Bird’s-eye view of the twin cities, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 1891

J.J. Stoner and A. Ruger were two of several artists who traveled around the United States in the mid-to-late nineteenth century creating “Bird’s Eye Views” of thriving towns.  When they completed this view of Winston-Salem in 1891, The Peoples Press, a local newspaper, described it in detail and encouraged residents to purchase and promote the print:

Our businessmen and citizens generally should give their support to the enterprise as it is a good advertisement….Do not let the chance pass without due encouragement. In this way many of the Western and Southern towns have made themselves known to an enquiring public and created interest among capitalists elsewhere. — The Peoples Press, February 12, 1891, Salem, North Carolina

While the towns of Winston and Salem did not merge officially until 1913, this view suggests that the transition had already begun. Once closed to non-Moravians, the town of Salem provided the foundation for a thriving industrial center and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the New South at the dawn of the twentieth century.