Hidden Hillsborough: Historic Dependencies and Landscapes in a Small Southern Town introduces readers to the small colonial town's past by exploring its contemporary streetscapes and backyards. A project of the Preservation Fund of Hillsborough, the book uncovers the purpose of many dependencies and landscape elements scattered around town-some dating as far back as the 1700s. With photographs by noted Hillsborough photographer Elizabeth Matheson, and essays and maps by a dedicated group of town historians, Hidden Hillsborough reminds us of the town's intriguing past. Featured structures include kitchens, slave houses, smokehouses, laundry rooms, and necessary houses.

Whether it was the loud noises of the cook in the kitchens, the smell of salting and smoking meats coming from the smokehouses, or the coolness of spring houses in the July heat, these small buildings functioned together to support families in the eighteenth and nineteenth, and even twentieth, centuries.

Hidden Hillsborough is filled with colorful images, detailed maps, and informative essays. These features enable readers to trace the path of history in today's landscape and to better appreciate Hillsborough in all ways: as a town, community, and home.