Greensboro Daily Photo

L Richardson Preyer Federal Building Court House

This photo is of the north side of the L Richardson Preyer Federal Building at the corner of Eugene Street and Friendly Avenue. The entrance/address is on the other side at 324 West Market Street. Actually, however, entrances were built on all four sides. It opened in 1933 as a post office and a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. The four-story structure is 60,980 sq ft. Twenty-four homes that were 2,500 square feet would fit inside of the Preyer Building. That is a big building downtown and to be sure, they take care of big business there.

The exterior architecture is Art Deco style and if you are an aficionado of architecture, there is plenty to see here, both inside and out! The foundation is Mt. Airy granite and the exterior is Indiana limestone. It is hard to imagine Greensboro without the Preyer Building. Imagine 1920 in downtown Greensboro, the Lincoln Financial Corp. buildings would not yet have been built, nor the Preyer building. Just that West Market Street United Methodist Church, now snuggled between the two imposing buildings, remain from the original footprint of those city blocks. The 20s and 30s were big times of growth for downtown Greensboro. It is looking like the 2020s and 2030s are times of big growth, too, especially if you consider what the local universities have planned! Happy Thursday... a little nostalgia day on GDP.

General Greene Rides Again!

March is such an important month in the history of Greensboro. March 15th was the day of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. In 1781, Major General Nathanael Greene led the Continental army against the British army, led by General Charles Lord Cornwallis. Though the British won the battle, we won the war.* While his army lost, General Greene survived the battle, living five more years and dying in Grove, GA, at the age of forty three! If we read our history books correctly, it seems like General Greene was only in Greensboro for about a month. Maybe not even that long. He arrived in North Carolina in February, arrived in Greensboro on March 14th, fought the Battle of Guilford Courthouse on March 15th and headed for South Carolina in April. However, General Greene left a lasting impression on the area and, 27 years later, in 1808, when Greensboro became a town, it took Greene's name and we have been Greensborough/Greensboro ever since. 

This is a very special time of year to visit Guilford Court House National Military Park. You can take a self-guided tour on your cell phone and learn about all of the statues and history. It is so special to see the park while the trees are in leafless winter mode and then again when the tree canopy is completely back. The monument stands over 27 feet tall. It was dedicated in 1915 and the sculptor was Francis H. Packer and the statue in the photo is bronze. The base (not visible in this photo) is granite. The monument was placed on the highest point in the park. Read more about it here in the North Carolina Encyclopedia. Please do head to the park and see these monuments for yourself. If you already have, go visit them again, and have a great day while you are at it! Happy Wednesday!

 

* Here is the link to the Wikipedia entry about the battle. It isn't a bad place to start if you need a quick refresher on Greensboro's early history.

Springtime at 726 South Elam Avenue

Today's yellow house with the popping blue accent door evokes thoughts spring. Soon, plants will be leafing out from the containers on the entrance stairs. Before you know it, that ample front porch will be filled with people sipping lemonade and greeting neighbors who are walking by. This house at 726 South Elam in Lindley Park has been a two-story beauty on the corner of Sherwood Street since 1900. When it was built 121 years ago, a four bedroom two bath house would have been a giant. There would have been even more trees in the neighborhood; likely some planted by or purchased from John Van Lindley, for whom the neighborhood is named. 

If Zillow and Realtor.com are correct, the home last sold in 2015 and there were original architectural details remaining on the inside. The house sits on over a quarter of an acre of land, very generous for a city lot. According to voting records, there are 210 people who live on South Elam, 91 of whom are democrats, 31 are Republicans and 88 are "other" as in Libertarian or Unaffiliated. It is so interesting to think about a neighborhood, or even the street, based on the internet searches of property records and voting profiles of residents. That is such a 21st century concept. Even houses, streets, and neighborhoods have digital footprints. That thought begs the question, how do we all fit into the profile of our neighborhoods? Happy Tuesday! Sunday, March 20th is the first day of spring. We're betting this sunny beauty at 726 S. Elam is ready!

 

The Serendipity of Chores

Sometimes the most unexpected fun comes when  out doing chores. Yesterday, we headed up to Price Park to recycle our glass containers and happened to catch the City of Greensboro emptying the big blue cans. While we were there, Tim was working outside the truck and we had a brief conversation. He says the city has to empty the cans both on Saturday and Sunday or otherwise they will overflow. It was so nice to find the container empty and not have to coax the bottles into a full container. Even with his mask on, Tim was smiling. It is nice to meet people who enjoy their job and enjoy meeting people along the way. 

Here is a link to Greensboro's website that explains what glass can and can't be recycles and where one can go to drop off the glass. Also, Reconsidered Goods on Spring Garden Street has a dumpster for glass behind their building. From the looks of what goes into the dumpsters, the people of Greensboro sure drink a lot of wine and beer-- at least on the weekend. Happy Monday! Happy recycling! Can you believe it is already March? It will be spring before you know it. 

Center United Methodist Church

Center United Methodist Church is located at 6142 Lake Brandt Road at the corner of  James Doak Parkway north of Greensboro. The above photo was taken about 6:00 pm last night. While the sun was setting, teens were shooting basket ball on the side of the church and on the other end, young teens were sitting and talking. The church seemed to be a hub of activity, exactly what a church needs to be to remain vibrant and attract and retain members. The wooden cross in front is draped in purple as the Lenten season has started.

According to their Facebook page, Center UMC has been serving Greensboro and Summerfield since 1823. They are an active church that holds online services at 10:00 am today. You can tune in and watch live on Facebook. Their pastor is the Rev. Cecil Donahue. This church has Back Buddies, a program feeding the homeless and those in need of food. They have traditional and contemporary services. .  If you live near Lake Brandt Road in North Greensboro and are looking for a Methodist church, this may be the one for you (see here).

Happy Sunday and Happy Birthday to one of our faithful readers in Madison, WI: Ginny S!!!!!

Its Vaccine Time for Guilford County School Teachers

Yesterday, Keith was volunteering at the Coliseum as Guilford County School teachers cycled through the vaccination process.  The national guard, volunteers, nurses, Guilford County Health Department, and the Guilford County Schools all worked together to help this process run smoothly and efficiently. There was even a bus delivering people from the parking lot up to the entrance door. Once it started raining, this service was especially appreciated at the parking is back beyond the GAC swimming pool area.

If you have anxiety about getting shots or this particular vaccine, somehow fears are assuaged once you are there watching everyone else getting the vaccine. You realize you are contributing to herd immunity and helping prevent the spread. As reported in the News & Record and the state health officials, Guilford County has a total of 39,699 cases of COVID and 552 deaths. Hopefully the cases and deaths will start decreasing. Have a great weekend. Thank you Keith, all the volunteers and workers who are making this journey so much more pleasant!

Gillies Monument at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

Today's photo is of the James Gillies Monument at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park. It was a beautiful day to walk along Monument Row. The above scene will look completely different when the leaves are back on the trees and the sun can hardly filter through the canopy. Inside the dark diamond of the monument in the above photo is the following inscription: "Light Horse Harry Lee's Bugler-Boy" The monument was erected by the Literary Societies and Alumni of Oak Ridge Institute, May 6th, 1898 to the memory of the Gallant James Gullies who fell under the swords of the Tarleton's Dragoons near Oak Ridge, NC. Gillies dies for his country's freedom on February 12th 1781.

Here is a NCpedia reference and article about the Gillies Monument. This monument is one of several in a row in front of the visitor's center. Yesterday afternoon, the park was very busy. It is a great place to walk, run, and ride bikes. It seems to be returning to its vibrant self after having suffered the loss of many trees during the recent ice storms. Under normal years, we would be participating in the March Reenactment of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. However, this year's event is canceled due to COVID-19. In the meantime, please enjoy the park; it is the perfect place to get out and enjoy the beauty of Greensboro- especially when the sun is shining.

Happy Friday!

Big Sky Over Greensboro

Yesterday's post was of Airforce 1 on one of its circles around Greensboro. Today, we're featuring the sky over the Greensboro Country Club's Farm Course at Carlson Dairy Road. Whereas Monday's sky was sunny and cloudless, the sky on Tuesday morning was riddled with clouds. These winter skies can be so beautiful with the sun hovering closer to the horizon. The sky was so dramatic, it was hard to believe that it was real. Also, by late afternoon, the temperature was 68 degrees. That is indeed a drastic switch from some of the cold weather there we have been experiencing. Curiously, when we checked back late afternoon, the clouds had moved on.

This is the first week that middle and high school students in Guilford County are transitioning back to school, with sixth and ninth graders attending first. If you know any students in those grades, you likely saw some smiles, as they were so excited to be transitioning to the next level up in their education. Today will be a day of in-person school for these grades and then Friday is asynchronous so teachers can go get round one of vaccinations. May we all be as encouraging as possible to teachers, students, and families as they all adjust to all of the changes and transitions. It has been just under a year since some students have been in a classroom. Today won't be quite as warm, but it will be equally sunny, especially if we focus on the bright side of life. Have a great day!