Dr. Battle Explains the Hill in Chapel Hill, March 27, 1920

From The Tar Heel, Chapel Hill, N.C., March 27 1920. Kemp P. Battle's book, History of the University of North Carolina, can be read online at https://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/battle1/battle1.html

Ancient History

Dr. Battle in his History of the University has a chapter on walks about Chapel Hill, which is of particular interest in this season of the year and from which we quote:

“The hill on which Chapel Hill is located is an upheaval of granitic rock forming part of the coast line of a primeval arm of the ocean, some 250 feet lower than the country west of it. This arm is some 16 miles wide; the eastern coast is lower than the western. In the course of time the bottom was elevated by some subterranean force and became dry land. Durham is situated on this ancient sea bottom.

. . . The town is about a mile from the primeval sea. The eastern extremity of the ride on which it is situated is like a promontory jutting into the sea. It was by General Davie, the “Father of the University” called Point Prospect. In old times point was pronounced pi-int and hence the neighbors seeing it on its summit some lofty pines, mistook the name for Piney Prospect. From the summit is one of the loveliest views east of the Blue Ridge. In the distance can be seen the steeples and chimneys of Durham and the lofty trees near Apex and Cary, while the smoke of the locomotives on the North Carolina and Raleigh and Augusta Air Line railroads curls gracefully over the horizon. Raleigh is about 200 feet lower than the eastern coast of the primeval sea and is, therefore, invisible.”

The cairn of rocks was started by Dr. Battle and for a time there was a notice posted nearby requesting each visitor to add a rock to the pile. The notice has, of course, long since disappeared, but the custom has been kept, partly for a point of observation, but more as a memorial to Dr. Battle.