Mendenhall Plantation
A Quaker Homeplace in Jamestown, North Carolina
"Thee is Welcome Here"
Built in the center of Old Jamestown, near the intersection of what were then known as Federal and Union Streets, Richard Mendenhall’s house served as a gathering place for residents and a stopover for travelers. This home exemplifies the community of Quaker tradespeople and farmers who actively opposed slavery, promoted education for all, and labored to create a life of peace and simplicity during troubled times.
The complex, with its 1811 house and fine old bank barn, cluster of outbuildings, and a tanning table where Richard Mendenhall carried on his tanner's trade, is on the National Register of Historic Places. The barn houses a restored false-bottomed wagon used to transport slaves during the underground railroad movement.
For more information about individual buildings and the false-bottomed wagon, click the links on the left column. Special events and projects are listed below.
Visit our new blog, The Corner Cupboard, for news, information, and tidbits from the nooks and crannies of history.Our Village Fair is held annually on the third Saturday of July. Mark your 2009 calendar for July 18 (10: am to 4:00pm). Our performances, presentations, and crafts blend entertainment and education, making this a great event for everyone in the family. Admission is free. Come join us for a day in the 19th Century!
The video project The Oakdale Cotton Mills -- A Close-Knit Community is nearing completion. Sales of the DVD will be launched at the Village Fair on July 18th. Afterward it will be available in the gift shop at Mendenhall Plantation. Other details and locations will be announced when we have complete information.
One of the DVD's producers, local genealogist and historian Mary Browning, writes a newspaper column for the Greensboro NC News & Record about Guilford County communities. Her columns about Jamestown have been reprinted here by special permission of the News & Record and the author.