15 Little-Known Facts About Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem is a fascinating place with a rich history, making it a hub for intriguing trivia facts.
Winston-Salem’s rich history makes it a breeding ground for unusual tidbits. That’s why you can find a Winston-Salem bar hosting trivia night each night of the week. (By the way, we’ve listed the schedule below for those here looking for places that host trivia nights.) Check out these fifteen exciting facts about our city, a compilation of those we shared with our newsletter subscribers in 2023.
1. The Mickey Coffee Pot in Old Salem can hold 11,840 cups of coffee.
It is over seven feet tall and can hold 740 gallons (11,840 cups) of coffee. It was constructed in 1858 by tinsmith brothers Julius and Samuel Mickey to promote their shop.
2. Wake Forest University’s 12-ton Janet Jeffrey Carlile Harris Carillon is one of the few Carillons still played manually.
The Harris Carillon is a 12-ton instrument with 48 bronze cup-shaped bells controlled by a keyboard.
3. Legend has it the Empire State Building sends the Reynolds Building a Father’s Day Card every year.
This tale is, unfortunately, a myth. In a public post on June 30, 2020, the Empire State Building set the record straight, stating they do not send a card to their building’s prototype on Father’s Day.
4. In 2013, there was a push by members of the community to repurpose the smokestacks into the world’s most giant kaleidoscopes.
The “RJR Smokestack Kaleidoscope Project” still exists as a Facebook community.
5. In 1890, the street elevation was raised for streetcars, covering the front steps and cellar windows of the Single Brothers House in Old Salem.
6. UNC School of the Arts in Winston-Salem is the only campus in the country with an art piece used for interment.
The “Conversations” sculpture on UNCSA’s campus houses the cremated remains of Philip Hanes Junior.
7. Texas Pete is from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Thad Garner bought the Dixie Pig barbecue stand in Winston-Salem in 1929. In the process, he inherited a spicy sauce from the restaurant. When his restaurant went under, people still wanted the sauce. Thad and his family continued to make it and called it Texas Pete, “Texas” to describe the spicy flavor, and “Pete,” the nickname of Thad’s brother, Harold.
8. In 1928, the Graylyn Estate was the largest home in North Carolina, next to the Biltmore Estate.
9. The man credited with inventing windsurfing is from Pfafftown, NC.
Jim Drake was an aeronautical engineer who originated windsurfing in the late 1960s. He died in 2012 at 83 at his home in Pfafftown, N.C.
10. The first official Independence Day celebration occurred in Winston-Salem in 1783.
On July 4, 1966, the 200th anniversary of Winston-Salem, a historical marker was placed in Old Salem to commemorate the event.
11. Dewey’s Bakery is the only surviving original business in Thruway Shopping Center.
Thruway opened in 1955 as the first shopping center in Winston-Salem and “a brand new idea in modern shopping.” Before construction, the site was a dairy farm alongside the future interstate (or thruway, hence the name). Thruway Shopping Center opened with thirteen businesses, a parking lot for 1,200 cars, and the slogan “One Stop Does It All.”
12. Winston-Salem’s population has increased by about 2,000 residents every year since 2010.
13. Stratford Road was originally Lovers Lane, the original street address for some of Winston-Salem’s most historic homes.
14. The most visited winery in the U.S. is in North Carolina.
The Winery on Biltmore Estate in Asheville is the most visited nation, hosting more than a million guests annually.
15. Chris Paul is from Clemmons, N.C.
Before becoming an NBA legend, Chris Paul set a record for the most time put in on the West Forsyth High School basketball court. Today, his high school alma mater’s basketball court bears his name.
