Old West Durham Neighborhood Association

 

 

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The Story of South Ellerbe Creek


On a small rise near the Food Lion on Hillsborough Road, a creek begins its journey toward the sea. Its headwaters rise next to what was once the settlement of Pinhook, which served as a traveler's rest on the dirt road between Hillsborough and Raleigh.

From its headwaters, South Ellerbe Creek flows for three miles through some of Durham's oldest and most densely developed neighborhoods: Old West Durham, Walltown, Northgate Park, Trinity Park. Another branch of South Ellerbe flows north out of downtown Durham, through Durham Central Park and Trinity Park -- before joining her sister near Club Blvd Elementary. South Ellerbe meets Ellerbe Creek in a wooded area -- just to the north and west of the I-85/Roxboro Road interchange.

 
Headwaters of South Ellerbe Creek.

The first mile of the creek is surrounded by various auto and muffler shops, large surface parking lots, a plumbing shop, funeral home, photo studio, small apartment complex, Southern Railroad, Business Hwy 70, a Duke warehouse, an old gas station, and a number of quiet back yards. Its path will take it past three schools: E.K. Powe Elementary, Brogden Middle and Club Blvd Elementary.

   
Duke warehouse serves as creek's left bank (L); South Ellerbe crosses under Hillsborough Road with Greystone Baptist Church in the background (R).

And, the course of South Ellerbe Creek follows the history of Durham itself. Blue collar in its origins, South Ellerbe flows through some of the Bull City's most historic neighborhoods: Old West Durham was built for workers in the textile mills and Walltown for workers in the tobacco industry.

Long-time residents of the Erwin Mills village recall that a sawmill was placed in the middle of the woods to cut the planks to build the first mill houses -- along the creek. In the early days, the entire neighborhood smelled like a Laundromat -- from the hot, soapy water being discharged by the textile mills into South Ellerbe. Today, this area forms the heart of the National Registry Historic District in Old West Durham and the proposed site for an urban green space.

  Broad Street bridge: South Ellerbe flows from Old West Durham into Walltown (foreground).

In the late 1880s, a young African-American man named George Wall followed his job with Trinity College to Durham. Wall bought a wooded plot of land just north of what is now Duke's East Campus. Walltown became a neighborhood for workers moving into the Bull City for the growing tobacco industry. The narrow shotgun houses and small residences provided easy access to the tobacco factories.

 
Water Quality monitor, Club Blvd crossing in Walltown (L); Walltown Park with Northgate Mall looming beyond the trees (R).

From Walltown, South Ellerbe Creek flows under Guess Road, the massive surface parking lots at Northgate Mall, and Interstate 85.

  South Ellerbe emerges from Northgate parking lots and crosses I-85.

South Ellerbe then flows into what was a greenbelt of forests and farms that separated Durham from Braggtown.

  Playground at Club Blvd Elementary overlooking South Ellerbe.

According to the Durham Architectural and Historic Inventory, rapid growth during the 1940s and 50s, transformed the forests and farmlands into neighborhoods like Northgate Park.

Another branch of South Ellerbe flows north from downtown through Trinity Park -- joining its sister stream near West Club Blvd Elementary. Although many of Trinity Park's early settlers were connected with Trinity College (now Duke), the majority were merchants, businessmen and professionals. In contrast to Durham's late 19th-century neighborhoods like Old West Durham, a smaller proportion of Trinity Park's residents were directly associated with tobacco and textiles. They were part of the broader local economy produced by their families' successes in Durham's leading industries. These younger generations chose not to live in the older neighborhoods where they grew up close to Durham's industries. Highlights along this branch of South Ellerbe include Durham Central Park and the South Ellerbe bike trail.

  Confluence with Ellerbe Creek (South Ellerbe on left).

From its confluence with Ellerbe Creek, the waters flow to Falls Lake. From there, the Neuse River begins its journey past Raleigh, Smithfield, Goldsboro, Kinston, New Bern, Pamlico Sound and, finally, the Atlantic Ocean.

Railroad bridge marks the point where Ellerbe Creek flows into Falls Lake.

Bent trees guide Ellerbe Creek through a quiet stretch of eastern Durham.

Point where Ellerbe Creek flows into Falls Lake (near mouth of Eno River and the I-85 bridge).

The path of South Ellerbe Creek is quite a story from its headwaters near Hillsborough Road, passing through history, absorbing some of the city's ills and flowing through forests and farms to the coast.

 

 

The Great Flood at Ninth

South Ellerbe Creek (near the green space at Ninth and Green Street) has flooded in times past. Below are photos, courtesy of Biscuit King.