On this day, 220 years ago, the Board of Trustees chose the
location for the University of North Carolina. You have probably
heard the legend of how it was chosen. If you haven’t, it goes
like this: The committee that had been charged with the task of
finding a location for the new university were wearily wandering
through the woods west of the newly selected capital. Tired,
hungry, and thirsty, the committee stopped beneath a great tree
for a picnic. After they ate, they fell asleep beneath the tree,
overcome by fatigue, a food coma, too much alcohol, or some
combination of the three. When they awoke, William R. Davie
announced that there could be no better spot for the new
university than where this tree stood. He and his committee
unanimously recommended the location to the Board of Trustees,
who adopted the committee’s proposal. The tree that Davie and
his committee slept under was named the “Davie Poplar” to honor
William R. Davie’s discovery. It is a great story.
Unfortunately, not a bit of it is true.