TRAVEL

SITES, SCENTS AND TASTES

OF THE PAST SOAK UP A SPRING TOUR OF WINSTON-SALEM’S HISTORIC GARDENS

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARILYN JONES

Springtime in Winston-Salem is a time to celebrate warmer weather, balmy breezes, and the sights and scents of colorful flowers and vegetables growing in the city’s exceptional gardens. Winston-Salem dates back to 1753, when 15 Moravians walked to North Carolina from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and purchased a 100,000-acre tract of land to create the settlement of Bethabara. Other members of this Germanspeaking Protestant sect who had fled Bohemia and Moravia (now known as the Czech Republic) due to religious persecution soon followed, assisting in the creation of a series of Moravian settlements in North Carolina. These settlers were good at many things—including gardening.

HISTORIC BETHABARA PARK

The site of the Moravians’ first home, Historic Bethabara Park, accommodates a number of gardens filled with historically accurate flowers and vegetables once grown here by its settlers. On a sunny May morning, the gardens are flowering with blooms and vegetables that are thriving and lush. The park’s “kitchen garden,” which everyone in the Moravian community tended to and benefitted from, is now called the Community Garden. It’s the only known, well-documented colonial community garden in the U.S.

The Moravians’ medicinal garden contained plants used to treat ailments endured by both the settlers and their livestock during the 18th century. This space—the first European medicinal garden ever planted in America—remains intact today at Historic Bethabara Park, thanks to volunteers who abide by archeological data, and historic illustrations and maps.

The park’s pollinator garden is new, but preserves the spirit of the Moravians’ relationship with the environment and tradition of respecting and understanding nature’s balance. All of the gardens are surrounded by restored original buildings, including the Log House (1834), the Gemeinhaus (1788), the Potter’s House (1782), the Brewer’s House (1803), and reconstructions including the 1754

Reconstructed Village and The Palisade, a stockade originally erected in 1756 to protect inhabitants and non-Moravians from Native American attacks throughout the French and Indian War.

OLD SALEM MUSEUMS & GARDENS

Old Salem, another historic town settled by the Moravians in 1766, still claims about 70% of its original structures, including privately owned homes and museum sites. More than 100 acres of interpreted gardens and landscapes flourish throughout the town. Because the Moravians were excellent record-keepers, today’s gardens are reminiscent of what you might have seen there centuries ago.

Historically in Old Salem, every house had its own garden, and everything grown had a reason for being there. Today’s gardens replicate the originals. The Single Brothers’ Garden, a kitchen garden that fed men and boys of the Single Brothers’ Choir, is laid out much like the one in the late 1700s. Heirloom vegetables, herbs and ornamental flowers grow from large squares on earthen terraces.

Orchards and family gardens are frequent sites during a walk through Old Salem. Most of the gardens are situated at the rear of each home, and filled with vegetables and ornamental plants. Split-rail board fencing and snake-rail fencing border much of the area. It’s easy to get lost in the moment, even with Winston-Salem’s towering buildings on the horizon.

REYNOLDA GARDENS

The Reynolda Historic District encompasses the Reynolda House Museum of American Art and the Reynolda Gardens of Wake Forest University. Reynolda House originally served as the home of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company founder Richard Joshua (R.J.) Reynolds, along with his wife, Katharine Smith Reynolds, and their four children. Today the house functions as an art museum that displays more than 6,000 historic objects and a collection of world-renowned American art.

The Reynolds family moved into the house upon its completion in 1917. R.J. passed away the following year, and Katharine operated the estate until she died in 1924. In 1934, Mary Reynolds Babcock, R.J. and Katharine’s second child, acquired the estate from the other Reynolds heirs. In 1964, Mary’s husband Charlie Babcock established Reynolda House, Inc. as a nonprofit institution dedicated to the arts and education.

The gardens expand across 134 acres and include a lake, golf course, formal gardens, greenhouses and woods. A walk through the formal gardens delights the senses with stately fountains and meticulously planted flower beds that showcase a rainbow of colors. In the distance sits an art deco greenhouse. According to Jon Roethling, director at the Reynolda Gardens, these gardens mirror the past and reflect the present. The results are awe-inspiring.

THE ARBORETUM AND GARDENS AT TANGLEWOOD PARK

Another intriguing Reynolds property belonged to William Neal Reynolds, R.J.’s younger brother. His 1,117-acre country estate known as Tanglwood is located on the Yadkin River in Forsyth County, about 14 miles southwest of Reynolda Gardens. William and his wife Kate moved into the Tanglewood manor in 1921. William eventually donated Tanglewood to Forsyth County for use as a park.

Tanglewood attractions include the arboretum and gardens, which feature separate areas of plants that grow in Forsyth County, as well as a wildflower garden, children’s garden, herb garden, formal garden, and annual and perennial displays. The park also offers a sprawling RV campground, aquatic center, tennis courts, golf course and the opportunity to horseback ride through the countryside.

PAUL J. CIENER BOTANICAL GARDEN

Paul J. Ciener loved horticulture and toured great gardens worldwide, studying different plants and garden styles. His dream was to create a great park in the Winston-Salem suburb of Kernersville. Since his death in 1998, the gardens have come to life with the construction of welcome and horticulture centers. Plantings and designs that are beautifully groomed and easy to navigate occupy 5 of the property’s 7 acres. When completed, Paul J. Ceiner Botanical Garden will consist of more than 25 garden areas.

A day spent enjoying the gardens of Winston-Salem will delight and educate your senses. Here are resources that will help you plan your visit.

VISIT WINSTON-SALEM: visitwinstonsalem.com HISTORIC BETHABARA PARK: historicbethabara.org OLD SALEM MUSEUMS & GARDENS: oldsalem.org REYNOLDA GARDENS: reynolda.org/gardens THE ARBORETUM AND GARDENS AT TANGLEWOOD PARK: forsyth.cc/parks/tanglewood/arboretum.aspx PAUL J. CIENER BOTANICAL GARDEN: cienerbotanicalgarden.org

Old Salem Museums & Gardens

Reynolda Gardens

The Arboretum and Gardens at Tanglewood Park

Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden