Duke Homestead
Durham, Durham County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
Duke Homestead. Birthplace of J. B. and B. N. Duke, tobacco and hydroelectric magnates, philanthropists (Duke University, the Duke Endowment), is 1 mi. S.W.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
This is the country home where James Buchanan Duke and Benjamin Newton Duke were born, sons of a farmer who turned a postwar tobacco operation into an industrial empire. The brothers built fortunes in tobacco and hydroelectric power, then poured them back into philanthropy — endowing Duke University and creating the Duke Endowment.
Why it matters
The Duke story traces the arc of the New South, from a war-ravaged farm to national industry and enduring philanthropy.
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Related people
- · James B. Duke
- · Benjamin N. Duke
Themes & tags
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