Then and now: Remembering the lost history and origins of Franklin Street

You might remember piles of multi-flavored ice cream at Swensen's, or long afternoons walking through booths of artisans at The Apple Chill Festival. You're familiar with the nostalgic flavor of a 'Big O' orange drink at the Colonial Drug Co. or a chicken n' cheddar biscuit from Time-Out, and you might recall an era when jazz music could be heard regularly at University Square.

You may have been around long enough to remember a time when victory celebrations for the Tar Heels meant men standing in trees on Franklin Street – without any clothes on – while police waited down below.

You've certainly tasted the warm Southern comfort food and sweet pecan pie at Mama Dip's, and your photo might even be on the wall at Sutton's Drug Store.

Franklin Street itself is a cultural reflection of the surrounding community. And as big chain stores like CVS and Target take over familiar buildings where mom-and-pop stores once stood, it's as good a time as any to remember the places and faces that are gone forever – and celebrate the ones that are still here.

Famously the gathering spot massive block-parties at Halloween or after UNC national championships, the history of Franklin Street goes back to the origins of the town itself.

At its core, Chapel Hill was built to support the university – which was founded in 1789 – and the students, which arrived in 1795.

According to local lore and the town website, Chapel Hill was named after a literal chapel on a hill. Old maps show Franklin Street as a dirt road, which was named after Benjamin Franklin because of his passion for educating youth.

Franklin Street has changed a lot in the past few centuries.

Photos from the 1800s show a horse and cart rolling down the historic road.

Photos from the mid-1900s show vintage cars taking over for the horses – and the row of small businesses has a handful of recognizable signs. Sutton's, for example, is visible in this historic image, which is hanging inside the Carolina Coffee House.

The first pavement was laid along Franklin Street in 1921.

Roughly a year later, the Carolina Coffee Shop opened its doors in 1922. It took over the Coca-Cola building, and it's still serving the community almost a century later.

Sutton's Drug Store came along the next year, opening in 1923. It was followed by the Carolina Theatre, built in 1927. That same building eventually became the Village Theater, and is now home to The Varsity. 

A few decades later, community pillars like Mama Dip's, Ye Old Waffle Shoppe and Time Out opened.

The Colonial Drug Co. is gone, along with its iconic orange beverage, but a new local business, the West End Wine Bar, is in its place.

While many local treasures were lost through the decades, leaving flavors and memories that can never again be experienced in Chapel Hill, some icons are a mainstay on Franklin Street, helping the downtown area hold a bit of its historic appearance.

Many of these classic downtown businesses, like Sutton's, Carolina Coffee House and Mama Dip's, serve more than just food and services – they serve as makeshift museums, with their walls overflowing with archival photos and sepia-toned snapshots of the way things used to be.

Memories from Sutton's are plastered across the walls in hundreds of photos – and owner Don Pinney has been around long enough to know the stories behind most of them.

In these exhibits, locals like Willie Mae are captured in time, working behind the lunch counter in the 1970s.

While not on Franklin Street proper, Mama Dip's, opened in 1976, also played a huge role in the culture of Franklin Street and downtown Chapel Hill as a whole. Mildred Council, better known as 'Mama Dip,' was known for providing more than just Southern comfort food for the community.

"She'd hire people who were out of prison, or even hire people who were still in prison, to give them a chance when others wouldn't," said Spring Council, her daughter and the current owner of Mama Dip's.

Mama Dip also helped serve up breakfast at the Ronald McDonald House and donated to charitable organizations to help children in need. Generations of UNC students have eaten at Mama Dip's as a comforting reminder of home cooked meals, while they are far away from their own parents.

Her passion for serving the community was recognized by President Bush himself. A photo of the president standing next to Mama Dip still hangs in the restaurant.

Like Sutton's, the restaurant serves as an archive of historic photos and memories – generations of locals can be seen smiling on the walls.

Even the name 'Mama Dip' has a history.

"When she was a little girl on the farm, she got the nickname 'Dip' because she would reach into the bucket that caught rainwater. She loved to dip into it with her hands," said Council.

And the name 'Mama' came from her role in the community itself – always helping people, whether it be with a hot meal or a spoonful of advice. People came to know her as Mama.

That's the beauty of a true local business – they aren't just a place to eat or drink: They hold the memories of the community. They're home – vintage photo albums and all.

And if we want to be able to go home again, we've got to keep those memories alive.