Greensboro Daily Photo

Reynolds Chapel Cemetery

Today's photo features the graveyard that used to be beside Reynolds Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, before the church sold their original property to BP and moved the church up the road to Hibler Road (featured on GDP yesterday). After recently reading Margaret Moffett Banks' 1/10/2014 News & Record article about the cemetery  in the church's previous location, we headed out to find it. On one side is the Wyndam Hotel and a chain link fence. The rest of the property has a wooden fence and there is no hint of an entrance. If you walk in the lane for the car wash at the BP, you will see a gate at the end, near the other car wash, the exotic car wash. While this isn't the best photo, we wanted you to see the orientation of the cemetery to the BP station and convenience store- note the green and white awning.

We were pleased to see that the cemetery is still being maintained and weeds no longer obscure the headstones.  The marked graves are mostly from people who died in the 20th century and that the only people being buried at the cemetery are people who already had family there.  If we read correctly, the most recent grave is from 2017 (Bertha Lee Pressley 1926-2017). It must have been hard getting the grave dug and a hearse brought into the cemetery in this landlocked 1/4 acre strip of land. The sanctuary has been gone for over thirty years, but the congregants continue to maintain this private cemetery. Now, if we were real detectives, we would attempt to settle the mystery Ms. Banks posed seven years ago. Where is Mary S. Means buries? Her husband Forrest has a double marker. Mary was born on May 20, 1901; either she was buried and a death date simply was not carved, or she was buried elsewhere. Hopefully, the Means family is satisfied with the solution.

Happy Monday!

Reynolds Chapel Missionary Baptist Church

Reynolds Chapel Missionary Baptist Church is located at 327 Hibler Road, in the Woodyside community. According to the real estate sites, it was built in 1990. Previously, it was at 628 Guilford College Road, but that land was sold to BP and became a convenience store and Reynolds Chapel relocated here. About a half mile north, there is a cemetery affiliated with the church at the site of the old property.  In 2014,  was in the news as a "forgotten" cemetery and at that point it got cleaned off. (Read Margaret Moffett Banks' News & Record article). It doesn't appear that people are being buried at the old cemetery, and, if you want to visit a grave, you have to walk behind the convenience store. 

 This photo features the west side of the building, one that gets intense sun in the late afternoons. As you can see, there are no windows on this side of the building and the entrance doors have reflector foil to address the bright sunlight. The cross, built into the brickwork adds a decorative, yet humble, feature to the facade. The pastor is Sharon K. Lynn. It is nice to know that the congregation has a new facility and that it continues to thrive in spite of being relocated. Of course, we want to go visit the cemetery now. Greensboro Daily Photo is like that. Just when we start to wonder what on earth we can find to post, some new pieces of information lands in our lap. How wonderful that the cemetery got some TLC. Happy Sunday and a big thank you to Jane Mitchell for riding along to capture this photo!

 

Fire Station #4

Gorrell Street is located just southwest of downtown Greensboro, crossing over Morrow Boulevard and near Bennett College. We wanted to visit Station #4, photographed above and located at 401 Gorrell,  because Logie Meachum writes about it in his reflection, "Sweet Magnolia, in the book "27 Views of Greensboro".  Logie had to be bussed across town to attend a school that accepted African-American children. He made the most of the daily trip, ever eager to see what guests were playing at the Magnolia Hotel. Just down the road from the Magnolia was Fire Station #4, another favorite of his. Here's what he has to say, reflecting on his adventures  on the No. 5 bus.

"The No. 5 Gorrell Street bus went under the bridge at Market Street and Murow Boulevard, which was and remains the gateway to the soul side of town. As we headed toward Gorrell Street, my mind focused on two special places: Fire Station No. 4 had Greensboro's only all-black crew, who to me and the other kids at the time were local heroes; the other site was the Magnolia Hotel (p. 55). In retracing Logie's steps, we saw what he saw, firemen working hard to make sure they would be ready in the event of a fire. Engine #4 has been in this location since 1964 and it integrated in 1967.* The people who worked, lived, and traveled along Gorrell Street in the 1960s would be happy to know that the fire station, and the Magnolia Hotel down the street are still up and running. Have a drive and see for yourself. Happy Saturday!

*reference and additional information.

Deer & Fawn

Some days, we start the day wondering what we can photograph to feature on Greensboro Daily Photo. Other days, we're sitting around having a cup of coffee and a photo lands in our lap. This mother and her fawn were walking by right in front of us. We thought they were going to pass by without noticing us but the fawn noticed us, first! The little one is turning to the right, just about to run away and the doe was not far behind. Greensboro has so many deer within the city limits. Likely, this is the second round of babies for this doe. They need to be born late enough in the spring or early enough in the summer so that there is sufficient food and agreeable weather.

The hunting forums talk about the size of the deer in Guilford County. This past fall, a local hunter, Tory Pegg, killed a 31 point buck in Guilford County.* But, not to worry for the above family, it is not hunting season for deer now and, as long as they stay in the city, they should be safe. We do need to be careful though, as Guilford County ranks second in the state for car crashes with deer and 90 percent of the animal=related crashes involve deer .** Only Wake County has more crashed.

Well, it is Friday. We hope you have a happy weekend and that you get out some to enjoy the beauty of the community around you.

 

• link to article, here. Do not read if hunting stories are a trigger for you.
• ** car crashed with deer, here.

6104 Nile Place

Today's photo of the home at 6104 Nile Place was inspired by Logie Meachum's piece, "Sweet Magnolia" in the publication 27 Views of Greensboro".  Logie was a storyteller, teacher, and blues musician born and raised in Greensboro. Growing up, Lorenzo "Logie" spent a lot of time at his grandparents' house in the Woodyside community near Nile Place. The Woodyside community was established after the Civil War, when Quakers, John and Mary Woody, purchased land and made it available so that African-Americans could build homes.*  This neighborhood, between West Market Street and College Road has seen many changes over the years; yet, much has stayed the same. There is still a lot of acreage, although most of it is currently for sale. There are pine forests where people harvest pine needles for lawns in neighborhoods far away from Woodyside. Today, there are plenty of apartments around the single family homes and roads have gone from sleepy little two lane roads to busy highways.

In the middle of all this sameness and change is 6104 Nile Place. This two story four bedroom, one bathroom, house is about 1700 square ft. Likely, this was a farmhouse when originally built and it would have had more of the 1/3 of an acre that it had when it last sold in 2003. Perhaps the apartments behind this house were part of this property. Just looking at this house evokes memories of yesteryear, of the Greensboro and Woodyside that Logie knew growing up around here. Whoever lives in this house now, works hard to keep the lawn manicured and grows flowers, just like the owners of yesteryear would have. As a matter of fact, some of those plantings may have been around for a very long time. If you get a chance, read Logie's piece in "27 Views of Greensboro". His view shows just how segregated the 1960s were in Greensboro. His is a view you will remember for a very long time.

Happy Thursday!

*Reference and more information, here.

Custom Industries, Inc.

Today, we're featuring Custom Industries, Inc. located 215 Aloe Road. But, before we tell you about it, let us tell you how we got there.

First, we're currently reading "27 Views of Greensboro" from the Eno Publishers' "27 Views" series. The book was published in 2015, and one of the twenty-seven pieces was by Logie Meachum (1952-2018). Logie writes about the neighborhood where he grew up and about spending time at his grandparents' house in Woodyside at Hibler and Aloe Roads. We've never featured Woodyside in the 13 1/2 years we've been publishing Greensboro Daily Photo, so a trip down West Market Street to Woodyside was long overdue. Last night, as the sun was settling, we happened upon Custom Industries, just up the road from the house where Logie's grandparents lived. Custom Industries  has been operating for more than 40 years; so, we're pretty confident Logie, one of Greensboro's great storytellers and musicians, would have passed by this reddish-yellow brick building many times. The well groomed bushes lead around to the side of the building, which is actually where the entrance is located. Custom Industries does just about anything you need done to metal. Here is the explanation of what they do, as explained, here, on the internet.

"Founded as a metal component supplier to general industry, Custom Industries is a full-service manufacturing, engineering and distribution company. It has been operational for more than 40 years. The company is a privately owned and maintains 4 plants in North Carolina. It employs more than 150 employees. The company s capabilities include horizontal and vertical computer numerical controlled milling, turning, punching and plasma cutting. It also specializes in stamping, sheet metal fabrication, welding, painting and assembly and custom packaging. Additionally, Custom Industries offers a variety of design and engineering services. It also conducts quality assurance inspections, as well as stocks replacement parts for various machines. The company supplies ceramic guides, tension discs and assemblies and break sensors." Just down over the hill from the business are a few metal buildings that look like warehouses. There is also a trailer court. We're wondering, just how much of this metal on the neighborhood buildings came from Custom Industries. 

It is always a fun day when we uncover a new neighborhood to explore and this one is extremely quiet, even though it is a stone's throw from West Market Street. Happy Wednesday!

Blueberries As Yard Plantings

If you follow Greensboro Daily Photo, you probably know that we're big advocates of planting edibles. These blueberry bush is planted in a flowerbed (in lieu of flowers) in our back yard. This photo was taken late afternoon yesterday when we were picking the ripe berries. This was about the third time we had picked between a pint or two from a a single bush. Nature is good about not having them all become ripe on the same day. In Greensboro, blueberry bushes are readily available at the local nurseries. There are several varieties. If you are considering planting, they all grow well here; however, some bushes get larger than others, and some berries are larger than others. Be sure to plant something that will still fit in the space once the bush is mature.

There are several blueberry farms in the Greensboro area: Blueberry Thrill Farm in Gibsonville; Kernodle's Blueberry Farm in McLeansville; Blueberry Hill in Colfax; and Honey Sweet Blueberry Farm in Reidsville. Call the farm or check their website for hours and to see if they sell bushes or just blueberries. It is fun to get out and talk to the farmers. Blueberry Thrill has been around since 1982; that's almost 40 years of blueberry goodness on that one farm alone. Blueberry bushes are pretty in the fall, too. Plant edibles; you won't regret it, and the birds will thank you! Just look how pretty they are. Happy Tuesday, July 6th... fireworks should be behind us for another year!

Happy "Fourth" On the Fifth

Happy July 5th. Well, the July 4th weekend is behind us, but according to the holiday schedule for the City of Greensboro, today is the day the Independence Day holiday is officially celebrated. So, it will be a Monday that feels like an extended Sunday.  We hope you had some time this weekend to spend with family and friends and to celebrate America's independence from England.

Today, we're showing a photo of the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market from a couple of weeks ago when it was blueberry pancake day. The pancakes were prepared by Cheesecakes by Alex and they were a hit. They sold out quickly. In the above photo, Alex' son Timmothy is flipping the pancakes. You can see their van in the background. To the left, you see people enjoying the pancakes as well as music by the band that was playing that day. If you like special events, mark your calendar for Saturday, July 17th (in two weeks) when it will be the annual Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato Sandwich Day. If the pancakes are any indication, arrive early. Those events at the farmers market where you sit out on the lawn and enjoy the community are a little like the Fourth of July, right down to the yummy summer produce. Happy Monday!

Happy Sunday, Fourth of July!

Happy, glorious, Fourth of July Sunday. Today's photo was taken at the Thursday Peoples Market in Glenwood. It is held at the Glenwood branch of the Christ United Methodist Church at the corner of Glenwood Avenue and Florida Street. This past Thursday was a light market day due to the Fourth of July holiday; plus, we arrived near the end of the market at around 7:00 pm. There were many tasty food options, a potter, skin care proeducts, some produce, and more. It is so nice seeing neighbors out enjoying each other and people building their small businesses. 

Christ United Methodist Church has so many wonderful services and opportunities at their Glenwood Branch. They have traditional worship on Sundays at 11 am and on Mondays at 5:30pm a  contemporary worship service followed by a community meal. The first Monday of the month, there is a "Medical Monday" in partnership with Cone Health. Additionally, AmeriCorps has an office there. Truly, this church is dynamic because it is so involved with the community.  Glenwood is said to be the most diverse neighborhood in all of North Carolina. If you get a chance, stop by for one of the services at the church or at the Peoples Market. You just may end up deciding you want to live here!

Fun Fourth 2021

The Third is the New Fourth in Greensboro. Today is the day that Fun Fourth will be celebrated downtown. It will be a little different without vendors; however, the community has made a real effort to provide a fun time for everyone. There will be a variety of events throughout the day with the actual Fun Fourth beginning at 4:00 p.m.

The above photo was taken from inside the fireworks tent in the Wal-Mart parking lot on North Battleground Avenue. People were buying personal fireworks, which are only legal in North Carolina for the Fourth of July. Just beyond the TNT fireworks tent the Jamaica Coast Catering had their Taste of the Tropics food truck set up and people were lined up to order their tasty food. This photo reminds us that holidays tend to be images upon images. You have one group doing one thing; another something else. As you plan all of your fun festivities for the weekend, please know that pets and farm animals are especially stressed when fireworks go off. Tracey McCain of WFMY News has compiled this list of fireworks in the Triad area. Perhaps you could consider attending one of those events in lieu of having a personal display. No matter how big or small your holiday is, just remember how much better it is than last year. Happy 3rd/Fourth!

Seasonal Foods Like Watermelon Milkshakes!

Yesterday was opening day for watermelon milkshakes at Cook Out and according to servers, "That's all customers want!". We always try to get one on opening day, bring it to our flower garden, and enjoy it with a few slices of watermelon on the side- which is exactly what you see in the above photo. The watermelon slices are cold with a hint of ice crystals, perfect for cooling you off on a hot day like today. (We won't tell you how Mr. GDP described the weather today). Anyway, Cook Out is a local company started right here in  Greensboro in 1989. Over the last thirty-two years, Cook Out has expanded to over 100 cities and has stores in ten states; and they aren't done growing.

We are so accustomed to getting any food, anytime we want it. If something is out of season in the northern hemisphere, we ship it in from the southern. Or, in some cases, the produce is grown in a hothouse. It is refreshing to have foods and menu items that are seasonally available. Cook Out only sells watermelon shakes in July and August; so,  you only have sixty-two days to try one. Even if you don't crave watermelon milkshakes, perhaps you flock to the farmers markets for North Carolina peaches. Some varieties of peaches are already ripe and readily available. Are there any local or seasonal foods that you crave? Where do you get them in Greensboro? You will have plenty of options this weekend with the farmers markets. Also, there are Fourth of July activities in Greensboro this weekend. The Fourth of July Celebration Picnic is tomorrow from 11am-3pm at Keeley Park in McLeansville (July 3rd);  The Fun Fourth Festival on South Elm Street is also tomorrow (July 3) from 4-9 pm. Note that there are no vendors this year as Greensboro is easing back into public events, post-Covid. This will be even more reason to visit those farmers markets and find something seasonal to pack for a snack. In the meantime, we'll probably be heading for another watermelon milkshake... or two! Happy Second, Third, and Fourth of July! 

(that minute you look at your photograph and notice some of your landscaping rocks have been relocated, or might be missing)!!!!!

Got Mimosas?

The mimosa tree is an iconic part of the Southern landscape and they grow well in Greensboro. They are considered a "pioneer" plant, because they travel to any land that is newly clearled. They grow rapidly and seeds abound. Southern Living refers to the mimosa as a "wonderful, awful weed" and lament that they will grow anywhere, including cracks of sidewalks out of a week part of a wall; in other words, this deciduous tree is invasive. There are several colors; however the pink variety in today's photo is the most common. It is located at the end of Carlson Terrace. Likely, it snuck in when they were clearing the lots for this new neighborhood. The lots with mimosas are unimproved. There are no signs of mimosas on the lost with houses. That's about how mimosas work.

There is a new variety with red-brown leaves, referred to as a chocolate mimosa that have started appearing in landscaping. We're on the lookout for one in Greensboro. Have you seen a chocolate mimosa here? If so, where? We'd love to see one in person. We'll drive by and check it out. But first, we've got to get to Cook Out for opening day of watermelon milkshakes! As we're looking at these pink mimosas, we're wondering why they are called mimosas since they are orange. As a matter of fact, we see pink and green, watermelon colors, in today's photos.

Happy July 1st!