Summary

In Chapter 1, Osha Gray Davidson describes the transformation of the city of Durham, North Carolina between the years 1864 and 1925. During this period Durham changed from an impoverished town of a few hundred residents to a progressive, thriving urban metropolis. This transformation earned Durham a reputation as a city where both black and white residents prospered and co-existed in harmony.

At the end of the American Civil War in 1865, Durham gained historical significance as a key area where the Confederates surrendered. Just as the war ended, some of Northern federal troops raided a small tobacco factory and discovered a new sweet-tasting flavor. After returning North, these veterans created and spread a robust consumer demand for this Durham-based tobacco which was branded Genuine Bull Durham Smoking Tobacco, by the owner of the company, John Ruffin Green.

With a wildly popular tobacco, the Green family established Durham...