213 West Mountain Street
Plunkett Place/Pierce Jefferson Funeral Home - Around 1856, the Masons opened what is said to be the first school in Kernersville. Parents had to pay tuition for the children attend this school. The school, called The Kernersville Academy, received its charter in Raleigh in 1863. Classes continued through the Civil War, which was rare in the South. The home was later purchased by Henry Shore, who renovated the home. About 1930, Mr. "Ad" Linville established his funeral services in the building. Today, Pierce Jefferson Funeral Home still operates in the building.
Bellamy House
The Bellamy House was built in 1880 for Lizzie Sapp by her parents as a wedding gift. In 1919, George Harriss Bellamy, Jr. (1886-1964) and his wife, Iona Morton Bellamy (1892-1964), bought the house from Lizzie Sapp and moved in on July 4th of that year. Mr. Bellamy was employed by R J Reynolds Tobacco Company until he retired. Mrs. Bellamy was a homemaker and never learned to drive. They raised four children in the house: William Morton (1914-1983), Kathryn Naomi (1917- 2018), Louise Boylan (1922-2005), and George Harriss, lll (1928-2003). Kathryn married Robert C. Keys, Jr. and had two children: Kathryn Louise (Kay) and Robert lll. Louise married William Charles Edwards and had one son, William Jr. (Bill).In 1922, when Louise was born, running water was added and the well, located on the back porch, was covered. The well hook remains. In the back yard, there were grape vines and a shallow fishpond built by William Bellamy and Charles Edwards. Mr. Bellamy maintained an extensive garden on the back property next to Harmon Park. Chickens and a cow were raised in the backyard when the children were little.The home was always open to friends and many lively dances and parties were hosted when the children were teenagers. There was a swing on the front porch where Kay, daughter of Kathryn, was courted by her future husband, Joe Pinnix, Jr. when she visited during the summers and holidays. Joe would walk down to the house after closing Pinnix Drug Store.
View of the Square looking East on Mountain St
Looking East on Mountain Street. You can see the old Esso station up ahead and the back side of the Oak Ridge Military Academy billboard that sat on the corner.
Kernersville Bank Building
Kernersville Bank Building - Built in 1902 for the Bank of Kernersville (Est. 1903). The Bank of Kernersville was one of the most stable banks in the area. In 1933, when banks all over the country were locking their doors, this bank continued business as usual until all banks were ordered closed. Then it reopened on the first day any banks were allwed to open. Many people from Greensboro did their banking here due to the lack of banking facilities in their area. The bank merged with Wachovia Bank in 1965. The first telephone office in Kernersville was operated on the second floor of this building. The Kernersville Chamber of Commerce was housed in this building until 1992.
View of South Main Street
A view of South Main Street in 1893. In this picture you can see the Bank Building in the foreground. In the next picture, we see South Main Street as it looks today, again the Bank Building is in the foreground.
P & N Store
105 N. Main Street. P& N Store - This building was built in 1925. Before the P & N store, W. J. Johnson operated a variety store in this building. In 1940, H.C. Porter & E. T. Nance purchased the building and operated the popular, P & N variety store. Today Richard Hedgecock owns the building and operates his framing studio in this location.
Charlie Snow's Diner
109 N. Main Street - Charlie Snow's Diner, now the site of Fitz on Main. Snow's Ice Cream and Sandwich Shoppe opened in downtown Kernersville in 1947. Charlie Snow ran the business for 37 years, serving up ice cream, good food, and conversation.But did you know that Snow's wasn't actually a building downtown? Turns out that the ice cream shop was originally an alley between the two brick buildings on either side! Charlie put a roof over the alley, added interior walls, seats, and counters, and opened his shop. Snow's was the place to meet. If you wanted to know where to find someone downtown in the morning, the first place you checked was Snow's. Most likely you'd find whoever you were looking for having a cup of coffee and solving the world's problems over breakfast. Today, Fitz's on Main occupies the same space and continues to keep the atmosphere that Charlie started 70 years ago.
Snow's Department Store
111 N. Main Street - Snow's Department Store, the building was built in 1925. Snow's Mercantile Company men's, women's, and children's shoes as well as handkerchiefs, thread, stationary, hoisery, belts, underwear, etc. The store operated from the 1940's - 1960's. Today the building houses a salon and boutique.
117 North Main Street
117 North Main Street - Built in 1940, this building once housed the Western Auto store in downtown Kernersville. In the second picture, you can see Western Auto behind a train in a 1948 4th of July Parade.
Dr. Justice Home
125 N. Main Street - Built in 1877 by J.C. Roberts, the home was known as 'The Justice House' once Dr. & Mrs. J.T. Justice purchased the home. The home eventualy caught fire and had to be torn down.
221 North Main Street
Built in 1950, this building was originally the home of Kernersville Furniture Store. Today, the building is home to Kernersville Brewing Company downstairs and Breathe Cocktail Lounge upstairs. Kernersville Brewing Company, KBC, is a 10 barrel brew house located in the heart of downtown Kernersville.
229 North Main Street
World War II veteran and former the 321st US Army Infantry (A.K.A. Wildcats) Grover Bodenhamer owned and operated a general store at this location. According to the 1920 census, Grover now worked for his father as a salesman at the grocery store. Grover married Ida Angel in 1923, and just over a month after their wedding, Grover purchased a lot of land from his father on Armfield Street. In 1924 he purchased yet another lot, adjoining the first lot on Armfield street. The 1930 census listed Grover as a salesman at the grocery store. In 1935, he purchased the property and the store on Main Street. According to the 1940 census, Grover is listed as the proprietor of the grocery store, where he worked 70 hours per week! From the picture we have of the grocery store, Grover offered gasoline, hot sandwiches, cold drinks, cigarettes, and ice cream! Grover owned the property on Main Street until 1981. Today, H&R Block occupies the building that once housed Grover Bodenhamer’s Grocery Store.
W.C. Stafford Store
235 North Main Street. The L. F. Davis & Son was a leading store in the Kernersville community when it was established in 1885. In 1905, W.C. Stafford and & L.E. Griffin purchased the stock and merchandise and opened the establishment as Stafford & Griffin until Mr. Griffin died in 1914. A fire gutted the original building in 1919, but was rebuilt within the same walls as the building that stands here at 238 North Main Street. The W.C. Stafford Store operated from 1914 until 1999. Many businesses have occupied this space throughout the years.
McCuiston House/ Musten & Crutchfield
McCuiston House - Tomas C. McCuiston was born on July 16, 1872, he was married to Carrie Atkins (born July 21, 1872). Together, they built this house in 1908 on North Main Street. The house was eventually torn down, but in it's day it was a unique and beautiful home. McCuiston's Hardware store stood just to the right of the house. Today the parking lot of Musten & Crutchfield is where the McCuiston home was located.
McCuiston Hardware Store
McCuiston Hardware Store. This store stood just to the right of the McCuiston House. Here, Tom McCuiston stands in front of his Hardware store circa 1915. He originally opened his business in 1896 repairing, servicing & selling bicycles. In 1903 he built this 2 story brick building and devoted his time to hardware. He called himself "Tom the Hardware Man". His specialty was the making of tobacco barn flues and during the rush season he was known to work around the clock in order to fulfill his customers needs.
Kernersville Depot
1873 Freight Depot - The Kernersville Historic Train Depot was built in 1873 and came with the arrival of the North Carolina railroad. A railroad line was constructed to connect Greensboro and Winston-Salem and eager to bring the train through Kernersville, citizens raised $10,000 to build a four mile section of track that brought the railroad straight through town. This event brought rapid change and growth to Kernersville, as the population grew rapidly once the train began coming through town. The train depot, which is still standing today, is the second oldest railroad building in Western North Carolina. Richard P. Kerner, of Kernersville, was the first freight and passenger agent, telegrapher and express agent.In 1986 the passenger depot was demolished. In order to save the original train depot, the structure had to be moved a safe distance back from the railroad tracks. In 1998 the Kernersville Downtown Preservation and Development Committee moved the depot to where it sits now on the corner of Bodenhamer Street. The Historic Train Depot is now under the Kernersville Museum Foundation, though it is still owned and maintained by the Town of Kernersville.
Kernersville Passenger Depot
Kernersville Passenger Depot - a passenger depot was construction on the opposite side of the tracks from the originally train depot. Once the passenger depot was built the old train depot was used mostly for storage. The last known passenger train that departed from Kernersville was in April of 1959. In 1986 the passenger depot was demolished.
Furniture Store
Located at 234 North Main Street and built in 1912 by D.W. Harmon, this building was originally a grocery store where Mr. Shep Nelson & Mr. Billy Winfree sold groceries, dry goods and notions. Later, the building was the site of Tom McCustion's furniture store. Today, it is the site of the Deli & Sandwhich Shop on Main.
210 North Main Street
Leak Tobacco Building
Originally Leak Tobacco Factory, built in 1884 by Brown, Sapp & Co. Later the building was converted to knitting mill by Mr. Leak. Eventually it was converted to a manufacturing plant for the Hooker Furniture Company.
Pic Fair Theatre/Justice Theatre
Pic Fair Theatre/Justice Theatre opened in 1934 under the name PicFair Theatre. The name came from two popular actors at that time, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. Later, the name changed to the Justice Theatre. A popular place for children and teens in Kernersville to hang out, the Justice Theatre remained open until the 1960s.
Main Street Baptist Church
126 North Main Street - Built in 1916, The Main Street Baptist Church (formerly First Baptist Church) was completed in 1915-1916 to house the congregation that had been organized in 1884. It is a two-story, cross-gabled brick building, executed in a blend of the Gothic and Tudor Revival styles, the only example of these styles in religious architecture in Kernersville. The building is intact and retains much of its original furnishings. In 1996, the building was restored to its original design.
116 North Main Street
116 North Main Street - Built in 1935, this was the first home of local grocery store, Musten & Crutchfield. Since then, other merchants have occupied the space.
Dobson's Tavern
103 E. Mountain Street - the sight of Dobson's Tavern, later sold to Joseph Kerner and known as Kerner's Crossroads. In 1771 William Dobson purchased the land at the crossroads and would soon build a tavern for travelers who were using the crossroads. Eventually Dobson would purchase another 1133 acres. In 1791, George Washington stopped at Dobson's Tavern and have breakfast on his way from Salem to the Revolutionary War Battleground in Guilford. Washington was on his Southern Tour. The tavern and land would eventually change hands and in 1817 Joseph Kerner purchased the land and inn. The inn was now known as Kerner's Crossroads. The town grew around the crossroads, and in 1871 the Town of Kernersville was incorporated.
View of North Main Street
A view of North Main Street from 1909, and then a view of North Main Street today
Pinnix Drug Store Building
Located at 101 South Main St. This 2-story brick family drugstore was established "on the square" in 1904 by J. M. Pinnix. Three generations of the Pinnix family had run it by the time it closed in 1986 as the oldest drug store in North Carolina under the same ownership in the same location. This same family also gave 58 years of continuous service to the town of Kernersville.The store was a favorite gathering place for checkers and tall tales around the wood burning stove as well as sodas on high stools in front of the marble top counter. This building replaced the original one on the original site about 1925, with 3 different expansions before 1986 when it was renovated for office use by John Wolfe, III. The exterior was altered by the replacement of all sash windows and new partitions were made in the interior. However, the form, position of the bays and the molded cornice remain intact.
Corder's Clothing Store
104 South Main Street - Mr. John King built this brick structure in 1879. In 1882 Jim King, John's brother purchased the building and opened a general store. Later, Fulp & Linville purchased the property and ran a general store in the space. By the 1970's, Corder's Clothing Store operated out of the space. Today, businesses are still ran out of the this space.
D. W. Harmon Office Building
152 South Main Street - D. W. Harmon built this small building for his office in 1927. Harmon was busy man, serving on the Town Board of Commissioners, and the local school board. He was appointed to the Board of Highway Commissioners in 1912. Harmon donated the land for Harmon Park to the Town of Kernersville upon his death in 1948. The office building served as the town's library before a new building was built in the 1960's. The building has been used as the License Bureau and Town Hall in the past. Today, The Kernersville Little Theater is headquartered in the building.
Harmon House
149 Sout Main Street, built in 1860 by Julius Harmon, grandson of town founder, Joseph Kerner. Julius Harmon's children, D.W. Harmon and Tilly Harmon would live in the house throughout their lives. The house was remolded by DeWitt (D.W.) in the 1920s to resemble the popular Colonial Revival style. After D.W.'s death in 1948, it served as a private home, an antique shop, an interior decorating office, as well as other businesses.
215 South Main Street
215 South Main Street - Current site of Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden. Orginially, the Elias Kerner Huff House, built around 1880, sat in this spot. A picturesque Victorian cottage, the exterior includes the hipped roof and tower with round windows and a porch with spindlework, cyma curves and swanwork. Mr. Huff built the house himself and it has been in the family since. In 2002, the house was moved by Paige Cook Truelove, the great-great granddaughter of Elias Kerner Huff. The home now sits at 113 Pineview Drive.Today, this is the site of Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden. Paul Ciener loved horticulture. He toured great gardens around the world, studying the plants and garden styles he encountered. All the while, he dreamed big. His dream was to create a great garden in the heart of the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina. It would be a gift back to the region that had given so much to him. Paul Ciener loved horticulture. He toured great gardens around the world, studying the plants and garden styles he encountered. All the while, he dreamed big. His dream was to create a great garden in the heart of the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina. It would be a gift back to the region that had given so much to him. Today, the site is a place of education, beauty and enjoyment for area residents and visitors from all parts of the country.
Rephelius Byron Kerner House
225 South Main Street - Circa 1870, this is a typical two-story common brick Italianate style house. It is typical of tthe Kerner houses built in the last quarter of the 19th century. This "L" shaped house follows a center hall plan with a large room at each side of the entry hall. A one-story rear ell houses the kitchen and bath facilities. Rephelius Byron Kerner was the fourth generation of Joseph Kerner. The house was once owned by Elizabeth Hedgecock Sparks, whose pen name was Beth Tartan, a famous cooking author and food editor for the Winston-Salem Journal. The house is currently owned by the Ciener Botanical Garden, located next door.
Henry Clay Korner House
303 South Main Street - Built 1892 by Henry Clay Korner for his mother, Aunt Salie, second wife and widow of Philip Korner. The house is "L" shaped with a center hall plan. There are two unequal rooms on each side of the hall and a rear ell which contains the kitchen. The southern front room features a three-part bay projection and a late victorian mantel with mirrowred over-mantel. Behind this room is a smaller room also with the same mantel arrangement. The wainscot in the house consists of tooled leater. However, like the Caesar Milch painted mural in the covered ceiling, they have been painted over. Henry Clay Korner was the third generation of Joseph Kerner. The house was restored in 1986 by Mary Ruth Korner, the wife of the late Phillip Korner, Jr., fifth generation of Joseph Kerner. Their daughter, Mary Lynn Korner Hutchins and husband Steve currently live in the house.
Main Street United Methodist Church
306 South Main Street - Circa 1922, the original church was built in 1837 on land donated by John Fredrick Kerner, son of Joseph Kerner. In 1837, the building was sold to St. Paul United Methodist Church and moved. A second building was built in 1874-75 and used by the congregation until the early 1920's. This Neoclassical-styled sanctuary was built around 1922. The two-story brick building has a front gabled roof which extends to create a pediment portico supported by four large Ionic columns. The new sanctuary and support building was completed in 1995. The graveyard behind the church includes graves that date back to the 1850's.
Bodenhamer's Store
Bodenhamer's Store / Quality Gas Station - Built in 1913. This two story commerical structure in the "V" of Salisbury & S. Main Street Streets was built by Joseph J. Korner. The store retains much of its original detailing in spite of its previous renovation as offices.Orginally, this was a general store opened by E.Y. (Yancy) Marshall and his wife, Iocelia, who lived over the store. Later it became a Shell service station. Harvey Bodenhamer restored it as a general store in the early 1930s and continued to run it until the 1970s. To preserve the building, it was reopened in 1975 as "The General Store," and later converted into offices.
Nathaniel M. Kerner House
312 S. Main Street - Built in 1857, this two-story Greek Revival style home has bracketed cornices and is built of common bond brick. The main block and rear ell are sheltered under the gabled roof. Rooms have been added to the rear and south side, but the main block retains its Greek Revival mantels, surrounds and flat paneled wainscot.The house was built by John Fredrick Kerner as a wedding gift for his son, Nathaniel , and his bride, Martha Stockton. Nathaniel and his brother ran the leather tanyard nearby and, after his death in 1880, his son, Carl, and wife, Berenice, lived here until their deaths. In 1970, it was purchased and renovated by John Wolfe III, 6th generation of Joseph Kerner, and later by his son, Cary Korner Wolfe. Only four families have lived in the house--all Korner/Kerners.
Kerner-Greenfield Tobacco Factory
402 South Main Street - Circa 1884, this is the oldest remaining tobacco factory building in Forsyth County. In the 1800's tobacco was the principal manufacturing industry in Kernersville, with its prime product being plug tobacco. Built by Theodore E. Kerner and his brother-in-law, J.M. Greenfield, this three-story common bond brick building has a flat roof stepped back from the front to the back with a mousetooth band as a cornice. The front facade consists of three segmental arched bays. The bays are defined by pilasters and a corbeled banc between the second and third floor. The creates a paneled effect on the building. After being forced out of business by the competition of R.J. Reynolds Co., this structure was used as a knitting mill, a factory for the manufacture of hosiery knitting machines, and, in 1986, was converted into three luxury condominiums.
Körner's Folly
413 South Main Street - Körner's Folly, Construction began in 1878 and was complete in 1880. Built by artist and interior decorator, Jule Gilmer Körner, it contains 22 rooms on 7 levels (which equal about 3 and 1/2 floors) with 15 fireplaces. On the top level is found the first private LIttle Theater in America - "Cupid's Park" - named for the hand painted mural of cupids on the walls. As the house was being built, the oddness of its appearance excited curious comment which caused it to e dubbed the "Folly" - a name it has borne ever since. The house was used a showcase to display Jule Körner's uniqe decorating talents. As originally built, it served as a stdio and living quarters for the young bachelor with his stables and hay lofts on the right side of the house and an open carriageway going through the center of the edifice. After his marriage in 1886 to Polly Alice Masten of Friedland, the house went through a major renovation. The bachelor quarters were changed to living quarters, the stables were moved out of the house, and the carriageway was converted into a vestibule and dining room. A breakfast room and kitchen were later added to the rear of the house. The house took on an elegant air with silk damask panels, hand laid tile, and magnificent hand painted murals and frescoes done by a German artist, Ceasar Milch.Jule Körner, third generation of Joseph Kerner, was known for his eccentricity, as can be seen by all who visit this unusal house. He is well known as the originator of the Bull Durham Tobacco outdoor advertising signs, and his decorating talents, through his Reuben Rink Decorating Co., adorn many homes and churches in the Southeast. The preservation of this house is in the hands of the local Körner's Folly Foundation. It is regularly open for tours Wed-Sat. 10-4 and Sun 1-4. For more information, visit www.kornersfolly.org.
Dr. Elias Kerner House
414 South Main Street - Built 1857, this is a two-story common bond brick house, five bays wide, with a three-bay , two tiered, gabled portico and exterior end chimneys. There is a two-story frame addition and an one-story shed rear addition, with a gallery connecting the house and the garage. The bricks in the house were made in a kiln located in a nearby hollow while timber on the property provided the needed work. The house was built in 1857 by Dr. Elias Kerner, son of John Fredrick Kerner and their generation of Joseph Kerner. Dr. Kerner was the first full-time doctor in Kernersville and had his office in a seperate building in the side yar. Six generations of Kerners have lived in this house.
Edward Gibson House
419 South Main Street, Circa 1837-1841. This house has seen seven major alterations, yet it still retains most of its decorative gable ends and the cedar shingling on the second floor structure. The gable ends have the original stained-glass windows. The main structure is handmade brick that was made on the property. The brick walls are solid, having no wooden studs. Many of the old features of the house are still exposed, which include 10' ceilings and, in one room, the old hand-planed ceilings baords.
Adelaide (Addie) Kerner Adkins House
418 South Main Street - Circa 1891, this two-story frame gabled dwelling with a "triple-A roof" has decorative shingling in the gable ends. There is a one story rear ell and a single-stepped chimney on the north end of the house. The entry is a center bay of the three-bay facade and is flanked by colonial side lights. Adelaide (Addie) was one of the two daughters of Dr. Elias Kerner, who lived in the house next door, and was the fourth generation of Joseph Kerner. "Cousin" Addie was married to James P. Atkins and lived to be nearly 100 years old.
Kernersville Moravian Church
504 South Main Street - Built in 1867. In 1867, John Fredrick Kerner, eldest child of Joseph Kerner, deeded almost two acres of land for a church & graveyard for the Moravian Church. John Fredrick and his two sons, Nathaniel & Elias, oversaw the construction of the original 34' x 50' building. The brick for the original building was handmade from clay from the Kerner property, and the cornerstone was laid on May 1, 1867.The church has seen several major modifications through the years, including the addition of the steeple & belfry in 1888, redecoration of the interior in 1892 by Jule & Henry Korner, a stained glass addition in 1917, as well as many other additions and renovations that you see today.
J.W. Meredith House
511 South Main Street - Circa 1900, this one story Greek Revival cottage was rebuilt after a fire destroyed the house in 1893. As the fire started in the top of the house, neighbors removed most of the furniture and handmade mantels from the walls. The mantels were then placed in the present cottage when it was rebuilt. The hipped roof, frame dwelling has a full facade porch with Victorian turned posts, lacy swan brackets and a gabled entry. The interior is a center-hall plan, two room deep, with interior chimneys. The ceilings are 12' high and the doors are 8' high. In 1940's the back porch was enclosed to create additonal rooms.
Theodore Kerner House
620 South Main Street - Built in 1877, this house is considered a typical architectonic "Kerner" house. It is a two-story, "L" shaped, handmade brick house with 14-inch thick walls. It has bays that are arched with a decorative brick drip molds of soldier courses and has round arched bentilators in each gable end. The chimneys are in the interior of the house. The porch shelters a centeral entry with side lights and arched transom.The house was built by Theodore E. Kerner on land given by his father, Isreal. In recent year, it was extensivley renovated by Susan E. Kerner, 7th generation descendant of Joseph Kerner. Five generations of Kerners have lived in the house.
Gentry-Greenfield House
707 South Main Street - Circa 1861, this two story frame dwelling was originally built around 1861 for John W. Gentry, a local merchant, and his wife, Parmelia Kerner Gentry, daughter of John Fredrick Kerner. In 1881, the house was purchased by John M. Greenfield who extensively altered it in the Colonial Revival style. It has a low pitched gabled roof, exterior chimeny on the north end and a one-story rear ell. The two-tiered gabled porch has now been returned to its original design in the renovation by Sallie Greenfield, granddaughter of John M. Greenfield. The house was moved in 1987 from its original site next to the Theodore E. Kerner house.
Francis Marion Stafford House
711 South Main Street - Circia 1840, originally a two-story cabin, in 1856 Francis Stafford added the living room and a bedroom above it. In 1905 William Cornelius Stafford, the son of Francis, purchased the house and property from his father's estate. In 1920, other alterations were made which included turning the front stairs around. The floors, beaded ceilings and most of the exposed paneling, including a number of the interior and exterior log walls, are original. The restoration, which included moving the house from 635 South Main Street, was done in 1987-88 by Sallie Greenfield, the great-granddaughter of Francis Marion Stafford.
St. Paul's Cemetery, historic African American.
Located behind the Stafford House - This is a pre-Civil War black graveyard belonging to St. Paul Unted Methodist Church. Slaves from this area are buried here along with other members of the black community. It continues to serve as a burial ground for St. Paul's membership. Restoration efforts under the leadership of Sarah Friende Hamlin took place from 1990-2000.
