![]() ![]() “We warmly welcome groups of all sizes and interests to create unforgettable experiences in our vibrant, walkable city.” “It’s no wonder Winston-Salem was voted as one of Forbes’ Top 10 Best Downtowns,” stated Kay Calzolari, CTIS, group tour and services manager for Visit Winston-Salem. Evolved from its traditional Moravian, tobacco, and textile roots, Winston-Salem is a thriving city gaining popularity as a destination that boasts a rich history and impressive culinary scene reflective of its Southern heritage. The chair has hosted a number of famous visitors, including vice-presidential hopeful Lyndon Baines Johnson during his 1960 whistle-stop campaign.Īt the time the article was written, Mandy Foss was the librarian at the North Carolina Museum of History.North Carolina’s city of arts and innovation, Winston-Salem is a feast for the thinking traveler (and your group tour attendee). The current eighteen-foot-high chair sits on a twelve-foot base and is patterned after the work of Duncan Phyfe, a famous American furniture maker of the 1700s. Construction of a more durable steel-and-concrete replacement began in 1951. Giant Duncan Phyfe Chair, Thomasvilleīuilt in 1922 by the Thomasville Chair Company to call attention to the town’s main industry, the original wooden version of the famous chair began to decay during the 1930s. Today it remains a source of civic pride. The huge coffeepot quickly became a community symbol. Mickey’s solution? He built and mounted a 740-gallon tin coffeepot on a post outside his Main Street building. But some customers complained that they could not find his shop. In 1853 Julius Mickey opened a tinsmith shop in Salem. Forty gas burners fired the pan, which could fry (and still does on occasion) 365 chickens at once! Big Coffee Pot, Winston-Salem The pan, which today sits beneath a special shelter, was made of quarter-inch steel, with eight pie-shaped wedges so it could be moved easily. Six months later they unveiled a two-ton frying pan, fifteen feet in diameter with a six-foot handle. Ramsey decided his hometown needed an even bigger pan for local events and festivals. On a trip to Maryland in 1963, Rose Hill feed company owner Dennis Ramsey met a group of poultry producers who boasted of having the world’s largest frying pan. The one in Frisco at one time was a diner. Only a hundred or so were built between 19. But rising plastic prices made Futuro homes too expensive for mass production. Inside each were bed-and-chair combinations, a fireplace, a small kitchen, and a bathroom. They had a hatch door with steps that lowered to allow entry. Created to be easily moved and set up, Futuro houses were eleven feet high and twenty-six feet round. Finnish architect Matti Suuronen designed the first experimental plastic Futuro house in 1968 as a friend’s vacation home. What at first glance appears to be proof of an alien invasion was originally meant to be the modern house of tomorrow. Two huge socks, representing the area’s textile industry, were added, hanging out of a partially open drawer. In the 1990s the chest of drawers got a new look. In the 1920s the High Point Chamber of Commerce built a giant chest of drawers to serve as a “bureau of information.” The thirty-eight-foot-high building was home to the High Point Jaycees for many years. High Point, internationally known as the “Home Furnishings Capital of the World,” is also home to some pretty big furniture celebrating that industry’s Tar Heel heritage. The building is the only individual service station listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Restored in 1997, it houses a satellite office for Preservation North Carolina. Officials designed the bright yellow and red buildings to highlight the company’s Shell Oil products. Quality Oil Company built eight clamshell-shaped gas stations around Winston-Salem in the 1930s. Next time you travel, be on the lookout for the following sites that help make our state’s landscape so unique. Tar Heel Junior Historian Association, NC Museum of History Reprinted with permission from the Tar Heel Junior Historian. Roadside Attractions " You Can’t Miss It: Roadside Fun"
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