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Web Site Guide | News | About OWDNA | Neighborhood Info | Photographs of OWD | Media Spotlight| Citizen Resources | Home

What they're saying about
Old West Durham...

There's a lot of great "buzz" out there about us!



"Old West Durham rocks!"
-Duke community housing report

Old West Durham, a North Carolina mill town that became the home of Duke University has created a very fine web site about the evolution of a place and the distinctive people who are part of the history.  
-Missouri Humanities Council

Chapel Hill (& Carrboro) may be the most liberal town in NC, but if you really want diversity (of all types) and affordability then Durham is more for you. The areas around downtown like Brightleaf, Trinity Park, Old West Durham and Old North Durham are some of the most liberal neighborhoods in North Carolina... but the city as a whole is definitely very Blue. It's a quirky atmosphere too... not just hippy liberal like Chapel Hill is, but a city with a strong vein of independence and nonconformity in it too.
-City-data.com

This site by the Old West Durham Neighborhood Association includes vintage photographs as well as a brief history of the cotton mills in Durham.
-History Connect (Durham Public Schools)

"If you like to live in bohemian neighborhoods, with local stores, bike lanes, some sidewalks, artists, professors, and people from various cultures, there are some great neighborhoods. The most coveted are Watts-Hillandale, Trinity Park, Northgate Park and Old West Durham, all near Duke University. Unfortunately, prices have gone up and homes are not as affordable as they used to be."
-World Music

"Bicycling to my office in RTP from Old West Durham is a great way to start and fuel my workday. I really enjoy the part of my ride that takes me along the American Tobacco Trail."
-SmartCommute website

"The thing we like about Durham is the incredible diversity of population. There's a certain level of urban grittiness. Durham has always often been considered the red-headed stepsister. I think Durham has spectacular charisma, a pure sense of itself that the others don't."
--Ben Barker, Magnolia Grill

"Most underrated campus: East Campus. For the life of me, I can't figure out why people rip on East. You're near all the restaurants of Ninth Street. There is plenty of grass, nice architecture (except for that hideous Bell Tower Dormitory) and a lot of "cultural vibrancy" in the surrounding neighborhood. Walking around on East, you feel alive and part of something bigger than just Duke --and I like that.
--Duke Chronicle

Upon touring the Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham, a child once remarked, 'I think God lives near here.'
--Our State magazine

"Just cut southwest onto the relatively tranquil I-85... and in a couple of hours or so you'll reach Durham, N.C., home of Duke University and... the Magnolia Grill, a converted corner grocery store, can hold its own with the very best Dixie has to offer."
--New York Times


I found your website and have been reliving my childhood through your information and pictures... Your website is very special to me, and I know to those of us approaching 60, in that it gives us a small piece of our past... Thank you, and keep up your excellent work in keeping the West Durham community in such great shape.
--Dan Adams, grew up on Rosehill Ave

Visit the Old West Durham Neighborhood Association's truly award-winning website. This popular site describes growing up in the mill village, Saturday night baseball games, the shopping district, and old maps.
--Bobbin & Shuttle magazine

Working-class neighborhood called Brookstown was also the famous Fitzgerald Brickyard and clay pit area, which made the bricks for Erwin Mills, Brightleaf District, and American Tobacco, along with several other factories and warehouses. These buildings give Durham its unique texture as they are now converted into apartments, retail, restaurants, and office space.
--African-American Heritage walking tour

"We're particularly impressed by the way in which the developers have worked sensibly with the established Old West Durham Neighborhood Association. Neighbors, in turn, have supported neighbor-friendly development in the nearby Ninth Street District."
--sixnewthings.com

"My grandfather was interested in the textile industry and, early on, he was interested in Erwin Mills here in Durham."
--Mary Biddle Duke Trent Seamans (UNC-TV interview)

"The Old West Durham Neighborhood Association has posted a fascinating "Oral History of West Durham" on their award-winning website. Written by Richard Franck for the 1976 Bicentennial, it's a wonderful collection of interviews with folks who lived in the former mill village."
--Historic Preservation Society of Durham

"Located in historic Old West Durham, Ninth Street is two blocks from Duke University's East Campus. Park the car and window-shop past clothing and jewelry stores and browse the books at Regulator Bookshop."
--Yahoo Travel

"The Old West Durham Neighborhood Association, the West Salem Historical Society and the Cooleemee Historical Association are all community-based groups in former mill neighborhoods. They have each discovered that preserving memories, traditions, photos and buildings have a tangible impact on improving their neighborhoods --drawing newcomers and old-timers together."
--textileheritage.org

"Dubbed 'Durham's alternative shopping district"... this stretch of Ninth Street and surrounding area just a few blocks from Duke University's East Campus has long been an off-campus outlet where Duke students and local residents socialize while supporting a business district that is an integral part of Old West Durham."
--The Chronicle of Higher Education, "Durham and Goliath"

"With its colorful past, Old West Durham reflects the changing tides of the 20th century. Yet our neighborhood is still a place where the front porch is used for visiting with neighbors, where the train still shrieks it whistle and where the roses still bloom. This place once called Pin Hook is our home."
--The Elegant Tarpaper Shack (Hometown Publishing, Hickory)

"Just cut southwest onto the relatively tranquil I-85... and in a couple of hours or so you'll reach Durham, NC, home of Duke University and... the Magnolia Grill, a converted corner grocery store, can hold its own with the very best Dixie has to offer."
--The New York Times, "On the Road: North Carolina"

"My first stop was West Durham where history and historic preservation have worked hand-in-hand in the area once home to the Erwin Mills. The Old West Durham Neighborhood Association's award-winning website keeps the memory of Erwin Mills hey-day alive."
--Cooleemee History Loom

"Ninth Street, with its striped awnings and shady sidewalks, hearkens back to the days when things moved more slowly and people watching at an outdoor cafe was a favorite pastime. Billing itself as Durham's alternative shopping district, Ninth Street is located in historic Old West Durham."
--American Airlines City Guide

"South Ellerbe is surrounded by various auto and muffler shops, large surface parking lots, a plumbing shop, funeral home, photo studio, small apartment complex, a chemical storage facility, Southern Railroad, Business Hwy 70, a Duke warehouse, and an old gas station."
--InterNeighborhood Council newsletter

"But our neighborhood is more than just Watts-Hillandale. Durham's historic Ninth Street, part of the Old West Durham neighborhood, with its bookstores and music stores and coffee shops and eclectic shopping, begins outside campus' door."
--NC School of Science & Math website

"East Campus, with its stately Georgian architecture and oak-lined streets, has a Steel Magnolias look... Many homes in Old West Durham are the original mill houses from the early 1900s. Folks in this booming social area know each other by name."
--NurseVillage.com

"Where did the father of Duke basketball live in Trinity Park? Where did Madonna take early dance lessons? What happened to Duke's early plans to expand north... The 60-minute tour takes you around Duke's old campus and includes forays into historic neighborhoods."
--Trinity Park newsletter

"In the middle of the rolling hills of North Carolina's Heartlands, the Triangle of Raleigh and Durham and Chapel Hill presents a singular place to settle. It is deemed one of the more desirable, safe and affordable places in the country to live and work and study... [One of] Durham's oldest neighborhoods is West Durham, first known as Pin Hook."
-articleinsider.com

Music Maker Relief Foundation leader and Roots on Ninth festival organizer Tim Duffy profiled as "Person of the Week"
--ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings

Your Website is just amazing. What an incredibly good
job you all are doing!
-Jim Wise, Herald-Sun (now with the News & Observer)

West Durham was always at battle with the University
and the town. It was a stigma to be from "West
Durham."
--Letter in Cooleemee History Loom (2003)

Tired of Suburban Sprawl or Impersonal Developments?
Put Neighbors back in your Neighborhood.
--Prudential Carolinas Realty ad

discover the soul of urban living in the heart of
durham's ninth street district.
--Station 9 ad

If Durham had a pep squad, Jennifer Donner and
Michelle Lee could be the co-captains. The women own
the Untidy Museum [Broad Street]... The women designed
a T-shirt with a big red heart and emblazoned with
their cheer: 'Durham Love Yourself.'
--Boston Globe


"Those who live here love Durham for its diversity along with its civic spirit... In fact, with Durham's broad socioeconomic and racial mix and a number of activists and lesbians, it could be the Triangle's Southern-style Jamaica Plain."
--The Boston Globe ("Tobacco Road’s Fresh Air")

"First, let me recognize the Old West Durham Neighborhood Association for their website … a wonderful source of information about my family and the Erwin mill village."
--Libby Erwin Moody (great grand-daughter of William A.Erwin), speaking at the Centennial Celebration of Erwin Cotton Mills in Erwin, NC

"The Old West Durham Neighborhood Association was recognized for its detailed website by the History Channel and the American Association for State & Local History."
--Durham Convention & Visitor's Bureau

"Congratulations! You guys are amazing, and we all are very proud (and mighty impressed) of your work!"
--Risa Foster, Trinity Heights president

"The Changing Landscape of the Erwin Mills Area is a nicely done web site, not only on Durham mills, but on others."
--Gaston-Lincoln Regional Library

"I found this website maintained by the Old West Durham Neighborhood association and thought it would be invaluable to many of you who are researching their Durham Roots. There are many good links and countless names mentioned. Enjoy!"
--posting on ancestry.co.uk

"This is a great website and the information is what the neighbors want and need to know."
--Ben Speller, Professor and former Dean, School of Information and Library Science, NCCU

"Best places to bike in NC: Durham's Ninth Street is a good starting point for local shops and street cafes. Bike parking is fairly easy though the sidewalks stay busy and crowded. Ninth Street is adjacent to Duke University. You can bike to Duke Forest from here."
--bicyclust.com

"The American Dance Festival, celebrating its 70th anniversary in Durham, N.C., this summer, is at the heart of this country’s lively contemporary dance scene."
—The Washington Times

"Magnolia Grill is a neighborhood restaurant on Durham's Ninth Street with a national reputation."
--The Independent

"The striking cover of the 2004 Guide is based on recent research by economists that suggests the importance and appeal of active and vibrant street scenes, like Durham's Ninth Street."
--Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau

"You've really set the tone with Roots on Ninth, what other inner-city neighborhoods can do. Give yourselves a hand."
--Bill Bell, mayor of Durham

"#1 Durham, NC: It's not unusual to find an eligible Black doctor, bank executive, or computer genius walking around. Other places to find love in and around the city include Brightleaf and Ninth Street shopping district, Durham Bulls Athletic Park..."
--Ebony (The Best Cities to Say "I Do" In)

"The Old West Durham Neighborhood Association has lots of pics and words from the "linthead" area known as Monkey Bottom. It's a dense, amazing collection, carefully documenting the Bull City's heavily textile past. Probably as good a taste you'll find of what life was like for folks like John Edwards' dad."
--Triangle's near-daily news weblog

"Another good place to stop for Duke items is The Duck Shop which is located on bohemian Ninth Street in Durham."
--Duke Basketball Report

"Durham stands out as one of America's 10 most enlightened towns because it tackles real--city problems in a forward-thinking way. This blue-collar tobacco town, is a center for alternative journalism with the accomplished weekly The Independent..."
--Utne Reader

"Durhamite Cool John Ferguson — a man that Taj Mahal has called one of the five greatest guitarists I have heard in my career. "
--The Independent Weekly (describing Roots on Ninth)

"The American Dance Festival began in Durham with a colorful, choreographed dance along Ninth Street."
--Nan Keohane, Duke graduation

"In the funky and eclectic Ninth Street District, shoppers find new and used books, vinyl records, toys, natural-fiber clothing, a drugstore soda fountain, gelati, organic produce, and more."
--Durham Convention & Visitor's Bureau brochure

"The Old West Durham neighborhood has a Web site that´s just about the niftiest thing around in terms of presenting Durham, or one part of it, the way it used to be. Some of the warts and all."
--Jim Wise, Herald-Sun

"Join us as Roots on Ninth takes center stage on Durham's famed Ninth Street."
--WNCU Radio

"I asked myself what would I want to have on 9th Street; what kind of atmosphere; what was missing; what would make me visit that quaint strip more often; what did I miss most about the city. A Tapas Bar became the perfect answer: an excellent conduit for good food, great conversation, a relaxed but vibrant atmosphere, good wine, and a bit of the old world mixed in. The club side, named simply, "9" would just cinch the concept together and extend the option of a nightlife: a place to listen to awesome live jazz, a nice ska groove, soulful blues, sensual Brazilian music, a kickass band, or a banging DJ."
--Adrian Taylor, Bakus Tapas & Wine Bar

"I found this web site by accident. I am so amazed and proud of the work you have done. William Allen Erwin was my great grandfather. My maiden name was Libby Erwin Boehmer from Charlotte. No one in my family has seen this amazing website. My cousins will all be amazed to see what a remarkable job you have done. I will check with family to see if we have any old photos. Congratulations on a job well done."
--Libby

"My first home was my grandparents' mill home on Ninth Street. My father died three years ago. I cannot begin to tell you my feelings and emotions when I saw those pictures and all those young faces of my father and his friends... We had just buried my aunt on Saturday afternoon and to visit the Old West Durham website early the next morning was an emotional homecoming that I will be forever grateful... What you have done so far is nothing short of amazing."
--Andrea (grew up on 'every street in West Durham')

"The OWDNA Website truly touches so many lives of people that grew up in this special neighborhood. There is not many days that go by, that I don't give this website address to my friends. I am very proud of you and the work that you and so many others do, to make this such a wonderful website".
--Wayne Smith (grew up in West Durham, OWD friend)

"Great job with the website and thanks for preserving a magnificent part of history."
--Dan Wiley (grew up on West Pettigrew)

"With its 16 stations, the rail system will link hospitals, employment centers, universities and shopping districts... The shops on 9th Street, Erwin Square, Duke University East Campus, and the Old West Durham and Watts Hospital-Hillandale neighborhoods are all near the 9th Street station."
--Triangle Transit Authority brochure

"The old Erwin Auditorium is gone but its memory lives on in the Old West Durham Neighborhood Association's outstanding website."
--Cooleemee History Loom newsletter

"Photo caption: Congressman David Price receives a tour of the Old West Durham and listens to concerns of residents."
--US House of Representatives website

"The Ninth Street commercial area, home to an assortment of bars, bookstores and restaurants, suffers far less turnover of tenants than the Triangle's two other college strips: Hillsborough Street in Raleigh and Franklin Street in Chapel Hill."
--Charlotte Observer

'The Old West Durham Neighborhood Association will lead the parade."
--NC Pride organizers (National Public Radio)

"Links we love: The Old West Durham Neighborhood Association's absolutely incredible web site. This is The Regulator's hood, and we're proud to be part of this great place. The "Neighborhood History" link leads to lots of fascinating stories."
--The Regulator Bookshop

"I am so happy that you young people are so active in planning beautification for West Durham. We will look forward to seeing how it all turns out and hope to attend the unveiling [of the bird sculptures].
--Long-time resident, Nancy "Goat" Eubanks

The Triangle's alternative, grassroots, literary, personal, classy, theatrical, kick-ass, informative, cinematic, creative, political, so-you-can-THINK newspaper."
--from yard sale coffee mug celebrating OWD's own Independent Weekly

"The updated OWDNA website is simply superb!
--Frank Crigler, Trinity Park"

"Local color: The area around Ninth Street, near Duke's East and West campuses, has an expanding collection of eclectic shops and restaurants... If you're going to Durham to dine, don't miss Magnolia Grill on Ninth Street, where chef Ben Barker won North Carolina's first James Beard award, the culinary equivalent of an Oscar. Before dinner, stroll among the funky shops and bars a block away, which offer everything from old-fashioned cherry Cokes (McDonald's Drug Store) to body art (Dogstar Tattoo)."
--Triangle Life (2002 Guide)

"Roots on Ninth features the largest group of Carolina blues tradition bearers to be assembled in the country. It is fitting that it happens to be on the streets of Durham, a city that gave birth to many styles of blues."
--Tim Duffy, Music Makers Relief Foundation

"A perfect location: Ninth Street Dance is conveniently located in the heart of Durham's artistic and creative community and is within easy walking distance of Duke's East Campus. Right around the corner you'll find many interesting Ninth Street shops and restaurants, and there's plenty of free parking nearby."
--9th Street Dance newsletter

"I talked to my Dad when I was home about all that have found out about this site of West Durham and we brought it up on the computer and my dad sat and watched it like a kid looking at toys he got for Christmas. He was so excited and knew just about everything and everybody on the screen. Many of the people worked for him or with him at Erwin Mills. I had printed much of the site out for him and he has read it over and over again. You have done such a good job for "Ol West Durham". It is a very special place to me. I had many friends there growing up. Keep up the great work!"
--Dan Moore

"On Ninth Street, McDonald's is not a hamburger joint --it is a place where you get a real soda jerked by the wife of pharmacist John McDonald."
--News & Observer

"Would you mind passing on to the Old West Durham neighborhood folks a big thank you from the Morales family for everyone's generous donations after the Alabama Avenue fire --El Centro Hispano has received $800 in donations for the guys."
--Alice Johnson, El Centro Hispano

"Magnolia Grill is divine and George's Garage is fun. Durham's a great town, and everybody has been very cool."
-- David Hartley (Producer), "Dawson's Creek"

"I wanted to congratulate you on your work with the developers on the Erwin Square rezoning issue before council last night. I was impressed --that sounds like the kind of development we desperately want to encourage in Durham. Good job!"
--Carl Rist (co-chair), Durham People's Alliance

"John Schelp and John Tallmadge of the Old West Durham Neighborhood Association deserve the lion's share of the credit for making the RM/CN (Residential Multifamily/Compact Neighborhood) ordinance a much more neighborhood friendly planning tool and for looking out after our combined west Durham interests."
--Parade (newsletter of the Watts-Hillandale Neighborhood Association, December 2001)

"Your website is tremendous. The history section is chock full of information and the pictures are great."
--Ellen Reckhow, Durham County Commissioner

"Ninth Street, close to the Duke campus, is Durham's drag of groovy stores, featuring a tattoo parlor, post-hippie clothing shops, Vietnamese takeout and pizza by the slice. The Regulator Bookshop hosts great readings by major authors and plays Edith Piaf in the background; Books on Ninth sells used books, and it's got an entire section of old paperbacks devoted to 'Southern Scribblers.'"
--Washington Post

"Thanks for the updates. I always enjoy them. I recently had triple bypass surgery with nothing much able to do but check out OWD! Merry Christmas to all our old West Durham friends and neighbors!"
--Ethel Faye Cates James

"At once, trendy and inviting, Ninth Street has managed to create a vibrant contemporary identity that celebrates rather than abandons its past. Behind it all is a group of devoted merchants and residents and a neighborhood association that is as dedicated and effective as they come."
--Herald-Sun (November 2001)

"In an unpretentious squat brick building in Durham, the convivial Magnolia Grill serves up some of the best regional cuisine in the south."
-- National Geographic (August 2001)

"The blank whitewashed façade gives no hint that hidden within this former corner grocery is one of America's regional treasures. Magnolia Grill Chef-owner Ben Barker, a native of North Carolina's rolling Piedmont, draws inspiration from the South without letting it constrict him."
-- Gourmet (October 2001)

"The privately formed Old West Durham Neighborhood Association has been recognized for excellence in preserving heritage while accommodating growth. It will formally receive the Carraway Preservation Award from the NC Historic Preservation Foundation later this month."
--Michael Peterson, local novelist

"Congratulations on a really wonderful web site. You and your neighbors have done a fabulous job of conveying a community enjoying it's rich history while working to make it an even better place to live for the future. Your site will be the standard to which I'd aspire."
--Northgate Park (Durham)

"The Old West Durham Neighborhood Association, one of Durham's most active community groups."
--Durham Herald-Sun

"Hello friends and neighbors, I've been renting in the Old West Durham neighborhood for several years now and I have grown to really love it. It's friendly, convenient, historic, and HIP! I'm looking to buy a house. Know of any for sale? Thanks."
--OWDNA listserve

"Radio Free Records: Tucked away in a quiet corner of Durham is a treasure trove of music you won't find elsewhere. When you walk into Radio Free Records, you immediately smell old music. A touch on the musty side, the place takes you back to when you were a kid, rifling through your parents' old boxes of records."
--Citysearch

"Thank you for your suggestions. They were succinct, coherent and very useful. Thank you for showing up when Durham needs you."
--Steve Bocckino, Planning Commission (discussing Durham's proposed high-density zoning categories)

"... I must say that your work on this issue in particular, and with OWDNA in general is the best bit of organizing I've seen in a long time. Your responses really demonstrate how well you've thought things out."
--Tom Clark, Alabama Ave (discussing Durham's proposed high-density zoning categories)

"It was good seeing you Tuesday night. I'm certainly pleased with all the efforts put into the molding of this ordinance. I also think it's great that you took the time to ensure the Zoning Committee's recommendations are objectively shared with the council."
--Rob Reid, Zoning Committee (discussing Durham's proposed high-density zoning categories)

"Collection of 18 essays and 90 photographs on the history of Old West Durham --website includes seven Works Progress Administration oral histories from 1938 of people living in the mill village; seven newspaper articles from 1913; a 3400-word essay on the history of the cotton mill and mill village; and a 4,000-word reminiscence of a child growing up in the neighborhood during the 1950s and 1960s. A well-designed local history presentation useful to those studying urban history and labor history."
--American Social History Project (National Endowment for the Humanities)

"... A long time ago at Erwin Mills they made blue jeans. There was a man named E.K. Powe. He was the boss of Erwin Mills. Our school was named after E.K. Powe. A long time ago this school was a forest. A long time ago Old West Durham was named Pinhook. Erwin Mills was shut down in 1986. All the people in Old West Durham lost their jobs and they didn't have any money. On 9th Street the stores were shut down. E.K. Powe is in the middle of Old West Durham."
--David Morales & Jonathan Santander (second graders quoted in 'Document' a publication of the Center for Documentary Studies)

"When Magnolia Grill started out, people thought we sold hamburgers. Folks didn't expect to see waiters and tablecloths."
--Owner and chef Ben Barker talking with Bill Friday on North Carolina People (PBS Television)

"One World Market is pleased to announce our move to Ninth Street North! The new building will reflect the Old West Durham neighborhood look with an "old-fashioned red brick facade providing continuity to the entire street."
--One World Market Summer 2001 Newsletter

Wellspring Grocery opened its doors in 1981 [in OWD], after three years of planning and preparation. Owners Lex and Anne Alexander led a team of home-grown, energetic workers who set out to change the way the Triangle community shopped for food. The idea was to offer high quality and great nutrition, and to encourage consumers to be more connected with the food they ate.
--Whole Foods Market website

"Ninth Street North, "the place to be" in Durham retail and office space, extends the pedestrian-friendly atmosphere of Ninth Street through the 800 block. This modern construction combines the amenities of the new millennium with the traditional charm of days gone by. This old-fashioned red brick facade architecturally blends with the Old West Durham neighborhood, providing continuity to the entire street. Be a part of Durham's dynamic, exciting signature --Ninth Street North."
--Ninth Street North brochure

"McDonald's Drugstore has the best milkshakes in town."
--Fodor's Travel Guide

"Now I know why it is so hard to get a reservation at Magnolia Grill."
--Triangle Lifestyle Magazine

"Please Help: Ellen and Stella both have buyer clients looking for their first home in an older in-town neighborhood. Their first choice is Old West Durham."
--Marie Austin Realty (Herald-Sun. 2/24/01)

"The Dukes diversified their business in the early 1890s, branching from tobacco into textiles. Erwin Mills became the focal point of West Durham, a factory community that grew to a population of 5,000. Manager William Erwin built churches, parks, schools, and an auditorium for his employees... Erwin Mills was remodeled in the 1980s to accommodate office in one of Durham's trendiest areas. The old mill village's business district along Ninth Street became a main street for the college community, with gourmet restaurants, music shops, and a bookstore sharing "mom and pop" space with pharmaceuticals and seed."
--Images of America: Durham County by Jim Wise (Arcadia Publishing) 2000.

"No evidence existed to show demand for the type of restaurant we proposed to have in the little brick building on the corner of Ninth and Knox."
--Preface, Not Afraid of Flavor: Magnolia Grill Cookbook by Ben and Karen Barker, Ann Hawthorne

"Magnolia Grill is the restaurant where visiting VIPs are taken. Celebrities such as Michael Jordan, James Taylor, Ted Koppel, and Gregory Peck have enjoyed the Barkers inventive cuisine. Author Reynolds Price, who frequents Magnolia Grill, describes the restaurant as "the best source of public cooking, not merely in the Triangle area, or the Tarheel state, but in fact in the whole United States."
--UNC Press

"This highly active neighborhood association provides a wide variety of community information concerning the preservation of the Old West Durham Neighborhood and the city and county of Durham, North Carolina. It is the mission of Old West Durham Neighborhood Association to improve the quality of life in this National Register Historic District, near Duke University and Ninth Street."
--Durham County Library site

"They had turned away from the centre of the dreary tobacco town. For a quarter of an hour they had walked briskly through drab autumnal streets, descending finally a long rutted hill that led them, past a thinning squalor of cheap houses, almost to the outskirts. It was three weeks before Christmas: the foggy air was full if chill menace. There was a brooding quietness, broken by far small sounds. They turned into a sordid little road, unpaved, littered on both sides... it was a road of rickets."
--Thomas Wolfe, writing in his autobiographical novel, 'Look Homeward Angel' --describing his walk through West Durham on his way to Chapel Hill.

"The Gertrude S. Carraway Award certifying that Old West Durham Neighborhood Association is hereby duly recognized for outstanding achievement in the field of historic preservation in the state of North Carolina."
--Sylvia Nash, Preservation North Carolina president

"The Travel Council of North Carolina proudly recognizes the Old West Durham Neighborhood as an honoree of the United States Library of Congress Local Legacies project. Thank you for keeping the spirit of North Carolina alive."
--Mike Pittman, TCNC president

"Congratulations and thank you for helping get useful information to the citizens of Durham! We in the Durham Police Department are proud of your efforts to connect our community and to use technology to continually improve all aspects of our City."
--Teresa Chambers, Chief of Police

"[OWD website is] a great example of neighbors working together to stabilize and improve an old neighborhood."
--NC Historic Preservation Office

"Old West Durham a local legacy in Library of Congress. Neighborhood is an American pie slice of life."
--News & Observer

"Whereas, hit by the horror of hate crimes in their neighborhood, residents came together to support the victims and establish the Old West Durham Neighborhood Association... Now, therefore, I, Nicholas J. Tennyson, Mayor of the City of Durham, North Carolina, do hereby proclaim Saturday, October 17, 1998 as "Old West Durham Day" in Durham and hereby urge all citizens to take special note of this observance."
--Nick Tennyson, mayoral proclamation

"The Historic Preservation Society of Durham bestowed the Pyne Historic Preservation Awards to seven exciting preservation projects in Durham which included for the first time an internet web site dedicated to a Historic District in the city (Old West Durham)."
--Denise Barnes, president

"Last Saturday, about 65 people --many of them descendants of people buried in the cemetery, --cleared brush and brambles from the historic cemetery... We bestow upon Schelp, the Old West Durham Neighborhood Association and all who cleaned up Erwin Mills Cemetery our Durham Grit Award."
--Durham Herald-Sun

"Rich content, a professional appearance, and links to a variety of community resources combine to make this laudable neighborhood web site, which has embraced the power of the Internet to communicate with residents and visitors alike."
--MuniNet Guide & Review

"Independent Weekly is pleased and proud to recognize the Old West Durham Neighborhood Association as a winner of our 1998 Citizen Award... for tireless dedication to making our community a better place to live."
--Steve Schewel, publisher

"Semi-finalists [including OWD web site] were chosen from an initial pool of over 500 entrants exemplifying the best practices and newest models in the use of Internet and network technologies across the nation."
--Global Information Infrastructure

"Your homepage is a great site and a real service. Congratulations on this and all your other efforts."
--Nick Tennyson, mayor of Durham

"... a wonderful achievement in web site design. I would like to extend my congratulations on producing a very visually appealing, resourceful and interesting web site about the Historic section of Durham for all your visitors to enjoy. An excellent addition to the web, one that you should be very proud of."
--Awards of Excellence

"George's Garage on Ninth Street in Durham is arguably the best sushi bar in the Triangle Area"
--Meridian Magazine

"Bold paintings along the walls of Cafe Parizade [in OWD]. Colorful murals spread lushly across the ceiling. And the menu whirls you through the Mediterranean... the ebullient atmosphere reflects the personality of longtime Durham restauranteur Giorgios Bakatsias."
--Southern Living magazine

"You're not going to find many places with as much variety as the Ninth Street Shopping District in Durham, North Carolina. There's more neat - and different - stuff per square foot than most shopping areas, and certainly more personality than any mall."
--Southern Living magazine

“Durham, an old tobacco town that moved on to textile manufacturing and then to health care in this century, has a funky reborn charm about it.”
--Diversion magazine

"Magnolia Grill: This Durham restaurant became a North Carolina classic...the catalyst in the Triangle's culinary surge."
--Southern Living Magazine. August 1996

"ADF... The World's Greatest Dance Festival"
--New York Post. August 1995 (the American Dance Festival's headquarters is in Old West Durham)

"Although Durham does have its sights...dance is Durham's main summer attraction....Durham does have its charm...good restaurants have multiplied... bookshops are worth exploring....There is even a small Greenwich Village-like area."
--Jack Anderson, New York Times. September 1996

"A list of recommended books by Durham's Regulator Bookstore was printed in April in the Village Voice national weekly edition and the Voice Literary Supplement monthly edition right next to the national bestsellers list."
--Village Voice, New York. June 1996

"Jeff Fried...owns about 3,000 hats....owner of Mad Hatter's Bake Shop in Durham....has applied for status as the National Hat Museum...for now, he displays 130-140 of his hats in his bakery."
--Charlotte Observer. October 1998

"Join us in Durham for a five-star dinner and a fine conversation with the state's premier chef.....Our food here competes nationally; it is exciting food, personal and singular."
--Magnolia Grill's Ben Barker, Southern Living Magazine. May 1996

"Restaurant-of-the-Month: Magnolia Grill. In Durham, North Carolina... one of the best restaurants in the South...people will drive a hundred miles just to eat here."
--Bon Appetit. August 1998