Körner’s Folly Capital Campaign

In 1873, civic pride and visionary thinking brought townspeople together as they raised over $10,000 to build a four-mile section of the Northwestern North Carolina Rail Line, ensuring that Kernersville would be a stop between Greensboro and Salem.

Not content to be passed by, citizens saw the prosperity that the railroad would bring and worked toward a common purpose, even laying some of the track with their own hands.

Right: People waiting at the train depot, in Kernersville, North Carolina, ca. 1900. Courtesy Old Salem Library/Digital Forsyth.

A partnership between the Town of Kernersville and the Körner’s Folly Foundation was created for the new Visitors Center because Town leaders understand the significant value it brings to the entire community. Thriving tourism powers a thriving economy.

When out-of-town visitors select an attraction such as Körner’s Folly as a destination, they spend hundreds of dollars in our Town on dining, shopping, and other cultural and historical destinations, resulting in new customers for local businesses and increased tax revenue. In 2018 alone, Forsyth County residents saved $192 per person in taxes that were directly attributed to tourism spending.

Become part of a new generation of history-makers with a contribution to the Körner’s Folly campaign to build a new Visitors Center. With your help, we will break ground on this project in the fall of 2021. Your gift is tax-deductible, and is secure and easy to complete below.