# @chapelboronews on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DJzDbqpNSWV
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/30675603-chapelboronews-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/d135daaca0.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-05-18T14:08:30.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Chapelboro.com (@chapelboronews) — https://gondola.cc/chapelboronews

## Caption

Horace Johnson, a longtime elected official who became the first Black mayor of the Town of Hillsborough, died Thursday. He was 95 years old, having celebrated his birthday just days before.

The town government shared the news of the six-term mayor’s death Friday night in a release.

“Mayor Johnson was a transformative leader whose courage and advocacy helped reshape the town during a pivotal era,” sitting Hillsborough Mayor Mark Bell said. “As an elected official and as a resident of Hillsborough, he championed civil rights, municipal development and community engagement with lasting influence on the town. He will always be an essential part of our history.”

Johnson first arrived in Hillsborough in 1954 as a native of Mobile, Alabama, and always shared that he initially planned to be in the community for a two-week stay but decided to put down roots in the town with his wife. He earned elected office in town in 1977, serving for 12 years on the Hillsborough Board of Commissioners after being an outspoken advocate for civil rights and critic of segregation in the decade prior. After wanting to see a change in leadership for the town, he ran for mayor and campaigned for Hillsborough residents of all races and successfully unseated the incumbent.

Under Johnson’s leadership, many parts of the Town of Hillsborough’s modern infrastructure took shape. The longtime mayor pushed for building the town’s West Fork Eno Reservoir and establishing an emergency water supply from Durham to help address drought and water shortage issues the community regularly faced. During his tenure, Hillsborough also built its downtown police station, acquired the building that is now the police annex, and constructed the substation in the Fairview community that has become the Dorothy N. Johnson Community Center. Beyond town facilities, Johnson also played a part in reducing truck traffic on Churton Street in favor of residents and visitors, and establishing affordable housing communities around town.

Full story on Chapelboro.com.
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#hillsborough #hillsboroughnc #hillsboroughmayor

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## Tags

hillsboroughnc, hillsboroughmayor, hillsborough

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