by Charly Mann

There have been a long series of strange unsolved murders and mysteries in the history of Chapel Hill. Some are well known and part of the local folklore, and many have been forgotten and never adequately investigated. I will attempt to describe the facts of all of these cases over the next few years in Chapel Hill Memories.

I will begin this series with the best known of these mysteries, the total disappearance in 1833 of UNC student Peter Dromgoole and the Legend of Gimghoul Castle.  Dromgoole entered the University of North Carolina in 1831. and was known more for his interest in women and drinking than his academic achievements. The story begins with a letter Peter sent to his family in Virginia in the spring of that year telling them that he might do something that could cause them great sorrow, and that in the event that this occurred, they would probably never hear from him again. The family was alarmed at these words, and quickly dispatched Peter's uncle to Chapel Hill to talk to Peter and find out what he meant.

Gimghoul Castle  Chapel Hill,  photo 1940

When his uncle arrived there was no trace of Peter. He had vanished, and no one had any clue where he was. All that was left were a few of his clothes. His uncle talked to every student who knew Peter, as well as his professors, and no one had an explanation of what might have happened to him. He also described Peter to the drivers of all the stagecoaches that passed through Chapel Hill, and none of them had any recollection of seeing his nephew. At this point, the uncle returned home to Virginia, and the Dromgoole dissapearance went unsolved.

The modern legend says that Peter was killed in a duel, and buried somewhere near the sight of Gimghoul castle. I have discovered that this is probably true. The earliest evidence of this is the first book ever written about Chapel Hill called the Sea-Gift by Edwin W. Fuller (1847-1875) . It is a semi-autobiographical romantic novel detailing student life and a romantic relationship in Chapel Hill from 1857-1860. A critical part of the novel is a duel and the disappearance of a student much like the Droomgoole story. In the 19th century, dueling was still the way many gentlemen defended their honor or settled disputes. The practice was not condoned by the trustees of the University, and taking any part in a duel meant expulsion. It is for that reason that no student told the truth to Peter's uncle or the local authorities. Nevertheless, Carolina students knew the details of the duel, and  passed the story down to incoming students. It was only  thirty years after the event  that  Fuller heard the facts of the story when he was attending UNC.

Gimghoul Castle, Chapel Hill North Carolina

In the early 19th century enrollment at the University never exceeded 160 students, and everyone knew everyone else. In 1831, when Droomgoole came to Chapel Hill, there were very few young eligible women in town for a male students to become romantically involved with. The few young women of that age were usually the daughters of college professors. When Domgoole came to UNC there were probably six dating-age women in town, and they were almost impossible to visit or see unchaperoned. Fuller details his own experience of trying to meet young women in 1857 in his novel. Young men had to request a meeting with the young woman through her parents. If they were deemed worthy, they would be given a time to arrive at their home and be ushered into a parlor, usually with one or more other young men waiting for their few minutes to impress the young girl. When a student finally got into see the girl, she was always accompanied by at least one of her parents.

In 1893, 60 years after Peter vanished, a fellow student, and friend of his, admitted on his deathbed what had really happened. Dromgoole had had a close friend who was interested in the same girl he was. It seems that the girl liked his friend better than Peter, and this made him jealous. One day the two exchanged heated words, and after a small shoving match, Peter challenged this man to a duel.

Order of Gimghouls 1904, 22 years before the castle was built

The site for the duel was Piney Point, a favorite student gathering spot, which is now the site of Gimghoul Castle. From Piney Pont one has a gorgeous view to the East, as far Durham and Raleigh. Each man brought a second with him to the duel. Peter's was probably his roommate John Williams. Needless to say Droomgoole was mortally wounded from his rival's shot. The three other students panicked, realizing the consequences of this act, and hastily dug a grave nearby for Peter's body.

In 1889, Edward Wray Martin, William W. Davies, Shepard Bryan, Andrew Henry Patterson, and Robert Worth Bingham started a secret society at UNC using the story of Droomgoole's death and the secret cover-up as the theme of their group. It was called the Order of Dromgoole, and later changed to the Order of Gimghoul.  They built a lodge for their society on the corner of Rosemary and Boundary Street. They also expanded the story into a chivalrous legend that became part of their initiation ceremony. In 1915 they bought several hundred acres of land near the University, including the sight where the duel occurred. That land is today Battle Park, where the Forest Theater is located, which they sold to the University, the Gimghoul residential neighborhood, and the site of their castle.

It is directly behind these boulders on the left that you find the "blood-stained" rock

The castle was built in 1926 for the then huge cost then of $50,000. It resembles an 11th century English Norman castle, and was assembled by the best stone masons in North Carolina. Also built at the same time was Battle Seat, a semicircular stone bench in front of the castle that is a long time favorite spot to take dates for romantic interludes, and where one has the best view in Chapel Hill. Below it is the trail I used almost daily come and go on from my neighborhood to the castle. From there I would continue to the University or downtown.

It is probably somewhere in these woods around Gimghoul Castle where the remains of Peter Dromgoole lie

This is from September of 1957

I think this dispels the notion that today's students are not as bright as their counterparts in the 1950s.

This is an ad for the Pines in 1952, then considered the most upscale restaurant in town

Room rates downtown from 1930

by Charly Mann

Of all the songs that I associate with Chapel Hill, Carolina In The Morning is the one that I think best captures its essence: beauty and romance.

Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning,
No one could be sweeter than my sweetie when I meet her in the morning.
Where the morning glories
Twine around the door,
Whispering pretty stories
I long to hear once more.
Strolling with my girlie where the dew is pearly early in the morning,
Butterflies all flutter up and kiss each little buttercup at dawning,
If I had Aladdin's lamp for only a day,
I'd make a wish and here’s what I'd say:
Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning.

Indeed nothing could be finer than to be in Chapel Hill, and it is the one place most of us would wish to be at over any place on earth. German born, Tin Pan Alley songwriter, Gus Kahn wrote the lyrics to the song in 1922. His partner Walter Donaldson wrote the music. Over the years there has been debate about exactly which spot in Carolina the song is about, but I have always known it was Chapel Hill. After all UNC is Carolina, and Chapel Hill is UNC. And just as we all know James Taylor's Carolina In My Mind is not about South Carolina, Raleigh, Asheville, or Greensboro, the lyrics and sentiments of this song, only match a town with the dreamlike qualities of Chapel Hill.

 A butterfly fluttering up to kiss buttercups in Chapel Hill

Carolina in The Morning is from a 1922 Broadway production called The Passing Show, and was sung by future I Love Lucy co-star William Frawley (Fred Mertz). Marion Harris, one of my favorite early singers, made the first recording of the song, and is probably most responsible for popularizing it.

I have included six of my favorite versions of the song here for you to listen to including the one by Marion Harris. As a treat there is included a live "bootleg" version of Phish doing it acappella.

Marion Harris's 1922 recording of Carolina in the Morning made the song popular

I have long considered Kahn to be one of the ten best lyriscists of all time. Among his other timeless materpieces are, I'll See You In My Dreams, Ain't We Got Fun, It Had To Be You, Dream a Little Dream Of Me, Makin' Whoopie, My Baby Just Cares For Me, Side by Side, Yes Sir, That's My Baby, Love Me Or Leave Me, Guilty, and my sentimental favorite, Charly My Boy.

This is a 1931 Flyer

by Charly Mann

Chapel Hill did not become a legally recogonized town until 1854. There would be no Chapel Hill if the General Assembly of North Carolina in 1789 had not wanted to establish a state University that was centrally located and easily accessed from all parts of the state. When state surveyors convened on the area that is now Chapel Hill, all that was there was deep forest and the ruins of an old church. The location was almost exactly in the center of the then populated areas of the state.

Davie laying the cornerstone for Old East

Four years later, on a warm Saturday afternoon on October 12, 1793, dignitaries from across the state came to lay the cornestone for the first building of the new university. Bright red maples adorned the grounds where this momentous ceremony was held. The name of that building was North Wing; later changed to Old East. On this same day, the state sold lots around the the future university site for what it hoped would be a village where faculty and merchants would reside. The area had no official name, and was then then referred to as New Hope. A few years later when the first map of the state was created that included the future Chapel Hill, the mapmaker designated the place as University.

 
What will become Chapel Hill is simply known as "University" on this 1790 map

The University did not open its doors until February 1795. When the first students arrived, the entire area that was to be the university and Chapel Hill was forest wilderness, with just a single completed building. Students had difficulty getting to the University because the roads within a 25 mile radius were so bad. The tuition for the first year was between $8 and $15 depending on one's chosen major. The only professor was the Reverend David Ker, then 36, who was previously the pastor of a Presbyerian church in Fayetteville. He was paid $300 a year. There was also a tutor specializing in mathemetics who received $100 a year.

Old East in 1799 (Which was only completed building on campus then)

In those early years students paid about $30 for a room and meals. Breakfast was served at 8:00 AM, and the board of trustees mandated that it include "sufficient quantities of good coffee and tea, or chocolate." It also included bread with butter. Lunch, then known as dinner, was the big meal of the day and served at 1:00 PM. It included bacon, which students claimed was almost all fat, as well as fresh meat, puddings, tarts, greens, turnips, along with wheat and corn bread. The evening meal was called supper, and was served around sunset. That meal included milk, tea, or coffee, along with potatoes and some form of bread and vegetables when they were available.

I would not be surprised if we all followed the eating habits of these first Chapel Hillians, and only ate one large meal in the middle of the day, that few of us would have weight problems.

by Charly Mann

George Glamack was the star of the UNC 1940-1941 team. This is first UNC team to make the NCAA tournament.

 
George Glamack and his famous hook shot

Glamack had limited eyesight due to a tragic football injury in high-school, yet he had perhaps the best hook-shot in basketball history. He was named the National Basketball Player of the Year in both 1940 and 1941.

The 1941 NCAA tournament had only eight teams. UNC played in the East Quarterfinal game in Madison, Wisconsin on March 21, 1941 against Pittsburgh. The UNC coach was Bill Lange.

UNC set a milestone in its first NCAA game that has stood the test of time; the lowest points ever scored in a NCAA tournament game: 20.

The final score was:

Pittsburgh 26 UNC 20

George Glamack on right

At the end of 1941, when the United States declared war on Japan and Germany, Glamack wanted to join the Navy. When he was asked by a Navy medical examiner to read an eye chart, Glamack responed to him, "I can't". The examiner then told him to get closer to the chart, and try to read it. Glamack's eyesight was so bad that he could not see the chart and walked into the wall. Glamrack pleaded with the examiner to accept him into the Navy, and they did.

George Glamack died in 1987.