• March 25 - The day in 1808 that Ralph Gorrell sold 42 acres of woodland near what is now the intersection of Market and Elm streets to the Guilford County commissioners for $98. This became the site of the new county seat, chosen for its convenient location near the center of Guilford County. Commissioners later sold 44 building lots and Greensboro’s history began.
  
• May 17 - The day in 1808 that the county commissioners laid off the plan for the village which would become Greensboro. This included 44 lots, priced from $4.80 to $151, depending on each lot’s distance from the courthouse. The plan called for the courthouse to be built at the intersection of the four major streets, simply named North, South, East, and West streets, and the property was later sold at a public auction. The entire village would extend only two blocks in each direction from Courthouse Square.
  
• December 15 - The day in 1808 that the North Carolina General Assembly passed
  an act naming the new village Greensborough. Gradually its name was shortened
  to Greensboro.

Or, if none of these dates suits your schedule, remember that we’re celebrating the bicentennial all year!

Sit-Ins and Civil Rights History

For Ages: Approximately grades 2 and up

Read out loud Freedom on the Menu by local author Carole Boston Weatherford.

Field Trip: Go downtown and walk by the future civil rights museum, the former Woolworth’s, on February 1 Place. Take pictures of the building and the street sign. Also visit A&T University to view the sculpture of the four sit-in heroes and take pictures. Celebrate their accomplishments by having lunch at a restaurant together with the class or friends. Take more pictures.

End the day by writing a paragraph or drawing a picture about the experience. Make a class scrapbook of facts, photos, and children’s writing.

Nonviolence Card: Make a nonviolence ID card, like CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) did during the civil rights era. See A Kid’s Guide to African American History, page 204-205.

Make A Sign: Make a sign about an issue that you care about. Display or carry it somewhere people can see it. See A Kid’s Guide to African American History, page 204-205.

Suggested Reading

Freedom on the Menu: the Greensboro Sit-Ins by Carole Boston Weatherford
A Kid’s Guide to African American History: More Than 70 Activities by Nancy Sanders
Witnesses to Freedom: Young People Who Fought for Civil Rights by Belinda Rochelle
A Dream of Freedom: the Civil Rights Movement from 1954 to 1968 by Diane McWhorter


First Lady Dolley Madison of Guilford

Ages: Approximately grades 2 and up

Book: Read out loud Dolley Madison Saves George Washington by Don Brown. Check biographies to find out more about Dolley Madison.

Field Trip: Visit the Greensboro Historical Museum and see the Dolley Madison collection.

Make Dolley’s Gingerbread: You can find her recipe in Dolley Madison by Jean L.S. Patrick

Plan a Dolley Party: Dolley was famous for hosting political dinners. Serve a cake and ice cream dessert called Baked Alaska, just as Dolley did. Decorate the table, serve fruit, nuts, or desserts and then discuss what you know about politics and government.

Trivia Search: Find out what these things had to do with Dolley -- Easter Egg Roll, title of First Lady, George Washington’s portrait, the Washington Monument, turbans, and Guilford County, NC.

Suggested Reading

Dolley Madison: First Lady by Barbara Witteman
Dolley Madison by Jean L.S. Patrick 
Dolley Madison Saves George Washington by Don Brown
Dolley Payne Todd Madison by Alice K. Flanagan

General Greene and the Battle of Guilford Courthouse

Ages: Approximately grades 2 and up

Field Trip: Visit Guilford Courthouse National Military Park. Become a Junior Ranger by completing an activity list -- approximately two hours. Be sure to find the statue of General Greene.

Field Trip: Visit Tannenbaum Historic Park and take a tour. Check out the Kids newsletter.

Observe the Battle of Guilford Courthouse: Visit Price Park on the weekend of March 15 to observe a historical re-enactment of this Revolutionary War battle.

Crafts and Cookery: Choose a food, craft, or activity from colonial times and have fun making it. Colonial Kids by Laurie Carlson, has instructions for things like hornbooks, dipped candles, corn bread, and churned butter. In Colonial Days by David King, you can learn the game of Jackstraws, make a pomander ball, make berry ink, try bubble blowers, and more!

Suggested Reading

Colonial Days: Discover the Past with Fun Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes by David King
Colonial Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in the New World by Laurie Carlson
Liberty or Death: The American Revolution 1763-1783 by Betsy & Giulio Maestro
Victory or Death! Stories of the American Revolution by Doreen Rappaport & Joan Verniero
The Revolutionaries by Editors of Time-Life books
Nathanael Greene: The General Who Saved the Revolution by Gregg Mierka

Traveling Trunks
Book a volunteer from the Greensboro Historical Museum to bring a traveling trunk filled with original items and reproductions to your classroom or group meeting or borrow a lending trunk. The trunks can be used with many grade levels. 

Cost: $5 per presentation by a volunteer or $5 to borrow a trunk for a week.
Call Betty K. Phipps at 333-6831 for more information.
Learn more online.