David and Rachel Caldwell Historical Center

Founding Family
Before the birth of our nation, one family tilled the soil of fertile minds

David and Rachel Caldwell moved to Guilford County in 1765 when David accepted a call to ministry at Buffalo Presbyterian Church. David soon became minister at Alamance Presbyterian Church, and he and Rachel became two of the area’s most influential residents.

Few people could match the talents or impact of the Caldwells. They became deeply involved in the patriot cause before and during the Revolutionary War. David added to his ministerial responsibilities by training as a physician, and together the couple founded and operated an academy, influencing the hearts and molding the minds of young men preparing for university and careers as minister, lawyers and governors. Archaeological excavations on site brought forth a bounty of the stuff of everyday life. Cufflinks and coins, pottery and smoking pipes teach us more about how the Caldwell family and their neighbors lived well before Greensboro was established in 1808.

Visiting the David and Rachel Caldwell Historical Center, adjacent to the beautiful Tanger Family Bicentennial Gardens, transports you to the site of the Caldwell’s farm and academy. You can walk the heart of their 550-acre colonial farm, as the couple might have done over 200 years ago. Experience their lives through the archaeological artifacts extracted from the property, and learn in the way David taught his students: through art, science, math and literature.