Bartlett Leonidas Durham - Durham, NC - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

Situated on a hill within Maplewood Cemetery in Durham is a large headstone that marks the final resting place of the founder of Durham, Bartlett Leonidas Durham. Mr. Durham had initially been buried in the family cemetery of his mother however, city officials decided at a later date to move his remains and relocated them within Durham city limits. The new headstone was inaccurately engraved with the wrong middle name and dates of his birth and death. This headstone reads: 'BARTLETT SNIPES DURHAM, 1822 - 1858, FOUNDER, THE CITY OF DURHAM, COUNTRY PHYSICIAN AND PUBLIC-SPIRITED CITIZEN WHO DONATED LAND FOR A RAILROAD STATION AND THEREBY BECAME FOUNDER OF A CITY. REMAINS REMOVED FROM SNIPES GRAVE-YARD NEAR ORANGE-CHATHAM LINE AND RE-INTERRED JANUARY 1, 1934 ON THIS SQUARE SET APART FROM THAT PUPOSE BY THE CITY WHICH BEARS HIS NAME' and 'THE MERIT BELONGS TO THE BEGINNER SHOULD HIS SUCCESSOR DO EVEN BETTER'. Mr. Durham's middle name was Leonide - his mother's maiden name was Snipes. His year of birth was 1824, not 1822 and his year of death was 1859, not 1858.

Description: Bartlett Durham grew up in Orange County in the country side. His family had lived in the area for three generations. After studying under a local doctor Durham became a physician. He had purchased approximately 100 acres in the county. He also owned a store and became a representative of the North Carolina State Legislature for Orange County. In 1850 he granted a right-of-way for the railroad. A depot was constructed on the right-of-way facilitating the tobacco trade and soon the post office was relocated there. The depot became known as Durham Station and the area around the station became settled. Durham died in 1859 from pneumonia and was buried in his mother's family cemetery (The Snipes). In 1934 his remains were disinterred and relocated on a hill in Maplewood Cemetery within the boundaries of the City of Durham. The city of Durham thrived on the tobacco industry and ironically is nicknamed "The City of Medicine". As the tobacco and banking industries continued to grow other industries entered the city. Durham is the home of Duke University and The Durham Bulls. It has become a global center for information technology, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medicine. http://museumofdurhamhistory.org/beneathourfeet/people/DurhamLBartlett https://durhamnc.gov/1457/Welcome-to-The-City-of-Durham Date of birth: 11/03/1824 Date of death: 02/02/1859 Area of notoriety: Historical Figure Marker Type: Headstone Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Dawn - Dusk Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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