A
Very Brief History of the David Caldwell Historic Park
The Sills' Bequest
The
Project
A
Very Brief History of the David Caldwell Historic Park
Dr. Caldwell
originally owned some 550 acres of land in the northwest quadrant
of what is now Greensboro. Most of this land has been developed, however,
the most important part of his property, the portion on which the
academy and home place once stood, is dedicated park land thanks to
a drive in the 1950's spearheaded by County Historian Colonel James
G.W. MacLamroc to preserve the area for future generations. Also,
in the mid-1970's, the Colonel Arthur Forbis Chapter of the Daughters
of the American Revolution launched a community-wide campaign through
the formation of the David Caldwell Log College Corporation to purchase
property from Dr. R. A. Smith and Starmount Company, and conduct a
second archaeological survey. John C. Baroody, the principal investigator
of the survey of 11 acres completed in 1979, delineated the activity
area, the occupation period of the farm, and located fence lines.
Artifact analysis gave strong indications to structure locations and
provided support to the known historic information about the Caldwell
property. The property was dedicated to the City of Greensboro/Parks
& Recreation Department, which has been responsible for maintaining
the park up to this time.
The
Sills' Bequest
The Board
of Directors of Greensboro Beautiful, Inc. and the City of Greensboro's
Parks & Recreation Department announced in May of 2000 that a gift
in the amount of $300,000 had been received from the estate of the
late Walter H. Sills for use in further enhancement of David Caldwell
Historic Park, located next to Bicentennial Gardens on Hobbs Road.
The gift
was given in memory of Walter Sills' beloved wife of 49 years, Dorothy
Sisk Sills. "Dot" Sills was an educator in Greensboro prior to joining
her husband in the Sills' family business, founded by Walter's father,
Robert A. Sills, in 1905. Robert A. Sills' Company on Battleground
Avenue has provided children's shoes for many generations of Greensboro
families.
Walter
Sills (1915-1999) was an U.S. Army Air Corps veteran of World War
II, and retired from the Air Force after 34 years of service. A Lt.
Colonel, Sills was in the Eighth Air Force and flew B-24 bombers as
a navigator. Sills was known as a resident expert on local history,
and was a long-time supporter of the Greensboro Historical Museum.
Prior to his death, Sills was a staff writer for The Hamburger Square
Post, and published two books, Old Times…Not Forgotten I & II; a compilation
of his articles about life in small town Greensboro.
The
Project
In 2000,
Greensboro Beautiful's Board of Directors voted to establish an organizational
endowment with the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro to manage
the Sills' bequest for:
- research
and additional archaeological survey work on the David Caldwell
property;
- a
Master Plan for park improvements;
- construction
of a period-style structure (or restoration and relocation of a
suitable period structure);
- developing
signage and interpretive indoor panels to provide detailed information
on David Caldwell and the academy;
- replanting
the orchard and landscaping the site.
It is
Greensboro Beautiful's intention to maintain historical accuracy in
the interpretation of David Caldwell academy and home place and to
maintain the site as a passive memorial park.
Containing
a rich history and heritage important to the City of Greensboro and
North Carolina, the David Caldwell Historic Park has the potential
to become a significant educational and historical park.
Greensboro
Beautiful and the Greensboro Parks & Recreation Department are excited
about the potential opportunities now available to share the history
of David Caldwell and his academy with the citizens of our community,
and are pleased to commemorate the memory of Walter & Dot Sills for
their significant contribution towards this effort.
