Hillsborough NC - a history rich town - Hillsborough was founded in 1754, and was first owned, surveyed, and mapped by William Churton (a surveyor for Earl Granville). In 1766 it was named Hillsborough, after the Earl of Hillsborough, the British secretary of state for the colonies and a relative of royal Governor William Tryon. The town was used as the home of the North Carolina state legislature during the American Revolution. William Hooper, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was buried in the Presbyterian Church cemetery in October 1790.

Today Hillsborough celebrates its rich history by preserving many of the early homes in the Hillsborough Historic District. Hillsborough has emphasized historic preservation for many years. Beginning in the 1950-60s with "pilgrimages" of historic sites organized by the Garden Club and expanded by the Hillsborough Historical Society, the establishment of the Orange County Historical Museum by the Hillsborough Garden Club, the purchase and restoration of the Burwell School by the Historic Hillsborough Commission, and the bounty of historical research resulting in tours, pamphlets, and the National Register nomination of Hillsborough's historic district.