Beginning with the magnificent neoclassical Double Oaks Bed & Breakfast at 204 North Mendenhall Street, this tour will weave the history of Westerwood from the late nineteenth century to the present. Built on a hill just a west of Greensboro’s village center, the area was first developed in the 1890s as the home of B.…
In contrast to other parts of the American South, the Carolina Piedmont was a patchwork quilt of groups of settlers who brought their denominations with them from Pennsylvania, and quickly established congregation-related settlements that resulted in distinctive communities. Settlers arriving from the 1740s onward via the Great Valley of Virginia from the mid-Atlantic area included…
For a city of its size in the American South, Greensboro has a remarkable history of social equity that spans more than 100 years. Perhaps those of tolerant Quaker and Jewish faith provided Greensboro's disenfranchised citizens with community allies. In addition, Greensboro also had a strong "youth culture" from its five colleges and universities that…
Traces of nineteenth-century history linger on the edges of the Summit Avenue neighborhood (recently renamed Dunleath), but the greatest architectural legacy dates from the early twentieth-century. In 1898, industrialist siblings Ceasar and Moses Cone constructed a “magnificent boulevard” to ease transportation between their cotton and denim mills and the city center. Named “Summit Avenue” for…
Over the past five years, a new storyline has emerged in Greensboro that is associated with Black builders, artists, and architects. In spite of systemic disenfranchisement typical of the mid-twentieth century, Black residents of East Greensboro expressed optimism through progressive architectural styles for mid-century modern style buildings. These middle- and high-income Black families served as…
The Revolution Mill complex represents an important chapter in the development of Greensboro as one of the largest cities in North Carolina. The mill was a keystone of brothers Moses and Ceasar Cone’s textile empire, established in Greensboro after observing opportunity in the rapid expansion of the southern textile industry. Revolution Mill was named for…
Recognition of the 1781 Guilford Courthouse battle site was initiated in 1886, and resulted in the formation of the Guilford Battle Ground Company (est. 1887) that would protect and commemorate the grounds with monuments and memorials. The first monument was erected in 1887 and between 20 and 30 monuments were erected and dedicated to patriots…
Guilford County has long been recognized for its industrial heritage, but did you know that some historians trace North Carolina’s industrial awakening to one early Guilford resident? From Greensboro, the seeds of North Carolina’s textile history in the Carolina Piedmont were sewn. Few industries had an impact on our cultural landscape – both in Guilford…
Pittsburgh is a legacy city, a center point of America's Industrial Revolution, and the center of steel, aluminum, glass, oil, and electric industries. The wealth and prosperity of the period resulted in architecture that is exemplary and irreplaceable. Join us in Pittsburgh with our partners at Studio Traveler for our 9th architectural excursion. Additional sites…
A Halloween tradition of Ghost Stories continues this October at Blandwood Mansion! Located in downtown Greensboro, Blandwood has stood for more than 170 years and has witnessed the passage of time, historic events, and the lives of its occupants. Our special friend and storyteller Cynthia Moore Brown will weave her 17th season of magic with…
The Victorians were always open for a ghostly guest or a spiritual sensation...and Blandwood is Greensboro's grandest Victorian house! You will be guided by a ghoul from room to room as you listen to literary readings of supernatural stories. Victorian authors including Edgar Allen Poe, Dora Sigerson Shorter, Bram Stoker, H. G. Wells, and an…
The Victorians were always open for a ghostly guest or a spiritual sensation...and Blandwood is Greensboro's grandest Victorian house! You will be guided by a ghoul from room to room as you listen to literary readings of supernatural stories. Victorian authors including Edgar Allen Poe, Dora Sigerson Shorter, Bram Stoker, H. G. Wells, and an…