I stopped at this marker on the stretch between Wentworth and Reidsville and it's one of those…read moresigns that quietly carries a much bigger story than you expect from a roadside pull-off. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Glenn T. Settle. 1894-1967. Founder of Wings Over Jordan Choir and Negro Hour radio show, 1937. He promoted traditional spiritual music & racial harmony. Born 2 mi. SW." Glenn T. Settle was born in a log cabin on Nubbin Ridge, a sharecropper's son whose life would arc all the way to national radio and early civil rights influence. The marker does a good job grounding him in Rockingham County's landscape and in the legacy of his grandfather Tom, who had been enslaved by the local Settle family, which gives the whole narrative a sense of rootedness that follows him even after the family left for Pennsylvania in 1902. What stands out is how this local boy became the force behind the Wings Over Jordan Choir, a group that not only brought Black spirituals to a national CBS audience in the 1930s but also refused to perform for segregated crowds, decades before the civil rights movement reached its peak. The marker captures that blend of artistry, ministry, and quiet activism. It leaves you with the sense that this rural ridge produced someone whose voice carried far beyond Rockingham County. [Review 652 of 2026 - 4740 in North Carolina - 25833 overall]

Between Madison and Wentworth, this roadside marker points out the home of one of North Carolina's…read morefirst governors who was an important figure in the early days of one of the original colonies. There is room to pull over to view the marker and perhaps look around. It is marker number J-15 and it was erected in 1993 by the North Carolina Division of Archives and History. It reads, "Alexander Martin, 1738-1807. Governor, 1782-85 and 1789-92, officer in the Revolution, member Federal Convention of 1787, United States Senator. Home stood 1/2 mile north." Alexander Martin, born around 1739 in New Jersey and educated at the College of New Jersey, built a prominent political career after settling in North Carolina around 1760. Rising from merchant and lawyer to legislator, Revolutionary War officer, and eventually governor, he served multiple terms and steered a moderate political course while helping guide the state through the end of the Revolution, the State of Franklin crisis, the founding of the University of North Carolina, and the establishment of Raleigh as the capital. Though his military record was blemished by a court‑martial from which he was acquitted, he remained influential, later serving in the U.S. Senate before returning home to Rockingham County, where he died in 1807. [Review 649 of 2026 - 4737 in North Carolina - 25830 overall]

Blandwood Mansion is a privately owned museum in Downtown Greensboro. The museum opened in 1984…read moreafter Preservation Greensboro acquired the property in 1966 as it was going to be demolished. After preserving the building and reconstructing out buildings that had been torn down. The museum offers tours on the hour. The house was the home of NC Governor John Motley Morehead. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. In 1988 it was named at National Historic Landmark because of its architecture. It is the oldest Italianate architecture in the country. Governor Morehead was the 28th Governor on North Carolina and served two terms from 1841 to 1845. He had eight children that were raised at Blandwood. Eight women and nine men were enslaved at the home. The Blandwood Mansion is Italianate architecture. The current house is the original house and two additions. The original farmhouse was built in 1795 and the first addition was made in 1822. The second expansion was in the 1844-1846 in the Italianate style by AJ Davis. The house is decorated as it would have been when Governor Morehead lived there. The house is in great condition and contains original items of the Moreheads that were donated back to the museum by descendants. The kitchen is not original but one of the reconstructed buildings according to the plans they found during a dig. The kitchen also houses the gift shop. The museum does not have a parking area but you can park on a nearby street. I was charged $8 admission to take the guided tour throughout the house. Masks are required to tour the museum. Hand sanitizer was also available inside. I arrived on the half hour but was allowed to join a tour in progress and then complete the first half afterwards. I expected that I'd need to wait until the next tour so was pleasantly surprised. I also bought items in a gift shop and when a bag wasn't available the tour docent offered up his bag for me to use which was very thoughtful. After my tour I realized that I need to learn more about this house and Governor Morehead and his family. I highly recommend this tour to other history buffs.

Had an amazing tour guided by Thomas! Best historical tour I've ever experienced. He went, what…read morefelt like was, above and beyond to make our experience unique and memorable. His knowledge of the family and grounds had me in awe. Would recommend this incredible experience to anyone visiting or passing through this area. Blandwood Museum is lucky to have someone who cares so much about the building and history guiding visitors through the beautiful grounds!!

On the sidewalk in front of the massive complex that is the Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital, this…read moremarker is a reminder that things weren't always the way they are today. Historical marker J-120 has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Landmark federal court of appeals decision 1963 involving Cone Hospital led to racial integration of hospitals in the U.S." Simkins v. Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital challenged segregated hospital systems in Greensboro, arguing that facilities built with federal Hill-Burton Act funds could not lawfully discriminate. George C. Simkins and other African American physicians and patients sued after one hospital barred Black patients entirely and the other allowed only limited access. The Fourth Circuit ruled in 1963 that hospitals receiving federal funds were subject to the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, making separate but equal policies unconstitutional. When the Supreme Court declined review in 1964, the decision stood and helped pave the way for the Civil Rights Act's desegregation of public facilities. As it was a weekend, I was able to quickly stop in the medical office across the street to park. On a weekday, there is no good parking nearby. [Review 654 of 2026 - 4742 in North Carolina - 25835 overall]

I had just come from the Museum of Rockingham County in the old 1907 courthouse so walking up to…read morethe Rockingham County Judicial Center felt like stepping from one chapter of the county's story straight into the next. Rockingham County was formed in 1785 and named for Charles Watson Wentworth, the second Marquess of Rockingham. He was a British statesman who supported American independence, and Reidsville itself takes its name from Reuben Reid, a local innkeeper whose family became deeply tied to the area's early civic life. The Judicial Center leans into that long arc of county history with a modern civic design that feels intentional without trying to compete with the older courthouse architecture I had just left behind. On a Saturday morning, the building was completely closed, which actually made it a great time to walk the perimeter and take everything in without any foot traffic. It was easy to get clean photos of the building with no one wandering into the frame and without anyone giving me that sideways look that sometimes comes when you point a camera at a government building, not that it should be an issue but you know how people get. The quiet made the place feel even more rooted in the long county history I had just experienced at the museum and the modern lines of the Judicial Center stood out nicely against the still morning light. Don't miss the Charters of Freedom installation in front. There are many of these at other courthouses, but it's worth checking out here if you've not seen that before. [Review 635 of 2026 - 4723 in North Carolina - 25816 overall]

This marker is located near the center of the town of Leasburg and it's in very good condition. The…read moreoriginal marker was erected in 1954 but appears to have been updated. It reads, "Solomon Lea. First president Greensboro College, 1846-47. Founder and master of the Somerville Female Institute, 1848-1892. Home stands 100 yds. N." Online there is more information. "Solomon Lea, first president of Greensboro College, was born in 1807 to William and Sarah McNeil Lea. Lea grew up in Caswell County town of Leasburg that was named for his ancestors who had been pioneer settlers. He attended the University of North Carolina, receiving a bachelor's degree in 1833 and a master's degree in 1838. While teaching school at Warrenton Academy in 1834 he fell in love with the music teacher, Sophia Ainger. The two were married in 1837. After leaving Warrenton, he taught at Boydton Female College (later Randolph Macon College) in Boydton, Virginia, until 1841 when he left to become president of Virginia's Farmville Female School. "On February 1, 1846, Lea became the first president of Greensboro Female College. He also served as a professor of mathematics and ancient languages. Due to difficulties with a faculty member and the lack of support from trustees, Lea resigned his post as president in December of 1847. He and his wife then returned to Leasburg where in 1848 Lea opened the Somerville Female Institute. He named the preparatory school for Mary Somerville, a Scottish mathematician and astronomer. At the school's peak, it employed four teachers and enrolled fifty to seventy-five students from several states. Among the teachers were his wife Sophia, and eventually his daughters. "The school operated for forty-four years, until Lea's health required him to retire in 1892. Solomon Lea had received his license to preach from the Methodist church in 1848. While he never held a pastorate, he assisted on the Leasburg circuit and served as a guest minister for fifty years. Lea passed away just months before his ninetieth birthday on April 30, 1897. He is buried in the Leasburg Cemetery." There is room to stop here to read the marker and now you can learn about what this man achieved. [Review 2476 of 2024 - 3930 in North Carolina - 23488 overall]

I was here to try a few of the restaurants located here! Parking was easy and free. I didn't expect…read morethis place to be so big so I parked on the wrong side and had to ask for directions. It's so clean inside and there are a ton of small bushinesses! Everyone I encountered was friendly and welcoming.

We visited revolution Mill a few weeks ago, more specifically the art Gallery, which seems to be…read morethe host spot of the Art Stock art tour. With many locations around town hosting art for this event, this space had a few pierces from each artist invovled. The gallery was. A great space full of some great work, I will say some sections of the gallery which had items sitting on tables was rather dark, and hard to see the work, but overall, we really enjoyed our visit

This marker is along NC 150. There isn't quite room to stop but it was quiet enough that I was able…read moreto pull over safely. The marker reads, "Also called Rockingham Springs. Council of State met here, 1790. Owned by John Lenox, Archibald D. Murphey, & Thomas Ruffin. Famous health resort." Online, there is more information. "Formed in 1785, Rockingham County was well known to many colonists for its beautiful environs and healthful environment. By 1790, Moravians from Salem and other nearby communities had discovered a mineral springs in the area that provided medicinal benefits for visitors and began to regularly send their ailing members to the springs. Other early visitors to the spring included Governor Alexander Martin who called a session of the Council of State to be held there in June, 1790. Because of the prevalence of sulphur springs, the area became known as Rockingham Springs and was identified as such on the 1808 Price-Strother map of the state." This is marker number J-59. It was erected in 1970 by the Department of Archives and History. [Review 2481 of 2024 - 3935 in North Carolina - 23493 overall]