Orange County in History:
Orange County, North Carolina, was founded in 1752 and was named for Prince William V of Orange. A courthouse was authorized several years after and was constructed in the town of Childsburgh, which in 1766 changed its name to Hillsborough in honor of the Earl of Hillsborough, British Secretary of State and one of Royal Governor Tryon’s relatives.  Orange County’s Hillsborough became North Carolina’s state capital for a time during the American Revolution.
The University of North Carolina, which in 1795 became the first state university to open its doors to students, was chartered in 1789 and is located at