Kernersville Historic Preservation Society

Welcome

Preserving historical Kernersville became critical in the 1980’s due to the rapid development of commercial and residential property. The Kernersville Historical Preservation Society (KHPS) was formed in 1982 to serve as an advocate for the Town’s historical buildings and memories of past generations. Many historic homes had already been lost and with them the history of the people who lived there. Long-time Kernersville resident, Cornelia Adams was instrumental in founding and leading the KHPS for more than 10 years. Mrs. Adams and Mary Ruth Korner, unofficial town historians, did much to preserve the printed history of the town. Today, the KHPS’ mission is to carry on this work and welcome alll to become involved.

About US

Wreath Laying at St. Paul's Cemetery

In honor of veterans interred at the historic St. Paul’s AME cemetery, the Kernersville chapter of the DAR, in conjunction with the Kernersville Historic Preservation Society, held a Wreath Laying Ceremony on Sunday, December 12, 2021. The ceremony begin at 2:00 p.m. There are four known veterans buried at St. Paul’s:

Robert L. Brooks Tec5 3353 OM Drivers DET. WWII (1910-1967)

William Howard Friend PVT. 1CL. Q. M. Corps Died in WWII (1916-1946)

Andy McGee PVT 833 Co. Trans. Corps. World War I (unknown-1938)

Millard Filmore Stafford PVT US ARMY, WORLD WAR VETERANS (1895-1982)

Additionally, in preparation for the event, a clean up day was held on Saturday, December 11 beginning at 11:00 a.m.

Most of you know by now that we have been working on a project to place marble markers on the grave-sites in St. Paul’s cemetery that have gone unmarked for many, many years. Recently all the available marble stones have been placed throughout the cemetery at all of the sites that were identified with ground penetration radar.

Rather than attempting to recess the markers through a specific day or trying to do it ourselves, we concluded placing the stones and reaching out to our members and friends and family to assist would be most beneficial. By doing this, there will be no concern about social distancing, masks, etc.

If you could find time to stop by the cemetery periodically as your time permits to recess the markers we would be so grateful. It is a very simple process. Use small garden tools like a shovel, hand rake, sharp weed digger, pruners, etc. to scrape and dig a small hole the size of the marker and the depth of half the marker. Then clear away any stones or roots to make sure the marker is level. Once the recess is clean and the marker is level, you can fill in around the edges of the marker with the dirt and pack it down to help hold the marker in place. The final step is to wipe off the marker. Some photos are included to give you an idea of “before and after” placement of the markers.

Thank you so much for considering to be a part of the process to place our grave markers. If you have questions, please contact Chris Gaugler at 703-625-1024 or hgaugler@msn.com.

Explore our Town Treasures

Piney Grove School House

Experience Kernersville's Past

In 1870 a district school committee erected a school in the Piney Grove community. Thanks to the Town of Kernersville and the KHPS, this one room schoolhouse (16’ by 21’) was relocated to the 4th of July Park. To learn more about accessing the school, contact Kim Hittell at kjhittell@gmail.com

Experience Kernersville's Past

The Kernersville Historic Preservation Society in conjunction with the Kőrner’s Folly Foundation, Kernersville Museum and Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden has developed education programs for students to teach them about the past. These are also wonderful places for individuals to explore on their own –See below.

St. Paul's Cemetery

Experience Kernersville's Past

St. Paul's Cemetery

The St. Paul's Cemetery pre-dates the Civil War, serving the African-American population of Kernersville. The St. Paul’s Methodist Episcopal Church which once stood at this site is no longer here. The KHPS leads a community effort to preserve and maintain the Cemetery. To learn more or to become involved, contact Chris Gaugler at hgaugler@msn.com