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The first tobacco factory had opened in Durham in 1854 by R. F. Morris. 10 years later, In 1865 the armies of Union and Confederate forces collected around Durham Station as General Joseph E. Johnston negotiated his surrender to General William T. Sherman at Bennett Location at the end of the Civil War.
This started the growth of Durham's tobacco market and led the city to prosperity. By 1880 Durham's population had grown to over 2000. Textile mills began to grow along the railroad lines and banks and insurer quickly appeared as cash flowed into the community. Read This owned by males like Washington Duke began to grow.
In April 1874, Duke bought two acres near the railroad where he developed a brand-new factory marking the beginning of a big scale tobacco company which climbed rapidly to the top of the industry. Cigarette making had actually been by hand, a tiresome task done by eastern European immigrants who might roll about 4 a minute.
After some modifications it was a success and Duke and his children ended up being major players in the world of tobacco. In 1890 they merged with their four biggest rivals to form the American Tobacco Business and had a monopoly on tobacco products in the U.S.A.. When this trust was broken up by the United States Supreme Court in 1911 four major companies emerged.
Lorillard, R. J. Reynolds and the American Tobacco Business. In 1892 Trinity College transferred to Durham from Randolf County to land donated by Washington Duke and Julian Carr. Following a 40 million dollar donation by James Buchanan Duke, boy of Washington Duke, the college was relabelled Duke in 1924. In 1898 John Merrick established the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Business, the oldest and largest African-American owned life insurance company in America.
Both were found in the neighborhood of Parrish Street which soon brought in more African-American owned businesses and was understood throughout the country as "Black Wall Street." In 1910 North Carolina Central University was founded by Dr. James E Shephard as the nations' initially publicly supported liberal arts college for African-Americans.