Standing opposite the historic Rockingham County Courthouse, which now serves as the Museum and…read moreArchives of Rockingham County, you'll spot this historical marker in front of a two hundred year old building that has since been restored. The marker reads, "Built in 1816. Rare example of dog-run building. Operated by Wrights and Reids. Birthplace and home of Congressman J. W. Reid." It is marker number J-26 and it was erected in 1973 by the North Carolina Department of Archives and History. Built and first operated by planter William Wright, who expanded his holdings to 1500 acres and nearly twenty enslaved people, the tavern grew under his son James, who added new wings and replaced deteriorated early sections with the two‑story facade seen today. The Wrights ran a busy operation that included lodging, meals, and supplying food to the nearby jail, and by 1860 the family plantation supported a wide range of crops and livestock worked by twenty-four enslaved people. After James Wright's death, his grandson James Wesley Reid (later a US Congressman) modernized and enlarged the building before the property eventually passed out of the family in the 1890s. The Rockingham County Historical Society purchased the tavern in 1967, placed it on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, and restored it to its early appearance. [Review 651 of 2026 - 4739 in North Carolina - 25832 overall]

Located in one of the busier parts of downtown Reidsville, I spotted this marker as I was parking…read moreand heading to dinner. It is easily visible on a very tall sign. The marker reads, "Governor, 1851-54, U.S. Senator, Congressman, member of peace conference, 1861, and of state conventions, 1861, 1875. Home stands 2 blocks east" Online, there is more information. "David Settle Reid, in addition to being governor, served in both houses of Congress. The oldest son of Reuben and Elizabeth Settle Reid, David Reid was born on April 19, 1813, in Rockingham County and was raised in a community that in time became the city of Reidsville. In 1829, at the age of sixteen, he was appointed postmaster of the new city. On December 19, 1850, Reid married Henrietta Settle, daughter of Thomas Settle Sr., and they had four children. "Through hard work, Reid rose quickly in wealth and popularity. In 1835, at the age of twenty-two, he achieved two goals, being elected both colonel of the county militia and a state senator. In time, he would become a leader of the Democratic Party. Reid played an influential role in passage of the 1839 public school law and the state's first public school opened in Rockingham County in 1840. Reid won his second bid for election to the U. S. House in 1843. There he supported the expansionist policies of President James K. Polk including statehood for Texas, resolution of the Oregon dispute, war with Mexico, and subsequent Mexican territorial cession. "As the Democratic choice for governor in 1848, Reid agreed to run only if permitted to introduce the issue of elimination of the property requirement to vote for state senators. Narrowly defeated by Charles Manly, Reid ran again in 1850 on the same issue, defeating Manly. Other planks in Reid's campaign called for "judicious" internal improvements, more support for public schools, and defense of Southern rights, a theme he emphasized in his inaugural address on January 1, 1851. While professing loyalty to the Union, Reid declared that the suppression of States' rights would violate the Constitution and negate such allegiance. "Reid's two terms as governor were marked by expanded internal improvements, appointment of Calvin H. Wiley as the first Superintendent of the Common Schools, initiation of the geological survey, and confirmation of land titles held by Cherokee Indians who had remained in North Carolina. Reid also proposed replacing the land and poll tax with one based on the value of one's estate, but it was not seriously considered by the legislature. "On November 24, 1854, the General Assembly elected David S. Reid to fill a vacancy in the U. S. Senate, and he turned over gubernatorial duties to Warren Winslow. During his term in the Senate he spoke in defense of States' rights, reflected in support for the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Defeated for re-election in 1858, Reid retired to private life, stepping back into the public arena occasionally. His last political endeavor came in the Convention of 1875 where, from behind the scenes, he directed Democratic Party activity and influenced constitutional reform. Reid suffered a severe stroke in May of 1881 that left him paralyzed. He fought failing health for a decade, dying on June 18, 1891. He was buried in Reidsville." This is marker number J-13. It was erected in 1939 by the Archives Conservation and Highway Departments. [Review 2486 of 2024 - 3939 in North Carolina - 23498 overall]

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]

This marker is located in downtown Greensboro and points out what was here during the Civil War…read more North Carolina had a number of Civil War battles and many of them in this area. The marker reads, "Set up in the First Presbyterian Church to receive wounded from Battle of Bentonville, 1865, was here." Online, there is more information. "During the winter and early spring of 1864-1865, General William Tecumseh Sherman's army wreaked destruction on Georgia and South Carolina. On March 8, his men entered North Carolina. Concerned with the ability to feed and supply his 60,000 men, Sherman divided his army into two wings: the left, commanded by Major General Henry Slocum and the right commanded by Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard. Both wings advanced in the direction of Goldsboro, as Confederate forces from across the region were cobbled together in an attempt to delay their progress. "On March 19-21, at Bentonville, Sherman's army lost 304 killed in action, 1,112 wounded, and 221 missing. The Confederates lost 239 killed, 1,694 wounded, and 673 missing. While many of the wounded were treated immediately at the numerous field hospitals established by both Federal and Confederate forces, some Southern soldiers were sent west to Greensboro. Many of these men were attended to at temporary Confederate hospitals established at the First Presbyterian Church and Edgeworth Female Seminary. The congregation of the church had offered their services and their facility to the Confederacy as early as April 1862, but it had not been used as a hospital until the latter half of March 1865. "Locals recorded their shock at the number of wounded. A local woman who was present recorded that those who died of their wounds "were laid in a semi-circle around the pulpit in their last long sleep." The exact number of those who died at the church remains unknown. A monument to them is located at Green Hill Cemetery. After the Federal occupation of Greensboro, the field hospital was converted back into the church once more." This is marker number J-30 and it was erected in 1950 by the Archives, Conservation and Highway Departments. [Review 2493 of 2024 - 3946 in North Carolina - 23505 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]

"All men are created equal." -Thomas Jefferson…read more That line feels especially fitting when you walk up to the Charters of Freedom installation at the Rockingham County Justice Center in Reidsville because the whole display is built around the idea that the rights we argue about inside the courthouse come from something older and bigger than the building itself. The setting works well, with the replicas of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights arranged so that you can take them in before you even reach the doors, and the installation makes a point of highlighting North Carolina's own Declaration of Independence signers which gives is a nice local grounding. What stands out is how the display feels like a quiet reminder rather than a monument trying too hard and the layout encourages you to slow down a minute and actually read the panels. The brickwork and metal framing five it a clean civic look that fits the Justice Center. It's the kind of installation that does exactly what it should, connecting the founding documents to the everyday work of the courthouse and giving anyone walking in a moment to be reminded of where those rights came from. [Review 634 of 2026 - 4722 in North Carolina - 25815 overall]

Driving through Greensboro, I spotted this marker and stopped to read it. Once I was online later,…read moreI was able to read the essay on the state website and now you'll know about this man as well. The marker reads, "John Motley Morehead, 1796-1866. Governor, 1841-45. An advocate for railroads & industrial development. Lived at Blandwood." Online, there is more information. "ohn Motley Morehead, the first governor inaugurated in the present State Capitol, presided over an era of industrial development and, after his term, promoted construction of the North Carolina Railroad. The son of John and Obedience Motley Morehead, he was born in Virginia on July 4, 1796, but his parents moved to Rockingham County when he was two. Young John studied at David Caldwell's school near Greensboro and then entered the University of North Carolina with the class of 1817. He completed his education by studying law with Archibald D. Murphey and set up an office in Wentworth in 1819. In 1821 Morehead had married Ann Eliza Lindsay of Greensboro; they had eight children. "Morehead represented Rockingham County in the 1821 session of the House of Commons and Guilford County for two successive sessions beginning in 1826. His political views were honed by his western upbringing and his early association with Archibald D. Murphey. As a westerner he witnessed the domination of a majority by a minority with special interests and saw the need for constitutional reform, and as an associate of Murphey he learned of the potential benefits of internal improvements, a stronger banking system, expanded education, and a government active in the public sector. As a delegate to the 1835 Constitutional Convention, he sided with his fellow westerners and fought for legislative representation based on population. As a proponent of education and the father of five daughters, he took upon himself the establishment in 1840 of Edgeworth Female Seminary. "Morehead's activity and high visibility made him a logical choice of the Whig Party which sought to continue the progressive program begun during the previous administration. Though popular enough to be elected governor in 1840 and again in 1842, Morehead found himself facing a legislature controlled by conservative Democrats. He pushed for a broad program of internal improvements but made little headway. His one achievement was a law establishing a school for the deaf. The blind, whose education he also advocated, were not admitted until years later; nevertheless, the long operating school for the sight-impaired still bears his name. "After his terms as governor, Morehead became the state's foremost promoter of railroads, particularly the North Carolina Railroad which he served as president from 1850 to 1855. He also invested in a cotton mill at Leaksville and other manufacturing enterprises, and he was on the board of trustees of the University of North Carolina. Morehead again represented Guilford County in the House in 1858-1859. He returned for the next session as a member of the state Senate. As the secession crisis mounted, Morehead favored maintaining the Union and attended the Washington "Peace Conference" hoping to avert the impending conflict. With its failure, he viewed secession as an unavoidable necessity and threw his allegiance to the South. He was elected as a delegate to the Confederate Provincial Congress in 1861 and served until it completed its work in 1862. His public service to his state was over, and he returned to Greensboro where he died on August 27, 1866. His grave remains in the yard of the [First Presbyterian Church, J-30}." This is marker number J-4 and it was erected in 1936 by the North Carolina State Historical Commission. [Review 2498 of 2024 - 3951 in North Carolina - 23510 overall]

A drizzly Saturday turned out to be the perfect time to wander around the historic Guilford County…read moreCourthouse in Greensboro because I had the whole place to myself. I was able to walk the grounds, read every monument, and ever once feel rushed. Plus parking was super easy which is always a pleasant surprise in a downtown. The courthouse itself was built in 1918 and is a Neoclassical Revival landmark designed by architect Harry Barton, who left his fingerprints all over twentieth century Greensboro with a style that leaned into symmetry, stone and that confident civic presence counties loved to project in that era. Guilford County goes back much farther than the building, formed in 1771 from parts of Rowan and Orange Counties and named for Francis North, the Earl of Guilford, father of British Prime Minister Lord North. The county seat has not always been Greensboro, but it has been since 1808 when the legislature moved it to a more central location that made sense for a growing county. Greensboro itself carries the name of Nathanael Greene, the American general whose leadership at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse helped shift momentum in the Southern campaign of the Revolutionary War. Walking the grounds in the drizzle gave everything a calm, almost reflective feel, and the monuments scattered around the property tell a surprisingly rich story if you take the time to read them. By the time I finished circling the building, the mist had settled in just enough to make the courthouse look even more dramatic against he gray sky, the kind of scene that reminds you how much history is turned into these old county seats. [Review 636 of 2026 - 4724 in North Carolina - 25817 overall]

First time getting called for jury duty, the experience was fine, nothing I hope I get called for…read moreagain. You had to report to the courthouse by 8:15. Instructions are to park in their designated parking deck is several blocks away, fortunately weather was decent for my visit, but on a rainy, cold day it's going to be a long walk. I reported to the entrance as instructed to be redirected to the other side of the building to a long security line. Once through, we just sat in a room waiting to be called, which we never were. After several hours we were released for the day. No excitement, which was fine by me, just a long morning of sitting in uncomfortable seating waiting. They could definitely invest in some more comfortable seating in my opinion