Getting ready for Bush Hill

It's time, again, for our annual Bush Hill Heritage Festival. This is our local street festival, which started as the bicentennial celebration of our little Quaker village, Bush Hill, which later became Archdale. The past few years I've worn several "hats" at the festival, but primarily worked in the booth of my employer, the Archdale-Trinity News. This year is my first as a bookshop owner, and I'm hoping to get some traffic from the crowds. My shop isn't right on the street, but it's less than a block away and I'm sure festival-goers will use our parking lot.

Through the years, the festival has incorporated different events to celebrate history, but I don't know of any going on this year except the quilt show over at the Hammond-Ragan house. So I'm bringing out all the local history I can find for the bookshop this month.

First, I got Quaker notecards and postcards, plus a newly published book of first-hand recollections about the Civil War and Reconstruction by Mary Mendenhall Hobbs, who lived in New Garden (Greensboro) during that time.

This morning I picked up several publications from the Randolph County Genealogical Society to sell on commission. They include an 1894 Business Directory, Early Randolph County Marriages, Cemetery Records (New Market and Trinity townships), and an 1820 tax list.

I already had a few Friends meeting histories, Quaker books and a High Point history. This afternoon, someone brought in High Point Trivia and an Archdale history — perfect! I started to put them both out, but realized the Archdale history is a hard-to-find first edition, so I'll need to research it first (or maybe keep it...).


I laid the books out on an old quilt that belonged to my mom.

My cousin and her husband helped me move some things between the shop and home (Thank you!). For the final touch, I put my circa-1816 spinning wheel in the store window.

(not the best photo, but in case I don't get around to posting a better one)

I came home, made something for our bake sale at the meeting house (another "hat"), and now I'm ready for some sleep. The excitement begins in just a few hours!