University Founder William R. Davie’s Halifax Home Restored

Posted Jul 3, 2026
About 235 years ago, William Davie hitched his horse to a poplar tree, sat in the grass for a summer lunch and had such a pleasant experience that he chose the forested land as the site for the newly chartered UNC. (Or at least that’s how the legend goes.) Davie drafted the state bill that founded UNC in 1789 and is considered the “Father of the University.” (Carolina Alumni Review)

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