Greensboro Daily Photo

Proximity United Methodist Church

For over a century in Greensboro, working in the nearby mill was a way of life. Between the mill and the mill-homes were churches, grocery stores, shops, bars, and ball fields. Neighbors worked together, socialized, married, and stayed together as a tight knit community. Here we see Proximity United Methodist Church at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Vine Street. Proximity UMC would have been such a church filled with mill families. Here we see this building, still majestic with it's corner orientation, columns, and grand staircase. 

As far as we can tell, the Proximity UMC does not have a website so we weren't able to find out much of the history. We do know that, at present, it houses an Hispanic Ministry. Also, we saw a wooden sign advertising a pinto bean meal event. Finally, just down the street from the church, you can see renovation taking place at the old Cone Mills Property. If you attend this church or know more about it, please share your information. 

 

Security Van Lines

Security Van Lines Moving and Storage is a great piece of nostalgia. The old brick building backs up to the railroad tracks that cut through the center of Greensboro. Decades ago, Greensboro's prefix for phone numbers was BR. As you approach the building, the phone number appears to be BR 7-4766.  In the center, you can see a small burst of graffiti. Fortunately, our town in not inundated with the cryptic, highly-stylized writing. 

Also evident as you walk near the tracks are small piles of clothing when people changed into something different and abandoned their old outfit. Finally a beer bottle here and cigarette butt there remind us that we'd best not hanging around after sunset. By the way, these are the same tracks where the pigeon stood a couple of days ago.

 

Carlson Farms Lake

This vista is from a vantage point on Tory Hill Drive, Near Carlson Dairy Road. As you can see Carlson Farms Lake is still somewhat frozen and the Bermuda grass on the golf course is brown, brown, brown on this quiet, winter day. 

The silo and hidden barn across the lake are leftover from the pre-golf course days when this property was a working dairy farm. Now these rolling hills are part of the Greensboro Country Club's Farm Course. During cold weather when golfers have retreated indoors, one can sit on the banks of the small lake and imagine the time when cows would meander down to the watering hole for a drink and back up the hill for food. While on this photo shoot, we did see a herd of deer, an Eastern bluebird, and a big yellow tabby cat hiding in the leafless bushes. Peaceful-- for now.........

View Watery Wednesday here.

 

First Day of Winter

Happy First Day of Winter, TODAY, December 21st.

Can you believe we had our first snow before winter this year? The Greensboro family above is delighting in the unseasonably early snow.  This dedicated, attentive Dad seemed to be having as much fun in the big snowflakes as the kids. Wonder if mom was inside getting the hot chocolate ready? 

We recently learned on "Are you smarter than a fifth grader" that, during the holidays, children like spending time with family even more than opening presents! Hopefully all children will build memories as picturesque as the one above during this holiday week! So, STOP and do something with/for a child!

 

North Carolina Fraser Fir Trees

With all of the rain, 2009 is a great year for Christmas trees. They are plump, green, and healthy. Here we see two men wrapping a live tree and just about to hoist it on the truck. This was taken at Fred & Dot Wagoner Christmas Trees at the New Garden Location. The Wagoners have been selling Christmas trees in Greensboro since 1969. In an article a few years ago, they discuss the fact that people are buying their trees earlier and that they usually clear their lot by about December 20th. So if you still want a live tree, time is of the essence!

We hope to link this photo to Ruby Tuesday. Red is EASY to find this time of year!

            

Moravian Village & Nativity Scenes

Onlookers marvel at the intricate details of the Moravian village and nativity scenes displayed at the First Moravian Church on S. Elam. The village and nativity scene is known in the original German as "putz", meaning to clean or to decorate. Usually, they are  found under Christmas trees in homes of people of the Moravian religion. These scenes usually depict a manger scene and its surroundings in Biblical Bethlehem.

Our local newspaper, The News and Record, featured an interesting story on the elaborate process and longstanding annual tradition of installing this scene on a little stage in our local Moravian church's fellowship hall. We selected this photo for Monochrome Weekly because it could have been taken fifty years ago in black & white; save the woman in a hoodie, the scene hasn't changed much!.

 

Moravian Star

As Monastery Daily Photo reminds us, we are well into the Advent Season. During this spiritual time for Christians, Moravians decorate with their iconic symbol, the Moravian star. The first Moravian star dates to the 1830's at a Moravian school in Niesky Germany. Not always an Advent symbol, the first star had 110 points and, given the beauty and intrigue of this polyhedron, likely, was part of a geometry lesson. Most of the stars today contain 26 points. As an Advent symbol, the Moravian star represents the Star of Bethlehem. 

If you are in the Christmas spirit and want to see Moravian stars in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, first, you can travel to the Moravian Church on S. Elam where this photo was taken. Additionally, you can head about 35-miles west to the historic town of Old Salem where the Moravian Star is the official Christmas decoration. The City of Winston-Salem also decorated with them.  Finally, a 31-foot Moravian star is displayed on the North of Tower Wake Forest's Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem.

To see the First Moravian Church of Greensboro and learn a little more about it, please refer to our  November 15th Sacred Sunday photo. Since that post, we have learned that the original location of the Moravian Church was on East Lee Street, constructed in 1908.

 

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

Continuing our adventure on Wendover, this may well be one of our favorite photos on Greensboro Daily Photo; it captures the flavor of Old Greensborough in conflict with New Greensboro. This rooster lives in a little house on Wendover Avenue at the corner of Bridford Parkway, one of Greensboro's busiest retail corridors. Mr. Rooster shares a yard with tethered dogs, dog houses and roaming cats. On a quiet Sunday morning, he and his free range buddies can be heard for miles around, "cock-a-doodle-doo..."

The vehicles in the background are zooming along Wendover and the little brick house is a neighbor of the Sapp Road house (featured Thursday). The white strip on the right is a roof at the shopping center. We have to chuckle because, little does Mr. Rooster realize, he is making a beeline into the parking lot of Greensboro's Spay and Neuter Clinic!   Oh, and why did the rooster cross the road?......

to get away from the camera-crazy Mrs. Greensboro Daily Photo, of course! Some of her best friends behave the same way! Visit Camera Critters to see more animal photos!

 

Sapp Road

With Bridford Parkway and Wendover Avenue as its backyard neighbor and Target, Kohl's, Dick's Sporting Goods, Babies R Us (on and on....) just across the street, this house on Sapp Road is the quintessential image of Western Guilford County in the days before Wendover cut through.

While nearby Wendover is brimming with "FOR SALE 7+- Acres" signs, as of last Sunday morning, these houses on Sapp Road were not for sale. To add to the allusion of a rural ambience, while shooting this photo, roosters were crowing in the background! Oh for the days of old tires painted white and used for flower planters, chickens and roosters roaming, and roads without much traffic. If you listen hard enough, you might hear John Denver singing in the background.

Stop back by for more views of this part of town!

 

Greensboro Country Club Farm Course

After a major redesign and renovation, the Farm Course of the Greensboro Country Club has officially reopened. Here we see golfers out on [re]opening day the other week. The new course is beautiful and said to be amply challenging. Even if you do not belong to GCC, if you are a golfer, Greensboro has plenty of options for golfing-- at all price points!

 

Andrew Leopold Schlosser

Over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house we go on this Thanksgiving Day. En route, we stumble upon this stone bridge in historic Fisher Park. The bridge is one of Greensboro's many stone structures crafted by Andrew Leopold Schlosser. Mr. Schlosser arrived from Germany in 1898 seeking a new life in America. He brought his his well-honed craft of stone masonry and immediately began using granite from the Mt. Airy, NC quarries, anchoring the stones with mortar and a distinctive technique that has people saying, "that must be a Schlosser house.. surely, Schlosser did that wall." From this tiny footbridge to the mighty stone mansion beside the First Presbyterian Church, Schlosser's structures are boldly distinctive. 

By 1902, Schlosser's stone masonry business was sufficiently underway and he was settled enough to bring his family to America to join him. Not unlike the pilgrims of Plymouth Rock, the Schlossers resettled and contributed to their community in a way that has them remembered today. 

On this Thanksgiving Day is you are living in the USA, we hope you are able to give thanks for all that you have and that you pause and reflect on your own family's journey to America. As for Mr. Schlosser, we are thankful that you crafted so many beautiful structures for us to enjoy in Greensboro. Finally, we hope that your biography and the documentation of your stonemasonry becomes more transparent on the Internet and, at the very least, someone establishes a Wikipedia entry for one of Greensboro's finest!

Pokeweed aka Pokeberries

Pokeweed is a native North American perennial. While some people say you can eat the leaves, this is only true for young leaves that have been boiled three times. Even then, toxin's remain. The leaves are used topically as a poultice. Perhaps the most famous pokeweed fact is that the Declaration of Independence of the United States was written with fermented pokeweed berry juice. Also, the ink was popular for letter writing during the American Civil War (1860's). Over time, the ink turns brown. Finally, giant leopard moth larvae devour the leaves. We love their beauty and lore but sure hate pulling them out of our yard!

We share this Sky Watch Friday picture today while winter has not yet kicked fall to the curb!

The Burn Barrel

If you are from the rural south, you know about burning a barrel. Here we see the quintessential 55-gallon drum used for burning trash around the farm. Often, on the weekends, menfolk stand around, leaning on the bed of a truck and rehashing events of the week-- as the barrel burns. Lots of people have funny "burn barrel" stories. Here's one. This story centers around the adventures of trying to find a burn barrel to purchase. As for us, we never could find a barrel to purchase and finally ended up with a round, suburban fire pit!

In New York State, there is actually a Tour de Burn Barrel, NOT to celebrate the burning of a barrel but to warn of the potential environmental hazards of this first-generation  chiminea. Have you ever burned a barrel? Was there one on your property? This photo is printed in sepia tones in order to participate in Monochrome Weekly.

Little Log Cabin Near Wendover

If you live in Greensboro, you know that Wendover Avenue is one of the busiest retail corridors in the city. Big box stores and traffic jams abound. Well, about a half a mile off of Wendover, at the corner of Norwalk and Railway Avenues, sits this little log cabin, straight out of a century or two ago. On its small corner lot, the little log cabin looks so tranquil, until you realize that it is surrounded by warehouses, businesses, and traffic jams. We'd love to know the story of this little abode.

We hope you have a chance to get out and explore our town/your town this weekend. If you are local, please let us know where you've been. We're always looking for new places to photograph. Can you believe we're getting close to 300 posts?

Black Walnuts

Yesterday the sky, today the ground. It is a Saturday in October and we encourage you to take a nature hike. We did and found these black walnuts on Hobbs Road. The black walnut, also known as juglans nigra,is a species of flowering tree in the hickory family. The wood is used to make furniture and flooring, the nut meat is used in baking, the shell is used commercially for abrasive cleaning, and oil is pressed from the seeds. The drupe (fleshy part between the seed and the outer skin) is used for dyeing fabric and was even used as hair dye in previous centuries. 

The tree seems ideal with its many uses, until you learn that the roots, leaves, and husks secrete a substance into the soil that actually poisons some plants. White birch trees and tomatoes are two plants that should never be planted near walnut trees. The woodsy scent of black walnuts evokes the feeling of a brisk fall morning! Do you think Yankee Candle could feature that scent and color?

North Carolina Railroad in Greensboro

This eastward view of the railroad tracks over South Elm Street looks like a scene out of a classic movie. No signs of modernity and fully expecting Clint Eastwood to walk across the tracks any minute!

Near this part of the tracks is an historic marker (J-102) with the following inscription: "North Carolina Railroad _._ Opened interior of N.C. The groundbreaking took place nearby, July 11, 1851. First president, John Motley Morehead." According to the North Carolina Railroad Company's historic timeline, for the grounbreaking ceremony, Senator Calvin Graves lifted the first shovel of dirt. Quickly, Greensboro became known as the Gate City, the great crossroads between Goldsboro and Charolotte.

Traffic Gridlock on Battleground

As we sit in Greensboro's version of gridlock traffic where Battleground intersects Holden Road, Cone Boulevard and Benjamin Parkway, a Saturday letter to local paper comes to mind. Marilyn Trivett writes about the memories of her 81-year-old Aunt Libby. Aunt Libby recounts catching a trolley into downtown Greensboro from old Red Road, the road's name before it became sprawling West Wendover. She tells niece Marilyn about the building on Elm Street where Natty Greene's Pub is now located. Decades ago, it was a "beer hall" where children could order hot dogs and hamburgers from a window to the street, but only wonder about the appearance of the building's interior. Our friend Alice tells similar stories of catching the trolley and heading east to the Bessemer and East Wendover (Old Burlington Road) area after shopping in town with her dad. 

Somehow, it sounds much more charming to be riding a trolley to and from town, with your fate in the hands of the able conductor, than it does to be beating the clock, gridlocked, with the traffic light seemingly interminably red! 

Marilyn, we hope you will listen to as many stories of yesteryear as Aunt Libby cares to tell and that you continue to share them with the rest of us. The 20th century is starting to feel like a century ago! 

Visit Monochrome Weekly for more black and white photography-- a real holdover from yesteryear!

Union Grove Baptist Church: Sin and Salvation in one Field

Union Grove Baptist Church looks like the typical brick and white-steepled church in the American south. However, Union Grove Baptist has the distinction of being located behind a tobacco field on Highway 150 and Union Grove Road in northwest Guilford County. Therefore, for today's Sacred Sunday, we have combined salvation and sin in one photo! 

The website for the church is very informative with respect to church events, beliefs, and mission. Unfortunately, they don't have a page telling about the history of the building and the congregation. Otherwise, we would share more.

By the way, we're pretty sure the church does not own the tobacco field!

Tobacco Road Fading in Guilford County

The history of growing tobacco in North Carolina dates to 1586; that's right, over four hundred years ago! Tobacco company headquarters, family fortunes made, famous cigarette brands advertised, smoking permitted everywhere, tobacco barns dotting the fields, tobacco markets and auctions, all of theses images of the mighty dried brown leaf and the white rings of smoke are drying up in North Carolina. Today, you are as likely to read about tobacco-free initiatives in Greensboro as you are to to see a tobacco field. For those who have lost loved ones to tobacco-related diseases, diminishing tobacco use is great news. However, for those whose land has grown tobacco for centuries, this change is bittersweet. As an example of the decrease in tobacco crops, we share the following statistic. In nearby Richmond County, a rural area known for its large farms and fresh produce stands, the number of people growing tobacco, as of 2009, is: Two. 

The above Sky Watch photo was taken in a tobacco field on Highway 150 in northwest Guilford County. As you can see, tobacco is a beautiful green plant before it is dried becoming an evil weed. You can also see the red clay soil in which the tobacco is growing. Oh, and then there is that stunning Carolina blue sky!

Greensboro Farmers' Market(s) on Saturday

Saturday is Farmers' Market(s) Day for us. First, we'll head to the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market at 501 Yanceyville St. and then we'll head out to the Piedmont Triad Farmers' Market. Between the two venues, there will be plenty of local produce; plus, we'll see friends and take plenty of photos! This photo of peaches was taken earlier in the season but is still in the spirit of buying locally! We've got a bushel of hot peppers waiting for us at the Farmer's Market off of Sandy Ridge Road. We love hot peppers but still aren't sure what we'll do with a whole bushel. If you have ideas, let us know. If you are local and want to teach us to can in exchange for some of the spoils, let us know!

The People's Market and Gardens in Glenwood Neighborhood

The People's Market and Gardens is located in the heart of the Glenwood neighborhood, just south of Lee Street and east of the Coliseum. Perhaps the garden IS the heart of Glenwood. On the day we stopped by, this neighbor was taking a break from web designing to come out and chat with locals while pruning, weeding, and watering.

Community gardens are an urban trend, bringing neighbors together and providing a local food source. The garden area in the photograph has so much potential. The large parking lot in front would be the perfect venue for a small farmer's market, community yard sales, you name it. Kudos to the residents of Glenwood for making such a commitment to bringing your neighborhood back to its original beauty. We're convinced that a good coffee shop would help significantly. In the meantime, we enjoyed our chat in the garden!

The Jamestown General Store

Here we see the Jamestown General Store. Although only open since 2003, this family business seems like it could have been around since the 1950's. They serve ice cream, hot dogs, sundry products, local artwork, and oldtiques. They are very open to trying new products and making available items that their customers request and love getting to know their customers. We hope you enjoy supporting these locally-owned businesses as much as we do.

Located just a few minutes down the road from Greensboro, the Jamestown General Store is definitely worth a visit. We like to go on Saturday when people are out selling fresh produce and in the summer when nearby City Lake Park is open. If you are a train fan, we heard and saw two in the hour we were in downtown Jamestown. 

If you notice, we are publishing with one comment already.  Bill B., and perhaps others, saw this post when it was mistakenly published for three hours, yesterday. Bill B., if we ever run in to you in public, we owe you a cup of coffee!

Railroad History in Greensboro

This is part of the North Carolina Railroad system which was built in 1849 as a 223 mile stretch of track connecting Goldsboro to Charlotte, stopping in Greensboro along the way. As a city, Greensboro flourished with the construction of the railroad. Here we see the track near Davie Street, Elm St. and Martin Luther King Drive. In the distance you see the back side of the Southern Railway Station, restored as J. Douglas Gaylon Depot, our multi-modal transportation center. The city's nickname, Gate City, came about in recognition of our rail-hub position.

On his blog, Jim Schlosser talks about the colorful train engines and cars seen passing through Greensboro. Preservation Greensboro Incorporated writes about the Elm St.Train Station. Faithful reader Sue, whose father worked for the railroad in Greensboro, has been requesting photos of trains, tressels, and train stations. We finally got out to take a few; so, here's to you Sue, a part of your world that we're including in the My World meme!

The High Point Museum

The High Point Museum, just a few miles down the road from Greensboro, is one of Guilford County's little treasures. The museum houses an array of permanent and temporary exhibits, from an interactive display about the life of jazz musician John Coltrane, to an historical timeline of the High Point end of Guilford County; to a chair exhibit and display about the making of furniture. On property is an historical park with two houses, one from 1786 and another in 1801, and costumed interpreters providing living history demonstrations and guided tours of the grounds.

In the photo above, shared with the Monochrome Weekly crowd, we see one of the interpreters quilting. She is living her dream at work, home, and at school. She is studying history in college and works at the museum interpreting the past. If you have the time and interest, she and her mom, also an interpreter at the museum, will fill you with information about colonial times and everything authentic to the area. They also have great expertise in genealogy, know how to sew authentic period costumes, and, in their spare time, the participate in historical reenactments. Also on property is a blacksmith shop and, on certain days, a blacksmith providing demonstrations.

This museum and the people working there are invaluable assets to Guilford County. Perhaps best of all, the entrance is free. Check the schedule before going to know what will be going on when you plan to visit.

The Greensboro Arboretum: Relaxing on a Bench

If you haven't been to the Greensboro Arboretum yet this summer, please make an effort to visit. With all of the rain this spring, the gardens are in full splendor. The hydrangeas, cone flowers, bee balm, walking trails, mature trees, fountains, and open green space, make the Arboretum one of the most photogenic places in town. Take your tennis shoes as it is a great place to exercise. The women in the photo are fanning themselves and taking a break from the heat.  If you like sepia and black and white, view more photos at Aileni's site.

McKnight Hardware, Inc.

McKnight Hardware, Inc., located at 1709 East Bessemer Avenue, was founded in 1950 by Tom and Margaret Mcknight. This business is Greensboro's oldest hardware store and you can find just about anything you want here, including EXPERTISE. If you have an older home and need an item that is hard to find, McKnight Hardware is the place for you. When you stop in for a visit, expect the unexpected from miniature York peppermint patties for sale on the counter to deer heads directing you to the hunting section.

Greensboro's Revolution Mill on the Horizon

The vantage point for this photo was a small, sloping knoll on the east end of State Street overlooking what used to be a cotton mill in Greensboro. Built in 1899,  Revolution Cotton Mill prospered and became the world's largest flannel production facility by the 1930's. Cone Mills closed the plant in 1982; however, the 600,000 square foot space is being repurposed into a work/live campus environment with walking & biking trails. The new facility is known as Revolution Mill Studios. The slogan on their website is "Join us for our next 100 years!" 

For those of you who want to read more about the mill life in North Carolina, we recommend Barbara Presnell's book of documentary poems entitled "Piece Work." We saw the poems, spanning generations of mill life, acted out at the Greensboro Historical Museum and they were fabulous. 

For our Sky Watch Friday friends and fellow photographers, the blurry foreground reminds us that Greensboro's mill history is quickly slipping out of focus. Most of the jobs and factories have gone to Mexico or to Asia. Here-- Greensboro's textile mill version ground zero-- we are left with a round brick monument to our community's past: REVOLUTION. 

The Colfax Custom Frames Shop on Sandy Ridge Road

Just north of the Farmers' Market, at the corner of Cider Road and Sandy Ridge, is Colfax Custom Frames. With the look of a vintage gas station or general store, the frame shop offers up a slice of Americana with each visit. This is how North Carolina looked during the years of the Andy Griffith Show. This is the type of place one went to catch up on the latest community "news" while eating a moon pie and sipping RC Cola with peanuts poured down in the bottle. This is where that truck you were stuck driving behind FINALLY pulled off the road.

Being closed on Saturday and Sunday, Colfax Custom Frames has been hard for us to visit while open, but a peek in the window confirms that they offer frames and atmosphere a-plenty!

Farmers' Market on Sandy Ridge Road

The North Caroline State Government: Farmers' Market Piedmont Triad is one of five farmers' markets owned and operated by the State's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. And a mighty fine farmers' market it is. Visiting the Farmer's Market at 2914 Sandy Ridge Road is a great way to start the day. You get to interact with friendly people and buy locally. We get many of our plants from here as well as our produce. Most weekends, the Farmer's Market has a theme: strawberries, blueberries, peaches...... that keeps us attuned to what produce is currently at peak season. Oh, the Moose Cafe, on site, is a down to earth place to eat while shopping. Arrive hungry!

For us, the skies are inherently beautiful but are even more meaningful when serving as a backdrop for the rest of nature, including man. So, here's to Sky Watch Friday, from our vantage point under one of the retail shelters at the farmers' market. 

Scarecrow on Pleasant Ridge Road

Scarecrows are summer's version of snowmen. North Carolina farmers take great pride in adding humorous personal touches to these yard characters. Here we see Pa Scarecrow with the hand knitted scarf in the foreground and Ma Scarecrow in the far corner of the garden with her fancy pink pants and flowered straw hat. Scarecrows guard the garden hoping to deter birds and varmints. 

This year's crops are off to a tough start as we've had so much rain. Greensboro even made the national news because of the heavy rains. It is believed we received 8 inches the other evening. As for the gardens, excessive rain invites insects and fungus; fruits and vegetables taste waterlogged and rot quickly. 

This farmer on Pleasant Ridge Road has a predator even more challenging than rabbits and cabbage worms-- land developers. He is surrounded by parcels of land that have been converted from farmland to housing developments. Guilford County has many lovely farms. We hope that some, like the one in the photo above, will remain farms and continue to prosper.

The Polio Children's Hospital Of Greensboro

In the 1940's a polio epidemic was sweeping the nation. On the (then) outskirts of Greensboro, between Huffine Mill Road, Summit, and Bessemer Avenues, one could see rows and rows of white cinder block buildings.These buildings were constructed, virtually overnight, to quarantine children who had contracted polio. Today, on this property in northeast Greensboro, a few now-painted-blue buildings with boarded windows remain, abandoned monument to the Polio Children's Hospital of the late 1940's.

With a little investigating, we learned that Greensboro pediatrician, Dr. Gregory Ravenel, saw a need for a hospital when the epidemic first hit the area. It is said that in twelve days, he and local businessmen raised $100,000 to build a facility. In 2007, Peggy Longmire wrote an article about polio survivor Lynn Gordon who refers to Dr. Ravenel and mentions her months in the polio hospital. Another local name associated with the hospital is Ruth Holland Morton. According to Mrs. Morton's 1/25/05 obituary, she was "the first licensed physical therapist in Greensboro... and her practice of 58 years included the Polio Children's Hospital and... The Triad Post Polio Group."  Finally, we'll need to read her autobiography to learn whether North Carolina's most famous polio survivor, Martha Mason,  received treatment at this facility. Unfortunately, Ms. Mason died recently (May 5, 2009) after living for 61 years in an iron lung, due to extensive paralysis from when she contacted polio in 1948 at the age of eleven.

Over the years, The Polio Children's Hospital has been repurposed. In the 1950's it housed, temporarily, students from nearby  Bessemer School while it underwent renovation. The remaining structure, part of which is featured above, is significantly smaller than the original. Seeing the above "NO ENTRANCE" sign makes us wonder, "Just where was the entrance?"

Gatekeeper's Cottage at Green Hill Cemetery

This painfully symmetrical abode was constructed in the 1880's to serve as the Gatekeeper's Cottage for the Green Hill Cemetery. The gatekeeper's residence was on one side of the house and his office was on the other; hence, the two doors. The cottage is located at the confluence of West Fisher Avenue, Wharton Street, and Battleground Avenue at the south side of the cemetery. The structure is known for its Gothic style with romantic undertones. "It remains the last known Victorian-era cemetery gatekeeper's cottage in North Carolina, and one of the best examples of residential Gothic Revival architecture in the state." That quote comes from Preservation Greensboro's website where you can read even more about this structure, including names of past and present owners. 

As you scroll down to the bottom of the link Preservation Greensboro's article on this house (10/5/08), you will see a 1973 article from the now-defunct Greensboro Daily News. Accompanying the article is a side view of the cottage that shows the extreme pitch of the roof. It appears to be a 45 degree angle. We can't imagine how one would shingle this roof!

Yanceyville Curbside Market: The Beekeeper

Saturday Mornings at the Yanceyville Curbside Market (501 Yanceyville Street) are enhanced by the presence of Bill Mullins. Bill, a local expert on beekeeping, sells his honey and baked goods sweetened with honey. Usually, his wife is there to help in their honey-selling side business. Together, the husband and wife team can tell you just about anything you ever wanted to know about keeping bees, harvesting honey, and cooking with it. We always buy a cup of their 50-cent coffee (the best deal in town) while selecting our purchases from the farmers' market. Not just the coffee, but all the Mullins' honey products and baked goods are reasonably priced. Additionally, Bill tells great bee stories. Our personal favorite is that he sees his bees return home with honey all over them from the poplar trees at nearby Guilford College. Imagine knowing your bees so well that you can tell where they have been and what they have been eating. Perhaps Mr. Mullins should consider detective work!

Honey is nature's perfect sweetener, and has been since ancient times. One tablespoon of honey is equivalent to five tablespoons of sugar, and believed to be better for you! Why don't you ask Mr. Mullins why he prefers honey to refined sugar?!

               

Herb Society of America-- Plant Sale TODAY!!!!!

The Greensboro Unit of the Herb Society of America is having a plant sale TODAY (7:00 am- 3:00 pm) at the Greek Orthodox Church, located at the corner of Westridge and Friendly Avenue. The fellowship hall is brimming with thousands of containers of fresh, healthy, reasonably-priced herbs.  Eight North Carolina growers supplied plants. Additionally, members contributed plants from their own greenhouses. Proceeds from the sale will fund scholarships for horticulture students at North Carolina A&T University and Sandhills Community College. In the above photo, you will notice the L/M placard. Conveniently, herbs are arranged in alphabetical order. L is for lavender!

Speaking of lavender, on location shooting the above photo, we talked to the society's expert on lavender, learning that lavandula angustifolia is an excellent variety known for its aromatic qualities and culinary uses. We learned that Herb Society members take time to educate people about herbs -- another reason you should attend the sale. Did you know that not all herbs are used for cooking? Herbs are used for either culinary, medicinal, aromatic, religious, or industrial purposes. Finally, kudos to Kathy Schlosser for serving as the 2009 Plant Sale Chair!

Grove Church on Jessup Grove Road

The Grove Church, located at 4530 Jessup Grove Road, boasts having "some of the best Sundays in town." On the outside, the building is a traditional brick and white Southern church with a cross at the top of the steeple. Across from the church is a cemetery, very common for rural churches. As for the inside, we'll have to investigate that for another week!

We decided to feature the sign instead of the building itself as, church signs are not only an art, but also a tradition. Ethnographer and former Greensboro resident H.L. Goodall wrote the book featured below entitled, "Divine Signs: Connecting Spirit to Community." We'd have to conclude that the Grove's sign is inviting and tempting-- a good temptation to become part of their spiritual community!

               

Breedlove Radiator Service Inc.

Breedlove Radiator Service Inc, located at 610 Percy St., is just right around the corner from our robin's egg blue Mustang post. As the sign states, Breedlove Radiator has been in business since 1943. In an online testimonial to the fine quality of work at this shop, a vintage Triumph owner states, "When I first walked into Breedlove, right in front of the counter were a STACK of freshly rebuilt Ferrari radiators. That is when I knew I was in the right place........ I couldn't be happier with the work." 

These family owned businesses have work ethic and commitment to service that is getting harder and harder to find and we need to support them. Light-heartedly, the same customer states: "It is a small family run place, so if the flu is going through the place, work can fall behind schedule." 

As with the Triumph owner, we'll take quality work and personable service over fast service, just about any day! 

               

Vintage Mustang in the Aycock Historic District

Easter is over but we just can't quite let go! Don't you think if the Easter Bunny drove a car it would be this robin's egg blue Mustang? People who live in historic neighborhoods often take their dedication to preservation seriously. Vintage house, vintage car. Vintage clothing? Gardening? Organic? Bet there is a Burpee Seed Catalog waiting in the mailbox. This photo was taken in the Aycock Historic District, near Yanceyville St. Our blog viewers seem to love the vintage car shots that we post and Greensboro has some great ones! 

               

Easter in College Hill

Eastertime has arrived in the College Hill neighborhood. The bunny flag and the egg wreath on the front door are the icing on the cake of this robin's egg blue house near UNCG and Greensboro College. College Hill has been designated an historic district since 1980. Can't you just imagine an Easter egg hunt on this lawn with grandpa sitting on the porch coaching grandchildren where to find eggs? "Don't forget about that birdbath, Tyler. Don't just look at eye level Alex. Look above!..." 

Yesterday's post showed the serious side of Easter so we thought we'd lighten up a little bit today and offer the magical, Easter Bunny side of the holiday. In America, we love to decorate the inside and outside of our homes. The best way to enjoy springtime in College Hill is to get out and walk or ride your bike.

               

Rusty Truck and Man(nequin)

Rural humor is something not only appreciated but also expected in the south. Today, we cheated a little bit and headed just west of Guilford County. A stone's throw from Greensboro, Davidson County is full of humorous displays like this one, especially during barbecue festival time. The mannequin in the rusty truck above resides down the road from the Kiwanis Club Kiddie Kamp off Ridge Road. The vehicle sits at the edge of the road guarding the owner's property. At first we were embarrassed to be caught taking a picture of this old truck until we realized the joke was on us as the man inside was not real! 

Doesn't this muscular blond driver look like one of the main characters in a Margaret Maron, Jan Karon, or Lee Smith book? These fabulous North Carolina authors couldn't have envisioned a better leading man! Perhaps he is driving around in pursuit of the Elsewhere Artist Collaborative women featured April 1st on this blog! On the weekends, we like to grab the camera, abandon the GPS system, and just drive. We get some of our best photos that way. Try it! 

               

A Fold of Kyloes

If you are from Scotland, you will know that the animal in this picture is a breed of cattle developed in the Scottish Highlands and western isles of Scotland. These cattle, known as kyloes, have thick, wavy pelts to protect them from windy, cold winters. Their beef tends to be lean since they rely on hair, as opposed to fat, to keep them warm. A group of them is known as a fold, as opposed to a herd. The fold in this picture lives in Greensboro, in northwest Guilford County.  Our goal is to interview the farmer and find out just how he came about raising this breed of cattle in North Carolina!

Today' we're participating in Monochrome Monday, even though color photography is really our strength!