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Become a CustomerOur Community Mural
Painted by Leo Rucker in 2022, the “Our Community” mural has become a wonderful part of downtown. Located at the Quality Mart on the corner of 5th and Broad streets, the mural shows parts of our culture and history to appreciate. Historical figures and places come from Winston-Salem or its immediate area, and by picturing them the mural is a celebration of our own local culture and history. At its heart is a discussion for anyone passing by to share: what figures do you think of when you think of Winston-Salem?
Scroll down to learn more on this page about how “Our Community”
came to be and the details for each featured figure
Historical Icons and Figures in the “Our Community” Mural
Krispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme and Winston Salem’s histories are intertwined. Vernon Rudolph opened the first Krispy Kreme in what is now Old Salem in 1937. To this day, you can find the Krispy Kreme headquarters in Winston Salem itself.
Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin
Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin was born in Winston-Salem and served as the Forsyth County Librarian Directory and as president for the North Carolina Black Repertory Company. She had a passion for helping youth and the arts, working as a children’s librarian and as an executive producer for the National Black Theatre Festival which prospered with her help.
Wait Chapel
The Wait Chapel was the first building constructed on Wake Forest’s Reynolda campus back in the 1950s, and is linked to undeground tunnels for campus facilities. Active in its religious services and events to this day, the chapel has also been host to multiple presidential debates, radio broadcasts and, in 1962, a Martin Luther King Jr speech on racial integration.
GEO. E. Nissen Wagon Co.
Opened 1834 in Waughtown, NC by John Nissen, the Nissen Wagon Company was one of the largest wagon manufacturers in the United States for the roughly 100 years they were in business. Today, the historical materials can be appreciated in a dedicated Nissen Wagon museum located in Lewisville, NC.
Simon Green Atkins
Simon Green Atkins was an educator as well as a founder of the Slater Industrial Academy in 1892. This establishment is best known as Winston-Salem State College, which the academy renamed to in 1963.
Old Salem
The Moravians settled in Bethabara in 1753 and since then expanded to many parts of the piedmont region. To today, you can still find the Moravian star in many doorways for those proud of their heritage. The Old Salem Tea Pot was also built by Moravian brothers to help promote their coffee business in 1858, and has become a symbol of enduring Winston-Salem heritage.
Tom Davis
Thomas Henry Davis was infatuated with flying from an early age, and earned his pilot’s license at the age of 16. In adulthood, he went on to found Piedmont Airlines which went on to become a significant part of the East Coast airline routes, utilizing both jets and larger airplanes to connect cities and routes. Piedmont Airlines was later purchased by US Airways in 1987.
Shell Station
The classic shell station was built in the 1930s along with 7 other locations by Quality Oil Company. With its unique form, anyone visiting the station would know that it is a Shell. The other stations no longer exist, but this one was restored by Preservation North Carolina before being listed on the National Register of Historic Places. You can visit it to this day at 1111 E Sprague Street, Winston Salem, NC.
Tichina Vaughn
Born in Winston-Salem, Tichina Vaughn is an alumni of the NC School of the Arts who went on to become a well-known Operatic Mezzo-Soprano. Her achievements span from serving as a principal artist with the Dresden Semper Opera, to working in Europe, serving on multiple symphonic concerts, and more. She has earned numerous awards as well as the title of Kammersängerin, a honorific title for distinguished singers of opera and classical music.
Douglas Battery
Founded in 1921 by Wilson Douglas, Douglas Battery was known for high-quality batteries and went on to be one of the largest battery manufacturers in the world. Douglas Battery itself went bankrupt in 2012, but the legacy endures with Douglas Battery & AutoCare which can be found just down Broad Street from the “Our Community” mural.
Big House Gains
Clarence Edward “Big House” Gains was a Winston-Salem basketball legend. During his college days, he was involved in football, basketball and track. After graduating, he went on to coach football for five years before moving to basketball coaching. When he retired in 1993 after over 30 years as a basketball coach, he was one of the top 5 men’s basketball coaches in terms of games won.
Mary Garber
Born in NYC, Mary Garber moved with her family to Winston-Salem, NC at age eight. When she originally began writing about sports for the Twin City Sentinel in the 1940s, Mary constantly faced resistance and sexism in her field. However, she had a strong will and reported on high school and college sports alike for over 40 years. Following her retirement in 1986, Mary was recognized as a significant journalist and received several awards over the next years.
Cultural Mural Pieces
Artistic representations of general cultural aspects present in the Triad.
Flower Decoration
With four distinct seasons, every time of year in North Carolina has new flowers to enjoy.
Latin Music
An artist representation of Mexican, Hispanic, and Latin Americans through music. Incredibly diverse, this music has been part of musical culture in the Triad.
Piano
With Jazz, Bluegrass, and Old-Time music developing across the country in the past few hundred years, North Carolina was no exception. At the base of many popular genres in the Triad is the ever dependable piano.
Dance
North Carolina is home to many popular styles of dance. Not only is it home to numerous ballet conservatories, but it also features clogging and shagging as official folk and popular dances respectively. Through performances, many types of dance are celebrated throughout the year.
Elephant Head
The elephant head represents countries like Africa, India, and Asia, who are all present groups in the Winston-Salem area.
Violinist
Ever present in Old-Time, Classical, and Modern Pop Music, the Violin has an enduring legacy and presence in the Triad.
Native American
When early settlers, particularly Moravians, moved to the Triad area, trading with Native Americans such as the Cherokee became a key economic factor.
Child Education
Books are knowledge, and knowledge is meant to be shared. The mural is right across the block from the new Forsyth library, where people old and young can go to learn or enjoy an entertaining book.
Baseball
Watching baseball has been a historically popular American pastime, and popularity endures in Winston-Salem with our beloved Dash baseball team. Many speculate it is named after the “-” in the city name, despite the symbol being a hyphen.
Old Shell Station
The Shell station depicted used to be located at 817 West 1st Street, with the referenced photo being taken in 1949. One of the classic stations with shell-shaped gas pumps, it was also owned by Quality Oil Company and would be a predecessor of today’s Quality Marts.
Creation
Below you can find a few work in progress videos and highlight images as Leo Rucker was working on the project. Through them you can see some of how the painting was built from the ground up and the tools Leo Rucker used to create the “Our Community” mural.