English major Maribeth VanHook '26 partnered with Guilford faculty on original research for the College’s Landscapes of Freedom project, examining Revolutionary-era history and the evolving use of the land surrounding campus.
Looking toward America’s 250th anniversary, Guilford is turning history outward — supporting student-faculty research that reexamines the land, elevates overlooked stories and brings new perspectives into the community.
“We had this idea that we were going to find something huge. And we had to reframe that. We weren’t going to find something crazy that no one’s ever found, but we were going to interpret what’s there in a different way and tell different stories.”
As the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of its founding, Guilford College is using the moment to look ahead — investing in student-faculty research, deepening community partnerships and reexamining the land that connects its past, present and future.
The College was awarded a competitive America 250 grant last year from the N. C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources to support original historical research by students and faculty. Beginning this month, students and faculty will share that work with the wider Greensboro community through a series of public programs.
The project, titled “Landscapes of Freedom,” uses the upcoming 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States as a springboard to examine history on and around Guilford’s campus before, during and after 1776. Rather than focusing narrowly on the American Revolution, the initiative highlights indigenous history, Revolutionary-era experiences and the evolving use of the land around Guilford across centuries.
Gwen Gosney Erickson, Guilford’s Archivist and Special Collections Librarian, says the grant afforded the College an opportunity to support student and faculty research while also engaging the public with its findings. “The America 250 initiative really encourages looking at history broadly, and the land that is now Guilford College offers a powerful way to do that,” says Gwen.
The grant funded research positions for two Guilford students – History major Will Beardsley ’26 and English major Maribeth VanHook ’26 – as well as a graduate assistant from UNC Greensboro.
Will worked alongside Damon Akins, Lincoln Financial Professor of History, on research exploring Indigenous history in the area, focusing on stories that have often been overlooked or under-documented. Maribeth partnered with Sarah Thuesen, Associate Professor of History, to conduct a fresh assessment of the Revolutionary-era history connected to the Guilford landscape.
“That research phase was very campus-focused,” Gwen says. “What we’re doing now is taking what the students and faculty uncovered and sharing it with the broader community.”
Before the project, Maribeth’s understanding of Quakerism was mostly absorbed through campus culture: the emphasis on silence, mindfulness and reflection; the knowledge that Guilford was a Quaker-founded institution; the presence of Quaker friends. The research required something more deliberate.
“I went into it not really knowing what to expect,” she says. “Not really knowing the history of the Quakers of the area, not really knowing the history of the Revolution on this property.”
What surprised her wasn’t a single explosive discovery. Instead, it was the realization that historical research often isn’t about uncovering something no one has ever seen before. It’s about learning how to look.
“We had this idea that we were going to find something huge,” Maribeth says. “And we had to reframe that. We weren’t going to find something crazy that no one’s ever found, but we were going to interpret what’s there in a different way and tell different stories.”
This semester, Guilford is presenting three public programs rooted directly in that student-faculty research and developed in collaboration with longtime community partners:
- Monday, Feb. 23 - New Garden Neighborhoods Through the Centuries, 6-7:30 pm, Greensboro History Museum, 130 Summit Ave.
- Sunday, March 22 - Connecting Stories from Price Park to the Guilford College Woods, 2:30-5:30 pm, Kathleen Clay Edwards Family Branch, 1420 Price Park Dr.
- Saturday, April 11 - Rivers of Survivance, 3-4:30 pm, Guilford Courthouse National Military Park Visitor Center, 2332 New Garden Rd.
Partners include UNCG, Greensboro History Museum, Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, Kathleen Clay Edwards Family Branch Library and Piedmont Land Conservancy.
“These programs really bring together so much of what’s timeless about Guilford,” Gwen says. “They connect directly to the land, involve our students and faculty in original research, and reinforce community partnerships we’ve built over many years."
Beyond public education, Gwen says the project reflects Guilford’s mission as a teaching institution, offering students hands-on research experience using the College’s archives and specialized collections.
“This is a great example of what makes a Guilford education distinctive,” says Gwen. “Students aren’t just learning history — they’re doing history.”