Good Hope Methodist Church Cemetery
Why it's listed
Good Hope Methodist Church Cemetery is a churchyard of about two acres near Welcome in Davidson County, North Carolina, containing roughly 350 gravestones. The oldest markers, near the main highway, include about 26 locally crafted stones. The first few, dated 1834 and 1836, are plain fieldstones, but at least eight stones from 1836 to 1862 are the work of an anonymous folk carver known as the Master of the Upper and Lower Case, who apparently lived near Welcome. The 1843 John Zimmerman headstone is a rare example of the elaborate Pierced Style. The decorative soapstone markers use folk symbols of resurrection and eternity and reflect the craft of the Anglo-German farming community of north Davidson County. The cemetery holds one of the county's largest groupings of this carver's work, and the church may have been his home congregation. The congregation dates to about 1836, based on the earliest inscribed stone.
Significance in brief: The cemetery is significant for its collection of folk gravestones made by local stonecutters in the late eighteenth and first half of the nineteenth centuries. These soapstone markers carry folk symbols of resurrection and eternity and represent the height of folk art among the Anglo-German farmers of north Davidson County. It holds one of the county's largest groupings of work by the "Master of the Upper and Lower Case."
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 84002007, listed July 10, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Jct. of NC 150 and SR 1445, Welcome |
|---|---|
| County | Davidson County |
| Listed | July 10, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002007 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Architect / builder | Stonecutters unknown; the anonymous "Master of the Upper and Lower Case" is credited with a group of stones |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Art, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is marked as fair to good and deteriorated; the property is in use as a cemetery on its original site. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 35.92935, -80.33622 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 84002007.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18345283
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.