Forsyth County, North Carolina

Ardmore Historic District Arista Cotton Mill Complex Atkins High School (former) Atkins, S. G., House Bahnson, Agnew Hunter, House Bethabara Historic District Bethabara Moravian Church Bethania Historic District Bethania Historic District (Boundary Increase) Black, George, House and Brickyard Blair, William Allen, House Bland, Joseph Franklin, House Brickenstein-Leinbach House Brown, W.C., Apartment Building Centerville Historic District Chatham Manufacturing Company-Western Electric Company Chatham, Thurmond and Lucy, House Clayton Family Farm Conrad-Starbuck House Craver Apartment Building Crews, Thomas A., House Downtown North Historic District Dyer, James B. and Diana M., HOuse Evergreen Farm First Baptist Church Flynt House Forsyth County Courthouse Gilmer Building Goler Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church Goler Metropolitan AME Zion Church Graylyn Hanes Hosiery Mill-Ivy Avenue Plant Hanes, P.H., Knitting Company Hanes, Robert M., House Hill, J. S., House Hoehns (Hanes), Philip and Johanna, House Holly Avenue Historic District Hoots Milling Company Roller Mill Hylehurst Indera Mills Jones, Dr. Beverly, House Kapp, John Henry, Farm Kernersville Depot Korner's Folly Lloyd Presbyterian Church Lowe, Cicero Francis, House Ludlow, Col. Jacob Lott, House Mars Hill Baptist Church McKaughan, Isaac Harrison, House Memorial Industrial School Middleton House Nissen Building Nissen Building (Boundary Increase) Nissen, S.J., Building North Cherry Street Historic District North Cherry Street Historic District North Cherry Street Historic District (Boundary Decrease and Additional Documentation) O'Hanlon Building Oak Crest Historic District Oak Grove School Old German Baptist Brethern Church Old Richmond Schoolhouse and Gymnasium Old Salem Historic District Paisley J. W., House Pepper Building Poindexter, H. D., Houses Reynolda Historic District Reynolds Building Reynolds, R.J., Tobacco Company Buildings 2-1 and 2-2 Reynolds, Richard J., High School and Richard J. Reynolds Memorial Auditorium Reynoldstown Historic District Roberts-Justice House Robinson, A., Building Rogers, James Mitchell, House Rural Hall Depot Salem Tavern Salem Town Hall Schaub, John Jacob, House Shamrock Mills Shell Service Station Shultz, Christian Thomas, House Single Brothers' House Smith, W. F., and Sons Leaf House and Brown Brothers Company Building Snyder, John Wesley, House Sosnik-Morris-Early Commercial Block South Main Street Historic District South Trade Street Houses Speas, William Henry and Sarah Hauser, House Spruce Street YMCA St. Paul’s Episcopal Church St. Philip's Moravian Church Stauber, Samuel B., Farm Stuart Motor Company Sunnyside-Central Terrace Historic District Union Station Wachovia Building Waller House Washington Park Historc District Washovia Bank and Trust Company Building Waughtown-Belview Historic District West End Historic District West Salem Historic District Winston-Salem City Hall Winston-Salem Southbound Railway Freight Warehouse and Office Winston-Salem Tobacco Historic District Womble, Bunyan S. and Edith W., House Zevely House

(Former) Atkins High School 1753 Great Philadelphia Wagon Road 1792 Road Between Bethabara and Germanton 26th N.C. Regimental Band African-American West End Area Alpha Chapel Ancient Poplar Tree Apothecary Shop 1763 B.F. Huntley Furniture Co. Bake Oven 1753 Bastion 1756 Belews Street Neighborhood Bell House Bethabara Bethabara Bethabara Fort 1756-63 Bethabara Tavern 1757 Bethania Bethania Freedman's Community Boulders' House Lighting Project Brookstown United Methodist Church Builders' House Calf Barn 1765 Calvin H. Wiley School Carver High School Cedar Grove School Charles L. Spaugh House City Hall Colored Baptist Orphanage Home Commemorating the Original Krispy Kreme Doughnut Shop Community and Medical Gardens Community Garden 1759 Concord United Methodist Church Congregation Kitchen 1766 Congregation Store 1759 & 1764 Congregation Store Addition after 1766 Consolidation of Winston and Salem Daniel Boone Trail Daniel Boone Trail Daniel Boone Trail Davy House (1835) Depot Street Graded School Site Distiller's House 1803 Doctor's Laboratory 1759 Downtown North Historic District Dwelling House/Cow House 1754 Earline King East Winston Library Easton Neighborhood Emancipation in Salem Family House 1758 First Baptist Church First Official 4th of July Celebration in the United States First Sit-In Victory In North Carolina First Village Five Row at Reynolda Flonnie T. Anderson Flour Bin 1758 Former Dividing Line Between Winston and Salem Fourteenth Street Elementary School Fourteenth Street School Fraternity Church of the Brethren Friedberg Church Fries Manufacturing and Power Co. Garden on the Triebel Lot Gemeinhaus Gemeinhaus 1756 Gemeinhaus 1788 George Black House and Brickyard George Henry Black Memorial George Mock House George Washington Stopped Here Great Philadelphia Wagon Road Great Wagon Road Hans Wagner Cabin 1752 Happy Hill Happy Hill Overlook Herbst Shop on Lot 33 (1829) Herman Buttner House Historic Bethabara Park 1753 Historic Hanestown Historic Happy Hill Path Historic Scaffold System Home Moravian Church Hotel Zinzendorf Jones Grocery Store Kate Bitting Reynolds Memorial Hospital Kerner Tannery Krause-Butner Pottery Shop Last Burials in the Parish Graveyard Lewis C. Laugenour House Lewis Hege (1840-1918) Lewisville Baptist Church Lewisville Roller Mill Lewisville United Methodist Church Lloyd Presbyterian Church Locksmith and Gunsmith Shop 1759 Loesch House Site (1789) Log House ca. 1816 Lord Cornwallis Lowman Pauling & The "5" Royales Maynard Field McKnight's Meeting House Medical Gardens 1761 Memorial Industrial School Memorial Marker 1806 Methodist Church Parsonage Mill-Wright's House 1762 N.C. Federation of Women's Clubs Nazareth Church Nell Davis Britton New Bethabara Tavern 1775 New Bethel Baptist Church New Hope AME Zion Church New Tavern Well 1755 Nissen Building Nissen Wagon Works North Carolina School of the Arts Oak Grove School Odd Fellows Cemetery Ogburn Station Old Salem Historic District Our Confederate Dead O'Hanlon's Office Building Palisade Fort Pfafftown Phi Omega Chapter, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated Philip and Johanna Hoehns (Hanes) House Plank Road Polo Fields At Reynolda Pottery Dependency 1756 Pottery Kilns on Lot 38 Pottery Shop 1755 Pottery Shop Addition between 1763-1766 POW-MIA Memorial Pythian Hall R. J. Reynolds R. J. Reynolds High School and Auditorium R.J.R. Labor Strikes Railroad Street Mural Reich-Hege House Site (1830-1922) Reich-Hege Lot (1830) Reynolda Historic District Reynolda House Reynoldstown Historic District Richard Joshua Reynolds Robert B. Glenn Robert M. Hanes Rosemary Harris Rt. Rev. Edw. Rondthaler, D.D. Safe Bus Company Salem Academy and College Salem and the "Farmer's Railroad" Salem Concert Hall Salem Cotton Manufacturing Company and Arista Cotton Mill Salem Moravian Graveyard Salem Square Salem Town Hall Salem Waterworks Samuel and Sarah Stauber Farm Schmidt Blacksmith Shop (1768) Second House Site (1767) Shallow Ford Shamrock Mills Shiloh Lutheran Church Silver Hill Simon G. Atkins Simon Green Atkins House Single Brothers' Diaconie Site of Dobson's Tavern Site of First House Erected in Winston Site of Historic Beeson's Crossroad Trading Post Site of Lewisville Academy Site of Sunny Acres Sleeping Hall 1754 Smithy and Christ Pottery 1759 Smith's House 1762 Squire's Grave Stoneman's Raid Stoneman's Raid Store House, Shed and Lodging For Strangers 1754 Street Grade Stuart Motor Company Summerhouse 1759 Symbol of Service Tailor's Shop 1764 Tailor's Shop Addition and Well after 1766 Tavern Smokehouse Tavern Well 1763 The African American Graveyard The Brothers House 1755 The Brothers' Spring and The African School The Children's Home The Dyer's and Potter's House 1782 The Forsyth County Men The Historic Brookstown Inn The Home of Simon G. Atkins The Honorable Willie Jones of Halifax The Landscape South of St. Philips The Mickey Coffee Pot The Plank Road Comes to Salem The Pond The Salem Campus The "Hattie Butner" Thomas J. Wilson Tobacco Unionism Vogler-Reynolds House Vorsteher's House 1758 Wachovia Settlement Wachovia Tract Wake Forest University Wash House 1754 Washington's Southern Tour Well 1763 Well 1807 West Salem Historic District William Johnson William Linville Winston Mutual Life Insurance Building Winston-Salem Chapter of the Black Panther Party Winston-Salem Rotary Club Winston-Salem State University Wm. Cyrus Briggs Wolff-Moser House Wright Court House Site 1771-1774 / Richmond Court House Site 1774-1789 "Battle Cross" "Log House"
Forsyth County, located in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, has a rich history that dates back thousands of years. Before European settlement, the area was home to Native American tribes such as the Cheraw and Saura. However, in the 18th century, European settlers began to arrive, primarily of German, Scotch-Irish, and English descent.

The county was officially established in 1849 and named after Colonel Benjamin Forsyth, a War of 1812 hero. During the 19th century, Forsyth County played a significant role in the tobacco industry. The area's fertile soil and favorable climate made it ideal for growing tobacco, and numerous tobacco factories were established in Winston-Salem, the county's largest city.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Forsyth County was marred by racial tensions and violence. African Americans faced systematic discrimination and were victims of several instances of racial violence, including the notorious 1898 race riot in nearby Wilmington. This violent history had lasting effects on the county's racial dynamics for many years.

From the mid-20th century onwards, Forsyth County experienced significant growth and development. Winston-Salem became an important center for industry, particularly in the fields of tobacco, textiles, and furniture manufacturing. The city also gained recognition for its arts and culture, becoming home to prestigious institutions such as the North Carolina School of the Arts and the Reynolda House Museum of American Art.

Today, Forsyth County continues to thrive as a vibrant community with a diverse population and a strong economy. While the county has faced its share of challenges, it has also demonstrated resilience and progress in embracing its rich cultural heritage and shaping a bright future for its residents.
Brief timeline of the history of Forsyth County, North Carolina:

  • 1849 - Forsyth County was established on January 15th.
  • 1851 - The first courthouse was built in the county seat of Winston.
  • 1877 - Salem Female Academy, which later became Salem College, was established as the first institution of higher education for women in the state.
  • 1913 - City of Winston merged with Salem to form Winston-Salem.
  • 1917 - R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company introduced the iconic Camel cigarette.
  • 1950s - The city experienced significant growth and industrial development.
  • 1980 - Winston-Salem surpassed Greensboro as the largest city in North Carolina.
  • 1989 - The city celebrated its bicentennial.
  • 2000 - The population of Forsyth County exceeded 300,000.
  • 2013 - Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center became the largest employer in the county.

This timeline provides a glimpse into the major events and milestones that have shaped the history of Forsyth County, North Carolina.

Audiobooks about the history of North Carolina.