225 years of Tar Heels: Hinton James

Posted Feb 13, 2019
First-year students living in Hinton James Residence Hall are no strangers to long walks to campus. Neither was the namesake of that building, Hinton James, who — legend has it — walked from his home in Wilmington, NC, to Chapel Hill in 1795 and became the first student to enroll. James arrived at UNC on Feb. 12, 1795, almost a month after the University opened its doors. (UNC.edu)

Related: Campus Connections

There’s no fool like The Motley Fool
It all started April 1, 1994, with an internet message board post. "Joey Roman" bragged that a particular stock was "hotter than an egg on...
Wed Sep 9, 2026

The JB Cissell Memorial Fund
On September 7, 2019, Inside Carolina lost a treasured, founding member of its family in J.B. Cissell. You can read more about him and what...
Mon Sep 7, 2026

'Puppy Love': Dolly Parton's first recorded song, made at age 13, draws mourners to UNC
Flags across the state are flying at half-staff as fans mourn country music icon Dolly Parton. At UNC, her very first recorded song, cut when...
Sun Sep 6, 2026

Meet UNC’s Sarah Ferguson: A musician, model and the first paraplegic Marching Tar Heel
On early mornings, you might find University of North Carolina student Sarah Ferguson doing laps around campus, camera in hand, taking advantage of the quiet...
Sat Sep 5, 2026