From a Dirt Road to a Destination: A History of Franklin Street

Main streets have been a hallmark of Southern towns for generations. In Chapel Hill, Franklin Street has been the main thoroughfare for decades and a must-see destination. When residents welcome guests to town, they take them to eat on Franklin Street. When people want to celebrate a major Tar Heel sports victory, they gather on Franklin Street. When locals talk about “Downtown Chapel Hill,” they are referring to Franklin Street. In tribute to one of America’s most classic roads passing through a college town, we bring you this brief history of Franklin Street.

Origins

Chapel Hill was founded in 1783, long before the days of cement and road paint. The road in which the town was centered on was nothing more than a humble dirt road that ran through the trees by the future site of the University of North Carolina. In 1790, this busy trail would receive a name, Franklin Street, in honor of national icon Benjamin Franklin. When students arrived at Chapel Hill for the opening of the University in 1795, Franklin Street greeted them with newly built general stores, warehouses and rooms to lease. The road would keep this look until the turn of the 20th century, when the modern chapter of Franklin Street really started to begin.

Franklin Takes Form

The first example of Franklin Street student nightlife can be found in 1903 in a little store called Gooch’s Café. Located at the current site of Buns on the intersection of Columbia and Franklin, Gooch’s stayed open until 2:00 a.m. Back then, it was students’ only option for food with friends after a late night of studying. In 1916, Chapel Hill High School opened on Franklin Street, at the current site of Target and Carolina Square, where it would remain until 1966. With all this new traffic, Franklin Street needed to evolve and become more sustainable, so it received paving in 1921. In 1922, Carolina Coffee Shop opened as the first restaurant directly on Franklin Street. Sutton’s Drug Store opened shortly after as did the Carolina Theater, now known as the Varsity. Street staples like Julian’s, Morehead Planetarium and the Shrunken Head Boutique popped up and the Franklin Street we know today started to take form.

A Battleground for Social Justice

As the times changed in the business community through the 20th century, so did the local culture and Franklin Street found itself at the center of it. In 1960, nine African-American Lincoln High School students participated in a sit-in protest on Franklin Street’s Colonial Drug.

The nine boys were arrested and a period of civil disobedience in the fight for justice and desegregation on Franklin Street kicked off. Sit-ins and other demonstrations at segregated restaurants became more common.

In 1963, communists were banned from speaking on UNC’s campus, so the students rallied and invited those individuals to give lectures on Franklin Street. The Franklin Street Flower Ladies, a group of Black women who sold flowers to passers-by, were prohibited from conducting their business on Franklin, but with community support kept their venture going from a nearby alley. All of these struggles are memorialized at Peace and Justice Plaza, a square on Franklin Street in front of the Post Office, dedicated to the fights for justice throughout town history. Franklin Street has always been a bellwether for the mood of the town where you can take a look at Chapel Hill’s soul in times of struggle and triumph.

A Site for Student Tradition

“Rushing” Franklin Street is a nationally famous college sports tradition and a highlight for any fan who just witnessed a big UNC win. After every UNC men’s basketball national championship or a meaningful victory over the rival Duke Blue Devils, the community will converge onto the road of Franklin Street to dance, sing and jump through bonfires. It’s believed the first rushing of Franklin Street took place after the 1957 Tar Heels completed their undefeated men’s basketball season with a championship victory over Kansas. Thousands of students blocked traffic in front of Carolina Coffee Shop to celebrate and sing the school alma mater which led to a car wreck, three arrests, a large fire and a conga line lasting until 2:00 in the morning. This wouldn’t be seen again until the 1982 men’s basketball national championship with a noticeably bigger crowd, now congregating in front of Top of the Hill. The tradition to mob Franklin Street continues to this day not only for basketball victories, but also to celebrate Halloween. Whenever times are good in the Southern Part of Heaven, the place to be is Franklin Street.

Modern Franklin Street and Its Future

Today, Franklin Street is as bustling as ever. It’s still the go-to spot for student nightlife, local eats, activism, sports celebrations and more. Many stores come and go, other classics have been here since the day they opened – but all contribute to the culture and tradition of Franklin Street. Nowadays on Franklin Street you can do some shopping at Target and get a haircut at Chapel Hill Barber Shop during the day, then at night experience some high-end dining at Lantern or play arcade games at Baxter’s. Within a few doors of each other grab America’s Best Burger at Al’s Burger Shack and listen to up-and-coming musicians at Local 506 while you get your car repaired and Chapel Hill Tire – it’s all possible on Franklin Street!

The future of Franklin Street is bright, and Grubb Properties is excited to be a part of its next chapter. Construction and redevelopments are currently underway at 137 E Franklin Street, 136 E Rosemary Street and neighboring properties that will reshape downtown Chapel Hill. With support from the Town of Chapel Hill and UNC-Chapel Hill, Grubb Properties is building an innovation hub, a lab/office building, a parking deck with retail space and two green spaces. Innovate Carolina, Biolabs and Launch Chapel Hill will be among the first tenants once construction is finished.

Chapel Hill is a wonderful town that we love being a part of; when you take a walk through Franklin, soaking in the sights of the stores and the sounds of the buskers, appreciating the past while living in the present, and peeking into the future, it’s easy to understand why.