MATTHEWS, N.C. — Barbara Taylor’s curiosity has led her down many roads.

What You Need to Know 

Matthews' Crestdale community dates all the way back to the late 1800s

Heritage Museum Director Barbara Taylor conducted over a year's worth of research on the community 

The three-mile trail will run through Crestdale and also showcase 12 signs sharing history about the neighborhood 

But the road to Crestdale was one filled with more than she could ever imagine. 

Over the summer she was asked by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library in Matthews to share the story of the African-American community of Crestdale, which lies within the small town of Matthews. 

For the longest time, not a lot of people knew about this community. 

“The land was being sold in 1878,” Taylor said. “In 1879 Matthews became a town, and they grew up side by side, but nobody had told that story.” 

A few years ago Taylor, who also serves as the director of the Matthews Heritage Museum, decided the community needed to know more.

“You know you only get really one shot at doing things the right way, and so for the next year … more than a year I just did research,” she said. 

Taylor interviewed people, gathered photos and after more than a year had a slew of information for the town’s heritage museum.  

“I don’t want this history to be lost again, and I don’t want people to say well she was just guessing,” she said. 

Thanks to Taylor, that history won’t be lost. In fact, you can now find most of it along the town’s new heritage trail. 

Matthews' Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resource Department Director Corey King says sharing Crestdale’s story was something that was talked about nearly 10 years ago. 

“The town of Matthews and the Crestdale community all wanted to catalog the information and then find a way to make it available to the public,” he said. 

The trail is connected by 12 signs, each one sharing information and stories Taylor was able to gather from those who lived there. 

The town is planning to unveil this new trail to the public, and Taylor hopes people understand just how important history can be when shaping the future. 

“We need to know about each other especially in today’s climate,” she said. “If we can accept each other as to who we are then I think it will be great. It’ll be much better than it has been.” 

The town of Matthews plans to hold a ribbon cutting to unveil this new trail and the signs to the public Thursday August 12. 

The ribbon cutting will take place at Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Matthews.