October 10, 2026, marks the 200th anniversary of the death of anti-slavery activist and “conductor” on the Underground R.R., Vestal Coffin (1792-1826). He died on his birthday. An ardent Quaker abolitionist in the Guilford County Quaker community, he helped form the state’s first Manumission Society in 1816; aided in free Black Benjamin Benson’s successful suit for freedom in court after he was kidnapped and sold into slavery; taught in the 1821 Quaker Sabbath School that surreptitiously taught enslaved persons how to read; and in 1819 with his wife, Alethea, aided free Black John Dimrey in his escape from kidnappers, the first recorded act in Guilford County of what became known as the Underground Railroad.

On October 10, the North Carolina Friends Historical Society will sponsor a program commemorating the Coffins and their early Civil Rights work. The program will be held at the Kathleen Clay Edwards Library, 1420 Price Park Dr., Greensboro, the site of the Coffins’ farm in the 1800s. Following is the planned schedule of events and speakers:

Kathleen Clay Edwards Library, Greensboro

9:00 a.m.: Introduction by Max L. Carter, retired Guilford College Quaker Studies professor and Travis Mangum, local historian of the Underground R.R.

Synopsis of the Underground R.R. in Guilford County — Gertrude Beal, author of “The UGRR in Guilford County,” a UNCG Masters thesis

“Vestal Coffin, Benjamin Benson, and John Dimrey” — Adrienne Israel, Emerita Guilford College professor of history and African American Studies

“Vestal Coffin and the Slave Deeds of Guilford County” — Jeff Thigpen, Register of Deeds

“The UGRR in culture, drama, and song” — James Shields, Director of Burlington’s African American Cultural Arts and History Center

(Tentative) “Vina Curry and Alethea Coffin: interracial work on the UGRR” — Sarah Thuesen, Guilford College history professor

11:00 a.m.: Walk to the “Witness Tree” in the Guilford College Woods, site of documented UGRR activity adjacent to the Coffin farm. Led by Max Carter with commentary by Karrie Manson of the Piedmont Land Conservancy on preservation of the Woods through PLC and the College

4:00 p.m.: Tour of the New Garden Friends graveyard (801 New Garden Rd., Greensboro) with a focus on sites connected with Vestal and Alethea Coffin, including the Coffins’ graves and the site of the Sabbath School

All events free and open to the public. For more information, contact Max L. Carter, mcarter@guilford.edu