Living Legacies Issue 1 Volume 1(clone) | Page 24

Carrie: Ten years ago, the

challenge was finding enough

food and supplies to keep

everyone fed and focused on

their education. Today, the

campus is struggling because

of its age. It took a lot of

money to keep the school

open during the War, and it

needs even more now to

purchase textbooks and hire

more teachers. Many of our

buildings are old, but I fear that updating the campus may not be high on the list of concerns for the town.

Eliza: You mentioned the

economy. Before the

War, Salem was already

changing, with factories

and mills helping to keep

the economy booming

You have relatives

relatives that have

shaped Salem’s

economic past and

possibly its future. Can

you speculate on where

Salem’s businesses are headed?

Carrie: [With a laugh] No, because this place is changing so fast, it seems impossible to know where it might stop. I think people looking in on the community will see an opportunity for prosperity because of the history of success for businesses that start here – that will hopefully lead to even more interest in the area. I imagine that the space Salem and Winston have to offer will make for great business.

Top: Salem Academy and the Campus (Courtesy of Walkertown Historical Society); Above: Teachers at Salem Girls' School, 1856 (Courtesy of Old Salem Museums and Gardens); Opposite page: Schoolhouse for African Americans, ca. 1880 (Courtesy of Forsyth County Public Library Photograph Collection).