Historical marker J-53 stands in front of the former Stokes County Courthouse and points out a…read morenative of the area who went on into a political life. The has the same text on both sides and it marker reads, "Governor of Alabama, 1829-1831. Served in U.S. House and Senate. Official of Mississippi and Alabama Territories. Born near here, 1785." There is more information online. Moore rose from a frontier legal career in Huntsville to become one of early Alabama's most influential political figures. He served in the territorial and state legislatures, spent eight consecutive terms in the United States House, and was elected governor in 1829 before moving on to the United States Senate. A committed Jacksonian who later broke with Andrew Jackson over national politics, Moore's shifting alliances ultimately cost him support at home. After financial hardship and failed attempts to regain office, he left Alabama for Texas in 1844 and died en route, leaving a complicated legacy that included freeing several enslaved people in his will. There is street parking nearby and the ice cream/coffee shop across the street. [Review 625 of 2026 - 4713 in North Carolina - 25806 overall]

There is more here, in front of the Patrick County Courthouse in downtown Stuart. Of course, the…read moremarker. But there is also a monument dedicated to the memory of Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart. It features a relief of the general with "Our Heroes" and two flags of the Confederacy with a soldier on top. The soldier is leaning on his rifle. The marker reads, "This place, first known as Taylorsville for George Taylor, early settler, was established in 1792 after the formation of Patrick County. In 1849 it contained about fifty dwellings. The name was changed to Stuart for General J. E. B. Stuart, C.S.A., who was born in the county. The courthouse was built in 1852 and remodeled in 1928." A time capsule is buried to be opened in 2091. If you're here on Yelp in 2091, perhaps you can provide an update? There is street parking. I know that Confederate memorials are being removed or moved out of site all over. Somehow, I think this one will be here for a while since the town is literally named after the guy. Though if the name can be changed once, it can be changed again. [Review 13752 overall, 1073 of 2020, number 1187 in Virginia.]

This North Carolina state marker is on Main Street opposite the historic Stokes County Courthouse…read moreand it points out a major part of the Civil War that passed through here at the end of the war. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "On a raid through western North Carolina Gen. Stoneman's U.S. cavalry passed through Danbury, April 9, 1865." If you've been in North Carolina a bit, you'll have seen similar markers in Statesville and Mount Airy and Wilkesboro. The wide march of General Stoneman included more than 5,000 men with the mission "to destroy and not to fight battles" in order to expedite the close of the Civil War. And if you're a student of the Civil War, the April 9th date will be familiar as it was the date of General Robert E. Lee's surrender at the Appomattox Court House. As such, this spot is just a little bit more noteworthy than some. Step across the street to the Moody Tavern as it points out the history of that building and Stoneman's stay there. [Review 647 of 2026 - 4735 in North Carolina - 25828 overall]

I've just spotted the Robert L. Doughton marker a few miles away in Laurel Springs and now, the…read moremarker for his brother here in downtown Sparta. Yes, brothers. Rufus was the elder and spent much of his career in North Carolina state politics. The marker is in front of the Alleghany County Courthouse and reads, "Legislator, 14 terms. Lieutenant Governor, 1893-1897. Headed Revenue & Highway Commissions. Was University of North Carolina Trustee for 56 years. Office was 30 feet west." Brothers Rufus and Robert Doughton were major political figures who shaped both state and national policy, with Rufus rising through North Carolina's legislature and Robert serving long‑term in Congress. Rufus, born in 1857 in Laurel Springs and educated locally and at the University of North Carolina, built a legal career in Sparta before winning his first legislative seat in 1887 and eventually serving as lieutenant governor. He remained a powerful advocate for western North Carolina, backing the state's landmark 1921 highway bond program and later serving as Commissioner of Revenue and chairman of the Highway Commission. Rufus retired from public life in 1933 and died in 1945, leaving a legacy closely intertwined with his brother's long federal career. [Review 883 of 2026 - 4774 in North Carolina - 26064 overall]

Located on a quiet road in literally "Rural Hall", this marker stands in front of a red brick…read morechurch that dates back to the Revolutionary War era. It has the same text on both sides and reads, "Lutheran. Begun about 1778 by German settlers. Formerly called "Old Dutch Meeting House." Present building, 1878." It is marker number J-51 and it was erected in 1959 by the North Carolina Archives and Highway Departments. There is more information online. Nazareth Lutheran Church grew out of one of the region's earliest Lutheran communities, shaped by a mix of itinerant clergy and Moravian influence that helped anchor worship in this part of Forsyth County. Its first long‑term pastor, Gottlieb Shober, played a major role in strengthening scattered congregations across several counties during the early nineteenth century. The present brick church, completed in 1878 after the sale of most of the original land, still stands beside a cemetery that preserves some of the area's oldest German‑inscribed gravestones. [Review 623 of 2026 - 4711 in North Carolina - 25804 overall]

At the top of this hill next to a service station and near a diner, this marker points out a local…read morehero who was honored when the county was formed. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Officer in the War of 1812. Mortally wounded in Canada, 1814. Forsyth County named for him. Home stood a few feet north of this spot." This is marker number J-12 and it was erected in 1957 by the North Carolina Archives and Highway Departments. There is room to pull over and read the marker. There is more information online. Benjamin Forsyth emerged from relative obscurity to become one of North Carolina's most celebrated frontier soldiers, known for bold raids that made him a legend among his men. Before the war he had already built a substantial life in Stokes County, serving in the General Assembly and amassing significant landholdings. His death in 1814 and the later loss of his only son gave his story a tragic arc, but his reputation endured strongly enough that the state honored him decades later by naming a new county after him. [Review 624 of 2026 - 4712 in North Carolina - 25805 overall]

Located on a corner that could use some trimming of the undergrowth, this marker remembers a local…read more It reads, "Hardin Taliaferro, 1811-1875. Humorist, minister, and editor. Wrote Fisher's River Scenes (1859), a collection of folk tales with local settings. He was born 2 miles Northwest." There is much more information online. "Taliaferro (1811-1875) portrayed the mountain people amongst whom he grew up in a more sympathetic light than was typical of the genre. Young Taliaferro (pronounced "Tolliver"), born and raised on Little Fisher's River in Surry County, worked as a tub-boy in the grist mills of the relatively isolated area, where storytelling was a principal form of entertainment. He moved at age eighteen to Tennessee where he married and six years later moved to Talladega, Alabama, where he worked as a tanner during the week and a preacher on Sundays. Soon all other work "was distinctly secondary to his passionate commitment to the ministry of Christ." In 1855 he became editor of the South Western Baptist. He would remain an editor until his retirement back to Tennessee in 1872." "In 1857 Taliaferro paid a return visit to Surry County where he began to write down sketches and anecdotes about his old neighbors. In 1859 Harper and Brothers of New York published the work under the title Fisher's River (North Carolina) Scenes and Characters By "Skitt," "Who Was Raised Thar". Taliaferro had a particular talent for catching the local dialect. His narrations used the ironic, mock-heroic tone typical of humorists of his day and later of Mark Twain. The publisher commissioned thirteen steel engravings to accompany the tales. Aside from nine other sketches published in the Southern Literary Messenger between 1860 and 1863, the book accounted for the whole of his non-religious writing. His work received little critical comment until its rediscovery in 1934 by folklorist R. S. Boggs. In 1937 Guion Johnson drew on the sketches to portray life in antebellum North Carolina." "Fishers River, North Carolina: Scenes and Characters" is available on Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Fishers-River-North-Carolina-Characters/dp/1163272590/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=hardin+taliaferro&qid=1598835556&sr=8-1. [Review 13750 overall, 1071 of 2020, number 2525 in North Carolina.]

Opposite the Andy Griffith Playhouse and Museum, this marker points out some of the Civil War…read morehistory that happened here in Mount Airy. There is parking in the lot if you wish to stop to read the sign. It reads, "On a raid through western North Carolina Gen. Stoneman's U.S. cavalry passed through Mount Airy, April 2-3, 1865." It is marker number M-8 and was originally installed in 1940. Online, there is more information. " In late March 1865, Union cavalry under Major General George Stoneman, commander of the Union army "District of East Tennessee," marched throughout western North Carolina during one of the longest cavalry raids in history." "Along his march from Wilkesboro toward Virginia, Stoneman's men passed through Surry County and gathered additional supplies as they destroyed local Confederate supplies. Stoneman entered Virginia after leaving Mount Airy on April 3." About a week later, Lee surrendered at Appomattox on April 9. [Review 1761 of 2024 - 3681 in North Carolina - 22784 overall]