The author, Nils Skudra, is a UNCG graduate student and freelance journalist. He recently visited Mt. Gilead – before the COVID-19 quarantine – and Laura Anderson gave him a tour of the town museum. 

On March 17, my family and I decided to take a day trip to Mt. Gilead for the purpose of visiting the town’s historical museum and to take a respite from the claustrophobia and sense of panic taking place in Greensboro in light of the COVID-19 crisis. I had looked up the Mt. Gilead Museum online beforehand and made contact with the director, Laura K. Anderson, about scheduling a tour. Although we had all been feeling apprehensive about the call for social distancing, she assured me that we need not worry about health concerns since there would be only three of us – my mother, myself and our friend Jonathan – taking a tour of the museum, and she enthusiastically agreed to schedule the tour for us. Therefore, we got in the car and headed for Mt. Gilead, eagerly looking forward to our museum visit.

Upon arriving in Mt. Gilead, we had the opportunity to have our first look at the museum’s exterior. The building is an exquisite late 19^th century two-story house, with rocking chairs on the front portico and decorative black railings. When I knocked on the door, Laura warmly received us and initiated the tour. She began by showing us the beautifully laid-out parlor, which included a wonderful pump organ with marble figurines and a portrait of two young children; women’s hats and garments that dated back to the 1920s; and portraits of the home’s original occupants, James Aulay McAulay (1860-1929) and his wife Molly Ingram McAulay (1869-1958). 

In discussing the history of the home, Laura revealed much about the McAulays. They were an affluent family who resided in Mt. Gilead, were active in the local business sector, and hosted social occasions at their house, which was built circa 1885. Although most of the featured furnishings did not originally belong to the McAulays – the museum now houses artifacts from many Mt. Gilead families – there were nonetheless several items that did actually belong to them, and one had the sense that the spirits of James and Molly still inhabited the house.

Laura subsequently took us into the adjoining room which featured textual information on the history of Mt. Gilead and other mementos that included photographs of notable architecture in town, including the Mt. Gilead Elementary School building and auditorium (built in 1926), and portraits of prominent figures who lived in the area, such as Edmund Deberry, a Montgomery County native who served as a state senator and as a congressman until he retired in 1851, and Julius Chambers, who became one of the nation’s leading African-American civil rights attorneys during the 1960s and 1970s. The room also featured photographs of the local Laotian and Hmong community in Montgomery County, which was surprising to me, considering the remoteness of Mt. Gilead as a rural town. Laura explained that in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, Laotian and Hmong immigrants fled Southeast Asia in order to escape the communist regime, and they found a welcoming and hospitable environment in this area. Since the Vietnam War has been one of the historical topics that I’ve taken a deep interest in, this information was very enlightening.

One of the most intriguing revelations of the tour was Laura’s discussion of two Jewish families that lived in Mt. Gilead, the Richters and the Levins, both of whom made substantial contributions to the culture and economy of the town. Among the mementos of their imprint on Mt. Gilead’s history were the sets of china dishes that were laid out in the dining room. The dining table was exquisitely set, with silk napkins covering the plates, each of which had an accompanying glass. A caption at the table indicated that these dishes belonged to Moses and Nettie Richter, and we learned that Moses Richter was the founder of United Mills, a local textile company that provided employment to members of the community before the industry was outsourced elsewhere. 

Furthermore, Laura indicated that the Richters intermarried with the Levins, and one of the most notable members of this union was Leah Richter Levin, who authored and produced the musical play “Like Diamond Rings.” This production, which premiered in 1962, gave the Mt. Gilead community its first taste of a Broadway-type theater and brought the town its first visit by a U.S. Cabinet member, Secretary of Commerce Luther Hodges. Today, Leah Levin’s legacy is commemorated in the form of the Leah Richter Levin Memorial Auditorium, which serves as part of the elementary school and as a venue for community theater. In addition, Moses Richter’s portrait is featured on a mural in downtown Mt. Gilead, which we had the opportunity to see after our tour. While the Richter and Levin descendants apparently no longer reside in Mt. Gilead, learning about their contributions to the community was extremely fascinating since I am deeply interested in Southern Jewish history, and I found it impressive that these Jewish families are commemorated with great fondness by a predominantly Christian community. 

One of the last rooms that we visited was the military room on the second floor of the museum. Because of my passionate interest in military history (particularly the American Civil War), I was very eager to learn about the residents of Mt. Gilead and Montgomery County who served in America’s wars. There were numerous photographs of Mt. Gilead men from different wars, including the Civil War, World War I and II, and the Korean War, along with period rifles from several of the respective conflicts. Among the Civil War mementos that caught my eye was a portrait of John Amos Lisk, a Confederate veteran who served as a pallbearer at Stonewall Jackson’s funeral, became mayor of Mt. Gilead in the postwar years, and served once again as a pallbearer at the funeral of Jackson’s widow decades later. Since I have studied much about Stonewall Jackson and viewed the film portrayal of his funeral in “Gods and Generals” (which I have watched countless times), I was very fascinated to learn about the role that this prominent Mt. Gilead resident played in the funerals of both General and Mrs. Jackson, and it is my hope to visit Lisk’s grave at the town’s Sharon Cemetery after this health crisis has passed. 

Overall, our visit to the Mt. Gilead Museum was a very enlightening and enjoyable experience. Laura not only elaborated upon the town’s history but also shared historical highlights from her own life. Her father established this museum, and she told us of a cemetery for Union soldiers (who died from illness while being transferred from Salisbury Prison) located down Hwy. 73, as well as a family cemetery on her farm, and she said that she would be happy to show us both after the COVID-19 crisis has passed. Furthermore, she is a person of deep faith, which she feels will help carry her through these unfortunate times. Whatever our degree of religious conviction, I agree with Laura that this is truly something we must display in this chaotic period, and in doing so we can find the resilience to make it through the health crisis while maintaining our composure and optimism.