Park to Visit in Goldsboro NC
Old Waynesborough Park
Old Waynesborough Park in Goldsboro, North Carolina was founded in the 1980s to maintain historic buildings that date from the 1860’s to 1920’s. Each one gives a history of it's time and is filled with historical items as well. It is a village that features nine buildings:
General Store
The store remained in operation until the early 1970s. It was located in northern Wayne County at the intersection of U.S. 581 North and Polly Watson Crossroad. Located inside are several authentic merchandise and produce display cases.
Wiggins House
Once a one-room family home that was constructed by James W. Wiggins, it was built on what is now the Cliffs of the Neuse State Park and had neither indoor plumbing nor electricity.
Kennedy Doctor's Office
This building shows the layout of the town doctor's clinic. Born in 1845, Dr. John Bryan Kennedy was the eldest of eleven children. He was homeschooled by his mother until he enrolled into the first class of the all male Wayne Institute and Normal College in Goldsboro. At age 17, his education was halted as he joined the Confederate Army due to the Civil War. After the war he continued his education by attending several schools and eventually graduated in 1870 with high honors from the University of Nashville in Tennessee. During the period of 1905-1910, Dr. Kennedy's office was built in the Grantham community in southwestern Wayne County and was then moved to Old Waynesborough in 1990. Dr. Kennedy died on September 27, 1915.
Parkhill School
This building functioned as both a one-room rural school and church and existed in the late 1800s. It was officially closed down in 1925.
Print Shop
The Print Shop was built in Pikeville, N.C. in the late 1920s and was used to grade tobacco. It was soon moved to Old Waynesborough in 2006 where it was restored to represent a printing facility of the early 1900s. It currently holds a 1910 Chandler and Price printing press. The Chandler and Price Company was founded in 1881 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Faircloth Law Office
In 1868, this two-room office was constructed and located in Goldsboro at 227 East Walnut Street, or what is now known as the address of Paramount Cleaners. In 1990, it was moved to Old Waynesborough. Born in 1829, William Faircloth was licensed to practice law in North Carolina in 1856. From 1874 to 1879, he served as an Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. Later he was delegated to Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court in 1885 and served until his passing at age 70 in 1900.
Bethany Quaker Meeting House
This house was originally called the "Falling Creek Friends Meeting House". Due to a decrease in members, regular meetings were discontinued by 1953. The meeting house was deemed no longer usuable in the late 1970s and was vandalized in 1980.
Roberts School
It was built around 1890 and eventually became a Quaker House Meeting until Roberts and his wife, Edna, reopened it as a school again on November 30, 1892. The school was in operation until January 15, 1926.
Salem (Pomona) Grange
The building was constructed in 1890 in northwestern Wyane County and is believed to have functioned as a two-room school and Grange Hall.
Churchhill-Cogdell Cemetery
Built by the Churchhill and Cogdell families, the cemetery consists of six grave stones marked by head and foot stones. The earliest grave site goes back to 1846 and the last grave stone was placed in 1904.
Hay Barn
This is a common eastern North Carolina barn structure. It was found on a Wayne County farm and was brought to Old Waynesborough in 1990. It was primarly used to store winter food (e.g., hay and ears of corn) for animals.
Blacksmith Shop
This building is a replica of a blacksmith shop in the 1800s. It is an operative display with demonstrations that can be scheduled for group tours.
Along with the historical village are over 4 miles of hiking trails to explore through open spaces, forest, cypress swamp, and the banks of the Neuse River. The facilities are open for weddings, reunions, and other special events.