Mitchell Cottage's Legacy Rings Throughout Time

By Blake Ragsdale | Editor of Charity & Children

When the bell in the tower of the old school rang, its familiar sound would reverberate across the Mills Home campus. It signaled to the boys and girls who called the campus "home" that it was time—time for classes, time for church, or time to let everyone know that your team had won its ballgame.

Today, the bell stands as a symbol of history for Baptist Children's Homes of North Carolina's (BCH) inaugural location in the small community of Thomasville.

Although the school building is long gone, the bell found a new home as part of the collection of Mills Home artifacts at the Mitchell Museum. For more than 40 years, it was displayed in the very building that not only contained history—it was where BCH history was born.

Ringing with History

The Mitchell was a fitting place for the bell because, before it became a museum, the historic building served as BCH's first cottage for children when it opened on November 11, 1885. As a museum, it became the keeper of history not only for Mills Home, but for the entirety of what is now BCH—a diverse, statewide nonprofit ministry that serves children, families, and other vulnerable individuals in need of help and hope.

This, however, would be BCH's future. Back in 1885, and for many years after, the Mitchell had a different purpose. It was the cottage where the earliest and most impactful legacy began—the legacy of transformed lives.

A Legacy Born with the Mitchell

The legacy of BCH began the day the first child, nine-year-old Mary Presson, moved into the Mitchell Cottage at what was then the Thomasville Baptist Orphanage. Mary traveled far—an approximately 250-mile trip from Hertford County, NC. She did not make the journey alone.

Reverend John Mitchell, a friend of BCH founder John Mills and a passionate advocate for the orphanage, escorted Mary from Eastern North Carolina. When they arrived on November 11, 1885, John Mills was there to greet them. In fact, he even skipped the Annual Meeting of the NC Baptist State Convention, held that same day, to welcome the orphanage's very first child.

Mitchell was able to see that Mary arrived safely as well as set his eyes on the cottage that was named after him. On that November day, Mary became the first child accepted into the Thomasville Baptist Orphanage. BCH's legacy began with one little girl who now called Mitchell Cottage "home."

Mary later married Henry Yarborough and moved to a short distance away to the small town of Lexington. She frequently returned for Mills Home's annual Homecomings, regarding the caregivers and children as family. She also traveled the state sharing how the orphanage had forever changed her life.

For Mary, and for many others, life in BCH's first cottage brought about both transformation and memories that would transcend the decades.

Lasting Memories

Lib Smathers Johnson, who lived at Mills Home from 1946 to 1957, vividly remembers the ringing of the old bell. Wherever she was on campus, the sound easily reached the ears of the other children. The boys and girls would come running whether it meant it was school time or church time.

But according to Lib, the bell served yet another, much-loved purpose.

"It was also the 'valley' bell," she shares. "When you got called to the valley, it was time to go play."

The valley—a lush, green area in the center of campus—was where friendships were formed and memories made. Children from the various cottages could not wait to gather there and see one another.

Children from Mills Home stayed busy with chores and school work. It is an important reason why time at the valley, for an alumna like Carolyn McCarson Tharrington, was "very special."

"We had wonderful times down there," she shares. Carolyn lived at Mills Home from 1943 to 1956. "We played ball; We had watermelon; We fellowshipped together. It was a special time because we were totally free."

Moving to the Mitchell

Both Carolyn and Lib lived in the Flemming Cottage for first and second graders when they arrived. As they grew older, their anticipation for moving to the Mitchell Cottage also grew. The excitement, however, had less to do with the building itself—and everything to do with the Mitchell's beloved housemother/matron, Mary Black Davis.

"We learned that the Mitchell had this fabulous housemother," Lib says. "She had been an orphan girl at Mills Home in the twenties."

Moving to the Mitchell meant being with a matron who truly understood their experiences.

"She was not just sympathetic—she was interested in everything about each of us and our families," Carolyn recalls. "She loved every one of us. She was absolutely one of the most caring people I ever met."

Mary was also a talented seamstress and pianist. Lib says her influence shaped both her interests and her life.

"I was able to take piano lessons and ended up as a piano major," she says. "She taught some of us in Sunday School, too. She played an important role in our spiritual lives."

The Changing Times

The Mitchell served as a place for girls until the 1950s, when it became a family-oriented cottage. This meant there was now a cottage where siblings at Mills Home could live together.

This was a reflection of a statewide shift toward serving children who still had living family members but were in vulnerable circumstances. Though residential childcare would shift with the changing needs of children and families, the transformation happening with those living inside the walls of the Mitchell continued.

In 1979, the construction of newer cottages sent the Mitchell into retirement. But with the support of BCH's Board of Trustees and the commitment of the Mills Home Alumni Association, the Mitchell was poised for a rebirth.

From Cottage to Caretaker of History

Establishing the Mitchell Museum was a substantial undertaking for the Mills Home Alumni Association—a group comprised of former Mills Home residents including Lib Johnson. They curated artifacts, photos, and memorabilia, raising funds and learning as they went.

"We went at it gung ho," Lib recalls. "You just had to do it as you go because we had nobody who was experienced."

Rooms were meticulously staged with items from days gone by. This included the first printing press used when Charity & Children, BCH's long-running newspaper, was produced at the Mills Home print shop. Items also included the desk of John Mills, and of course, a piano.

"There had been a piano when we lived in the Mitchell," Lib says. "We loved gathering around it and watching Mary Black Davis play."

In time, it was decided that the salvaged school bell should be placed in the main room near the museum's entrance. Visitors saw it as soon as they stepped inside. It was as if the bell was still ringing to invite them to explore the place where BCH began.

In 2000, the Mitchell was added to the National Register of Historic Places, further affirming its role in North Carolina's orphanage movement.

A History Preserved

After 140 years, the Mitchell's foundation had eroded beyond safe repair. Although the building no longer stands, its legacy—and the history its walls contained—is being carefully preserved.

BCH has hired Marilyn Moore as museum curator. She is in the process of stewarding and managing the artifacts for a new exhibition area to be established at Mills Home.

Celebrating BCH’s Legacy and Dedicating its Future to the Gospel of Jesus Christ

BCH CEO David Melber and a team are planning a special event on May 11, 2026 at Mills Home. It is called The Cross at the Center: A Dedication of Faith, Legacy, and Gospel Hope.

A cross, formed from the remnants of BCH's historic first cottage, will be installed on the grounds at what will be named Mitchell Park. The cross will symbolize BCH's unwavering commitment to the gospel while also commemorating the legacy of Mitchell Cottage and the lives changed underneath its roof.

"It will be a day of worship, prayer and dedication," David says. "We want our staff, ministry partners, and those impacted by this work to join us.

It's an opportunity to honor the Lord for what He has done in the past 140 years and praise Him for what He's going to do in the lives that will be served through BCH in the days, years, and decades ahead."