Page 10 - MOST RECENT
P. 10

History is the witness of the times, the



                            torch of truth, the life of memory, the teacher



                                         of life, the messenger of antiquity.


                                                                                                                                 CICERO



            from  the  official  Moravian  diaries  of  the  period  that                 "At  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  June  2nd  the  entire
            Dobson's Tavern was the first  stopover place on the long                     company left"  and from  George Washington~s  own diary
            journey  between the  Moravian settlements  of Salem  and                     we  read  that  he  had  breakfast  "at  one  Dobson's".  So
            Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania.                                                     our  crossroads  had  the  honor  of  entertaining  "our  illus-
                  Now we come to  a red letter day in our history.  On                    trious  President".  We  hope  Mrs.  Dobson  knew  about
            May  31st,  1791  President  George  Washington  visited                      his  visit in time  to  give him a  really  good, big breakfast!
            Salem.  He  was  returning  from  his  Southern  tour  and                         After  leaving  Dobson's  ·Crossroads  the  presidential
            decided  to  remain  two  nights  in  Salem.  A  letter  from                 party  continued  on  its  way  toward  Guilford  Battle-
            Salem to  Bethabara reads,  "You  will  not have  the  honor                  ground.  About  four  miles  from  the  crossroads  they
            of being visited  of our illustrious  President as  he will go                stopped at a  spring  to  g~t  water.  This  spring is  located
            from  here  to  the  Battleground  of  Guilford  tomorrow                     on the  farm  of the late J.  Carl Beeson.  As  the party ap-
            morning".  We  know from  the  Salem  Diary  of  1791  that                   proached  the  spring  a  little  girl  came up  and was  much
                                                                                          frightened,  but  the  President  alighted,  told  her  he  was
                                                                                          General Washington and talked with her.  Before he left
                                                                                          he  dropped  a  coin  in  her  little  tin  cup.  This  little  girl
                                                                                          lived · to  be  over  ninety  years  old  and  was  well  remem-
                                                                                          bered  by  the  late  Charlie  Pegram  and  his  sister  Rachel
                          SITE  OF  DOBSON'S
                                                                                          Brittin  Pegram.  Mr.  Pegram  also  lived  until  his  90th
                        HERE  GEORGE  WASHINGTON  BREAKFASTED  J\JNE 2 ,1791.
                        THE  FOLLOWING  EXCERPT  IS  FROM  HIS  DIARY  OF  HIS            birthday  and  was  well-known  in  this  area.  Thus  only
                         SOUTHERN  TOUR:    •l!fiJ.  fl.•,~J.i~"  , <>.,.   .
                                                                                          two  lifetimes  spanned  the  history  of  this  country  from
                       ·k'_  '11  .. IN  COMPANY  WITH  THE  COVR.  I  SET  OUT  fOI\
                        •   .  •  CVILFORO  BY  4  O'CLOCK-BJ.EAKFAS TED  AT  ONE         George  Washington  almost  to  the  present  day.
                             DOB &ON'•  AT  THE  DISTANC E  OF  ELEVEN.  MILU
                                                                                               Stokes  County  records  show  that  on  October  25,
                             F ROM   A LEM • • .''.   •   '
                                                                                          1813,  Gottlieb  Schober  bought  from  William  Dobson,
                                                                                          Sr.  and William P.  Dobson 1032 acres "at the crossroads".
                                                                                          There are many interesting facts  about Gottlieb Schober.








































                This  home  was  built  in  the  1860's  by  Rufus  Harmon,  son  of  Salome   This  is  the  home  of  Mrs.  William  Herman  Morton  on  West  South  Main
            Kerner  Harmon,  one  grandson  of  "Joseph  of  Kernersville."  Rufus  was  a   Street  built  by  Joseph  E.  Kerner,  son  of  John  Frederick  Kerner.  The  house
            coach  maker  and  his  home  stood  on  the  W est  side  of  Main  Street  (site  of   built  around  1845,  was  a  long  house  with  a  long  porch  upstairs  and  down.
            H armon  Park.)  The  home  was  moved  to  the  present  location  on  South   In  1893  a  cyclone  blew  half  the  house  away.  Joseph  E.  was  one  of  Ker-
            Cherry  Street.  It  was  bought  and  remodeled  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles   nersville's  first  postmasters  and  this  house  was  the  first  post  office.  Mrs.
            Edwards  in  1953.  Mrs.  Edwards  is  a  descendant  of  Joseph  Kerner.    Morton  resides  in  the  home,  and  her  grandchildren  are  the  5th  generation
                                                                                         to  Jive  in  this  house.







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