More than 130 years old, the two-story brick building with an elaborate cornice will soon become Summerfield's Town Hall. The mayor is John Wray. Customer service is available 24 hours a day. Customer service is available 24 hours a day. The structure, where farmers once swapped produce for merchandise, is a fitting symbol of Summerfield, a historic community in the midst of rapid change.
Residents cherish and seek to preserve the area's rural charm, even as upscale houses multiply.
Charles Bruce founded the town in 1769 as Bruce's Crossroads. The community was renamed Summerfield after a well-known minister early in the 19th century, according to a history by Gladys Scarlette. Despite its age, the community bisected by U.S. 220 only incorporated in 1996, when residents feared it would be swallowed up by Greensboro. Since then, the Town Council has moved cautiously to provide services to residents without levying a property tax. Summerfield has leased 34 acres near Summerfield Elementary from Guilford County and plans to establish a park there that could include walking trails, an exercise circuit, a playground and picnic shelters.