). Richard F. Morris was a tavern keeper, hotelier and pioneer tobacco manufacturer.
Robert F. Morris advertised in the The Hillsborough Recorder [1] of January 14, 1847, that he had recently purchased Hillsborough House, lately occupied by James Jackson (i.e. the famous old Faddis Tavern). Morris claimed several years' experience in tavern-keeping and promised the quality and standards of his table, bar, and stables would be high. His ad stated he would be prepared by February Court 1847 to accommodate all callers.
Successive ads in The Hillsborough Recorder [1] (July 12, 1847; January 13, 1848) announced that Robert F. Morris's tavern, "situated near the Courthouse, well known as Faddis old stand," had been "thoroughly repaired and fitted up." An ad of January 27, 1848 (dated as of April 26, 1847), stated that Morris had "opened a Variety Store North of the Courthouse and one door east of Long, Webb & County, where he will be pleased to see the public generally, but particularly his old friends who so liberally patronized him when a pedlar. He has on hand a stock of Dry Goods and Groceries, Confectionaries, Cigars, Chewing and Smoking Tobacco, and in fact a little of almost everything...."
Morris's Variety Store, in the old building in front of Faddis Tavern and flush with E. King Street, was known for decades as the Store and Bar Room. An ad dated July 12, 1847, published in the January 27, 1848 issue of The Hillsborough Recorder [1], advised, "Call at Morris's, if you want good liquors," and advertised "genuine French Brandy, Imitation Do., Holland Gin, Jamaica Rum, Port & Madeira, Rye Whiskey, and One Tierce London Porter first rate - Also Bacon and Lard, Corn Meal and Flour.
A fire in the early morning of March 7, 1848, did considerable damage to Morris's stables, but all the horses were saved. On March 7, 1855, William H. McCauley announced in The Hillsborough Recorder [1] that he had taken charge of Robert F. Morris's "Public House." Morris served from 1868 - 1870 on Hillsborough's first Board of County Commissioners.
Robert F. Morris realized the great opportunities available in the new community of Durham after the building of the North Carolina Railroad in the mid-1850s. He moved to Durham and opened the first hotel opposite the new train station, at the same time becoming a pioneer tobacco manufacturer. Although he sold his factory to John R. Green in 1858, he and his son Edward W. Morris with William H. Willard incorporated another tobacco manufacturing company in 1866. He early acquired land in Durham and its environs, which proved a lucrative investment.
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