich tradition the city has as far as the tobacco industry, the cash crop that helped build this city,” McCraken said. 

McCraken graduated from Duke and spent most of his years away from Durham bouncing between major and minor league teams after being drafted in 1992. Now that he’s back in Durham full time, he can appreciate the change the city has undergone. 

“The remarkable growth, the various industries that are calling Durham home … just to see the remarkable growth these past decades is quite eye popping,” McCraken said. 

The Present 

Durham 150 kicked off on a somewhat somber note. 

Early in the week a gas explosion resulted in the death of a Durham coffee shop owner and 25 other wounded Durham residents. Before the kick-off event took place, Mayor Steve Schewel shared his thoughts about the events that transpired earlier. 

At the event, Schewel said that two sets of emotions went off in his head as soon as he heard about the explosion. The first was the sense of tragedy and loss for the person who lost their life in the explosion. The second was the sense of pride and gratitude for the first responders who did their best to limit the damage done by the explosion. 

The Future

Mayor Schewel acknowledged the challenges the City of Durham will face over the next 150 years. 

“We are a very prosperous community right now,” Schewel said. “Our big challenge is to make sure that everyone is able to share in our newfound prosperity." 

Schewel acknowledged that currently about 20 percent of Durham’s residents, mainly people of color, aren't seeing the benefits of new developments. He is excited to use Durham 150 as a platform to find solutions through discussions and debates. 

“We need to make the city we love a city for all,” Schewel said. 

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