Tabernacle Methodist Protestant Church and Cemetery
Also known as: Tabernacle United Methodist Church
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Why it's listed
Tabernacle Methodist Protestant Church and Cemetery occupies a knoll along Liberty Road, roughly ten miles south of Greensboro. The weatherboarded frame sanctuary, finished in June 1891 for $2,500, is a simple Gothic Revival design with a five-bay plan, stained glass windows and an interior of original heart-pine ceiling, wainscot, pews and pulpit. Behind and beside it lies a cemetery whose oldest marked stone dates from 1822, with granite obelisks, urns, lamb figures and tablet markers from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The site began as an eighteenth-century campground called Eden, visited by Methodist circuit riders, and later hosted several annual conferences of the Methodist Protestant Church. It was listed for its role in Methodism in Guilford County, for the church as a well-preserved rural frame church, and for the variety of funerary art in the graveyard. Newer brick buildings stand nearby, but the 1891 church is the only nineteenth-century building left.
Significance in brief: The site was an eighteenth-century campground and meeting place called Eden and is tied to the growth of Methodism, including the Methodist Protestant break from the episcopacy, in Guilford County. The church is a rare surviving simple, vernacular Gothic Revival frame church and the best preserved of its type in the rural county. The cemetery is notable for its variety of nineteenth to mid-twentieth century granite funerary art.
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 95000231, listed March 10, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 5601 Liberty Rd., Greensboro |
|---|---|
| County | Guilford County |
| Listed | March 10, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95000231 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1822-1945 |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Religion, Architecture, Art |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The church and cemetery remain in religious and funerary use. A new brick sanctuary and wings were added nearby in 1968, 1975 and 1994. |
| Acreage | 6 |
| Coordinates | 35.96540, -79.69668 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 95000231.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7673035
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.