2nd Saturday Outing: Explore Guilford Woods & Underground Railroad Trail

Calendar
When:
February 17, 2018 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
2018-02-17T10:00:00-05:00
2018-02-17T12:00:00-05:00
Where:
Guilford College
Greensboro
NC
USA
Cost:
Free
Contact:
Lynne Dardanell
336-691-0088
Email
Event website
2nd Saturday outing nature walk outdoor education
connecting with nature flora and fauna getting outdoors hiking nature outdoors rail trails trees walking wilderness

NEW DATE :  Come Explore Guilford Woods with Us!

PLC Stewardship Director Ken Bridle will lead us on a guided nature walk, and Max Carter, a historian with Guilford College will share the history of the Underground Railroad Trail. Directions: Follow Fox Drive through campus to the golf center sign – we will be meeting in the gravel lot behind the Ragen athletic building and next to the golf center.  We are meeting at the little building on the east side of campus next to the lake.

https://www.guilford.edu/sites/default/files/2017-05/Guilford%20College%20Campus%20Map%202017.pdf

Known as the New Garden Woods in the 1800s, these woods are felt as a sacred place. Located within the historically Quaker New Garden/Guilford College community, it encompasses old growth forest and at least one champion tree standing as a silent witness to Underground Railroad activities.

Here are some interesting facts about this property:

  • 240-acre oasis of biodiversity
  • Land of Saura and Keyawee peoples, settled by European American Friends (Quakers) in the 1700s
  • Site of encampment of British and American troops in the Revolutionary War
  • Refuge for enslaved Africans seeking freedom via the Underground Railroad and Quaker men escaping Civil war Confederate draft in the 1800s
  • Site of former College farm
  • Educational and recreational resource

The trail to the champion tree is 0.3 mile one-way. It includes uneven surfaces with an accessible viewing platform and seating at the end. An educational speaker from the Guilford College community will join us to share historical information.

Point of Interest: Underground Railroad Tree

  • Tulip poplar dating back to before 1800.
  • Present during the documented operation of the Underground Railroad in Guilford County (1819-1852).
  • A silent witness to the lives and actions of African Americans (enslaved and free) and their white allies (including many Quakers from New Garden).
  • What can we learn from our shared histories and life stories?
  • Do we seek to create justice and places of refuge in our own community and in the world at large?

Get outdoors and join us for this exciting educational outing!