South Main Street Historic District
Also known as: See Also:Korner's Folly
Why it's listed
Six blocks of South Main Street in Kernersville, once the stage road to Salem, make up this district of roughly 45 acres. Houses, shops, two churches and a small park sit among mature street trees. The oldest house, the Spears House, dates to about 1834. Many 1850s and 1870s brick homes were built by members of the Kerner family, who developed land that once belonged to Joseph Kerner. Frame cottages with elaborate sawn and turned woodwork, late Victorian houses, and early twentieth century Colonial Revival and bungalow dwellings follow. Commercial buildings include the 1884 Greenfield and Kerner Tobacco Factory and the ornate brickwork of the 1903 Bank of Kernersville. Korner's Folly, an 1880 showcase house with 22 rooms, is already separately listed. Of 84 additional resources, 57 contribute to the district's character. Twenty-one buildings predate 1900, which underlines its value as a record of the town's growth and architecture.
Significance in brief: The district preserves the architectural development of Kernersville from the 1830s through the 1950s, including early dwellings, brick houses of the Kerner family, Victorian frame houses and decorative commercial buildings. Twenty-one buildings predate 1900, which the form cites as the best indicator of its architectural significance. It also includes Korner's Folly, already listed separately.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 88000137, listed February 25, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 100--600 blks. of S. Main St., Kernersville |
|---|---|
| County | Forsyth County |
| Listed | February 25, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000137 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | W. S. Linville (builder of the Bank of Kernersville); Elias Kerner Huff (carpenter); Jules Gilmer Korner (Korner's Folly) |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century; Late Victorian; Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Commerce, Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Mostly in continued use as houses, shops and churches; Korner's Folly has sometimes stood vacant and is being restored by a corporation that opens it for tours. Two inventoried buildings were demolished in August 1987. |
| Acreage | 45 |
| Coordinates | 36.11608, -80.07766 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 88000137.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18589326
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.