Seeing Wake's Past

President Wente visits the old campus in Wake Forest

By Wake Forest University

January 21^st, 2022

Visiting the Original Campus

Wake Forest President Susan R. Wente visited the town of Wake Forest, N.C., home of the Wake Forest Historical Museum and the original campus of Wake Forest College. Founded in 1834, Wake Forest moved to its current campus in Winston-Salem in 1956.

President Wente visited with President Daniel Akin of the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, which has been on the campus since the early 1950s. She toured the campus with Ed Morris, the executive director of the Wake Forest Historical Museum, and Dr. Terry Brock, the manager of archeology and research at the Museum.

President Wente then posed for a portrait in front of the old well, with the columns of the chapel in the distance. It's a view that would be very familiar to any Wake Forester who attended the Old Campus.

Visiting the Museum

The Wake Forest Historical Museum is located a few blocks from the old campus. The Calvin Jones house, the original campus building, was moved to this location and is an integral part of the interpretation of the site.

President Wente toured the Calvin Jones House and learned about its history from Dr. Sarah Soleim, manager of community and academic learning, and from Director Ed Morris. Associate Professor of Religion and Culture Derek Hicks, who studies the history of the enslaved people who built and worked at the College, talked about themes of reconciliation and community. President Wente then toured the Museum exhibit hall with Ed Morris.

Visiting the Ailey Young House

President Wente and the group visited the Ailey Young House, just off the original campus. The house, owned by the town of Wake Forest, and is possibly the oldest remaining African-American residence in Wake Forest and a rare example of Reconstruction-era African-American homes. The house was originally part of “Simmons Row,” a Reconstruction-era neighborhood of tenant farm houses owned by Wake Forest College Professor William G. Simmons and rented to emancipated African Americans. It is in the final stages of its restoration, a project managed by Michelle Michael, senior planner, and presents a unique opportunity for archeological research, interpretation and community-building.