Greensboro's Treasured Places
Quaker Architecture
Settled in 1752 by Quaker yeomen farmers, Jamestown celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2002. The village named in honor of James Mendenhall, an early Quaker settler from Pennsylvania. It was platted in 1816 by Mendenhall’s grandson along the banks of the Deep River. Mendenhall didn’t remain in the area for long, leaving behind his eldest children, he continued south to Georgia where he died. This transient nature of the village’s founder remains a hallmark of the community today, as many residents find themselves transferred in, and out, of the region.
Jamestown enjoys the highest per capita income and highest average housing values in the Piedmont Triad. 
Most of its residents are attracted to the village from other parts of the country, but many choose to stay – charmed by its small town feeling coupled with amenities provided by nearby neighbors Greensboro and High Point. Jamestown is a center in the state of Quaker-influenced buildings that feature Pennsylvania-inspired craftsmanship, simple design, and Quaker-plan room arrangements.
Jamestown’s Main Street features a few offbeat antique shops and art galleries that struggle to survive from an invading sea of recent sprawl typical of anywhere USA. But the community has a depth of history uncommon to the Piedmont that is exemplified by a handful of historic sites and private homes.
Central to Jamestown’s history is Mendenhall Plantation, a once sprawling farm established in 1811 by Richard Mendenhall, a Quaker tanner and abolitionist. It is now interpreted as a museum depicting a non-traditional view Southern history that valued education, women’s rights, and industry. Mendenhall Plantation includes a rambling brick 
house built close to the main road, a Pennsylvania-style “Bank Barn”, a doctor’s office, a school, and a collection of outbuildings that illustrates the insulated nature of the region before the Civil War.
Across Main Street is the 1824 Mendenhall Store, where the wares of the plantation were sold. Nearby is a Quaker Meetinghouse of the 1820s that is the oldest in the state. Both buildings were part of the original Mendenhall family holdings and are opened to the public by appointment by the High Point Historical Museum staff.