The news & observer., 1905-12-17
OLD GUILFORD COURT HOUSE.
Here now a holy hush,
o,rn6 cnliftIHa

Supplants the patriots furious rush
Midst shout and shot and blood.
What, though a hundred years
Have stilled each actor brave!
What though their shouts and blood
and tears
Mould with them in the grave.
Their deeds for all men wrought
The hope of Liberty,
And the still living lesson taught
All may and must be free.
The site of the old town lies east
of the battlefield, to which it gave
it's name, a quarter or perhaps half
a nile.
,, he old Revolutionary road leading
from New Bern, then capitol of the
province westward to Hillsboro, the
c~'>1tv seat Orange; thence to Gull
ford court house and thence westward
!, .oaI sDury, county seat of Rowan,
conr acts the battle field and the town
running through both and dividing
each into about equal halves TO the
north and South of the road. This
was the big road connecting the four
seats of the Superior Court Of the
province.
Guilford county was cut out of
Orange and Rowan by Act of the Co
lonial Legislature in January, 1711,
and extended from the Virginia line
SouthWard, embracing the present
counties of Rockingham, Guilford and
Randolph, come ninety miles in
length by thirty in width.
The location of a county seat ap-
pears then, as now, to have aroused
much interest. heat and contention,
-
sented. But the site was allowed to
remain where the original surveyors
of the county had located it. 1t is
interesting to note in the old records,
that among other assigned reasons ia
VOring this location was the fact that
wood" and water" could here be
had, though this whole section was
clad in virgin forests and an ever
flowing spring of pure water gushed
from the foot of almost every hill in
this Piedmont region.
In 1907 the present city of Green's
boro became the county seat at the
center of the county Rockingham and
Randolph having previously been
severed. Soo1 after the war the town
had been called Martinsville, after
Governor Alexander Martin. Andrew
Jackson lived at MartinSville, for some
years perhaps, and was here admitted
to the practice of law in the county
court as he was also in some other
counties, the custom of the period,
/ suppose.
The title of this old site had been in
William Churton, the surveyor of the
period, who among other lands had
surveyed for Count ZinZindorf the
extensive MOravian possessions. Chur-
ton, ] find, willed this to Edmund
m nlarly Of pn1lnfV and
as Fanning's property, it was confis-
Gated and sold, when Alexander Mar
tin and Thomas Henderson, clerk of
Guilford, purchased much of it, which
they afterwards sold as town lots.
The old city plot is today in a neat
state of cultivation, being soWn in
grass and clover. There is not, within
its limits, a vestige of former human
habitation, except the indentations of
Greene Street." adams Street "
Battle Street." and others and the
rock-walled cellars and foundations
of the old tavern, court house, Jail,
elc. Our hardy old Scotch and Ger
man sres seem to have been behind
on water and every public building
had it's well. as did many private
ones All! how these dumb, in Senate
old walls and wells mock mans NOR
tality and teach him the number of his
DAYS and how frail he is. However,
the attributes of soul and sense con-
stitute the difference between men
and rocks and also between some men,
it is said. Patriotic North Carroll
mans, who love the old States his
tory, and patriots everywhere will be
gratified and rejoice to learn that VIC
have crowned the labors of 1905 by
all odds the most successful year IN
the Battle Ground Associations his
tory so far as material advancement
is concerned, with the fortunate and
most important purchase of this in
teresting old spot.
With the completion of the two no.
BILE memorial arches to Generals Nash
and Davidson in September,--on to
our Cavalry Arm of the service by the
Battle Ground Company,-the grading
and macada MIXING of several miles of
roads and streets to and through the
grounds, and now, this most fortunate
and all-important purchase of the old
court house. we feel, we confess, dis
posed to pause and maybe pose a lit
tle. ready for congratulations from
friends everywhere. We are endeav-
oring at least to reduce to realiza-
ton the States wholesome and honor
able motto, "Esse guam videri," which
being literally translated may be rem
dered to this effect-Never blow. but
do and be something and somebody. =.
Yours truly,
JOS NJ MOREHEAD.