Historical Markers in
Forsyth County, North Carolina

(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"
The famous Civil War battle of Fort Fisher, which took place in January 1865, was the largest naval engagement of the entire war.
North Carolina random facts
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.

This timeline provides a glimpse into the major events and milestones that have shaped 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.