Stopped by the McCandless Museum a few weeks ago while on a short vacation in Greensboro. Shannon…read moremet me there just after lunch (make sure to call first) and welcomed me into the museum. I was shocked at the quality of the cars, they are amazing to see in all of the neon lights. Shannon knows the history of all the cars, it was really great hearing those stories while walking the museum. I would recommend any car enthusiast to give Shannon a call and take a trip to the museum. John C. (Texas)

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]

Across from what is now the Burlington Amtrak station, this marker points out some of the earliest…read morehistory of trains in North Carolina. The marker is high on the post but in excellent condition. The marker reads, "Company Shops built here in 1857 for maintenance and repair of the North Carolina Railroad. Closed in 1866." Online, there is more information. "Progressive leaders of North Carolina led by former Governor John Motley Morehead organized the North Carolina Railroad in July 1850. The first rails were laid in Greensboro in 1851 and by 1856 the railway was open for traffic between Goldsboro and Charlotte, passing through many of the state's prominent piedmont towns along its 223 miles of track. The new railway opened a new era of transportation in the state and created new markets for goods and products throughout the region. The railway served as the backbone of future railroad growth and led to the expansion of towns along its corridor. "One town that grew out of the railroad boom was Company Shops, now Burlington. Soon after construction was complete on the new railway and trains began their east-west travels, officials realized that centralized repair and maintenance operations were needed. After some deliberation, they decided that the offices and shops should be placed along the railroad corridor in an area roughly at the center of the laid track, in Alamance, a rural county. The North Carolina Railroad Company contracted with local families to purchase almost 632 acres of land for repair shops, offices and railroad employee homes. The company intended to control the growth of their new town, called Company Shops, by owning all land associated with the track repair shops. Brick buildings were constructed to house repair operations including two repair shops, a carpentry shop and a blacksmith shop. Company Shops grew into a bustling town until the start of the Civil War and, during the war, the town was a hub of activity as North Carolina's railroads were vital to the Confederate war effort. At the end of the war the shops were targets of both retreating Confederates and advancing Union forces. "The railroad industry struggled through Reconstruction and slowly rebuilt its network to meet the growing needs of the state. Despite post-war financial troubles, the shops and the town that grew up around them and Company Shops flourished until the 1880's. In 1886, after changes in the management of the railroad industry, officials moved the maintenance and repair operations to Manchester, Virginia, effectively cutting off the town's major source of employment and local business (NOTE: the marker incorrectly indicates the year of the closure as 1866). Following the devastation of losing the shops to Virginia, the townspeople changed the name of the town to Burlington in 1887." This is marker number G-89 and it was erected in 1972 by the Office Of Archives And History. [Review 58 of 2025 - 4033 in North Carolina - 23626 overall]

What a wonderful place, so peaceful. We really enjoyed our time here and they maintain it so well.read more

We found this cool henge to visit via Guess Where Trips. Pro tip - once you turn off the main road…read more(Old NC State HW 86) on to John's Wood Road park on the side of the road BEFORE you get to the homes. The road area with peoples homes is a private road and is a dead end so you have to turn around anyway. Sometimes it's hidden behind the tall grass. Enter the pathway where the signs says Private Property where the tree line and the tall grass meet - you'll find the henge at the end of the path. Very cryptic I know. This henge is maintained by the lovely people that live in this community which I thought was super neat. And the grassy henge area is so beautiful and peaceful. I loved the poems on each of the stones and it was cool to see a henge IRL! If you're in the area (or not) I recommend you take a trip for the beaten path to visit this local wonder. 10/10 recommend.

There is much history in North Carolina and the historical markers point out not only more modern…read morehistory but Civil War and even Revolutionary War goings on. This marker provides the detail on an incident that happened here during Colonial Times. The marker reads, "After the Regulators were defeated at Alamance, May 16, 1771, six of their number were hanged, 1/4 mile east, June 19, 1771." Online, there is more information. "In the Battle of Alamance on May 16, 1771, Governor William Tryon and his army defeated the Regulators, and as a result, six Regulators were executed by hanging in Hillsborough on June 19, 1771. The backcountry rebellion was inspired by grievances, including jurisdiction over their own affairs, and wide discontent with the practices of the British government. The Regulators sought the removal of the Currency Act of 1764 which denied use of legal tender. With higher taxation and depletion in sources for paper money, farmers urged the British government to accept commodities such as tobacco, corn, and wheat as forms of payment, but the request was denied, fomenting unrest. The Stamp Act of 1765, which taxed legal documents, newspapers, almanacs, college diplomas, playing cards, dice, and all customs papers, only fueled the fires of the Regulator movement." [Review 19083 overall - 3401 in North Carolina - 52 of 2023.]

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

The Charlotte Hawkins Brown Memorial is filled with rich history of a black woman who started a…read moreschool solely for blacks in order for them to receive equal education at the Palmer Memorial Institute. Unfortunately, you can tell that many of the points of interest and homes are in need of a refresh. You can only go into the Canary Cottage if you payed for the $2 guided tour. No other NC historic sites have done something like this, and we feel that you should still be able to go into ALL of the homes and points of interest if you are giving yourself a tour, because most do not purchase a guided tour. The staff were alright. Most were nice, but did not do a good job at explaining things. They kind of left us to figure it out for ourselves. Their kindness felt fake, especially the woman who rushed us out of the Canary Cottage even though no one told us that we couldn't go in it. That is unfortunate, but there is nothing we can do about it. Enjoy your time here, but be weary of the condition of the historic site and the staff.

I came across this museum by accident. I'm glad I did. It has a fascinating history: founded by a…read moreyoung woman, herself educated, who began the Palmer Institute in the early 1900s as a school for African American children. She not only served as its president for 30 years until her death, she also believed so strongly in what the school represented, she arranged housing, a dorm, in a local house she bought. There's much more to the story of how this became an accredited preparatory school but it's an extraordinary story that's worth discovering. If you're on the back roads between durham and charlotte, or want to be, this museum should be a must visit.

While hunting for a parking space, I spotted this marker and stopped to check it out. It is located…read morein downtown Greensboro and is easily legible. The marker reads, "First steam-powered cotton mill in North Carolina Operated circa 1834-50 in large brick building that stood 2 blocks north." Online, there is more information. "In her 1925 book Bettie Caldwell referred to the Mount Hecla Steam Cotton Mill as "long the pride of old Greensboro." Completed by 1834 in the center of the city by Henry Humphreys (1787-1840), the mill was the first in North Carolina powered by steam. Eventually the steam mode of operation would become the standard (by 1905 sixty-seven percent of the cotton mills in the South were steam-powered) but at the time it represented an innovation. Textile entrepreneurs, among them Edwin M. Holt, consulted with Humphreys on steam technology. "Humphreys got his start in the mercantile business and soon profited to the point that in 1822 he could purchase the Greensboro mansion (later owned by John Motley Morehead) known as "Blandwood" The first Mount Hecla cotton mill, only the third built in the state (after Schenck-Warlick and Rocky Mount) was a typical waterpower driven operation opened in 1818 on the outskirts on Greensboro. By 1828 Humphreys had closed this mill and purchased a lot at the corner of Bellemeade and Greene Streets. He purchased machinery from New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and brought down James Danforth to design and equip the mill. The masonry building was four stories tall with a basement, 150 feet long by 50 feet wide, working 2500 spindles and 75 looms. "An advertisement in July 1834 indicated that the mill was "in the full tide of successful operating." Initially employing a mixed workforce of slaves and whites, Humphreys soon moved to whites only (100 in 1840 produced 3000 pounds per week), supplying "employment for numerous hands hitherto doing nothing for the community, and but little for themselves." He issued scrip currency in 50 cents, $1, and $3 denominations featuring an illustration of the mill. Humphreys died in 1840 and was succeeded by his son-in-law Thomas R. Tate as operator of the mill. An ad in 1843 indicated that the mill was shipping "immense quantities" to distant markets but by 1850 it had relocated to the Catawba River in Gaston County and returned to traditional waterpower." This is marker number J-104 and it was erected in 2001 by the North Carolina Office of Archives and History. [Review 2494 of 2024 - 3947 in North Carolina - 23506 overall]