﻿152 
  HistORY 
  OF 
  Durham, 
  

  

  manufacture 
  of 
  and 
  traffic 
  in 
  tobacco 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  

   1865, 
  on 
  his 
  farm 
  near 
  Durham, 
  alternately 
  manufacturing 
  

   and 
  peddling 
  his 
  own 
  goods, 
  working 
  upon 
  a 
  strictly 
  cash 
  

   basis. 
  The 
  only 
  cash 
  he 
  had 
  to 
  begin 
  with 
  was 
  a 
  silver 
  fifty 
  

   -cent 
  piece, 
  given 
  to 
  him 
  by 
  a 
  Yankee 
  in 
  exchange 
  for 
  a 
  

   Confederate 
  -$5 
  note. 
  This 
  was 
  the 
  nucleus 
  of 
  W. 
  Duke 
  

   Sons 
  & 
  Co.'s 
  gigantic 
  tobacco 
  manufacturing 
  enterprise 
  at 
  

   Durham. 
  Never 
  employing 
  extraneous 
  capital, 
  he 
  always 
  

   ■conducted 
  his 
  business 
  within 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  the 
  revenue 
  

   accruing 
  therefrom 
  — 
  a 
  wise, 
  prudential, 
  business 
  principle. 
  

  

  The 
  little 
  16x16 
  log 
  factory 
  on 
  the 
  farm 
  soon 
  became 
  too 
  

   small. 
  His 
  business 
  increased 
  so 
  rapidly 
  that 
  in 
  1872 
  he 
  

   moved 
  to 
  Durham 
  and 
  erected 
  a 
  three-story 
  wood 
  factory, 
  

   40x70 
  feet, 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  N. 
  C. 
  Railroad. 
  This 
  he 
  

   supposed 
  would 
  be 
  amply 
  sufficient 
  to 
  meet 
  all 
  the 
  future 
  

   demands 
  of 
  his 
  business. 
  But 
  the 
  demand 
  for 
  his 
  goods 
  

   continued 
  to 
  increase 
  with 
  such 
  great 
  rapidity 
  that 
  enlarged 
  

   facilities 
  became 
  indispensable. 
  Several 
  other 
  buildings 
  

   were 
  soon 
  erected, 
  giving 
  him 
  a 
  combined 
  floorage 
  area 
  of 
  

   65,240 
  feet. 
  And 
  yet 
  this 
  immense 
  floorage 
  capacity 
  is 
  in- 
  

   adequate, 
  and 
  he 
  proposes, 
  and 
  is 
  making 
  arrangements 
  for 
  

   the 
  erection 
  of 
  a 
  four-story 
  brick 
  factory, 
  which 
  will 
  be 
  

   completed 
  by 
  the 
  1st 
  of 
  July. 
  This 
  new 
  building 
  will 
  have 
  

   a 
  floorage 
  capacity 
  of 
  40,000 
  feet 
  — 
  making 
  a 
  grand 
  total 
  

   floorage 
  area 
  of 
  105,240 
  feet. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Duke 
  was 
  a 
  Justice 
  of 
  the 
  Peace 
  for 
  several 
  years 
  

   during 
  the 
  reconstruction 
  era, 
  discharging 
  the 
  duties 
  of 
  

   that 
  position 
  with 
  marked 
  ability 
  and 
  impartiality. 
  Was 
  

   a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  Board 
  of 
  Commissioners 
  for 
  Durham 
  

   county, 
  and 
  always 
  discharged 
  his 
  duties 
  with 
  strict 
  adher- 
  

   ence 
  to 
  the 
  best 
  interests 
  of 
  the 
  people. 
  He 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   most 
  liberal 
  and 
  charitable 
  men 
  among 
  us. 
  His 
  contribu- 
  

   tions 
  to 
  benevolent 
  purposes 
  run 
  up 
  into 
  the 
  thousands 
  an- 
  

   nually, 
  and 
  he 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  our 
  most 
  highly 
  esteemed 
  citizens. 
  

   jHe 
  was 
  nominated 
  for 
  the 
  office 
  of 
  State 
  Treasurer 
  at 
  the 
  

  

  