Social activist, Yardley Warner, was known as a Quaker with a cause. He was born in Pennsylvania and came to Greensboro to help with social justice issues, in light of the changes coming about due to the Emancipation Proclamation. Warner purchased 35.5 acres of land in southeast Greensboro and sold small parcels to free African-Americans for a very reasonable price. He helped build an infrastructure in the community, lived there himself, and taught crafts and agriculture. The neighborhood became known as Warnersville and, while the original neighborhood has changed, the name remains.
The above exhibit was photographed at the Greensboro Historical Museum where there is an exhibit on Warnersville. In case we don't get a chance to tell you closer to the date, on October 18th from 3:00- 4:00 pm, Dr. Arwin Smallwood, Chair of the Department of History at NC A&T State University, will present on the Warnersville neighborhood at the Historical Museum (reference and see more, here). Warner was a Quaker who dedicated his life to issues related to social justice- pretty progressive for the mid-1800's!
He sounds like he was a good man.
Posted by: William Kendall | Sunday, September 27, 2015 at 03:49 PM