Guilford County’s Patchwork Quilt

In contrast to other parts of the American South, the Carolina Piedmont was a patchwork quilt of groups of settlers who brought their denominations with them from Pennsylvania, and quickly established congregation-related settlements that resulted in distinctive communities. Settlers arriving from the 1740s onward via the Great Valley of Virginia from the mid-Atlantic area included Scotch-Irish Presbyterians, British Quakers, and Lutheran and Reformed Germans. Each faith held distinctive qualities that resulted in contributions that forged Guilford County’s culture and character. His expertise is developing profiles of early leaders in the community in and around the old county seat of Martinville.

Historian Charles Rodenbough will document the contributions of these religious groups that settled early Guilford County, from the early Quaker settlements of the west to the German Reformed communities in the east. Rodenbough has self-published several books, including If the Lord Is Willing And The Creek Stays Low, Governor Alexander Martin: Biography of a North Carolina Revolutionary War Statesman, and Stealing Andrew Jackson’s Head.

This Facebook Live event is free to the public as part of our year-long celebration of Guilford County’s 250th birthday!