Hillsborough Raid Site (1781)
NC - Hillsborough, North Carolina, USA
Thomas Burke plaque, Heartsease exterior, 115 East Queen Street, Hillsborough, NC 27278, USA
MARKER
VISITOR INFORMATION
Do not substitute Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland or the Lindley's Mill battlefield. Local walking-tour and archive records may identify individual capture sites. Map point reviewed October 3, 2026: Visitor reference is the photographed Thomas Burke plaque on Heartsease’s exterior. Burke was the governor captured during Fanning’s raid. The attribution of this house as the capture venue is disputed; this pin represents the nearby governor memorial, not a confirmed capture room. Respect the private residence. Visitor information reviewed October 3, 2026: The visitor reference is the exterior historical marker. Heartsease is private property; the surviving house is not confirmation of public interior access or tours. The precise capture venue remains subject to historical attribution. Parking researched October 3, 2026: Nearby signed public spaces on Churton or King Street serve a walking visit to the Heartsease exterior plaque on East Queen Street. Observe time limits. The private house driveway is excluded.
Visitor amenities reviewed October 3, 2026: No confirmed information was found for public restrooms. The NO entries reflect unverified provision, rather than confirmed absence. Check locally before relying on facilities.
Free exterior historical marker; no separate ticket or staffed hours. View only from authorized public areas and follow any posted property-access rules. Associated buildings, grounds, museums or tours may have separate hours and admission.
Peak visitation season unconfirmed. No reliable site-specific monthly attendance pattern was established.
April-May or October-November for a generally comfortable Hillsborough history walk. Confirm a local public interpretation route and arrange any historic interior separately; use permitted town streets rather than private parcels.
HISTORIC SITES NEARBY
Nearby Historic Sites
miles
Landmark
WHO WAS HERE
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PEOPLE WHO LIVED HERE
About Hillsborough Raid Site (1781)
The Hillsborough raid of September 1781 brought North Carolina’s partisan conflict into its temporary capital. David Fanning’s Loyalists captured Governor Thomas Burke and other officials. The town’s surviving commemorative references preserve the episode, while the precise capture venue remains disputed and should not be assigned to a single room.
A 1938 bronze tablet on Heartsease's exterior commemorates Governor Thomas Burke. Evan Dwyer's September 2025 photographs document the plaque at the private house on East Queen Street. The memorial is a visitor reference for the Hillsborough raid, not proof of the exact capture venue or an authenticated surviving room used during the 1781 raid.
History happened here at Hillsborough Raid Site (1781)
On September 12, 1781, Fanning’s Loyalist force struck Hillsborough and captured Burke, members of his council, and other prisoners. The raid disrupted the revolutionary government within a conflict marked by repeated local attacks and reprisals. The captives were taken toward British-held Wilmington rather than remaining in town.
A Patriot attempt to rescue them produced the Battle of Lindley’s Mill the following day. That engagement was separate from the Hillsborough raid, though connected by the prisoner movement. State historical interpretation places Fanning’s operations within a bitter backcountry civil war, giving the capture a context beyond a single commemorative plaque.
PEOPLE WHO DIED HERE
PEOPLE AT REST HERE
EXTERNAL LINKS
Research reviewed October 2, 2026. Event IDs 1be77727-e828-4b10-a796-b61ffc03e137; Events Latest 10PM.csv rows 75.
https://www.ncpedia.org/lindleys-mill-battle
https://historicsites.nc.gov/all-sites/house-horseshoe/history/surrender-terms-and-david-fanning
https://focplnc.org/orange-county-books/topics/fanning-raid-hillsborough-1781/
Map location reviewed October 3, 2026. Visitor reference is the photographed Thomas Burke plaque on Heartsease’s exterior. Burke was the governor captured during Fanning’s raid. The attribution of this house as the capture venue is disputed; this pin represents the nearby governor memorial, not a confirmed capture room. Respect the private residence.
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=284343
Visitor classification and amenities reviewed October 3, 2026. Destination: Hillsborough Raid marker outside Heartsease, 115 East Queen Street.
Prose batch 3 researched October 3, 2026. Fast pass; proofing pending. State historical account refreshed. September 12 chronology and Heartsease capture attribution require final proof; mapped private-house plaque is only a memorial reference.
Parking researched October 3, 2026. The town confirms public three-hour parking on Churton and King Streets, and all-day parking at Eno River Parking Deck. Nearby signed public spaces on Churton or King Street serve a walking visit to the Heartsease exterior plaque on East Queen Street. Observe time limits. The private house driveway is excluded.
https://www.hillsboroughnc.gov/community/parking-and-transportation