From Preservation Greensboro:

“Treasured Places
Greensboro’s Most Treasured Places”

 
“There are few places that evoke such a diverse sense of Southern
American history as Greensboro. The cultural center of the Society
of Friends in the South gave birth to such notable personalities
as plucky First Lady Dolley Madison, the enigmatic writer O. Henry,
and pioneering broadcaster Edward R. Murrow. However, Greensboro’s
historical legacy is not limited solely to personalities. The city
has long been home to a large and vibrant African American
population, Southern Industrialists, and numerous institutions of
higher learning.”
“Economic and social upheaval of the Civil War capped growth in the
region until industrialists tapped the area’s low-wage labor pool,
efficient transportation system, and abundant cotton and tobacco
resources. With growth of the textile and cigarette industry in the
late nineteenth century, Greensboro’s population surged. This growth
resulted in the development of one of Greensboro’s hallmarks:
charming and well-defined neighborhoods such as College Hill,
Bellemeade, Fisher Park, and Aycock. A low-income housing crisis was
averted through establishment of self-contained mill villages
throughout the city that served burgeoning textile mills. The era
also saw growth of service sector jobs along South Elm Street,
illustrated by ambitious projects such as the Jefferson Standard
Life Insurance Headquarters, celebrated as the city’s first
skyscraper.”
“As Greensboro’s nineteenth century rail system facilitated the
city’s twentieth century manufacturing renaissance, industrial wealth
has endowed the city’s foundations and educational institutions to
great success. The city contains an inordinate number of generous
foundations that sponsor the development of parks, athletic
facilities, academic programs, and community arts initiatives. With
fewer headquarters and more back-office operations, Greensboro’s
future lies increasingly with its colleges and universities. The year
2008 will be Greensboro’s bicentennial, and though the city struggles
to assimilate its current identity with its future potential, its
soul is indelibly written in the facades and history of its treasured
places.”

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Downtown Greensboro Homes

There is a rumor circulating that the Charlotte Observer has snubbed Susan Wells, penname Susan Barringer Wells. Susan has written a new book, “A Game Called Salisbury.” The book is about the murder of the Lyerly Family in 1906 and the subsequent  arrest and later lynching of 3 sharecroppers. The book is also about racial attitudes in the south and the nation. There is a Charlotte connection beyond any racial aspects. The 3 prisoners were brought to Charlotte for their safety before the trial was to begin. After their return to the Rowan County jail, an angry mob, stirred up by outsiders, lynched the 3 men.

Book signings have been taking place all over the state and the Greensboro Daily News, The Asheville Citizen and Salisbury Post have written articles about Susan and the book. With the involvement of the Mecklenburg County Jail in the story and Susan’s ancestral roots going back over 250 years all around Charlotte, one would think that sufficient to warrant coverage. Is there some other reason? Is this just a unjustified rumor? Are there still remnants of racism in Charlotte? Charlotte Observer, do you have a response?

Professor George Tex Wood of Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College has provided a review of “A Game Called Salisbury”, the new book by Susan Barringer Wells:

“…Faulknerian in its revelations and observations of human nature, clearly spotlighting the question of real responsibility not just for active human evil, but also for spawning its activity. Those PEOPLE in the media (not some amorphous Media) are held to account. I doubt they’ll appreciate seeing that fact bared, so I doubt we’ll see many reviews of this thorough indictment. Wells shows us that lynchings were (and are) the tip of the iceburg, the cruel result of calculated manipulation of our base human natures and our cowardliness in not confronting evil when we see it, either now or then.
While this book lacks Twain’s humor, it rivals his incisiveness.”

NEWS RELEASEFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:Peter J. Glunt, Owner, Dilworth Quail Corners 704.552.5232(Dilworth) or 704.458.0455(cell)

dilworthcoffee@aol.com

TO SCHEDULE AN INTERVIEW, CONTACT:Anne Marie Holder, Spark Communications704.995.1787(direct)amholder@sparkstrategicideas.comFREE DRINKS OFFERED BY DILWORTH COFFEE’S QUAIL CORNERS LOCATIONCharlotte, N.C. (February 19, 2008) – The Quail Corner’s location of Dilworth Coffee house will be supplying free drinks to customers on Tuesday, February 26, 2008 from 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. The free drinks are offered in response to reports that all company-owned Starbuck’s locations will be closed during that time for retraining its employees.”We’d hate to see anyone turned away when looking for their favorite drink,” said Peter Glunt, owner of the Quail Corners location of Dilworth Coffee. “We have a passion for great coffee and invite customers to enjoy the Dilworth Coffee experience.” All of Dilworth Coffee’s drink selection will be available for the free promotion. The store offers a wide variety of both hot and cold beverages including latte’s, chillers, cappuccinos and more. The Quail Corner’s location also offers their “Two Dollar Tuesdays” promotion good for $2 off every bag of coffee beans. In addition, a large selection of fresh, locally-made pastries and baked goods will be available for purchase. As always, the Quail Corners location provides free wireless Internet for all its customers.

This free drink offer is limited to one free drink per customer and will only be available at the Quail Corners location at 8502 Park Road, Charlotte, N.C. 28210.

ABOUT DILWORTH COFFEEEstablished in 1989, Dilworth Coffee is Charlotte’s oldest independent coffee house. Dilworth prides itself on its commitment to the highest quality coffee beans and provides a wide array of custom crafted blends, varietals and flavored coffees. All of Dilworth Coffee’s 12 Charlotte-area locations are owned by local Charlotteans with a passion for serving the area’s most discriminating coffee drinkers.

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Susan Barringer Wells has written a new book, “A Game Called Salisbury” about the murder of the Lyerly Family in Salisbury NC over a hundred years ago and the lynching of 3 suspects. The book explores the evidence and the racial undertones leading to the lynching of three black sharecroppers. Susan is a distant relative of the Lyerly family and Susan, as well as other Lyerly descendants, have disagreed about various aspects of the case and purported facts. There has been a lot of controversy about the alleged guilt of the three men who were hanged. Susan just commented that at a recent history club speech, a descendant of Deputy Pat Sloop, who attempted to defend the jail from the lynch mob,  remarked that her ancestor claimed that the guilty parties got away with murder. I would like to hear from this descendant or members of the history club.

I am getting to be a regular at Maestro Bar & Bistro, a great restaurant in Pineville NC, just south of 485 in Charlotte. My lady and I started out riding our bicycles from Park Crossing and rode around the back side of Carolina Place Mall. We ended up in Pineville and were close to the Maestro restaurant, so we decided to stop. It has been a beautiful day today in the sixties, so we sat on the restaurant porch. Pam, part of the husband and wife team waited on us and we had a good chat as well. Every time I eat there I am amazed at how good the food is. Ok, I had a burger and mixed vegetables. The burger was incredible and the vegetables are unsurpassed in taste. Even the bun that the burger was served on was delicious. Pam’s husband, the chef has won awards for his pastries, but he is an incredible all around chef. Pam tells me they are considering having music when  the weather is consistently warmer. They have a great location for outside seating and also have plenty of parking.

I highly recommend the Maestro Bar & Bistro.

Susan Barringer Wells will have a book signing at Barnes & Noble bookstore in Friendly Shopping Center in Greensboro NC on Friday, February 15, 2008, at 7:00 PM. Susan will be signing copies of her new book, “A Game Called Salisbury.” The book is a non fictitional account of the Lyerly murders that occurred over a hundred years ago in Salisbury NC. The book also reveals racial issues that pervaded the south and nation at that time. Susan Barringer Wells was born in Salisbury NC, grew up in Greensboro and has been a premier artist at the Outer Banks for many years.

To learn more about  North Carolina Click here

Sales of Susan Barringer Wells’ new book, A Game Called Salisbury are progressing well. Susan was featured in the Greensboro Daily News, I believe on Sunday, February 10, 2008. Susan has a book signing coming up at Barnes & Noble in Friendly Shopping Center in Greensboro this week. I wonder if anyone from the New York Times book review department has caught wind of Susan’s new book. If anyone out there from The New York Times, Washington Post, or anyone else would care to comment on the book, let us know.