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                                                                     EXHIBIT 4.2

Unless this certificate is presented by an authorized representative of The
Depository Trust Company, a New York corporation ("DTC"), to the Issuer (as
defined below) or its agent for registration of transfer, exchange, or payment,
and any certificate issued is registered in the name of Cede & Co. or in such
other name as is requested by an authorized representative of DTC (and any
payment is made to Cede & Co. or to such other entity as is requested by an
authorized representative of DTC), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE, OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR
VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL inasmuch as the registered
owner hereof, Cede & Co., has an interest herein.

REGISTERED                                                      PRINCIPAL AMOUNT
No.: 1                                                              $100,000,000

CUSIP No.: 431282 AA0

                      HIGHWOODS/FORSYTH LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
                        6 3/4% NOTE DUE December 1, 2003


         HIGHWOODS/FORSYTH LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, a North Carolina limited
partnership (hereinafter called the "Issuer", which term shall include any
successor partnership or entity under the Indenture hereinafter referred to),
for value received, hereby promises to pay to Cede & Co., or registered assigns,
upon presentation, the principal sum of ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS on December
1, 2003, and to pay interest on the outstanding principal amount thereon from
December 1, 1996, or from the most recent Interest Payment Date to which
interest has been paid or duly provided for, semi-annually in arrears on June 1
and December 1, in each year, commencing June 1, 1997, at the rate of 6 3/4% per
annum, until the entire principal amount hereof is paid or made available for
payment. The interest so payable, and punctually paid or duly provided for on
any Interest Payment Date will, as provided in the Indenture, be paid to the
Person in whose name this Note (or one or more Predecessor Notes) is registered
at the close of business on the Regular Record Date for such interest which
shall be 15 calendar days (whether or not a Business Day) preceding such
Interest Payment Date. Any such interest not so punctually paid or duly provided
for shall forthwith cease to be payable to the Holder on such Regular Record
Date, and may either be paid to the Person in whose name this Note (or one or
more Predecessor Notes) is registered at the close of business on a Special
Record Date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest to be fixed by the
Trustee, which shall not be more than 15 days and not less than 10 days prior to
the date of the proposed payment, notice whereof shall be given to Holders not
less than 10 days prior to such Special Record Date, or may be paid at any time
in any other lawful manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any
securities exchange on which the Notes may be listed, and upon exchange, all as
more fully provided in the Indenture. Payment of the principal of, Make-Whole
Amount, if any, on, and interest on this Note will be made at the Office or
Agency of the Issuer maintained for that purpose in the City of New York, State
of New York, or elsewhere as provided in the Indenture, in 





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such coin or currency of the United States of America as at the time of payment
is legal tender for payment of public and private debts; provided, however, that
at the option of the Issuer payment of interest may be made by (i) check mailed
to the address of the Person entitled thereto as such address shall appear in
the Security Register kept for the Notes pursuant to Section 305 of the
Indenture (the "Note Register") or (ii) transfer to an account of the Person
entitled thereto located inside the United States.

         This Note is one of a duly authorized issue of securities of the Issuer
(herein called the "Notes"), issued and to be issued in one or more series under
an Indenture, dated as of December 1, 1996 (herein called the "Indenture"),
among the Issuer, Highwoods Properties, Inc. and First Union National Bank of
North Carolina (herein called the "Trustee", which term includes any successor
trustee under the Indenture with respect to the Notes), to which Indenture and
all indentures supplemental thereto reference is hereby made for a statement of
the respective rights, limitations of rights, duties and immunities thereunder
of the Issuer, the Trustee, Highwoods Properties, Inc. and the Holders of the
Notes and of the terms upon which the Notes are, and are to be, authenticated
and delivered. This Note is one of the series designated as the "6 3/4% Notes
due December 1, 2003", limited in aggregate principal amount to $100,000,000.

         The Notes may be redeemed at any time at the option of the Issuer, in
whole or from time to time in part, upon notice of not more than 60 nor less
than 30 days prior to the Redemption Date, at a redemption price equal to the
sum of (i) the principal amount of the Notes (or portion thereof) being redeemed
plus accrued interest thereon to the Redemption Date and (ii) the Make-Whole
Amount, if any, with respect to such Notes (or portion thereof).

         The following definitions apply with respect to any redemption or
accelerated payment of the Notes of this series:

         "Make-Whole Amount" means, in connection with any optional redemption
or accelerated payment of any Notes of this series, the excess, if any, of (i)
the aggregate present value as of the date of such redemption or accelerated
payment of each dollar of principal being redeemed or paid and the amount of
interest (exclusive of interest accrued to the date of redemption or accelerated
payment) that would have been payable in respect of such dollar if such
redemption or accelerated payment had not been made, determined by discounting,
on a semi-annual basis, such principal and interest at the Reinvestment Rate
(determined on the third Business Day preceding the date such notice of
redemption is given or declaration of acceleration is made) from the respective
dates on which such principal and interest would have been payable if such
redemption or accelerated payment had not been made, over (ii) the aggregate
principal amount of the Notes of this series being redeemed or paid.

         "Reinvestment Rate" means 0.25% plus the arithmetic mean of the yields
under the respective heading "Week Ending" published in the most recent
Statistical Release under the caption "Treasury Constant Maturities" for the
maturity (rounded to the nearest month) corresponding to the remaining

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life to maturity, as of the payment date of the principal being redeemed or
paid. If no maturity exactly corresponds to such maturity, yields for the two
published maturities most closely corresponding to such maturity shall be
calculated pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence and the Reinvestment
Rate shall be interpolated or extrapolated from such yields on a straight-line
basis, rounding in each of such relevant periods to the nearest month. For the
purpose of calculating the Reinvestment Rate, the most recent Statistical
Release published prior to the date of determination of the Make-Whole Amount
shall be used.

         "Statistical Release" means the statistical release designated "H.15
(519)" or any successor publication which is published weekly by the Federal
Reserve System and which establishes yields on actively traded United States
government securities adjusted to constant maturities, or, if such statistical
release is not published at the time of any determination under the Indenture,
then such other reasonably comparable index which shall be designated by the
Issuer.

         The Indenture contains provisions for defeasance at any time of (a) the
entire indebtedness of the Issuer on this Note and (b) certain restrictive
covenants and the related defaults and Events of Default applicable to the
Issuer, in each case, upon compliance by the Issuer with certain conditions set
forth in the Indenture, which provisions apply to this Note.

         If an Event of Default with respect to the Notes of this series shall
occur and be continuing, the principal of, and the Make-Whole Amount, if any,
on, the Notes of this series may be declared due and payable in the manner and
with the effect provided in the Indenture.

         As provided in and subject to the provisions of the Indenture, the
Holder of this Note shall not have the right to institute any proceeding with
respect to the Indenture or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee or for
any other remedy thereunder, unless such Holder shall have previously given the
Trustee written notice of a continuing Event of Default with respect to the
Notes of this series, the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of
the Notes of this series at the time Outstanding shall have made written request
to the Trustee to institute proceedings in respect of such Event of Default as
Trustee and offered the Trustee reasonable indemnity and the Trustee shall not
have received from the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Notes of
this series at the time Outstanding a direction inconsistent with such request,
and shall have failed to institute any such proceeding, for 60 days after
receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity. The foregoing shall not
apply to any suit instituted by the Holder of this Note for the enforcement of
any payment of principal hereof or any interest on or after the respective due
dates expressed herein.

         The Indenture permits, with certain exceptions as therein provided, the
amendment thereof and the modification of the rights and obligations of the
Issuer and the rights of the Holders of the Notes under the Indenture at any
time by the Issuer and the Trustee with the consent of the Holders of not less
than a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Notes. The Indenture also
contains provisions permitting the Holders of specified percentages in principal
amount of the Notes at the time Outstanding, on behalf of the Holders of all
Notes, to waive compliance by the Issuer with 


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certain provisions of the Indenture and certain past defaults under the
Indenture and their consequences. Any such consent or waiver by the Holder of
this Note shall be conclusive and binding upon such Holder and upon all future
Holders of this Note and of any Note issued upon the registration of transfer
hereof or in exchange herefor or in lieu hereof, whether or not notation of such
consent or waiver is made upon this Note.

         No reference herein to the Indenture and no provision of this Note or
of the Indenture shall alter or impair the obligation of the Issuer, which is
absolute and unconditional, to pay the principal of, Make-Whole Amount, if any,
on, and interest on this Note at the times, place and rate, and in the coin or
currency, herein prescribed.

         As provided in the Indenture and subject to certain limitations therein
set forth, the transfer of this Note is registrable in the Note Register, upon
surrender of this Note for registration of transfer at the Office or Agency of
the Issuer in any Place of Payment where the principal of, Make-Whole Amount,
if any, on, and interest on this Note are payable, duly endorsed by, or
accompanied by a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the
Issuer and the Security Registrar for the Notes (the "Note Registrar") duly
executed by, the Holder hereof or his attorney duly authorized in writing, and
thereupon one or more new Notes of this series, of authorized denominations and
for the same aggregate principal amount, will be issued to the designated
transferee or transferees.

         The Notes of this series are issuable only in registered form without
coupons in denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof. As
provided in the Indenture and subject to certain limitations therein set forth,
Notes of this series are exchangeable for a like aggregate principal amount of
Notes of this series of a different authorized denomination, as requested by the
Holder surrendering the same.

         No service charge shall be made for any such registration of transfer
or exchange, but the Trustee or the Issuer may require payment of a sum
sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection
therewith.

         Prior to due presentment of this Note for registration of transfer, the
Issuer, the Trustee and any agent of the Issuer or the Trustee may treat the
Person in whose name this Note is registered as the owner hereof for all
purposes, whether or not this Note be overdue, and neither the Issuer, the
Trustee nor any such agent shall be affected by notice to the contrary.

         All terms used in this Note which are defined in the Indenture shall
have the meanings assigned to them in the Indenture.

         THE INDENTURE AND THE NOTES, INCLUDING THIS NOTE, SHALL BE GOVERNED BY
AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.


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         Pursuant to a recommendation promulgated by the Committee on Uniform
Security Identification Procedures, the Issuer has caused "CUSIP" numbers to be
printed on the Notes as a convenience to the Holders of the Notes. No
representation is made as to the correctness or accuracy of such CUSIP numbers
as printed on the Notes, and reliance may be placed only on the other
identification numbers printed hereon.

         Unless the certificate of authentication hereon has been executed by or
on behalf of the Trustee by manual signature, this Note shall not be entitled to
any benefit under the Indenture or be valid or obligatory for any purpose.

         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Issuer has caused this instrument to be duly
executed this 2nd day of December, 1996.

                            HIGHWOODS/FORSYTH LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

                            By:      Highwoods Properties, Inc.
                                     General Partner

[seal]
                                  By:
                                      Ronald P. Gibson
                                      President and Chief Executive Officer




Attest:


By:       _______________________________________
         Edward J. Fritsch
         Secretary

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TRUSTEE'S CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION:

         This is one of the Notes of the series designated "6 3/4% Notes due
December 1, 2003" referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.

                                    FIRST UNION NATIONAL BANK
                                      OF NORTH CAROLINA,
                                    as Trustee


                                    By: _________________________________
                                             Authorized Officer

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                                 ASSIGNMENT FORM

                   FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the undersigned hereby
                        sells, assigns and transfers unto

PLEASE INSERT SOCIAL
SECURITY OR OTHER IDENTIFYING
NUMBER OF ASSIGNEE




 ................................................................................



 ................................................................................
             (Please Print or Typewrite Name and Address, including
                             Zip Code, of Assignee)


 ................................................................................
the within Note of Highwoods/Forsyth Limited Partnership and
_____________________ hereby does irrevocably constitute and appoint

 ................................................................................
Attorney to transfer said Note on the books of the within-named Issuer with full
power of substitution in the premises.

Dated:   .......................................................................

Signature:        ..............................................................
NOTICE: The signature to this assignment must correspond with the name as it
appears on the first page of the within Note in every particular, without
alteration or enlargement or any change whatever.

Signature Guaranteed:      .....................................................
NOTICE: Signature(s) must be guaranteed by an "ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION"
that is a member or participant in a "SIGNATURE GUARANTEE PROGRAM" (E.G., the
Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program, the Stock Exchange Medallion
Program or the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. Medallion Signature Program).


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