Civil War History
Goldsboro, once known as Goldsborough, served as an important southern railroad junction during the Civil War. The Atlantic and North Carolina railroads were vital to both Union and Confederate forces. Supplies from Wilmington, NC were shipped by rail through the Goldsborough depot to the Confederate army in Virginia. Confederate troops were stationed here to guard the city and report for duty by rail. Hospitals were established for the wounded returning from frontlines, with over 800 Confederate soldiers being buried in a mass grave at Willow Dale Cemetery. When New Bern fell in March 1862, breastworks were built 18 blocks east of Goldsborough along Stoney Creek. Remains are still visible along Claiborne Street.

The Battle of Goldsborough Bridge: Foster’s Raid
In December 1862, Union and Confederate forces fought for possession of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad Bridge. Union General John Foster marched from New Bern with 10,000 infantry, 640 cavalry and 40 artillery pieces, reaching the area on December 17th. Foster’s Raid was planned to destroy a railroad bridge over the Neuse River, three miles south of Goldsborough, to shut off the Confederate supply chain.

The bridge was defended by a small Confederate force commanded by Generals Gustavas Smith, Thomas Clingman and Nathan Evans. Union troops attacked from the other side of the railroad and pushed the Confederates back to burn the bridge and destroy the railroad tracks on the embankment.

Confederate forces planned to surprise Foster’s army as they headed back toward New Bern that afternoon by crossing over fields and attacking from the rear. They were repulsed by a heavy fire of artillery. The Confederates suffered over 150 casualties and Union losses were under 100.

In 1865, Goldsborough was Union General Sherman’s destination on his march through the Carolinas. Three Union armies converged on Goldsborough to use the railroad for supplies and to prepare for further action. These armies reached Goldsborough after the Battles of Bentonville and Wyse Forks in March 1865. Union hospitals were established, and the city was occupied for three weeks by over 100,000 Union soldiers.

African American History
In 1869, the Quakers offered to open a free school for African American children, if the parents could furnish a building. Sixteen African American men united to buy the land where the School Street School is now located. In 1882, Goldsboro Graded School assumed support of the schools for African American children. Goldsboro Normal and Classical Institute opened in front of the School Street School in September 1886 to prepare African Americans for college and to teach school. It operated until 1904 when it merged with Fayetteville Normal, now Fayetteville State University.

In 1894, Reverend Clarence Dillard, a Presbyterian minister, was elected as principal of the school. He served for 30 years and was honored by having the school named for him. Professor H.V. Brown, who also supervised School Street School, East End and Greenleaf, succeeded Rev. Dillard and led the school until 1958. He returned for an additional year as principal of Dillard High School and was later inducted into the NC Education Hall of Fame.

In 1956, all graduates were sent an invitation to celebrate the school’s 30 years of accreditation by the Southern Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges. The celebration was so successful that the group agreed to form an alumni association and return each year. In 1958, a national organization became chartered in NC as a nonprofit Community Service Organization. Now called “Dillard/Goldsboro Alumni and Friends, Incorporated,” the group attracts thousands of tourists to Goldsboro each Memorial Day weekend for its annual reunion. The group also purchased the East End property and developed it into a full service community facility, which includes the H.V. Brown Hall. The hall accommodates functions of 500 and is available as a venue for banquets, receptions, and other gatherings.

By the 1870s the Weil brothers had become successful businessmen involved in a multitude of financial and industrial ventures. Strong contributors to the cultural and educational life of the town, the brothers and their wives, Mina and Sarah, were leaders in public philanthropic activities. Gertrude Weil, daughter of Henry and Mina, played an active role in the women’s suffrage movement of the 1920s and in a variety of progressive causes until her death in 1971. She is credited with founding the North Carolina League of Women Voters.

Solomon and Henry Weil donated the land that would become Herman Park to the City of Goldsboro on July 21, 1890 in honor of their brother, Herman.

Lionel Weil, son of Solomon and Sarah Weil, donated 219 acres in 1945 to the State of North Carolina for a nature park. Now known as Cliffs of the Neuse State Park, the park now covers almost 600 acres. In 1957, a bronze marker was placed on the peak of the cliffs in honor of Lionel Weil.

Temple Oheb Shalom was built in 1886 and was only the second Jewish house of worship in North Carolina. Local builder Milton Harding designed the two-story red brick synagogue in a Romanesque Revival style that remains virtually unchanged today.