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]

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]

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]

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]

This marker is along North Carolina Route 150 and it points out the home of politician who served…read morethe state. It is in front of his home. The marker reads, "Speaker of the N.C. House and Senate. He cast deciding vote for North Carolina Railroad, 1849. He lived here." Online, there is more information. "Calvin Graves, state legislator, was born on January 3, 1804 in Caswell County, the son of Azariah and Elizabeth Williams Graves. The son and grandson of state legislators, Graves was sent to Bingham School, for his education. In 1823 he entered the University of North Carolina, before withdrawing a year later to study law with his brother-in-law Thomas Settle. Shortly thereafter, Graves left Settle for the tutelage of Leonard Henderson. He studied with Henderson until he was admitted to the state bar in 1827. "Graves opened a law practice in Yanceyville, which he operated until entering politics as a Caswell County delegate to the North Carolina Constitutional Convention of 1835. Five years later he was elected from Caswell County to the General Assembly, the first session to meet in the newly constructed state capitol building. Reelected to the house in 1844-1845, he was elected to the state senate in 1846, where he served two consecutive terms. "Graves was appointed speaker of the senate in 1848, and in the following session cast the deciding vote on whether to allow the expansion of railroads within the state. Going against his party's wishes, Graves voted to approve the east-west North Carolina Railroad confident that North Carolina's economic future was at stake. The courageous move cost him his political career. After leaving the assembly in 1849, Graves joined Governor John Motley Morehead on a tour of the state to drum up support for the railroad. Governor Charles Manly later appointed him a commissioner on the Board of Internal Improvements as a result, and in 1854 he was reappointed to the board by Governor David S. Reid. "Aside from politics, Graves held strong beliefs in the importance of religion. He supported the construction of Dorothea Dix's proposed insane asylum on moral and religious grounds, and was as a trustee of Wake Forest College from 1844 to 1862. In 1858 his wife, Elizabeth Lea Graves, died after a two-year illness. Graves subsequently retired to his plantation, Locust Hill, and focused his energy on agricultural pursuits. With Elizabeth Graves he fathered two sons and two daughters. He remarried in the early 1860s to Mary Wilson Lea, his first wife's niece, but had no further children. He died on February 11, 1877, and is buried in the family cemetery near Yanceyville." This is marker number G-43. It was erected in 1948 by the Archives, Conservation, and Highway Departments. [Review 2480 of 2024 - 3934 in North Carolina - 23492 overall]

This beautifully preserved textile mill and village is worth a visit to experience the lives of…read moremill hands who lived and worked in the 19th and 20th century mill villages. Workers would live in company-subsidized housing and work in the mill. They'd get their supplies from the general store and their paychecks from the administrative offices. It was all "right there." These workers would build their families here. It was an eye-opening experience. I'm glad I got a chance to visit. I recommend strolling around the historic village or hiking one of the nature trails that begin here.

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]

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!!