A Historical Driving Tour of Clemmons

A Hist ical iving Tour of Clemmons

BY MEGAN TAYLOR

The concept of the classic Sunday afternoon drive has all but gone away. Many people today only drive through their cities while they are running errands or leaving for a road trip. But taking a drive through town with family and friends can still be enjoyable, especially with local sites to see.

Clemmons, North Carolina is a town full of history. Take some time to drive through Clemmons and learn about its heritage. Don’t know where to head? David Hauser, president of the Clemmons Historical Society, told me all the hot spots to check out. As a history fan, I’m excited to take this drive myself.

Start your tour at the Village Hall & Stagecoach on Clemmons Road. Here, you will see the Village of Clemmons Town Hall and the original nine passenger Concord Coach named the “Hattie Butner.” The stagecoach was named after the wife of Edwin T. Clemmons, great-grandson of the founder of the Village of Clemmons. Clemmons was a stage and mail contractor. In 1993, the coach was given to Clemmons by the Wachovia Historical Society.

Next, head to the home of the town’s founder, Peter Clemmons, the Stagecoach House and Cemetery. The house was home

to Clemmons, his wife Comfort, and their 14 children. It was also a stagecoach stop, tavern, and inn. Right next door is a 19th-century graveyard, where relatives of the Clemmons family are buried.

Mount Please Methodist Church at Tanglewood Park is

your next historical site on Clemmons Road. The church and cemetery were built by Henry Eccles and are located next to the Tanglewood Club House. A little-known fact about the church, Eccles carved his initials, HE, and the date 1809 on the center vertical beam.

Travel down Harper Road to The Elms at Tanglewood assisted living facility to see the Clemmons Bicentennial Mural. The mural was painted by 36 volunteers and represents the village’s history. It is located in the ice creamery room in the reception area of the building. Also on Harper Road is the Hickory Grove A.M.E. Zion Church.

This church was founded in 1878, and the original church was built with logs. The current church was built in the early 1900s.

Your next stop is the 1798 Philip and Johanna Hoehns

(Hanes) House on Middlebrook Drive. Known as Clemmons’ oldest house, the brick structure has two front doors and is similar to the style of Old Salem homes of the same era. Philip Hanes, his wife, and their ten children lived in the home. Hanes was a farmer and has descendants who were successful in the textile and knitting industry. The home is a private residence and listed on the local and National Register of Historic Places.

Built in 1920, the Clemmons Milling Company is the town’s oldest working business. Located on Hampton Road, the mill was built in 1920 by L.C. Hobson of Yadkin County. A year later, J.E. Brewer bought the mill. His family were owners until the mid-1980s. Today, customers can purchase livestock feed, dog and cat food, hardware, tools, and much more at the mill.

Located on Hope Church Road, the original Hope Moravian Church was just a log building built in 1775. In 1896, the church was abandoned, due to mosquitos in the area, which caused fevers among the ministers and their families. The only thing that currently remains is God’s Acre, the church’s graveyard.

As your driving tour winds down, one more spot must be seen. The German Baptist “Dunker” Church on Fraternity Church Road is the oldest German Baptist or “dunker” congregation in North Carolina. A “dunker” is a member of the Church of the Brethren, a denomination of Christians founded by Germans in 1708. This church was founded in 1775 and a small group of “dunkers” met in homes until the church was built in 1860. Some of the original furnishings remain in the church.