Salisbury Home Inspection and News

Two and a half centuries ago, Salisbury was the jumping-off point for pioneers, visionaries, and even a few scoundrels and fugitives who were on their way to the American frontier. When General Nathanael Greene rode into Salisbury in 1781, he stopped off at Elizabeth Maxwell Steele's tavern. After Mrs. Steele heard of the pitiful conditions of Greene's troops, she gave him two small sacks of money for provisions. As he accepted the gift, the general saw the portraits of King George III and Queen Charlotte on the tavern wall. He turned the picture of the king to the wall and wrote on the back with a piece of chalk: "O George! Hide thy face and mourne." Today you can find those portraits, with the inscription still legible, hanging at Thyatira Presbyterian Church. In the church cemetery, a monument marks the grave of Mrs. Steele.

A century ago Salisbury and nearby Spencer were important stops on Southern

Railway's line, Salisbury's Spanish mlsslon-•.ivle train station, designed by Frank Pierce Milburn in 1907, has been beautifully restored and now serves as the home of

the Historic Salisbury Foundation, Inc.

Trains are also the focus of the N.C. Transportation Museum, once the largest steam locomotive repair facility between Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. Also worth a visit is O. O. Rufty's General Store, located on East Innes Street. You'll have fun in this store, which still carries everything from horseshoes to hunting caps. Take note of the nails in the floor that are still used to measure the lengths of cord. If you visit on a weekend, tour the home of Dr. Josephus Hall, the surgeon general for the nearby Confederate prison. The home was requisitioned by General Stoneman during the Civil War. Mrs. Hall, who etched her name in a window glass to prove ownership of this lovely mansion, instructed Stoneman to keep his soldiers' horses off her boxwood path borders. The boxwoods, as well as the home's interior, remain intact.

Thirty blocks comprise the National Register Historic District, whose character has been saved by the Historic Salisbury Foundation, Inc. Several historic buildings are open to the public year-round, but you can get into private homes only during the annual Historic Salisbury tour in October. Crafts are also demonstrated at this time. Another good time to visit the city is during the Christmas season, when some of the historic buildings are decorated for the holidays. Historic Salisbury trolley tours are offered Saturdays April through October. This active community of 28,000 residents always has something going on, such as Mayfest and the Autumn Jubilee. There is also the National Sportscasters & Sports-writers Hall of Fame Awards and a full season of concerts with a full-scale symphony orchestra. You'll find an art gallery, a sensory garden for the visually impaired, choral groups, one of the oldest community theaters in the state, and three outstanding colleges: Catawba, Livingstone, and Rowan Cabarrus Community College. You'll also find historic buildings such as the 1819

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