The Carrboro Town Council has approved a Truth Plaque to be installed at the Toney and Nellie Strayhorn Homeplace located at 109 Jones Ferry Road.
The plaque will read: “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.”
An unveiling ceremony will be planned for the entire community.
The goal of the truth plaques program is to recognize Carrboro’s history while uplifting the truth and acknowledging an unjust past. The first plaque, located at Carrboro Town Hall, explains Julian S. Carr’s ties to racial segregation. The second plaque recognizes the site of a former school for freedmen next to St. Paul’s AME Church at 101 N. Merritt Mill Road.
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
