Everything old is new again.
The City of Greensboro is reminding residents of that fact with a series of history-focused events taking place this month that celebrate everything from the Revolutionary War to the city’s own museum history.
Three separate recent announcements from the city highlight programs that invite residents to step back in time – whether by listening to a local historian talk about the people who built the Greensboro History Museum, watching Revolutionary War soldiers reenact the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, or honoring one of the legendary figures of that battle.
The first event will take place on Friday, March 13, when the Greensboro History Museum hosts a Lunch and Learn program featuring famed local historian Gayle Hicks Fripp.
The free program will be held from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Greensboro History Museum at 130 Summit Ave.
Fripp previously served as the museum’s assistant director, and her talk will focus on the women who helped shape the museum and the institution’s 100-year history of connecting with the Greensboro community.
She’ll be joined by former Greensboro History Museum curators Linda Evans and Susan Joyce Webster.
The program is part of the museum’s current exhibit: “GHM100: Treasures. Legacies. Remix,” which explores the museum’s century-long history, its collections and its role in the community.
The event is free, and guests are invited to bring their own lunch or order delivery to the museum.
The following day, attention will shift from museum exhibits to living history.
On Saturday, March 14, and Sunday, March 15, the City of Greensboro and the National Park Service will host a reenactment of the Revolutionary War Battle of Guilford Courthouse along with other living-history programs.
Events will take place at Country Park, located at 3905 Nathanael Greene Dr., and at the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park at 2332 New Garden Road.
The Battle of Guilford Courthouse, fought in 1781, was one of the key battles of the Revolutionary War’s Southern Campaign and took place in what’s now Greensboro.
All programs associated with the reenactment weekend are free and open to the public.
The weekend’s activities will also include a special ceremony honoring Peter Francisco – a Revolutionary War soldier often remembered for his role in several engagements during the war. That commemorative observance honoring Francisco will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 14, at the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park.
The ceremony is being organized by the Peter Francisco Society and it’s intended to recognize Francisco’s life and legacy, including his connection to the events that unfolded in the Greensboro area during the American Revolution.
According to city officials, Francisco is associated with the Battle of Guilford Courthouse and the broader Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War.
Greensboro Mayor Marikay Abuzuaiter said the upcoming anniversary of the Declaration of Independence makes programs like these especially meaningful.
“As our nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it is important to reflect on the individuals and events that shaped our history,” Abuzuaiter said in the city’s announcement of the event. “The City is honored to support initiatives that promote historical awareness, cultural understanding, and civic engagement.”
Travis Bowman, the president of the Peter Francisco Society and a descendant of Francisco, said the ceremony will highlight the continuing importance of the Revolutionary War figure.
“It is a tremendous honor to have the support of the city for this momentous commemoration ceremony for the ‘Giant of the Revolution,’” Bowman said in the city’s release. “Two hundred fifty years later, every American continues to benefit from his sacrifice and we owe a lasting debt of gratitude for the freedom secured through his bravery.”
Information about the reenactment weekend and other programs being held at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park is available on the National Park Service website.
Taken together, the events offer Greensboro residents a chance to experience history from several different angles – through scholarship, storytelling and reenactment – and they all serve as reminders that some of the most important chapters in American history unfolded right here in what’s now little old Guilford County.
