This year marks the 245th anniversary of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. The local conflict laid the foundation for the U.S. to win the Revolutionary War.
Greensboro is named for military officer Nathanael Greene, who led the Americans in the battle. Listener Pete Peters recently asked why there’s a street in Greensboro named after his opponent, British Commander Lord Charles Cornwallis.
For this week’s Carolina Curious, WFDD reporter DJ Simmons spoke with Greensboro History Museum Director Carol Ghiorsi Hart to learn more.
While the British won the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in what’s now northwest Greensboro, Hart says the clash was part of why they ultimately lost the war.
“Cornwallis, who was managing the British forces, lost a quarter of his army in the process. It forced him to retreat and eventually led to his final surrender at Yorktown.”
She says the area was being developed by a man named Jack Brown in the late 1940s and early 50s, and he wanted to acknowledge the Revolutionary War’s local impact. That’s what led to Greene Street, named for Nathanael Greene, and Cornwallis Drive.
“The hope was that it would commemorate this really important battle, and maybe people would learn a little bit about their history by naming these streets after these generals on all sides.”
Hart says there are also streets like Lafayette Avenue named after a French general who assisted Americans during the Revolutionary War.
She says the developer ultimately sought to honor the story — a foundational moment in Greensboro’s past, not just any one individual.