A crowd gathers to watch firefighters battle a blaze at Kemp Battle Nye's record shop on Franklin Street in 1966. Nye often mesmerized his customers with the exotic tales he told of his jaw-dropping adventures as a U.S. Marine in Japanese-occupied China in the 1930's. Patrons were delighted with his tales of travels on the Trans-Siberian Railroad and undercover missions through dangerous territories. When his record store was entirely engulfed in flames, the blaze destroyed a unique and irreplaceable facet of Franklin Street's history.

Who else is important to Franklin Street's history? Find out when the Chapel Hill Museum's permanent exhibit on Franklin Street's history opens in October. The museum welcomes all financial contributions and loans of photos, documents, and artifacts to help chronicle Franklin Street's history. Call 967-1400 to loan or donate and be a part of history.