This marker is located in downtown Winston-Salem and points out one of the reasons that the tobacco…read moreindustry is so strong in this part of the country. The marker reads, "Wm. Cyrus Briggs. Invented in 1898 one of the first successful automatic cigarette machines. Workshop was 3 blocks east." This is marker number J-52 and it was erected in 1971 by the North Carolina State Department of Archives and History. There is more information online. William Cyrus Briggs, born in 1861 in Turner, Maine, was a pioneering inventor whose cigarette-making machines revolutionized tobacco production and helped companies like R. J. Reynolds compete with industry leaders. After selling his patents to the Murai Brothers in Japan, he continued innovating with the United Cigarette Machine Company, designing even faster machinery. His inventive spirit extended beyond tobacco, as he also created a stamp vending machine and the first return carriage for a typewriter, leaving a lasting mark on early office technology before his death in 1918. [Review 951 of 2025 - 4349 in North Carolina - 24506 overall]

In downtown Winston-Salem, historical marker 34 was erected by the city to recognize the founding…read moreof the Winston-Salem Rotary Club and standing beside it under the city's tall buildings, you can feel how much civic ambition once pulsed through this corner of Second and Main. The marker reads, "On November 9, 1915, the first organizational meeting of the Winston-Salem Rotary Club, the Piedmont Triad's first Rotary club, was held in the Zinzendorf Hotel at the northeast corner of North Main and West Second Streets. The 24 founding members joined the growing Rotary organization that had been founded in Chicago in 1905. Under the visionary leadership of the Winston-Salem club's first president, Owen Norvell, the club received its charter on February 1, 1916, and quickly grew to become one of the community's most respected civic organizations. Over its first 100 years, Rotary international grew to become an organization of 1.2 million members in over 27,000 Rotary clubs in 150 countries throughout the world." The online entry provides much more information. This Rotary Club helped create the City County Planning Board, supported the preservation of Old Salem, encouraged the relocation of Wake Forest College and the development of the North Carolina Baptist Medical Center. The Rotary Club's influence shows up in places locals pass every day. There is metered parking here but it gets busy on weekdays with the courthouses and the county offices nearby. [Review 614 of 2026 - 4702 in North Carolina - 25795 overall]

George Henry Black was a master brickmaker whose handmade bricks shaped some of Winston-Salem's…read moremost recognizable homes, churches, factories and civic buildings. Born in 1879 to parents who had been enslaved, he came to the city as a child and eventually built his own brickyard, gaining a national reputation for the quality and durability of his traditional hand-pressed bricks. His work appeared everywhere, from local mansions to the original North Carolina Baptist Hospital, Salem College and even restoration projects in Colonial Williamsburg. This statue in front of the Forsyth County Courthouse honors that legacy, recognizing a craftsman whose bricks literally built the community and whose century-long life reflected both skill and perseverance. The memorial includes examples of his original bricks and stands near buildings that used them, making it a fitting tribute to someone whose work helped define the city's architectural character. There is metered street parking in the area but it will be quite busy during the week with the courthouses and city offices nearby. [Review 616 of 2026 - 4704 in North Carolina - 25797 overall]

Marker M-33 is located on the north side of US-64 and isn't an easy spot to reach. There is a bit…read moreof a space to pull over but this isn't a quiet road so you'll want to use caution if you stop. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Hinton R. Helper, Author of 'The Impending Crisis', a bitterly controversial book which denounced slavery; U.S. Consul at Buenos Aires, 1861-66. Born 150 yards north" It was erected in 1975 by the North Carolina Division of Archives and History. Hinton Rowan Helper rose from a modest North Carolina upbringing to become one of the most controversial Southern-both critics of slavery, gaining national attention with his 1857 book which used census statistics to argue that slavery crippled the South's economy and denounced slaveholders in incendiary terms. His work was banned across the South, helped intensify sectional tensions, and was credited by some contemporaries with aiding Abraham Lincoln's 1860 election, after which Helper served as US consul to Argentina. [Review 592 of 2026 - 4681 in North Carolina - 25773 overall]

Shallowford Road's bridge over the Yadkin River looks like a simple modern crossing at first…read moreglance, but once you drop down the dirt path on the west back, you might feel like you're standing beside a spot that has shaped travel in this region for nearly three centuries. The historic Shallo Ford sits just south of the bridge, the only wagon road crossing used by settlers heading down the Great Wagon Road, by Patriot militia in 1780, by Cornwallis in 1781, and by Stoneman's cavalry in 1865. Today you can drive right down to the riverside and park under the bridge with the water sliding past and the concrete overhead humming, and it's wild to think that all that history unfolded just a short walk away. The river access itself has that low key local feel, with a small boat launch, plenty of bank space for fishing, and the kind of ticked away vibe that probably makes it a favorite make out spot after dark. It's quiet, easy to reach and hidden enough to feel like you found something. A Forsyth County sheriff did roll through while I was there, so it's clearly on someone's radar, but that didn't take away from the charm. For a quick stop at a place where the past and the present sit almost on top of each other, it's a surprisingly peaceful bend in the Yadkin. [Review 607 of 2026 - 4695 in North Carolina - 25788 overall]

I've never thought much about the RJ Reynolds Company, not being a smoker these days. Of course,…read morethe company is named for the man who founded it but who really thinks about that? But now you can impress your friends and acquaintances that you know the founder's full name: Richard Joshua Reynolds. The sculpture in downtown Winston-Salem honors him and the industry that was key to this city's development. The caption at the base reads, "In 1875, this young Virginian, aged 24, rode into Winston in search of a town in which to build his first tobacco factory. Through the generosity of the citizens of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, this memorial has been erected to honor a successful businessman and public benefactor." The sculpture was completed by artist Earline Heath King and dedicated on June 25, 1979. It shows R. J. Reynolds turning slightly to his right as if taking in the city he helped shape. The bronze figure is detailed and shows Reynolds in a long coat, reins in one hand, hat relaxed at his side, while the horse stands alert with one rear leg lifted as though about to stamp. [Round number review 4700 in North Carolina - 612 of 2026 - 25793 overall]

Just east of the Shallowford Road bridge (that itself is south of US-421), this marker has the same…read moretext on both sides and points out a Revolutionary War site. It reads, "Colonial route across Yadkin River. Scene of Tory defeat by Whigs, 1780. Crossing used in 1781 by army of Lord Cornwallis. 600 yards south." Online there is more information. Shallow Ford on the Yadkin River served as a major eighteenth‑century wagon crossing on the Great Wagon Road and became a focal point for travel and settlement in western North Carolina. It witnessed multiple military actions, including a 1780 Patriot victory over Surry County Loyalists, Cornwallis's 1781 pursuit of Greene across the river, and a brief clash during Stoneman's Raid in 1865. Its long use and repeated strategic importance made it one of the Piedmont's most historically significant river fords. There is a spot here to stop to read the marker. There is also a path down to the riverbank on the west side of the bridge. [Review 608 of 2026 - 4696 in North Carolina - 25789 overall]

I have seen a number of markers pointing to the history of Stoneman's Raid across North Carolina -…read morein Statesville, Mount Airy and Wilkesboro - that point out just how wide this raid was across the state, ensuring not only the destruction of the South to expedite the close of the Civil War. A time when "total war" on civilians and civilian infrastructure was a combat strategy. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "On a raid through western North Carolina Gen. Stoneman's U.S. cavalry fought a skirmish with southern troops at Shallow Ford, April 11, 1865." It is marker number J-20 and it was erected in 1940 by the North Carolina Division of Archives and History. It is one of two markers in along this stretch of Shallowford Road and there is room to pull over here. [Review 609 of 2026 - 4697 in North Carolina - 25790 overall]