Korner's Folly

Without a doubt, the most famous house in Kernersville is Korner's Folly.  Painter and designer Jule Korner began construction on the house in 1878 as a way to show off his interior design talents.  He designed, built, redesigned, and rebuilt the house for two years.  One of his neighbors said it would be "Jule Korner's Folly."  Korner liked that name, and had it set in tile on the front porch.  The name stuck.  The 6,000 square foot, 22 room house was continually redesigned and rebuilt until Jule's death in 1924.  It's one of the oddest houses in The South.

Now I happened to move to San Jose, California in the 1980's, and my first job there was at a Pizza Hut, just down the street from the infamous Winchester Mystery House.  So I chuckle when I refer to Korner's Folly as the strangest house anywhere.  But it's definitely the strangest house in this region.  The painting above is on Railroad Street, feet from the Bull Durham painting in the last post.

Korner's Folly has been renovated over the last couple of years, repairing the front after a truck hit it, and doing other necessary maintenance.  It's a few blocks south of downtown on Main street.  They hold several events there each year, and tours are available and the gift shop is open most of the time.
Check out the Korner's Folly website for more details.

Art and Design Goes Way Back in Kernersville

Kernersville born Jule Korner, a painter and designer, got the job of painting ads for Bull Durham Tobacco all over the South. This tribute to his work is on Railroad Street, just east of Main street.  In the 1870's Jule made a great deal of money hand painting these advertising signs throughout the South.