Duke Forest in Durham in Durham County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Robert Franklin Durden

1925-2016

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 31, 2023

1. Robert Franklin Durden Marker

Inscription. Born in Georgia, Robert Franklin Durden became a distinguished historian, educator, and writer, specializing in the Civil War and Reconstruction. His undergraduate years at Emory University were interrupted by service in the Navy during World War II. After 1945, he was a Japanese translator at the Minor War Trials in the Pacific and Japan.

Bob received his PhD in 1952 from Princeton and then drove to Durham with his new bride, Anne Oller, to take up his job at Duke, where he was a professor of history until 2001. He received Duke's highest honor, The University Medal, upon his retirement. Bob was a prolific author. Of particular interest to students of Durham history are his books on the Duke family and on the transformation of Trinity College into Duke University: The Dukes of Durham and The Launching of Duke University.

In 1958 Bob and Anne built their house on Wrightwood Avenue, a street opened up by Duke University for faculty homes. They lived there for 40 years, raising their daughters and creating a beautiful azalea garden. The girls fondly remember walking through Wrightwood Park to Lakewood

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Shopping Center and the iconic Davis Bakery. Bob enjoyed sharing his family, his home and his many stories with friends and neighbors. Guests were always made welcome by Bob's warm smile and gracious manner.

Erected by Museum of Durham History.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Education. A significant historical year for this entry is 1952.

Location. 35° 59.191′ N, 78° 55.926′ W. Marker is in Durham, North Carolina, in Durham County. It is in Duke Forest. It can be reached from the intersection of Anderson Street and Wrightwood Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Marker is located in Wrightwood Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1301 Anderson St, Durham NC 27707, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Piedmont

and in the Research Triangle.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 31, 2023

2. Robert Franklin Durden Marker

of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans (approx. 0.8 miles away); Home (approx. one mile away); Family (approx. one mile away); Impact (approx. one mile away); Pauli (approx. one mile away); James E. Shepard (approx. 1.1 miles away); Pauli Murray (approx. 1.2 miles away); J.T. & Mamie Christian House (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Durham.

Also see . . . Robert F. Durden. Durden’s scholarship initially concentrated on the period between the Civil War and the First World War. Later his research and books on the Duke family, Duke University, the Duke Endowment, and the Duke Power Company extended through the twentieth century. (Historical Society of North Carolina, Sept. 14, 2016) (Submitted on September 10, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Credits. This page was last revised on September 10, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 10, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 171 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 10, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.