Faith and congregations
Churches, meeting houses, missions and the people who led them. 271 places on the trail.
Colonial North Carolina, 1585-1774
- J-32ALAMANCE CHURCHPresbyterian, organized about 1764. Synod of North Carolina formed here, 1813. The present building erected 1955.
- B-48ALEXANDER STEWARTAnglican minister to N.C., 1753-71. Served parish of St. Thomas & as chaplain to Gov. Arthur Dobbs. Erected first glebe ...
- H-57BARBECUE CHURCHPresbyterian, founded in 1757 by Scottish Highlanders. Present building, the third, erected about 1895, is 200 yds. nort...
- J-41BETHABARAFirst settlement by Moravians in North Carolina, 1753; known also as Old Town. Church erected 1788. Town is 1 mile N.E.
- G-67BETHESDA CHURCHPresbyterian, began as "Hart's Chapel," about 1765. Mother of many churches. The present building erected 1944, stands 3...
- I-58BLACK RIVER CHURCHPresbyterian. Organized 1740. Present building constructed 1859. First regular pastor was the Rev. Colin Lindsay.
- O-36BRITTAIN CHURCHPresbyterian, organized 1768. Present building, the third, erected 1852, brick-veneered 1940.
- J-33BUFFALO CHURCHPresbyterian, organized about 1756. Present building, the third, was erected in 1827. Revolutionary soldiers buried here...
- I-77CAPE FEAR BAPTIST CHURCHConstituted in 1756 as Particular Baptist. Stephen Hollingsworth, first minister. Present (1859) building 2 mi. E.
- K-42CARTLEDGE CREEK BAPTIST CHURCHOriginally Dockery's Meeting House, about 1774. Baptist State Convention, 1833, voted here to found Wake Forest Institut...
- M-22CENTRE CHURCHPresbyterian, organized in 1765. Synod of the Carolinas formed there, 1788. Present building, erected 1854, is 1/2 mi. W...
- J-48CENTRE FRIENDS MEETINGWas begun in 1757 and organized as a Monthly Meeting in 1773. This is the fourth building on the original site.
- C-42CHRIST CHURCHEpiscopal. Craven Parish created 1715. First Church erected 1750, this one in 1875. Communion service, given by George I...
- E-84CONOCONNARA CHAPELEstablished as Anglican 1747; James Moir first priest. Became Baptist 1783; inactive since 1933. Present building, 1849,...
- C-35CORE SOUND MEETINGQuaker center for more than 100 yrs. after 1733. Migration west was one cause of decline. Meeting house was 50 yards W.
- O-67DANIELS CHURCHEvangelical Lutheran. Organized in 1774. J. G. Arndt was first regular minister; Philip Henkel assistant. This building,...
- J-2DAVID CALDWELL 1725-1824Educator, minister, & orator for Patriot cause. His "Log College," a classical academy, stood 2 1/2 miles northwest.
- J-49DEEP RIVER FRIENDS MEETINGWas begun in 1753 and organized as a Monthly Meeting, 1778. Present building erected 1875.
- I-59DUNN'S CREEK QUAKER MEETINGStarted about 1746; joined yearly meeting, 1760; discontinued about 1781. Site and cemetery are 2.5 miles S.E.
- E-88FALLS OF THE TAR CHURCHConstituted as Particular Baptist, 1757; Rev. John Moore & Joshua Lawrence among early ministers. Now Primitive Baptist.
- M-46FOURTH CREEK MEETING HOUSEPresbyterian church was established ca. 1750; moved here in 1756. Served beginning 1778 by Rev. James Hall.
- J-63FRIEDBERG CHURCHMoravian. Begun in 1759, organized in 1773; first church and school built in 1769. Third structure, 1825; located 1.6 mi...
- O-20GOSHEN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHEstablished in 1764. Rev. Humphrey Hunter, the first minister, arrived in 1796. Moved to present site, 2 mi. NW, in 1956...
- G-77GRIERS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHOrganized in 1753. Rev. Hugh McAden served as its first minister. Present building dates from 1856. Stands 1 mi. E.
- F-4GROVE CHURCHPresbyterian. First church founded by Scotch-Irish who settled here about 1736.
- G-30HAWFIELDS CHURCHPresbyterian, founded about 1755, three miles N.E. Henry Patillo the first pastor. Present building erected 1852.
- G-86HENRY PATTILLO 1726-1801Presbyterian minister; legislator; author of textbooks. Served many churches in Virginia & North Carolina. Home & school...
- F-6HUGH McADENPresbyterian clergyman, lived nearby. Served Duplin and New Hanover congregations, 1759-1769. Moved to Caswell County wh...
- B-75JOACHIM GANSScientist; Jewish native of Prague. Led metallurgy experiments, 1585-86, at the first Roanoke colony near here. Part of ...
- B-63JOHN GARZIA ca. 1690-1744Anglican minister, born in Spain. Served parish, 1733-1744, in spite of difficulties inherent to life in colonial N.C.
- D-73JOHN LaPIERREOrdained 1707; came to America 1708. Served in many churches in area as missionary of Society for the Propagation of the...
- A-59JOSEPH PILMOORPioneer missionary. He preached first Methodist sermon in colony, 1772, at Currituck Courthouse, 300 ft. N. Church named...
- E-71KEHUKEE PRIMITIVE BAPTIST CHURCHFirst church, 1742, was 2 3/4 miles N.E. Second building is 200 feet E. Mother church of Kehukee Association begun 1765.
- J-61LOW'S LUTHERAN CHURCHCongregation organized ca. 1771; fourth church erected in 1971 on site of original log structure.
- A-63McBRIDE CHURCHMethodist since 1792. Begun as Anglican c. 1733. Visited by bishops Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke. Building erected 183...
- J-75NEW GARDEN FRIENDS MEETINGMeeting for worship was begun in 1751; became a Monthly Meeting, 1754. Present bldg. is here.
- I-1OLD BLUFF CHURCHPresbyterian. Organized in 1758 by Rev. James Campbell. Present building erected about 1858. N.W. 1 mi.
- J-57OLD BRICK CHURCHOriginally German Reformed. Now United Church of Christ. Served in 1759 by James Martin. This church was begun in 1813 a...
- G-84OLD ENO CHURCH AND CEMETERYPresbyterian. Served by Hugh McAden, 1755-65. Henry Pattillo was first pastor. Church moved to Cedar Grove in 1893. Ceme...
- A-82OLD NECK FRIENDS MEETINGQuaker meeting was established by 1680. Site of Yearly Meeting, 1698-1785. Discontinued, 1797. Building was 1 mile S.E.
- O-63OLD ST. PAUL'S LUTHERAN CHURCHOrganized before 1771 as a union church by German settlers. Present building erected ca. 1820.
- K-58PEE DEE MEETINGQuaker meeting organized, 1755. Westward migration led to decline by the 1840s. Cemetery located 1 1/2 mi. west.
- L-92PHILADELPHIA PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHCongregation organized, 1770. David Barr, first pastor. Building, completed 1826, is 1/4 mi. E.
- K-49PILGRIM CHURCHEstablished ca. 1757 as German Reformed. Known early as Leonard's Church. Fourth building to occupy site stands 3/8 mi. ...
- A-79QUAKER ACTIVITYIn 1672 missionaries William Edmundson and George Fox, founder of Society of Friends in America, held religious meetings...
- I-52REV. JAMES CAMPBELLOne of early Presbyterian ministers in N.C., 1757-1780. Organized Bluff, Barbecue, and Longstreet churches. Grave is 8 m...
- C-34RICHLANDS OF NEW RIVER CHAPELSite of three successive Protestant congregations: Anglican until about 1758; Baptist until 1877; and Disciples of Chris...
- F-48ROCKFISH CHURCHPresbyterian. Organized about 1756. Served by Hugh McAden, Robert Tate, & others. Third building on site 10 yds. north.
- H-73ROCKY RIVER CHURCHBaptist, organized about 1757. Used by Regulators for meetings after 1768. Stands 200 yards east.
- K-51ROCKY RIVER CHURCHMissionary Baptist. Began before 1772 as a branch of Little River Church; was independent by 1790. Present bldg. 3 mi. N...
- L-77ROCKY RIVER CHURCHPresbyterian. Founded in early 1750s. Hugh McAden preached here 1755. First regular pastor, Alexander Craighead, 1758. P...
- H-84ROCKY RIVER FRIENDS MEETINGEstablished under care of Cane Creek Meeting, 1753; a Monthly Meeting since 1908. Fourth building was constructed in 192...
- J-106SALEM ACADEMY AND COLLEGEMoravian settlers in 1772 founded a school for girls, now a liberal arts college & academy. Campus is 1/2 mi. N.E.
- L-76SAMUEL SUTHEREarly minister of German Reformed Church in N.C., 1768-1782. Preached at Coldwater Union Church which stood 500 yards N.
- K-5SANDY CREEK BAPTIST CHURCHMother of Separate Baptist churches across the South. Founded by Shubal Stearns, 1755. His grave is two miles south.
- A-88SHILOH BAPTIST CHURCHOldest Baptist church in N.C. Organized by Sept. 5, 1729, by Paul Palmer. The present chapel was erected here in 1849.
- G-76SNOW CAMPSettled by Quakers in 1749. Cornwallis camped in area after Battle of Guilford Courthouse and used home of Simon Dixon a...
- J-8SPEEDWELL CHURCHPresbyterian. Organized ca. 1759. James McCready first regular minister, 1793. Present building erected about 1844.
- G-91SPRING FRIENDS MEETINGMeeting house by 1761; Meeting recognized, 1773; Preparative Meeting, 1779; & Monthly Meeting, 1793.
- J-95SPRINGFIELD FRIENDS MEETINGEstablished in 1773 and organized as a Monthly Meeting, 1790. Building erected 1927 on original site is 1/2 mile east.
- D-5ST. JAMES CHURCHBuilt 1839, near site of older church, begun about 1751. Graves of Cornelius Harnett and Thomas Godfrey.
- L-72ST. JOHN'S CHURCHLutheran. Began ca. 1745 as Dutch Buffalo Creek Church. Adolph Nussman was first regular pastor, 1773. Building erected ...
- G-49ST. JOHN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCHParish established in 1746. Present building, completed in 1773, stands 200 yards W.
- L-44ST. LUKE'S EPISCOPAL CHURCHParish established in 1753. Present building constructed in 1828, stands one block west.
- G-90ST. MARY'S CHAPELEstablished as Anglican chapel ca. 1759. Present building consecrated in 1859, stands 500 ft. N.
- A-1ST. PAUL'S EPISCOPAL CHURCHBuilt beginning in 1736 to serve first parish in N.C., est. by the 1701 Vestry Act. Succeeded two earlier buildings.
- D-55ST. PHILIPS CHURCHAnglican, built under act of 1751. Graves of Governors Arthur Dobbs and Benjamin Smith and U.S. Justice Alfred Moore. Ru...
- B-3ST. THOMAS CHURCHEpiscopal. Oldest church building in the state of North Carolina; was constructed in 1734.
- L-107STEELE CREEK CHURCHThe Presbyterian congregation was organized before 1760 by Scots-Irish settlers. Robert Henry, the first permanent pasto...
- L-10THYATIRA CHURCHPresbyterian. Founded by 1750. Present building completed in 1860. First permanent minister was Samuel McCorkle, who is ...
- F-33TOISNOT CHURCHBaptist. Founded 1756. Was moved 3 1/2 miles west in 1803. Early church site and graveyard are 350 yards south.
- B-46TRINITY CHURCHEpiscopal. Was originally Blount’s Chapel. Built nearby ca. 1774 by Rev. Nathaniel Blount, who served until his death, 1...
- E-50TRINITY CHURCHEpiscopal. Established about 1732. This building, the third, was erected in 1854, in part with brick from an older churc...
- J-110WACHOVIA TRACTOn Dec. 27, 1752, survey for Moravian settlement began near here. Bishop August Spangenberg led frontier expedition that...
- I-83WELLS CHAPEL BAPTIST CHURCHEst. as Separate Baptist, 1756, called Bull Tail. In 1835 renamed for pastor William Wells. Present building completed 1...
- F-40WHEAT SWAMP CHURCHDisciples of Christ since 1843. Organized about 1760 as Free Will Baptist. Part of present church built in 1858. One mil...
- E-69WHITAKER'S CHAPELOriginally Anglican, 1740; later Methodist. In 1828 first annual conference of Methodist Protestant Church met here. Thi...
Revolution and founding, 1775-1789
- J-40BATTLE OF NEW GARDENEarly on Mar. 15, 1781, the British and American forces skirmished near the New Garden Meeting House prior to the Battle...
- E-73EDEN CHURCHMethodist. An active congregation by 1789. Present building, 1890-1900, is third on site.
- B-45FLAT SWAMP CHURCHPrimitive Baptist. Begun in 1776. First pastor was John Page. Second building on site. Two miles S.
- J-65FRATERNITY CHURCH OF THE BRETHRENOldest German Baptist (Dunker) congregation in North Carolina. Est. ca. 1775 near Muddy Creek, one mile south.
- E-1GREEN HILL PLACESite of the first annual conference of Methodist Episcopal Church, 1785, hosted in home of Green Hill, minister, one mi....
- G-73HARRIS MEETING HOUSEFounded by Methodists prior to 1778. It was the mother church in this area. Disbanded in 1828. Stood 1 mi. N.
- O-45J. G. ARENDSNative German, pioneer teacher and minister, ordained 1775, first president of the N.C. Lutheran Synod, 1803. Grave a fe...
- G-41JAMES O'KELLY ca. 1735-1826Founded the Christian Church, after dissenting from Methodist-Episcopal Church, 1792. His grave is 4 miles south.
- K-47JOHN BETHUNEEarly pastor for Scots in N.C.; chaplain for Loyalists at Battle of Moores Creek Bridge, 1776. First Presbyterian minist...
- E-26LOUISBURG COLLEGEOpened in 1857 on the site of the Franklin Academy, chartered 1787. Now a Methodist junior college, coeducational.
- G-65MOUNT BETHEL METHODIST CHURCHNon-denominational meeting house built ca. 1784 by Archer Harris. By 1808 Methodist. Home church to Washington Duke.
- J-66McKNIGHT'S MEETING HOUSEEst. by Methodists ca. 1782. Annual Conferences held here in 1789, 1790, & 1791 by Bishop Asbury. Site was 400 yards N.W...
- J-51NAZARETH CHURCHLutheran. Begun about 1778 by German settlers. Formerly called "Old Dutch Meeting House." Present building, 1878.
- N-3QUAKER MEADOWSRendezvous for "Over-Mountain Men" prior to Battle of Kings Mountain, 1780. Home to Joseph & Charles McDowell, military ...
- L-83RANDALL'S UNITED METHODIST CHURCHFirst services held ca. 1785 by Jesse Lee & Bishop Asbury in home of John Randle. Fifth building, 1974, 3/4 mile East.
- G-25RED HOUSE CHURCHPresbyterian. Founded about middle of 18th century. Hugh McAden, its noted pastor, was buried in the churchyard, 1781. O...
- B-40SKEWARKEY CHURCHBaptist congregation formed about 1780. Primitive Baptist since 1830's. Church here was built in 1853.
- L-41THIRD CREEK CHURCHPresbyterian. Founded before 1789. Present building erected 1835. Stands 2 miles north.
- G-92UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILLFirst state university to open its doors, 1795. Chartered in 1789 under the Constitution of 1776.
- K-45ZION UNITED METHODIST CHURCHOrganized in 1786 by Rev. Hope Hull as Scarborough's Meeting House. The building, 4/10 mile N.E., was erected in 1854.
The young state, 1790-1860
- P-50'CATALOOCHEE TRAIL'An old Indian path across mountains used by early settlers and in 1810 by Bishop Asbury. Trail passed nearby.
- P-51'CATALOOCHEE TRAIL'Indian path across the mountains used by early settlers and in 1810 by Bishop Francis Asbury. Trail passed nearby.
- L-74'MILL HILL'Early example of Greek Revival architecture in South. Built, circa 1821, by Jacob Stirewalt. House stands one mile south...
- D-59ADAM EMPIE, D.D.First chaplain of U.S. Military Academy, West Point, 1813-1817; president William and Mary College; rector St. James Chu...
- O-60ANDREW LORETZMinister, 1786-1812, of German Reformed Church in the Carolinas. Home built in 1793. Located one-half mile south.
- C-80ANDREW'S CHAPELEst. 1802 to serve all local Methodists. After 1864 mother church for the A.M.E. Zion faith, it became St. Peter’s, 1879...
- I-49ASHPOLE CHURCHUnion center of worship, originally 2 1/2 miles N.W. Presbyterians withdrew in 1796 and organized their own church here....
- Q-40BAPTIST MISSIONFor Cherokee Indians, established in 1817, consisting of a chapel, school, farm, and mills. Was 3 1/2 miles north.
- F-46BAPTIST STATE CONVENTIONOn March 26, 1830, the North Carolina Baptist State Convention was organized at the Gorham home which was near here.
- L-82BETHEL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRISTBegan 1745 as Dutch Buffalo Creek Church. German Reformed & Lutheran, 1806-1875. Present structure, 1929, is 2 miles Eas...
- P-70BREVARD COLLEGEMethodist. Opened 1934 on campus of Brevard Institute after merger of Rutherford College (est. 1853) and Weaver College ...
- H-51BUFFALO CHURCHPresbyterian. Founded in 1797 by Scottish Highlanders. Present building, the fourth, erected 1880, stands on original si...
- P-1CALVARY CHURCH EPISCOPALBuilt 1859. Grave of "Bill" Nye. Memorials to many famous southerners.
- K-29CAROLINA FEMALE COLLEGE, 1850-67Established by local planters, later operated by Methodist Church. Building was 150 yds. W.
- L-59CATAWBA COLLEGECoeducational, liberal arts. Affiliated with Evangelical & Reformed Church. Opened at Newton, 1851. Moved here, 1925, an...
- O-51CATAWBA COLLEGECoeducational, liberal arts. Affiliated with Evangelical & Reformed Church. Opened 1/2 mi. N., 1851. Moved to Salisbury,...
- B-29CHARLES PETTIGREWFirst Bishop-elect of Episcopal Church in N.C., 1794. St. David's Church, erected 1803 at his expense, and his home are ...
- A-19CHOWAN UNIVERSITYOpened 1848 as Chowan Baptist Female Institute. Became four-year college, 1992. A university since 2006. Two blocks sout...
- M-44COKESBURY SCHOOLShort lived. The first Methodist school in North Carolina. Began about 1790. Was two miles east.
- N-30DAVENPORT COLLEGEFor women; chartered 1859 by Methodist Episcopal Church, South; merged with Greensboro College, 1933. Two bldgs. stand 1...
- L-9DAVIDSON COLLEGEEst. 1837 by Presbyterian Church. Named for Gen. William Lee Davidson. Woodrow Wilson studied here from 1873-1874.
- H-100FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHOrganized 1816. Site of Constitutional Convention of 1835. State Supreme Court met here, 1831-40, after Capitol fire. Th...
- I-28FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHOrganized in 1800. The original building, begun in 1816, rebuilt on same walls after fire of 1831, stands one block east...
- I-25FLORAL COLLEGEOne of earliest colleges for women in the South, 1841-78. Centre Presbyterian Church, formerly the college chapel, is 15...
- P-33FRANCIS ASBURYBishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 1784-1816, often visited and preached at the home of Daniel Killian which was ...
- P-20FRENCH BROAD BAPTIST CHURCHOrganized before 1792. Present building is here. First building stood 1 mile south.
- J-99FRIEDENS CHURCHLutheran. Congregation organized before 1791; church shared with other denominations until the 1850s. This bldg., 1940.
- O-55GRACE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCHOrganized before 1797 by German settlers from Pennsylvania. Present building, erected 1950, stands 2 1/2 miles south.
- L-45GRACE OR LOWER STONE CHURCHEvangelical and Reformed. Organized by early German settlers. Building erected 1795 is 2 1/2 miles south.
- G-96GRAHAM COLLEGEEst. by the Christian Church, 1851, as Graham Institute; forerunner of Elon College. Burned in 1892. Stood 1 blk. west.
- J-11GREENSBORO COLLEGEFirst college chartered for women in North Carolina, 1838. Founded by Methodist Church.
- M-51HARDIN TALIAFERRO 1811-1875Humorist, minister, and editor. Wrote Fisher's River Scenes (1859), a collection of folk tales with local settings. He w...
- L-106HARRY COWAN 1810-1904Baptist minister vital to growth of church in N.C. Founder of Mount Zion Church (1867), which is one block W.
- E-79HENRY B. BRADFORD 1761-1833Early Methodist Protestant minister; educator; and soldier in the Revolution. Founded Bradford's Church on this site cir...
- I-62HENRY EVANSFree black cobbler & minister. Built first Methodist church in Fayetteville. Died 1810. Buried 2 blocks north.
- E-14HORACE GREELEY 1811-1872Journalist & politician was married in Emmanuel Church on July 5, 1836, to Mary Youngs Cheney.
- C-83JACOB HENRY ca. 1775-1847First Jewish member of N.C. legislature, 1808. Delivered a landmark address on religious freedom. Lived here.
- E-86JACOB W. HOLT 1811-1880A chief architect-builder in town's 1845-61 boom era; worked in Greek Revival & Italianate styles. Home stands 1 block e...
- F-50JAMES M. SPRUNT 1818-1884Educator, botanist, C.S.A. chaplain, county official, & Presbyterian minister. His grave is 4 mi. West.
- H-13JOHN CHAVIS ca. 1762-1838African American teacher, preacher, & Revolutionary War veteran. Taught free black & prominent white students in school ...
- I-79JOHN ENGLAND 1786-1842Bishop of Charleston. He organized Roman Catholics in N.C. at Fayetteville Convention, & consecrated St. Patrick Church,...
- H-71JOHN S. RAVENSCROFTFirst Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of N.C., 1823-1830. Active in the revival of the Church. Interred in church 50 yds...
- D-56JUDAH P. BENJAMIN 1811-1884Confederate atty. gen., secretary of war & of state; first Jewish U.S. Senator, 1853 (La.). Boyhood home was here.
- E-42LEMUEL BURKITTPastor Sandy Run Baptist Church, 1773-1807. A founder & historian, Kehukee Baptist Assn.; member N.C. convention, 1788. ...
- J-46LEVI COFFIN 1798-1877A Quaker abolitionist; guided slaves on paths to freedom as leader of Underground Railroad. Was born ca. 4 mi. N.
- J-76LEWIS DAVID von SCHWEINITZ 1780-1834Moravian administrator. Botanist and pioneer in American mycology. Discovered falls 3 mi. SW.
- C-37LOT BALLARD HOUSEBishop Francis Asbury stopped there many times between 1799 and 1815 on visits to New River Chapel. House was 3/4 mi. W.
- O-58MACHPELAH CEMETERYPresbyterian, 1801. Graves include those of Alexander Brevard, Joseph & James Graham, and Robert Hall & Joseph Graham Mo...
- P-34MARS HILL COLLEGEBaptist; coeducational. Founded 1856 as French Broad Baptist Institute. Name changed 1859. Senior college since 1962.
- D-38MARY BAKER GLOVER EDDYFounder of Christian Science Church. Spent part of 1844 at Hanover House, 2 blocks west.
- M-18MITCHELL COLLEGEFounded 1856 as college for women. Presbyterian until 1959. Granted state community college status, 1973. Two blocks N.
- P-19MORNING STAR CHURCHOrganized by German Lutherans about 1825; Methodist since 1866. Is 2 1/2 miles south.
- O-75MOUNT HARMONY UNITED METHODIST CHURCHCongregation organized by 1791. Cemetery and present building, the church's fourth, are one mile west.
- A-43MOUNT LEBANON CHURCHA.M.E. Zion. Organized about 1850 as mission to serve black Methodists. Since 1856 congregation has met 1 1/2 blocks N.
- L-65MOUNT PLEASANT COLLEGIATE INSTITUTELutheran junior college for men, 1903-33, on site of North Carolina College, 1853-1902. Two blocks north.
- J-103N.C. MANUMISSION SOCIETYAntislavery organization formed by Quakers in central N.C. First met at Centre, July 1816. Disbanded in 1834.
- H-78O'KELLY CHAPEL CHRISTIAN CHURCHOrganized, 1794, by Jas. O'Kelly, founder of the denomination. Present building fourth on site.
- K-44OLD DAVIDSON COUNTY COURTHOUSECompleted 1858. Interior was burned, 1865, rebuilt ca. 1867. Fine example of Classical Revival style.
- I-89OMAR IBN SAID ca. 1770-1863Muslim slave & scholar. African-born, he penned autobiography in Arabic, 1831. Lived in Bladen County and worshipped wit...
- L-46ORGAN OR ZION CHURCHLutheran. Organized by early German settlers. The building erected in 1794 is 1 1/2 mi. south.
- G-45OXFORD FEMALE COLLEGEOpened 1851 by Baptists, operated by individuals after 1857. Franklin P. Hobgood, president, 1880-1924. School closed 19...
- H-9PEACE COLLEGEFounded by Presbyterian elder Wm. Peace 1857 as school for women; opened 1872. Main building used as Confederate hospita...
- L-68PLEASANT GROVE CAMP GROUNDMethodist. Established before 1830 and still in use. Noted for unusual "arbor" and "tents." 1 1/4 miles northwest.
- M-35PROSPECT CHURCH AND ACADEMYPresbyterian. Both founded in 1824. Plans for Davidson College adopted here in 1835.
- L-75QUEENS UNIVERSITY OF CHARLOTTEPresbyterian. Organized 1857 as Charlotte Female Institute. Campus moved to this location in 1915. Coeducational since 1...
- K-57RALF FREEMANFree black served as a Baptist pastor at Rocky River Church until law in 1831 barred blacks from public preaching. Burie...
- B-49REHOBOTH CHURCHColonial Anglican congregation known as Skinners Chapel. Present church constructed 1850-1853. Now United Methodist.
- G-70ROBERT PAINELeader in organization of Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1845. Bishop, president of LaGrange College, Ala., & author...
- N-29RUTHERFORD COLLEGEEvolved from private school opened c. 1853 by R. L. Abernethy. Operated 1900-1933 by Methodist Church. Closed 1935. The ...
- H-36SAINT MARY'SEpiscopal school for girls. Established 1842 by Rev. Aldert Smede on the site of an earlier Episcopal boys school.
- L-20SAM'L E. McCORKLEPresbyterian preacher and educator. The site of his famous academy, Zion Parnassus (about 1794 to 1798) is 3/4 of a mile...
- P-62SHAWS CREEK CHURCH AND CAMP GROUNDSMethodist. Congregation was organized at a camp meeting ca. 1810, on land donated by James Johnson. Church, 1905, is .3 ...
- I-45SHERMAN'S MARCHGeneral Sherman, with a part of his army, on March 9-10, 1865, camped here at Bethel Presbyterian Church (organized befo...
- I-56ST. ANDREWS PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGEChartered 1958; opened 1961. Formed by merger of colleges dating from 1858. Coeducational, four-year liberal arts colleg...
- P-31ST. JOHN IN THE WILDERNESSEpiscopal Church, built 1833-34 as a private chapel. Given to Diocese of North Carolina, 1836. Enlarged in 1852.
- B-59ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST CHURCHThe first Roman Catholic church in North Carolina. Consecrated, 1829. Burned by Federal troops, 1864. Stood one block ea...
- O-64ST. JOHN'S CHURCHLutheran. Organized prior to 1798. J. G. Arends was first pastor. Building, the fourth on site, is 1/4 mile east.
- O-69ST. JOSEPH'SBuilt in 1843 for Irish immigrant gold miners. Fourth Catholic church built in state. This is the original building.
- D-87THOMAS ATKINSON 1807-1881Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of N.C., 1853-1881. Voice for church unity in postwar years. Interred in the church.
- D-39THOMAS F. PRICERoman Catholic priest, pioneer Home Missionary of N.C. Co-founder of "Maryknoll Fathers," a foreign mission society. Bir...
- B-73TRINITY SCHOOLEpiscopal boys school founded 1851 by Rev. N. Collin Hughes. Many students joined ministry. Closed 1908. Stood here.
- N-9VALLE CRUCIS EPISCOPAL MISSIONEstablished in 1842 by Bishop Levi S. Ives. Reorganized in 1895 by Bishop J. B. Cheshire.
- H-68WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITYBaptist; coeducational. Opened as Wake Forest College, 1834. Moved to Winston-Salem, 1956. University since 1967.
- J-50WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITYFounded 1834 in Wake County by N.C. Baptist Convention. Moved to Winston-Salem in 1956.
- A-68WESLEYAN FEMALE COLLEGEFounded with Methodist support in 1853. Burned, 1877. Rebuilt 1881 and burned again in 1893. Site was 1 block south.
- M-38WILKESBORO PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHEstablished in 1837; present church built in 1849-50. The first Presbyterian church in Wilkes County.
- C-6WILLIAM GASTON 1778-1844Justice of N.C. Supreme Court, 1833-44; lawmaker. An advocate for state's Catholics. Wrote state song, "The Old North St...
- K-24YADKIN COLLEGEA Methodist Protestant institution. Opened in 1856, made co-educational in 1878, closed in 1924. Building stands 1 mi. N...
Civil War and Reconstruction, 1861-1877
- E-51'COLONIAL CHURCHYARD'Graves of Confederate general Junius Daniel, editor Abraham Hodge, U.S. District Judge John Sitgreaves, are 1 bl. N.E.
- B-44ANDREW CARTWRIGHTAgent of the American Colonization Society in Liberia, founded the A.M.E. Zion churches in Albemarle area. His first chu...
- L-102BARBER-SCOTIA COLLEGEPresbyterian. Est. 1867 by Luke Dorland to educate Negro women, Scotia Seminary merged in 1930 with Barber Memorial Inst...
- O-57BELMONT ABBEY COLLEGERoman Catholic. Liberal arts coeducational college. Founded, 1876, by Order of St. Benedict. One mile north.
- J-55BENNETT COLLEGEMethodist. Begun 1874; reorganized as woman's college, 1926. Named for Lyman Bennett of Troy, N.Y. Campus 2 bl. S.
- J-30CONFEDERATE HOSPITALSet up in the First Presbyterian Church to receive wounded from Battle of Bentonville, 1865, was here.
- N-42EMILY PRUDDEN 1832-1917Missionary. Founded 15 western N.C. schools including Pfeiffer College forerunner. Her Skyland Institute stood here.
- F-62GENERAL BAPTIST STATE CONVENTIONStatewide association of black Baptists organized, Oct. 18, 1867, at First African Baptist Church, then located 2/10 mi....
- P-90INMAN CHAPELFounded 1868. Oldest Universalist church in western N.C. Hannah J. Powell led mission work and school, 1921-42, at site ...
- C-33JAMES WALKER HOODAsst. Superintendent Public Instruction, 1868-70; a founder Livingstone College, 1885; Bishop A.M.E. Zion Church; founde...
- P-43JUDSON COLLEGEBaptist. Chartered in 1861 as Judson Female College; later coeducational. Operated 1882-1892 in building which stood thr...
- A-81LEMUEL W. BOONE 1827-1878Baptist leader. In 1866 he organized first black Baptist association in N.C.; trustee, Shaw University. Grave 2 mi. SE.
- J-100MODEL FARMEstablished by Quakers 1867 to stem westward migration by promoting improved agricultural practices. Tract, sold in 1891...
- I-13MacPHERSON CHURCHPresbyterian. Founded by early Scottish settlers. Graves of Alexander MacPherson and T. H. Holmes, a Confederate general...
- J-47O. P. FITZGERALD 1829-1911Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, 1890-1911; editor; author; education official in California. Born nearby...
- F-54P. D. GOLD 1833-1920Primitive Baptist leader & for 50 years editor of Zion's Landmark. Office & home was 1/2 blk. NE.
- H-32SHAW UNIVERSITYFounded 1865 by Baptist missionary Henry Martin Tupper. Chartered 1875; named for benefactor Elijah Shaw of Mass.
- I-19SHERMAN'S MARCHA part of Sherman's army, marching from Savannah to Goldsboro, camped at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church, 2/3 mi. SW, Ma...
- H-96ST. AUGUSTINE'S COLLEGEFounded in 1867 by the Episcopal Church as a normal school for freedmen. Since 1928 a four-year college. 4 blocks N.
- D-78ST. MARK'SConsecrated in 1875 as first Episcopal church for colored people in North Carolina. Served by Bishop Atkinson. Is locate...
- D-77ST. STEPHEN A.M.E. CHURCHCongregation formed in 1865. Present church constructed 1880 on land donated by Geo. Peabody. Located 2 blocks east.
- D-44TEMPLE OF ISRAELErected 1875-6. First house of worship built in North Carolina by the Jews. Congregation established in 1867.
- HHH-27UNION LINE-- MARCH 21After withdrawing from the advance against Mill Creek Bridge, Mower's Federals reformed here and threw up works. This wa...
- J-107WADSWORTH CHURCHCongregational. Founded 1870 by former slave Rev. Madison Lindsay. Restored 1885 building is 80 yards southwest.
- P-74WEAVER COLLEGEFounded as Weaverville College, 1873; Methodist, coeducational. In 1934 merged with Rutherford to form Brevard College. ...
- E-75WILLIAM H. WILLSMethodist Protestant minister. President of the General Conference, 1866. Head of Halifax Male Academy & Elba Female Sem...
- D-31WOODROW WILSONPresident of the United States, 1913-1921. His home, 1874-1882, was the Presbyterian manse, which stood one block E.
The New South, 1878-1929
- M-52BARIUM SPRINGS HOME FOR CHILDRENFormerly Presbyterian Orphans Home. Opened here in 1891 by Synod of N.C. Jethro Rumple was first chair, Board of Regents...
- F-30BARTON COLLEGEFounded in 1902 by the Christian Church of N.C. as Atlantic Christian College. Renamed 1990 for a church founder, Barton...
- I-8BURNT SWAMP ASSOCIATIONBaptist churches serving Lumbee and other tribes. Association was formed in 1881 at Burnt Swamp Church, then 2 1/2 mi. N...
- H-62CAMPBELL UNIVERSITYBaptist. Founded in 1887 by James A. Campbell as Buie's Creek Academy. A university since 1979.
- I-27CAROLINA COLLEGEOperated by Methodist Church, 1911-1926. Site used by Presbyterian Jr. College, 1929-1960; Carolina Military Academy, 19...
- A-58CHOWAN ACADEMYFounded in 1886 for blacks by Calvin S. Brown, pastor, Pleasant Plains Baptist Church. Later a public school named for B...
- O-53CLAREMONT COLLEGEFounded in 1880 by the Evangelical & Reformed Church as a school for women. Closed in 1916. Stood 300 yards east.
- O-70CONCORDIA COLLEGE 1881-1935Lutheran. A precursor of Lenoir-Rhyne College; burned, 1935. Church now on site 1 block south.
- N-44CROSSNORE SCHOOLFounded by Mary Martin Sloop, physician, 1913, to serve region's youth. Weaving Room, est. 1920, boosted revival of hand...
- Q-45ECHOTA MISSIONMethodist. Maintained by Holston Conference for Cherokee c. 1840-1885. School established 1850. Missionary's house stand...
- G-52ELON UNIVERSITYFounded as Elon College by the Christian Church in 1889. Coeducational. Burned in 1923; rebuilt 1923-26.
- H-110FANNIE E. S. HECK 1862-1915Social activist; writer. Led the Baptist Woman's Missionary Union after 1892. A benefactor of present Meredith College. ...
- A-91FATHER AARON BAZEMORE 1881-1992African American pastor. He founded in 1911 St. John, the first Church of God in Christ ministry in N.C. Grave 100 ft. W...
- I-24FLORA MacDONALD COLLEGEPresbyterian. Founded in 1896. Closed 1961. Merged to create St. Andrews College. Was located 1 mi. east.
- F-58FORMER COLLEGESTwo church-affiliated schools were once located in Ayden. Carolina Christian College, founded by Disciples of Christ and...
- P-73FRANCES GOODRICH 1856-1944Missionary and teacher. Her Allanstand Cottage Industries promoted the revival of Appalachian handicrafts. Lived here.
- H-118G. B. CASHWELL 1862-1916“Pentecostal Apostle of the South.” Inspired by Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles in 1906, he led revival ¼ mi. S.W.
- F-65GERTRUDE WEIL 1879-1971Advocate for extending voting rights to women, 1920; reformer active in labor, race, Jewish causes. Home was here.
- D-88GREGORY NORMAL INSTITUTESchool for blacks, 1868-1921. Founded by American Missionary Assoc. Named for benefactor James H. Gregory. Was 4 blocks ...
- J-42HIGH POINT UNIVERSITYFounded by Methodist Church in 1924 with aid from City of High Point. University since 1991.
- J-74IMMANUEL COLLEGELutheran. Founded 1903, and moved here in 1905; prepared black students for work in theology & education. Closed 1961.
- D-122J. ALLEN KIRKAfrican American pastor, Central Baptist Church, 1897-1898, nearby. Was community leader. Wrote key eyewitness account o...
- D-41JAMES GIBBONSCardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, 1886-1921. Installed as vicar apostolic of North Carolina (1868-72) at St. Thomas...
- E-85JOHN C. DANCY 1857-1920Editor of A.M.E. Zion Church papers; orator; a delegate to Methodist world conference; customs collector of Wilmington. ...
- L-89JOSEPH C. PRICE 1854-1893Minister, teacher, and founder of Livingstone College. Home stands here. Grave 700 ft. E.
- N-43LEES-McRAE COLLEGEPresbyterian. Founded in 1900 by Edgar Tufts. Named for teacher Elizabeth McRae & benefactor Mrs. S. P. Lees. Senior col...
- O-46LENOIR RHYNECoeducational, Lutheran college, named for W. W. Lenoir and D. E. Rhyne. Opened as Lenoir College in academic year, 1891...
- L-85LIVINGSTONE COLLEGEFounded as Zion Wesley Institute, 1879. Became College in 1885. Rev. J. C. Price president 1882-93. Named for British mi...
- G-119MARY POTTER ACADEMYFounded by G. C. Shaw 1889 to educate African Americans. Named for a Presbyterian benefactor. Later a public school. Ope...
- H-38MEREDITH COLLEGEAn independent women’s college chartered 1891 as Baptist Female University. Named 1909 for education advocate Thos. Mere...
- H-115METHODIST ORPHANAGEEst. by Methodist Church, 1899; served children in central & eastern N.C. Campus here until 1979.
- L-66MONT AMOENA SEMINARYLutheran school for girls, 1859-1927. The name is Latin for "Mt. Pleasant." Site is one block south.
- P-84MONTREAT COLLEGEPresbyterian. Opened in 1916 as Montreat Normal School. First president was Robert C. Anderson. Campus is 2 miles N.
- F-64OWEN L. W. SMITHU.S. minister to Liberia, 1898-1902; born into slavery. Pastor, St. John A.M.E. Zion Church in Wilson. Lived 1/10 mi. N.
- L-73PFEIFFER UNIVERSITYMethodist. Founded as Oberlin Home & School near Lenoir, 1885. Moved here, 1910. Renamed for Pfeiffer family, 1935.
- D-121SAINTS PETER AND PAUL RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCHSaint Helena, est. in 1905 as an agricultural colony for Italians, was populated, 1923-1932, by immigrants from Russia &...
- H-5STATE BANK BUILDINGFirst State Bank, est. 1814; housed Christ Church rectory, 1873-1951. Reopened 1969 as bank 50 yds. N.W.
- O-72THOMAS DIXON, JR. 1864-1946Minister, politician, & author. Film "Birth of a Nation" was based on his novel The Clansman. Grave is 1500 ft. N.
- D-117VAN EEDENJewish refugees from Nazi Germany lived, 1939-46, at agricultural colony founded in 1909 and revived by Alvin Johnson. T...
- P-69WARREN WILSON COLLEGEFounded in 1894 by the Presbyterian Church as Asheville Farm School. A four-year college since 1966. 1 1/2 mi. E.
- L-58WINGATE UNIVERSITYBaptist. Est. as Wingate School in 1896; a junior college, 1923; became a senior college in 1977. University since 1995....
- L-6WM. HENRY BELK 1862-1952Merchant, philanthropist, and Presbyterian layman. Opened first store, May 29, 1888, two blocks east.
- N-27YANCEY COLLEGIATE INSTITUTEA Baptist preparatory school, 1901-1926. Two of the buildings later used by public schools. 1/2 mile northeast.
Modern North Carolina, 1930 on
- P-61ASHEVILLE NORMAL SCHOOLPresbyterian. Opened 1887 as Home Industrial School. Teacher's College 1892-1944. Stood nearby.
- G-129ELIZABETH COTTEN 1893-1987“Libba” Cotten composed, recorded “Freight Train” (1958). Key figure, 1960s folk revival. Born and raised on Lloyd Stree...
- B-67FREEDOM RALLIESMass meetings at Green Memorial Church for 32 days, June-July 1963, & nonviolent marches, led to the desegregation of lo...
- O-43GARDNER-WEBB UNIVERSITYBaptist. Founded 1905 as Boiling Springs High School; junior college, 1928-1971. University since 1993.
- Q-37GEORGE W. TRUETTPastor First Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas, 1897-1944, president of Baptist World Alliance. His birthplace stands one mi...
- E-96JOSEPH BLOUNT CHESHIRE, JR.Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of N.C., 1893-1932; lawyer & writer. Birthplace is one block W.; grave 100 yards S.
- H-59JOSIAH W. BAILEYUnited States Senator, 1931-1946. A Baptist leader and editor of "The Biblical Recorder." Home was here.
- I-55METHODIST UNIVERSITYChartered 1956 as four-year liberal arts college. Opened September 1960. University since 2006.
- F-43MOUNT OLIVE COLLEGEOriginal Free Will Baptist. Chartered in 1951 as junior college. Moved here, 1953. Senior college charter granted in 198...
- E-72NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN COLLEGEMethodist. Liberal arts, senior co-educational college. Chartered Oct., 1956; opened 1960.
- G-48PAULI MURRAY 1910-1985First African American female Episcopal priest; lawyer, activist, poet, & human rights champion. Wrote Proud Shoes, 1956...
Battlefields, sites and undated markers
- M-32BRANTLEY YORKNoted educator and minister. Founded York Collegiate Institute & numerous academies. Professor at Rutherford College. Gr...
- M-24JAMES HALLPresbyterian minister, Revolutionary soldier and chaplain, educator, pioneer missionary in the Natchez country. Grave is...
- G-64MOSES A. CURTISBotanist, authority on North American flora, author, and Episcopal minister. Home was two blocks east.
- JJ-1THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN NORTH CAROLINA
- G-20WILLIAMSBOROUGHEighteenth century town, named for John Williams, judge, state legislator, congressman, who lived nearby. Old St. John's...