Deep River Friends Meeting House and Cemetery
Why it's listed
Deep River Friends Meeting House is a brick Quaker church and burial ground on a rise between Wendover Avenue and Penny Road in High Point, once rural and now surrounded by urban growth. The meeting house was built in 1874-1875 with simplified Italianate details: segmental-arched windows, raised brick hood molds, six-over-six sash and a Flemish bond variation in the brickwork. Its entrance at the gable end departed from the usual Quaker plan, though the building remains plain. The interior was remodeled several times, notably in 1967-1968, and brick additions sit behind it. The cemetery dates from the 1750s and shows Quaker gravestone customs, including limits on marker height. It holds the graves of Elihu Mendenhall, members of the Beard family and twelve state legislators. The congregation also supported early schools, took part in anti-slavery work and lost many families to westward migration. Services have continued since 1875, apart from a brief influenza quarantine in 1918.
Significance in brief: The nomination points to the meeting house's simplified Italianate detailing on a plain Quaker building, which is unusual for the region. The cemetery reflects changing Quaker burial customs and holds the graves of notable local figures, including twelve state legislators. The Deep River congregation is also tied to local education, anti-slavery activity and migration out of Guilford County.
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 95001448, listed December 13, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 5300 W. Wendover Ave., High Point |
|---|---|
| County | Guilford County |
| Listed | December 13, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95001448 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Designer unknown; bricks made by William Beard (the later William Beard, d. 1888) and laid by local members. |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Areas of significance | Religion, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Meeting house exterior is in good repair and the interior has been heavily remodeled; services have been held continuously since 1875 and the cemetery remains in active use. |
| Acreage | 20.1 |
| Coordinates | 36.03184, -79.96472 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
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 95001448.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5250271
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.