Have to come here often for work. The place is always clean and the front desk is pretty helpful…read more Many offices inside and the whole area is considerably safe and efficient.

In downtown Winston-Salem, the current Forsyth County Courthouse doesn't try to charm you with…read moreornate flourishes as much as it asserts itself with the clean, modern lines of a government building built for heavy daily use. The present courthouse, completed between 2020 and 2023 is a six-story brick, concrete and glass structure with a flat roofline and a two story steel and glass porch on its west front. Inside, it holds 17 courtrooms and 3 hearing rooms, all arranged along escalators and public elevators that make the building feel more like a contemporary civic center than a traditional courthouse. What makes this site interesting is how it sits in a long lineage of Forsyth County courthouses. The previous courthouse, completed in 1976 and known as the Forsyth County Hall of Justice is still standing, as is the even earlier 1897 courthouse that was remodeled in 1926/1927 and later converted into apartments. Forsyth County itself was formed in 1849 from part of Stokes County and named for Colonel Benjamin Forsyth, a War of 1812 officer who was mortally wounded in battle. The courthouse sits in the middle of city shaped by a unique civil merger. Winston and Salem began as separate towns, one a Moravian settlement dating to 1766 and the other established in 1849. After an unsuccessful attempt in 1879, the two communities finally voted to consolidate in 1913, creating Winston-Salem and setting the stage for the city's rapid twentieth century growth. The building is easy to visit and photograph though parking in downtown during the week can be a challenge. And note that cell phones are not permitted inside the building, not even in the lobby. On a Saturday morning, it was easy enough to find a spot and walk around the site easily. [Review 615 of 2026 - 4703 in North Carolina - 25796 overall] I am making my way through all 100 of North Carolina's county courthouses and recording them in https://www.yelp.com/collection/bgSlwoF6jU6MHqVx1fJ_oA. This is number 74!

This is marker number 31 and it was erected by the city of Winston-Salem in 2013 to honor one of…read morethe earliest settlers in the city. It has the same text on both sides. It reads, "This site marks the location where Thomas J. Wilson built the first home in what would become the town of Winston. Wilson had received permission from the Moravian Church in 1847 to erect his dwelling north of Salem's central area, as he wanted to live in the country. An attorney, Wilson was a member of the Forsyth County bar for over half a century. Wilson served as Forsyth County's first attorney, was judge for the Eighth Judicial District, a state senator, and mayor of Winston for two terms. After a life of service to First Presbyterian Church, Wilson died in 1900 at the age of eighty-five." Thomas J. Wilson built the first home in what became Winston after purchasing rural land from the Moravians in 1847, seeking a quiet place outside Salem. He went on to become one of Forsyth County's most prominent early leaders, serving as the county's first attorney, a judge, a state senator, and a two‑term mayor. A key figure in organizing the area's Presbyterian community, he remained influential for decades until his death in 1900. There is metered parking here but it's busy during the week with the courthouses nearby. [Review 613 of 2026 - 4701 in North Carolina - 25794 overall]

The metropolis of Mocksville. A little town in Davie County, sandwiched between Statesville and…read moreWinston-Salem. A few years ago I would have rated Mocksville a 2 or 3. Over the years this place has improved significantly, so 4 stars stacked against other towns of its size. Info - Population about 5,300 - County seat for Davie County - Lots of rural areas outside the town - Right off I40 - Part of the Piedmont Triad - Daniel Boone lived here at one time and his parents are buried here Pros - Convenient to Winston-Salem, Statesville, Salisbury and Lexington - Great place to live while working in WS. 20 - 25 minute drive. - I40 access - High speed Internet available - Nice historic downtown with local restaurants (serving booze), shops, and other places - The north side by I40 has Lowes, Super Wal-Mart, fast food and other shops - ABC store now in town - Decent selection of restaurants all over - Real Estate prices are better here than closer to WS, but trending up Cons - Not a lot of public parks but getting better - Food delivery options are basically pizza, with Grubhub and Uber Eats offering only about 1/2 dozen options - Forget about getting an Uber or cab here. - The south side is a work in progress. A new park is there to help the economic developing in the south but COVID has been a damper on that.

Most twentieth-century federal architecture isn't memorable but the Hiram H. Ward Federal Building…read morein downtown Winston-Salem has a certain quiet presence that fits its role. Completed in 1976, it serves as the home of the US District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, and in 1999, it was officially named for Judge Hiram H. Ward, a long time federal judge born in 1923 who spent much of his career on this bench. The exterior is a straightforward modern federal style, way more functional than decorative, but it anchors its block with the kind of solid, no-nonsense look that one might expect from a courthouse. The architecture is quite fortress-like. Deep setbacks from the street, heavy concrete massing, minimal ground-level glass and a podium-style base that keeps anything vehicular at a distance. It is representative of a broader federal trend towards bunker-ish modernism with simple geometry, reinforced concrete and a preference for durability over ornament. The result is a building that feels intentionally stout, inward-focused, and hard to approach at speed. Inside, the building handles the steady flow of federal judicial business. District court proceedings, administrative offices, and the routing legal work that keeps the federal system running. It's not a flashy stop, but if you're interested in civic architecture or the history of federal courts in the Southeast, it's worth a quick look. [Review 611 of 2026 - 4699 in North Carolina - 25792 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]

There is a wide enough space here to pull over and read this marker that points out a Colonial Era…read moreresident. It is marker M-47 and it has the same text on both sides, "In 1753 Lord Granville granted 640 acres on Bear Creek to Squire Boone who sold it in 1759 to his son Daniel. This was a part of the original Boone tract." Daniel Boone, born to a Quaker family in Pennsylvania, spent his formative years on the North Carolina frontier, where he developed the hunting and wilderness skills that shaped his life and later service in both the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. He went on to help blaze the Wilderness Road into Kentucky, promote western settlement, and represent frontier communities in the Virginia legislature before eventually moving to Missouri, where he lived until his death in 1821. Although the original Boone home in North Carolina disappeared long ago, the site remains significant and Squire and Sarah Boone are buried in a nearby cemetery that ties the landscape to the family's early frontier history. The marker was erected in 1976 by the North Carolina Division of Archives and History. [Review 593 of 2026 - 4682 in North Carolina - 25774 overall]

Located in the same area as the Forsyth County Courthouse and around the corner, the equestrian…read morestatue of RJ Reynolds, this marker points out the original home of one of the city's core businesses. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "The Little Red Factory, also known as the Old Red Factory, was built in 1875 by Richard Joshua (R.J.) Reynolds as the first home of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Situated on land purchased from the Moravian town of Salem, this modest two-story structure was strategically located at the nexus of two key commercial advantages: the thriving flue-cured tobacco market and a newly constructed railroad line. R.J. Reynolds emerged as a prominent figure in the community, and the Reynolds family played a pivotal role in shaping the history and growth of Winston-Salem." Winston-Salem's growth is tightly linked to the rise of R.J. Reynolds, who arrived in 1874 and launched his business in the Little Red Factory, a small bright‑red building that quickly expanded as demand for tobacco surged. By the 1890s, Reynolds had built Factory Number 256 over the original site, absorbed most local competitors, and turned his company into a national powerhouse with brands like Prince Albert, Camel, Winston, and Salem, while also reshaping the city's skyline with projects such as the 1929 Reynolds Building. The company became one of the region's largest employers through the mid‑20th century, but later faced mounting health‑related scrutiny, regulatory pressure, and declining cigarette consumption, eventually merging with Nabisco in 1989 and relocating its headquarters to Atlanta in 1999. Although Factory Number 256 was destroyed in a major 1998 fire, the legacy of R.J. Reynolds remains deeply embedded in Winston-Salem's industrial, economic, and architectural history. [Review 617 of 2026 - 4705 in North Carolina - 25798 overall]