Welcome to the world of The Mendenhall Blair House Foundation!

For those of you who don't know us yet, TMBH Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserve the values on which the house was built. These values are: social justice, preservation of history, education and family.

We are a family owned, family ran organization with hopes of extending our efforts to nurturing the High Point community (and beyond!) Our hope is to include the community as we develop educational programs, as well as community outreach programs, in hopes of continuing the legacy of The Mendenhall Family, The Blair Family and every family who has experienced the joy that is The Mendenhall Blair House.

A little bit of historical context before we continue:

The Mendenhall Blair House is one of High Points' most prominent historical landmarks. Built in the mid 1800's by Elihu Emery Mendenhall and his first wife, Anna Hill of Back Creek Meeting.

After the death of his first wife in 1856, Elihu Mendenhall remarried Abigail Hill in 1858 and both became prominent members of Deep River. Both known in their community for their hospitality and their loud support for the abolition of slavery, it is said they provided a safe haven to slaves as part of the Underground Railroad. Many attempts were made on their lives and freedoms for their convictions (slavery was still legal in North Carolina until December 4th 1856) but they continued their mission regardless of the tribulations.

In addition to the values they chose to nurture within their home, among them inclusivity and freedom for all, they were also big advocates for education. Abigail Hill, who was the headmistress of the Florence Female Academy, was rumored to have openly taught slaves to read and write right on the property and Elihu Mendenhall served as the Chairman of both the Building Committee of The Deep River Friends Meeting and of the Board of Trustees of the New Garden Boarding School (now known as Guilford College!)

As we looked closer into the houses' history, it became evident that The Mendenhall Family was passionate about their community and passionate about creating a safe space for every one of its' members.

To say it has inspired us to do the same would be an understatement.

We are inspired by their mission, their tenacity, but overall by their commitment to make High Point and the greater Piedmont Triad region a happier place.

We can only hope to continue their legacy and we move forward knowing that if we were to accomplish only half of what they did in their lifetime, we would be making High Point a better place.