County Plaza

On the first floor of the Forsyth County Building, head to the left where there are small historical exhibits. There is a timeline of Forsyth County history beginning on the left-hand side of the wall. It then enters into the wood-floored area of the exhibit. 

In the middle is a photo of Winston-Salem in 1956. They will see most of these buildings on the field trip. Number 3 is the Forsyth County Building.

For Students:

• Use the photo display of Winston-Salem in 1956

  • What areas do you recognize?

  • What areas look different?

  • Can you find all the buildings?
    
    

• Have students walk the timeline of Forsyth County and look at the images

  • What do they recognize?

  • Find the image of the women working in the RJR factories and talk about the role they played.

  • Have them determine the most important moments in Winston-Salem history from the timeline.

George Black was the son of a former slave who moved to Winston in 1889. He and his older brother walked 50 miles from their home in Liberty because they heard they could make $1.50 per day working together as brickmakers. 

They learned how to make bricks by hand at the brickyard. Black became known for the high-quality bricks he produced. Reader’s Digest (a famous magazine) called him “The last brickmaker in America”. 

He eventually started his own brickyard on Dellabrook Rd. in Winston-Salem. He earned 25 cents a brick in the 1920s. His bricks were used in Old Salem, Colonial Williamsburg, RJR’s tobacco buildings, homes in Buena Vista neighborhood and many more buildings around Forsyth County. In 1971, U.S. President Richard Nixon invited Black to the White House.

At the age of 92, Black worked with the U.S. Agency for International Development to travel to the country of Guyana to teach people there how to make bricks by hand.

He passed away in 1980 at the age of 101.

Notes for Students:

• Have students note the bricks he’s holding

• What is the difference between a hand-made brick and a machine-made brick? 

• Have students feel the bricks on the wall behind him. The lighter shade of bricks were made by Black.

• How are they different from the other bricks in the wall?

• Black’s home is located at 111 Dellabrook Road and is a historic site. A historical marker was placed in 2007.

Once you enter the courthouse and go through security, turn left and go up the stairs to the third floor. Enter Courtroom 302 and have students sit in the chairs. 

The new courthouse was opened on Oct. 12, 2023. It has six floors with 18 courtrooms. This is the fifth courthouse the county has had since 1849.  

Every citizen over 18 can be called for jury duty and reports to this building. The courthouse handles civil and criminal cases. You may see members of the public walking around the courthouse with a tag that says, ‘Juror’. This is a civic responsibility and requirement for being a citizen.

Civil Court: This is where people go to settle disputes between them, like disagreements over money, property, or contracts. No one goes to jail in civil court; instead, the court decides who is right and what should be done to fix the problem.

Criminal Court: This is where cases go when someone is accused of breaking the law. In criminal court, the government accuses a person of a crime, like stealing or hurting someone. If the person is found guilty, they might have to pay a fine or go to jail.