Focus On: Salisbury, NC

Though situated along a major interstate, I-85, and boasting some 35,000 residents, it seems as though Salisbury is less well known than virtually any of the other nearby cities surrounding it. Even its Wikipedia page is a bit of a snoozefest. However, I consider this an interesting place on the map — more so than the nearly equally sized Statesville, for example — and if not quite a destination you might term “exciting,” it is certainly worth spending a full day exploring.

In their formative years, Charlotte and Salisbury were often held side by side for comparison, as natives wondered which would ultimately become the greater city. Most felt it would be the latter, and while we can all see how that turned out, Salisbury is not without its charms. For non-locals (or even some of us in the region who can’t seem to get this right), it’s not pronounced as you might imagine, not like the steak or the city in England, but rather Salzburry. As though a “burry” belonging to some guy named Sal. This is something to keep in mind if hoping to avoid sounding like a rube — maybe practice this one at home first, before checking out some of these sights, sounds, and tastes that I am about to randomly describe:

Rail Walk Brewery

Well, yeah, I guess we pretty much had to start here. I certainly like to, whenever visiting Salisbury, heh heh. But in all seriousness, this is now my favorite brewery in the state. Having even surpassed for example previous champion Foothills in Winston-Salem. Everything I’ve tried from Rail Walk ranges from pretty good to completely freaking amazing.

Cayenne Imperial Stout is one strange sounding yet totally amazing beer I would rave about any day of the week. Its flavors are balanced just beautifully. This really smooth stout flavor hits you at first, with just a hint of the cayenne later on the back of your throat.

On the food front, during one visit we tried these duck “wings” that were a bit pricy, but very tasty and totally worth it. I’ve also had more normal fare that makes for a perfect accessory to sampler flights like the one above.

historic houses

Many of these sights I’m naming are within walking distance of one another downtown, and you can cross off many with a not-too-ambitious circular route on foot. Innes and Main represents the central downtown intersection, and I typically like to park somewhere along Main — you can most likely find a two hour slot for free, unless something major is happening — and hoof it around from here.

So while Rail Walk is located south and vaguely east of that intersection, most of these historic homes (located in what is officially known as the Historic District) are to the north, but it’s all very doable on foot for anyone who likes to get their stroll on. Depicted above is 207 South Ellis Street, which was built in 1853 and is known as the Wilson-Crawford House. 508 South Fulton is the Hambley Wallace House, a veritable mansion for which they offer tours:

And then directly across the street, at 507 South Fulton there’s this even more intriguing residence, originally built in 1865 for one a co-owner of a mine in nearby Gold Hill. The main attraction here is located along its side, however, which you can glimpse by turning south down West Monroe:

If you look closely up above, there’s a detached, little white building behind the main house. This is the original kitchen, still standing all these years later (doubtful it’s still in use as such, though). Historians believe that this oak grove beside it is where Union General George Stoneman and his troops camped on April 12, 1865, when they raided this region during the Civil War.

Hall House, located at 226 South Jackson, was built in 1820 for the Salisbury Female Academy. Then in 1859, Dr. Josephus Hall purchased it as his residence, made improvements and expansions such as this double veranda. Here’s a front view:

During the civil war, Hall was the hospital surgeon at the Confederacy States Military Prison, the only one of its kind in North Carolina, located here in Salisbury. If one is wondering how this town survived without even more major damage during Stoneman’s rampage, it’s allegedly because he and the mayor were both masons, so he spared Salisbury to some extent. They pretty much burned down that prison, tried unsuccessfully to destroy a railroad trestle, and then left.

This isn’t really the place to get into extensive discussions of some ugly chapters in city history. It’s true that in more recent times, Hall House has for example hosted confederate rallies. But if you want to learn more without necessarily condoning these atrocities of the past, they do offer guided tours of the place, during which many original fixtures and other historical exhibits are still on display.

And there are many other, less controversial examples, if you care to weave through these sleepy residential streets. Even without knowing their back stories, these homes can make for fascinating time capsules, encompassing a wide range of vintage designs.

Bell Tower Green

Onto more pleasant topics, there’s a much newer development near all of this, called Bell Tower Green. It’s just a nice clean modern park in the middle of town, which was opened somewhere between 2020 and 2024. I know this because I have some before and after photos from these years, and the transformation is quite remarkable:

I was here on a recent warm summer day and there were kids splashing around in that whole waterfall/fountain area, people walking their dogs, others just chilling out, et cetera. Live music and food trucks are on hand during select events, and it’s obviously a visually appealing spot. That bell tower, meanwhile, is all that’s left of church that was built in 1892.

Those are some of the under constructing scenes above. Below are what this area looks like now:

building murals

I’m not going to bother listing which ones go where — if I can even figure that out at the moment. Rest assured there are a bunch of cool looking specimens to be found all over this downtown area, possibly the most I’ve ever seen from a town this size. So if curious, hop around or even just drive around these streets in zigzag fashion and check them out for yourself.

old Coke plant

Unfortunately this old Coca-Cola production site is now closed. However they first began cranking out the classic soda pop beverage here in 1938 (Salisbury actually started producing Coke in 1905, but at a different site) and would continue doing so until ’74. And then kept this location afloat as a distribution center clear up until 2010. It’s definitely worth a drive by for a photo op if you are a nerd for old buildings and/or just love this iconic logo:

James A. Reid’s foot

I’m sure this can’t possibly be the only grave of its kind in the country…but at the same time, I’ve never heard of anything quite like it.

You see, when Reid had one of his feet severed by a train in 1893, he was a good sport about it and decided to have the appendage buried at Old Lutheran Cemetery:

And yet oddly enough, this is only half the story (or would that be more like, er, 1/10th of it?) Because when he eventually died, in 1920, his family had the rest of his body buried elsewhere — at Trading Ford Baptist Church, outside of town.

They could have at least mentioned the foot! But I’m guessing the rest of the clan was not quite as amused by this business as Reid was himself.

If you’re at all interested in this stuff, I’m guessing you’re going to want the complete set and will wish to visit both sites. Regarding this mostly complete burial and tombstone above, it’s fairly easy to find, particularly if you have this image of his memorial — maybe a third of the way back, in the middle of the cemetery at Trading Ford Baptist.

As far as his sad little foot, in town at Old Lutheran, it’s simple to locate if you just walk the brick wall, where it’s the only object buried and nowhere near anything else. In fact its location here makes it seem twice as lonely:

Gloria Victis

While you’re in the Old Lutheran Cemetery, you may as well stroll over to the other side, and check out this historic statue. Alternately known as either Fame or Gloria Victis, it was created in Brussels in 1891 by an artist named Frederick Ruckstull…in honor of Confederate soldiers who died during the Civil War. He was not commissioned to create it for Salisbury specifically, however, as first the statue went to an exhibition in Paris, then New York City, at which point the United Daughters of the Confederacy decided they just had to have the thing.

Obviously, I’m not about to sit here and champion the Confederate cause, or anything stupid like that. But this remains an intriguing piece of history that is well worth learning more about — particularly considering its highly controversial and active history even in these modern times. There’s also that famous old aphorism about those ignorant of history being destined to repeat it. Anyway, the statue now sits in front of these 176 white tombstones which honor fallen Confederate soldiers, but that wasn’t always the case. It has only called this cemetery home since July of 2021, as prior to that, for 111 years, it sat at the corner of Innes and Church instead.

Stonewall Jackson’s widow and a slew of Confederate soldiers were on hand when the statue was dedicated here, in 1909. But it’s been a contentious monument for decades, a situation which reached its boiling point here in the 21st century. First there were a couple vandalism episodes, then in 2020 I remember hearing in the news about some idiot who came here and fired his gun in the air a few times to protest the statue potentially being moved. Which was pretty much the clincher that ensured it would be. Interestingly enough, there’s a sister statue in Baltimore that was also removed from its original location, back in 2015.

Newman Field

Well, I’m not about to claim this is the most amazing baseball stadium in all the land or anything. However, though currently used by Catawba College and in the midst of a major reconstruction, it was home to minor league baseball intermittently from the years 1905 to 1968.

I often find that these minor league outposts have wackier histories than their MLB counterparts, and that’s certainly true here. Up until 1937, independent league teams played here exclusively. Yet from that point up until ’68, a veritable slew of big league clubs had an affiliation with Salisbury: the Braves, Giants, Pirates, Red Sox, Astros (then known as the Colt .45s), Mets, Dodgers, Astros again, and finally Senators cycled through here, using Salisbury as a lower-level farm team.

Among the prominent ballplayers who called this park home are Bob Watson (19 years in the majors, before he became GM for the Yankees and basically assembled their 1990s dynasty), Jack Billingham (All-Star reliever with the Reds during their Big Red Machine era), and Tom Grieve (decent player, but mostly known as GM and then longtime announcer for the Rangers). But its primary interest to me, and the whole reason I even discovered Salisbury ever had a minor league team to begin with, has everything to do with learning that Cincinnati Reds’ legendary announcer Marty Brennaman used to call games here. This would have been his second ever broadcasting job, following a brief stint in High Point, and in fact I think he was possibly the man on the mic during that final minor league season of ’68. Either way, it seems this would have been his sad little outpost:

There is also one other memorable tale to relate concerning this ballpark. Former prized pitching prospect Jay Dahl made his last ever start here on the night of June 19, 1965. It was a win that raised his record to 5–0 on the season and moved Salisbury into first place. However, he would be dead a little more than a day later.

Prior to this, Dahl had already chiseled his name into the record books as (thus far) the last 17 year old ever to appear in the major leagues: he made one start for the Colt .45s, against the Mets, in September of ’63. Unfortunately, less than two years later, he would set another record that has surprisingly proven unbroken, that of the youngest ever big leaguer (former or current) to meet his demise.

After his lone MLB start, injuries forced him back to the minors, and not only that but he spent the entire ’64 season playing outfield instead. Only in ’65 did he take the mound again, and was off to a good beginning to his season, until this fateful final meeting against Gastonia. Following the game, and dinner and some apparent partying, he and fellow Salisbury pitcher Gary Marshall (along with a local girl, Patti Troutman, who is sometimes mentioned as having been Marshall’s main squeeze at the time) were flying along Lincolnton Road, in Salisbury, at a high rate of speed. Marshall was at the wheel and lost control, slamming into a tree, and was blinded as a result; Troutman died instantly and Dahl soon thereafter.

Well, call me morbid, but I would like to someday figure out exactly where that crash happened. Until then, a visit to this old field will have to suffice. It might look quite a bit different than it once did, but as others have noted, it’s still in great shape and looks like a minor league team could certainly operate out of this joint again, if they chose to do so.

Cheerwine

Locals (and many other southerners) likely already know that this popular soft drink started in Salisbury. Those from other parts of the country — or world — have possibly never even heard of it. But either way, I will admit it’s surprising to see that they are still based out of Salisbury after all these years, possibly the 2nd most popular (more on that in a minute) major corporation to call this place home.

For the uninitiated, despite the name Cheerwine is actually just what we would have called “red pop” up north, and is not the least bit alcoholic. Or at least not until they began in more recent times cranking out a spin-off which is indeed an alcoholic beverage, crafted in a partnership with Charlotte’s NoDa brewery. Otherwise, yes, this is otherwise just your regular old, kid friendly, totally “safe” and ultra sweet cherry flavored soda.

Cheerwine sprang to life in 1917 when three gentlemen named L.D. Peeler, Hughston Kirby and Kurt Weinmann, who already owned the Carolina Syrup Company, apparently purchased this recipe from a “flavor salesman.” This all might seem very strange and preposterous — and in fact those three names all sound like they could be evil preachers from some Stephen King novel — but no, this backstory is apparently legit, these were real people, and there were actually gentlemen roaming the country selling flavor recipes for a living. Anyway, this trio immediately began cranking out this highly carbonated soda, using the name Cheerwine, though only trademarking it nearly a decade later.

Over time, this regional drink became so popular that pairing it with a nice big plate of BBQ , another Carolina tradition, was eventually known as a “southern handshake.” They’ve even teamed up with another nearby NC institution, that of Winston-Salem’s heavenly and holy Krispy Kremes, numerous times in various tie-ins incorporated the flavors of both. Yet although you will see frequent mentions online that the original building where they cranked out Cheerwine is still standing, I don’t believe that’s true. I’ve done some research of my own, and unless they moved the addresses around, 300 East Council Street does not appear to exist anymore. I think people are confused because there’s a nearby building (photo found up above) which has a Cheerwine logo and some other stuff painted on the side, like Carolina Beverage Company and so on. But this looks more like 322-ish or so. Again, barring a complete revamp of the city addresses at some point, 300 would be more like the lawn for the Amtrak station now:

So there’s not a ton to see if seeking Cheerwine related history, with a couple key exceptions. It’s true that I didn’t even bother entering the building during a recent trip to their headquarters. For all I know they might have some interesting exhibits in there, but I’ve never heard anything about that and am guessing there’s probably nothing more significant on hand than maybe some historical photos in the lobby or something. Some decommissioned older semi trailers parked behind it were of minor interest, I will admit. Otherwise, tucked back deep off the road from major thoroughfare Jake Alexander Boulevard, this is what awaits you at their current base of operations:

As for those exceptions: the Rowan County Museum, as expected, features a solid selection of old memorabilia concerning this company. And then every spring, Salisbury also hosts the annual Cheerwine Festival, which is your golden opportunity if seeking to view and/or pick up odd trinkets featuring their brand, or even sample some interesting, limited edition products from various vendors. It’s a free event, too, usually featuring live music from some well known national acts(s), during which they block off part of Main Street to set up the stage, meaning this is where you would also sit or stand to watch the show.

The wife and I actually came to one of these, a couple years ago, when Blues Traveler and Spin Doctors were the scheduled major acts. I say “scheduled” because we had already driven over here when we learned that Blues Traveler had canceled at the very last minute (I joke that John Popper woke up around noon or so and talked to their manager on the phone, a conversation that went, “you had us scheduled to play where?…Salisbury what?…oh that’s right, that’s right. Well can you cancel?…I don’t know, tell them I have a sore throat or something…) Spin Doctors were moved back two hours to take their place. Some local band was playing but we didn’t feel like sticking around for another eternity and bolted — but only after sampling some of the offerings for sale and scooping up some souvenirs.

Food Lion

And then of course we now reach Salisbury’s most famous export, that of the monolithic grocery store chain. The first ever store opened here in 1957, and though scuffling along for more than a decade or so, this chain would eventually take off and begin its reign ruling these Carolinas. Store #1 is long gone, but the building still stands, in use by a True Value hardware outpost:

I actually had a hard time figuring out online where the initial store was located, as well as this historical sign. Therefore eventually had the genius insight to just visit their good ol’ brick and mortar county library. Here I encountered a fantastic historical reference room, supervised by a kindly older lady who knew exactly which books to recommend, and took me to them. Within about ten minutes I had a ream of useful information, far more than I needed.

“You were more helpful than Google by far!” I enthused.

“Don’t you know we’re the original Google?” she said with a laugh.

Well, as far as specifics, this store is located it what is now known as the Ketner Center at the corner of Innes and Mahaley. The exterior looks more or less the same, but according to the librarian, she didn’t think True Value was using all the space originally occupied by Food Lion. And indeed, from the outside it does appear there’s possibly an empty space to the left. Either way, it’s a shame Food Lion couldn’t find a way to keep their flagship store in use. Although it’s not a huge stretch to suggest they may eventually return to it, who knows — there is for example another location, not too far up the road on route 70, which is neither spectacular nor historic. They could easily close that one down and set up shop here again someday.

Regarding current corporate whereabouts, their situation is very similar to Cheerwine’s, though on a much larger scale: tucked even farther back from Jake Alexander Boulevard, nestled within a much larger compound, and featuring this somewhat towering main building above, which is visible from the nearest major roads. Most amusing to me of all, though, was to glimpse this nearby, presumably members only credit union, which I’ve never heard of before and might only have this single location:

Art & Graffiti Park

This is one of the cooler and relatively newer sights around town, one I never even heard anything about and merely stumbled upon while wandering around one day. Given the nature of projects like these, I would imagine it changes often. An unfortunate tradeoff, perhaps, with the urgency and vibrancy of graffiti art — it’s not protected, therefore somebody else will inevitably come along soon and paint over your masterpieces. As such, any photos like these are time capsules, capturing a rapidly shifting landscape.

I could post a ton more cool shots like these, but you basically get the gist here. It would be fascinating to visit, like, once a month or something, and document the changes over time.

Hendrix Barbecue

Well, you can’t hardly close out your visit to Salisbury without a hearty meal. While downtown spots such as Recipe and Bangkok Downtown are great, and as mentioned even Rail Walk’s food is surprisingly good, though there’s a really cool looking old Dairy Queen that often proves difficult to skip, I feel like since you’re here in the south, your first Salisbury trip should involve barbecue. And in this regard, though College Barbecue is popular and not without its charms, I’m more inclined to nominate Hendrix Barbecue for this honor.

There are two locations in Salisbury and a third in the nearby conjoined town of Spencer (for unknown reasons one of them, the Statesville Avenue spot, spells its name Hendrix Bar-B-Que), I personally have only frequented the middle outpost, on West Innes Street. Until recently my parents lived just outside Salisbury, however, and recommended this one over the others — although advising that they’re all more or less the same. Based upon these signs you should have a good idea of their offerings, and really can’t go wrong whatever you choose to order.

I find it interesting that, unlike many, many other local businesses, they ran with mostly a Coca-Cola theme here instead of touting Cheerwine. And not that you would care about this, but it’s also as far as I can recall the last place all four of us ever went out to eat together, before my mom died. So it will always hold a sentimental place in our hearts for that reason alone.

Summary

I could go on, but figure this makes for a decent stopping point. You can glimpse interesting signs and artwork like this all over the place, of course, but I’ll leave those for you to discover. After eating at Hendrix Barbecue, venturing downtown for some coffee at Koco Java is highly recommended. Before or in conjunction with that, though surely there are some terrific local dessert options (including right there with your cup o’ joe), as previously alluded to, the old fashioned looking DQ and a Krispy Kreme outpost down the road — particulary if its bright red Hot Now sign is alight — are always quite tempting.

Keep in mind that, this being the south, Sunday is probably not your best choice for an initial foray to Salisbury. Many restaurants are closed around here, including Hendrix Barbecue. During a recent Sunday excursion to Meroney Theater, the wife and I caught a performance of Sweeney Todd (charming, cozy little spot, but fantastic production nonetheless; we also unexpectedly discovered we knew the lighting guy and chatted with him a bit) but then weren’t finding a whole lot of dining options afterwards, especially downtown. The aforementioned Bangkok Downtown was one crucial exception, and were accordingly packed. If venturing here, let me recommend the red curry with seafood as your protein — highly flavorful with just the right amount of heat.

It just occurred to me that last phrase might make a great slogan for Salisbury, period. Or is that overselling it a bit? Probably, but should you find yourself in the area and have never been — or haven’t driven through here in a while — then you’ll want to take some time and check out this underrated town.