1538 Waughtown Street, Waughtown Baptist Church, 1919, 1958
One of Forsyth County’s oldest congregations, the church was organized in 1878 from the disbanded c. 1820 Waughtown Union Church and Sunday School. The congregation met informally in either local homes or one of John P. Nissen’s warehouses for a decade before it was legally incorporated in 1891 with W. L. Sink. W. L. Cook, C. A. Clodfelter, and W. W. Phillips as officers. The first structure was built in 1896 near the streetcar line, but membership grew rapidly during the 1910s, resulting in construction of a new building. The Chapel was completed by 1920 on this prominent site across from the Nissen Wagon Works. (The lot was donated by E. L. and Ida Vogler.) It was renovated by Frank L. Blum Construction in 1977. One of Winton-Salem’s finest Neoclassical Revival structures of that period, the two-story brick structure is fronted by a monumental tetrastyle portico with robust stuccoed Ionic columns and matching pilasters. Topped by a central dome, it features pedimented wings; round-head arch windows with spring stones and keystones; an entry pediment with a garland in the frieze; oculi in the upper dome base; and cast-stone sills, lintels, and water table. A second sanctuary is attached to the Chapel via a hyphen near the rear. This larger sanctuary (1958) is a two-story brick Colonial Revival style design with arcaded portico; pilasters; a broken pediment at entry; and a pointed steeple with arcaded base. It was designed by the architectural firm of Lashmit, James, Brown, and Pollock. The 1949 three-story rear classroom addition was designed by local architect Hall Crews. Neoclassical Revival style (1895- 1955) – The facade is dominated by a full-height portico whose roof is supported by classical columns, usually with either Ionic or Corinthian capitals. Symmetrically balanced windows with a center entrance. This term is usually reserved for monumental structures.
1539 Waughtown Street, Nissen Wagon Works, c. 1919 (demolished)
The Nissen company was begun in 1834 by John Philip Nissen (grandson of Denmark native Tycho Nissen who apprenticed with Bethania wagon maker Philip Transou in 1771), gradually becoming nationally known for its superior wagons and playing an important economic role in the development of Waughtown. By the mid-1870s, the industrial complex was spread over a 600 acre tract on the north side of Waughtown Street, employing about one hundred men. In 1876, two years after the death of John P. Nissen, his sons George Elias and William M. were producing 427 wagons a year at an average price of $120, realizing a profit of about $13,000. By 1917, the plant was listed as George E. Nissen and Company Wagon Manufacturers, now conveniently located just south of a rail spur. The company was sold to longtime employee F. B. Reamy in 1925, continuing to produce wagons until 1948. It was then leased by Western Electric into the 1960s. Sportswear manufacturer Salem Company, Inc. bought the property in 1968, constructing the 1978 concrete-framed Modernist building to the left that now serves as the Winston-Salem Police Department District 2 Office Complex. Unfortunately, the roof of the main remaining building collapsed under a heavy snowfall in December 2018. Much of the structure was still intact, but the building was ordered demolished. What remains sits vacant, a target for graffiti. At the time of the Waughtown-Belview NR nomination (2004), the brick one-story structure was still standing and featured a low-pitch gable roof; a stepped parapet with corbelled corners; bricked up windows with segmental arch heads; and exposed beams.This building had been built after a 1919 fire destroyed the original wagon works building and had survived almost a century. Its place in the history of Forsyth County was significant.Smokestack, c.1880A brick, polygonal smokestack with a decorative, star-shaped mouth. It appears on 1895, 1907, and 1917 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, pre-dating the 1919 fire. As such, it holds great historic significance for Forsyth County.
1630 Waughtown Street, House, c.1825
This two-story side-gabled house of timber frame construction (with end chimney) is the oldest house on this tour. In 2004, it had rolled asphalt siding, but is now clad in vinyl siding; and what were the original six-over-six double hung windows are now replacement windows. The stone foundation, front steps, and rear ell with engaged porch are some of the only original details remaining. The structure’s early ownership is complex, but eventually the house was occupied by Nathaniel and Nancy Vawter Crowder, who were charter members of Waughtown Baptist Church. Around 1920, barber, house painter, and minister Robert R. Crowder, along with his wife Alda and children, rented his parent’s former home which was by then owned by grocery store proprietors Colonel E. and Lillian Jones Stewart. The house has continued as a rental most of its history. 1920 CD: B. R. Crowder, employed at Stewart and Fisher; 1930 CD: Reverend R. R. Crowder (W); 1940 CD: Roy F. Gordon (W), occupant; 1950 CD: Thomas and Fannie Austin (W), a mechanic at R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Asbestos siding was used extensively in buildings and homes from the 1930s until the 1970s, when its use was banned. It was used originally because of the fire resistant properties of asbestos. Because asbestos is a mineral and fibrous, adding asbestos to siding materials also increased strength and durability, while providing some insulation and fireproofing to the structure. If asbestos shingles are on your home and are in good condition and left undisturbed, they are usually NOT a serious problem. Get a professional opinion.
1704 Waughtown Street, House, c.1890
A one-and-a-half story tri-gable house with pressed tin shingles; vinyl siding; replacement windows, and six-over-six double-hung sash. In 2004, it had a hipped-roof porch with plain posts. 1902 CD: William Sapp (W), a laborer; 1910 CD: R. B. Crowder (W); 1920 CD: C. R. Hines (W); 1930 CD: Hezekiah K. and Neely Ashby (W), an electrician at P. H. Hanes Knitting; 1940 CD: Mrs. Aida B. Crowder (W), occupant; 1950 CD: Alonzo Hester (W), owner-occupant.
1708 Waughtown Street, House, c.1905
A two-story side-gabled I-house with two-over-two double-hung sash; asbestos shingle siding; pressed tin shingles; decorative shingles in the gable end; and a small entry porch with turned posts. 1902 CD: not listed; 1910 CD: (2842) Charles and Mary Mebane (W), a carpenter; 1920 CD: same; 1930 CD: Mrs. Mary Charles (W), a widow; 1940 CD: same, owner-occupant; same. I-House – A 1 ½ or 2-story side-gabled form (two rooms wide and one room deep) that may have a one-story rear ell. The two rooms usually have an entrance hall between them containing a central stairway. Possibly evolved from a traditional British folk form.
1718 Waughtown Street, House, c.1935
An unusual one-and-a-half-story side-gabled Cape Cod-style within this district. Six over-six double-hung sash; vinyl siding; gabled entry porch with barrel vault; gabled dormers; and a side porch. 1930 CD: not listed; 1940 CD: Conrad and Margaret Willard (W), owner-occupant, a meter-reader with City Department of Public Works; 1950 CD: same.
1737 Waughtown Street, House, c.1915
A two-story gable-ell house with Queen Anne influences that include a polygonal bay with pediment; two-over-two double-hung sash; a wraparound porch; and turned posts. In 2004, it had decorative shingles and a diamond attic vent in the front gable, but they have since been covered. 1902 CD: not listed; 1910 CD: not listed; 1920 CD: T. L. Crowder (W); 1930 CD: same; 1940 CD: Tipton L. Crowder (W), owner-occupant; 1950 CD: Charles Elliot (W), owner-occupant. Gable-Ell style – The gable-ell was a generic house form found in abundance between the 1890s and the late 1910s, at which point it was replaced in popularity by the bungalow. The form was so simple that any carpenter could build one without having to obtain architectural plans. A gable-ell has two intersecting roof gables, which gives it an “L” shape.Queen Anne style (1880-1910) – Includes a steeply pitched roof of irregular shape, usually with a dominant front-facing gable; patterned shingles; cutaway bay windows and other devices used to avoid a smooth-walled appearance (variety of claddings); and an asymmetrical facade with partial or full-width porch, usually one-story and wrapping around one side. Possible towers and/or turrets.
Waughtown Cemetery, c.1816
Illustrating the stability of the Waughtown settlement by the late nineteenth century was the fact that many notable families chose to be buried in the community cemetery rather than in other Winston or Salem cemeteries, including plots for the Nissen, Vogler, Clodfelter, Spach, Leight, Phillips, Linville and Sink families. One of the most notable gravesites is that of the Nissen family, which features an ornate wrought iron fence that, along with the hilltop location of the family grave site, indicates the wealth of this family and its prominence in a growing community. The design of the cemetery is a grid layout, situated on a slight rise. There are a few examples of Victorian-era iron fences. It once included numerous cedar trees, which helped mark enslaved graves, but they were recently removed. The oldest section of Waughtown Cemetery (southwest corner) includes several slave burials. Some of the enslaved individuals buried here are Betsy Ann (died 1859), the mother of Dr. James Francis Shober, the first African American physician with a medical degree to practice in North Carolina; Susannah (1775- 1858); and Mary Sophia who died in 1861 while a candidate for confirmation at the African Moravian Church in Salem. In addition to the slave burials in Waughtown Cemetery, tradition indicates that the cemetery located to the rear of 1027 Sprague Street is an African American cemetery as well. That site also includes cedar trees and unmarked graves. (Dr. Shober’s father was white UNC law school graduate, Francis Edwin Shober of Salem.) African Americans were a significant part of the Waughtown community from at least the mid-nineteenth century. (See the online Belview historic district tour.) Just as a significant portion of the founding white families in Waughtown were of Moravian origin with ties to Salem and the Friedland community, the same was true of early black families. Many of these early families in Waughtown and Belview had familial connections with Happy Hill, the plantation where many Salem African Americans were enslaved and later came to own property. The first black school in the area was opened near Happy Hill (northwest of Waughtown) in 1867 as a joint effort between African American residents in Happy Hill and Waughtown.
1826 Waughtown Street, House, c.1925
A one-story side-gabled brick Craftsman Bungalow with a front gable and front gable projection. It has a wraparound porch with contemporary square posts featuring "T" capitals on brick piers. 1920 CD: not listed; 1930 CD: E. 0. Charles (W); 1940 CD: Mrs. Julia Charles (W), owner-occupant, a widow, and a boarder; 1950 CD: Charles Fred (W), owner-occupant, a skating rink operator. Bungalow (early 20th century) – a small one-story or 1 ½ story house, usually having a low profile and of frame construction. Relatively low in cost and often built to plans taken from a pattern book or bought as a kit house. Craftsman style (1905-1930) – a low-pitched gable roof (sometimes hipped) with wide, unenclosed eave overhang; roof rafters that are often exposed with decorative (false) beams or braces added under the gables; porch roof often supported by square columns on piers or full height (ground to porch roof) columns of different materials; columns often battered (tapered); often has cottage windows; dormers common (gabled or shed) and also often with exposed rafters or braces. The dominant small house style from about 1905 through the 1920s. The Craftsman style was popularized by the Greene Brothers in southern California (1893-1914) who may be best known for the Gamble House. Many patterns and kits were available.
1912 Waughtown Street, First Reformed Church, c.1927
The congregation began as the First Reformed Church about 1904, then in 1908, High Point pastor David Bowers facilitated the congregation’s official creation. They initially met outside or in homes, but bought this lot soon after officially incorporating. The original building was a one-story board-and-batten sheathed frame structure, although the congregation was already raising funds for a brick building. The first brick building was begun in 1909 and finished in 1910, although that structure was demolished in 1925 for a larger sanctuary designed by ecclesiastical architects Charles Bolton and Son of Philadelphia, completed in 1927. Local architect Fred Butner Jr. (who had worked for architectural firm Macklin and Stinson) designed the 1964 education building. The congregation is now known as the First United Church of Christ. A brick 2 ½ story Romanesque Revival church with a cross-gable roof and corner towers that are topped by crenellated parapets (one tall, one short). The main entrance features a steeply pitched front gable with a centered circular window and entry arcade. Several windows have round-head arches, some with a double arch and small rosette pattern. The interior features hammer beam exposed trusses and heavy timber brackets with intricate stained glass, and original pendant cluster light fixtures. 1910 CD: not listed; 1920 CD: First Reformed Church; 1930 CD: same; 1940 CD: same; 1950 CD: First Evangelical and Reformed Church. Education Building c. 1965.Romanesque Revival style – Originally an architectural style that emerged in Western Europe in the early 10th century, it remained popular until about the middle of the 12th century when it was replaced by Gothic architecture. It was based on Roman and Byzantine elements such as round arches, barrel vaults, and thick masonry walls. The Revival style (mid-1800s-1900) featured heavy masonry walls; a variety of arched openings; a steeply pitched hip roof; and towers or projecting bays. (This structure also includes elements of Victorian Romanesque style (1870-1900) which features tile in patterns such as bands or checkerboards and a brick facade.) Favored for civic buildings.
2014 Waughtown Street, Triangle Body Works, c.1927
The two-story structure is front-gabled, but with an arch-shaped parapet. It has a standing seam metal roof; gabled dormers; vinyl siding; narrow windows; a six-panel door, and a central garage door. The west end includes a metal Butler building addition. Appears on 1928 Sanborn map (wooden sections on north end only). 1926 CD: not listed; 1928 CD: Triangle Body Works, T.V. Linville, S. A. Wear, and J. L. Swaim, proprietors; 1930 CD: Triangle Body Works, T.V. Linville and S. A. Wear, proprietors; 1940 CD: same; 1950 CD: Triangle Body Works, Samuel Weir, proprietor, manufacturer of truck bodies.
2011 Waughtown Street, Smith House, c.1900
A two-story tri-gable house with Queen Anne influences. It includes a partially enclosed wraparound porch; six-over-six double-hung sash; turned posts and sawn brackets; paired brackets at the eaves, and vinyl siding. The original double-leaf doors and sidelights still graced the house on our May 2021 tour, they have since been replaced - what a loss. It is thought that this house was built by the MIlton Smith family, who resided here for much of the early twentieth century. (Sarah Smith was the daughter of William Spach, founder of Spach Wagon Works). The house was later used as the Waughtown Baptist Church Parsonage. 1902 CD: (3009) Milton and Sarah Smith (W), Smith and Phillips General Merchandise and M.D. Smith and Son (Waughtown Dairy Co.); 1910 CD: (3009) M.D. Smith (W), livery; 1920 CD: (3009) T. V. Linville (W), a soldier; 1930 CD: James and Katherine Reddick (W), credit manager at Brown Supply Co.; 1940 CD: same; 1950 CD: Reverend Avery Church (W), owner-occupant. ➤ Butler Street, to the left just a bit further up Waughtown Street, connects through to Reynolds Park Road. The street was named for William T. Butler, who was born a slave, but died a wealthy landowner. William originally worked as a wagonmaker, possibly at the Spach Wagon Works. By 1886, he was the largest black landowner between Salem and Waughtown, owning 37 acres of prime real estate along the Old Plank Road (Waughtown Street). According to his will, this land had formerly been owned by the Waughs and the Nissens. A mulatto, he figured prominently in the early history of Waughtown as did his descendants who numbered countless teachers and one of the first black dentists in the county. In the era immediately after the Civil War, Waughtown was a hub of influential blacks. (Source: Spencer McCall)
1903 Waughtown Street, House, c.1900
A one-story side-gabled three-bay single-pile structure clad in weatherboard with six-over-six double-hung sash. It has a small, enclosed shed-roof porch and a pressed tin shingle roof. This house provides a rare opportunity to view an early building mostly in its original state. 1902 CD: Augustus Cook (W), employed at C. F. Nissen Wagon Works; 1910 CD: not listed; 1920 CD: Mrs. Georgie Cline (W), widow; 1930 CD: Thurman C. Cook (W); 1940 CD: same, occupant; 1950 CD: Blake Henry (W), occupant.
1837 Waughtown Street, House, c.1925
A one-story front-gabled Craftsman Bungalow with a front gable projection. The wraparound porch has battered columns on brick piers; eight-over-one Craftsman style windows; and stucco cladding. 1920 CD: not listed; 1930 CD: G. E. Snider (W); 1940 CD: Ernest Snider (W), owner-occupant; 1950 CD: same, superintendent at Piedmont Quarries (mentioned in the history section).
1803 Waughtown Street, House, c.1945
A one-story front-gabled Minimal Traditional with German siding; three-over-one windows; and a gabled porch with plain posts. 1940 CD: not listed; 1950 CD: Herbert Pegram (W), owner occupant, a driver for Pilot Freight Carrier. Minimal Traditional style (1935-1955) – A small one-story house that usually includes a gabled roof with little to no eave overhang and double-hung windows. Designed with minimal architectural details, this house form was the foundation for rapid home construction across the country pre-WWII through the post-war years. Its lower cost and quick turnaround helped fuel a boom in home ownership. As a bonus, elements from other styles could be added for variety.German Siding – A type of horizontal wall cladding in which each board has a concave upper edge that fits into the corresponding groove in the lower edge of the board above. It presents a flat surface. (Also called Dutch lap.) Go back past Waughtown Baptist Church and continue west.
1510 Waughtown Street, Clodfelter House, c.1840
A 1 ½ story side-gabled three-bay structure that was clad in asbestos shingle siding in 2004, but is now covered in vinyl siding. It features a shallow shed-roof porch (not original); some wrought-iron shutter hinges; end chimneys; and a stone pier foundation with brick infill. A 1980 survey file indicates the dwelling is of log construction, and is the second oldest structure on this tour. The building was recorded in 1848 as a 1 ½ story log house owned by Hamilton and Mary Long. After a series of owners, the house was sold in 1877 to John Lewis Clodfelter, a blacksmith who worked at the George E. Nissen & Company Wagon Works. (56 years.) His wife, Nancy, was the granddaughter of William Spach, founder of Spach Wagon Works. (A native of Waughtown stated during the 1980 architectural survey that the house was built by the Waughs.) 1902 CD: (2612) John and Nancy Clodfelter (W), a foreman at George E. Nissen and Co.; 1910 CD: same; 1920 CD: same; 1930 CD: same; 1940 CD: Mrs. Nancy J. Clodfelter (W), owner-occupant, a widow; 1950 CD: Mrs. Alice Yorke (W), owner-occupant.
1501-1505 Waughtown Street, Commercial Building, c. 1930
A brick one-story structure with a shed roof and stepped parapet on either side. It includes three storefronts that originally all had recessed entries with brick sign panels above. The grand opening of this building featured punch and cookies and a brass band. (First United Church of Christ history) 1920 CD: not listed; 1930 CD: Waughtown Cafe (F. M. Markland, prop.) (1501), C. L. Stewart & Sons Grocery (1503), G. H. Faust Barber Shop (1505); 1940 CD: same (1501), same (1503), vacant (1505); 1950 CD: Roy Wooten Restaurant (1501), Red Front Grocery (1503), Lynn Beauty Shop (1505).
1419 Waughtown Street, Church of the Living God, c. 1946
A one-story front-gabled stone Gothic Revival/ Rustic Revival building with basement and front gable entry pavilion. It features Gothic arch windows trimmed in rusticated brick and beaded joints in the stone facade. The church first appears in the 1947/1948 City Directory as Church of the Living God. 1940 CD: not listed; 1950 CD: Church of the Living God. Today it houses the Community Mosque of Winston-Salem.
1402 Waughtown Street, Ernest Nissen House, c.1905
A two-story side-gabled Queen Anne/Colonial Revival with a one-story hipped-roof addition on the east end. It still featured the original pressed tin shingle roof in 2004 (which has since been replaced) with hipped-roof dormers. The upper level porch is supported by slim Tuscan columns with a turned balustrade, and includes a center projecting bay with decorative shingles, diamond vent, and gable roof. There are also decorative shingles in the gable ends. The main entrance is flanked by polygonal bays and covered by a hipped-roof one-story main porch supported by groups of Tuscan columns on brick piers with a turned balustrade. Some windows appear to be original, some replacement, and the cladding is now aluminum siding. Local tradition holds that C. Frank Nissen built this house for his son W. Ernest Nissen. 1902 CD: (2500?) C. F. (Frank) Nissen, a wagon manufacturer; 1910 CD: (2502) Ned Shore (W); 1920 CD: (2502) W. Frank and Eva Sink (W), a bookkeeper at R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company; 1930 CD: same; 1940 CD: same, owner-occupant; 1950 CD: same.
