Dorothy Burton

In this oral history, Dorothy Burton offers valuable insights about life in Davidson. Burton has lived in the Davidson and Cornelius areas for almost 80 years, and worked at Davidson College for a great part of her life. Born in 1942, she talks about her early days living in a house owned by Davidson College while her mom worked at the college laundry. Burton talks about early work experiences at the college, washing dishes and helping in kitchens. She also discusses her church involvement and the many activities they had during Christmas, Easter, and Children’s Day. Burton recalls the difficulty to obtain permission to fix her house on Griffith Street, having to eventually sell it to the college. Additionally, she mentions some of the small businesses herself and others kept at home, as well as some of the different shops at Davidson. Towards the end of the interview, Burton recalls the Outlaws, Davidson’s first African-American baseball team. She finally goes over some aspects of her family, personal and professional life.