For the past 18 years, Molly Grogan Rawls has been hands-on with thousands of the city’s most historic snapshots — images that for many residents, live only in nostalgic daydreams.

A second-generation Winston-Salem native, Rawls has worked as the Forsyth County Public Library photo archivist since 1990. In that time, she has also published three books that chronicle our city through postcards and photography.

Appropriately, her most recent project is a hometown edition of Arcadia Publishing’s popular Then & Now series. Winston-Salem: Then & Now partners vivid, current photography with corresponding historic images, creating a photo album for the town that appeals to both natives and newcomers. “People who have lived here for all their lives enjoy reading the book and remembering how things were, while people who are new to town enjoy learning how things used to be,” Rawls explains. “I think it offers something to anyone who appreciates this place.”

With chapters titled “Going Downtown,” “Cruising Stratford Road,” “Motoring Reynolda Road,” and “Traversing the Outskirts,” the book features nearly 80 pairs of pictures, as well as engaging captions that narrate the evolution of the area.

“I wanted to show a variety of places: some popular spots that people commonly ask about, as well as some surprises that people may have either forgotten or never known,” Rawls says. “Ultimately, I wanted to make history come alive.”

Considering her line of work, it’s easy to assume that Rawls lives in the past. That sentiment, in fact, couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Looking back is important, but I don’t want people to be sad that the past is gone,” she concludes. “Cities need to change to attract new people and new business. I hope folks can appreciate and enjoy their history, while embracing future growth, too.”

For a list of Winston-Salem: Then & Now retailers, as well as information about Rawls’ other books, go to www.mollygroganrawls.com.

a change of COURSE ABOVE (left): One doesn’t see many cows along Stratford Road near Hanes Mall these days, but before the mall claimed the farmland along Stratford Road, cows lived a quiet existence beside the Putt-Putt Golf Course. The Putt-Putt facility offered three courses for sharpening the putting technique and later added a building with refreshments and coin-operated games. BELOW (left): A giraffe stands tall over the Adventure Landing courses today, where golfers can putt through caves with waterfalls spilling over the rocks.

from surf to TURF ABOVE (right): RIchard Davis bought an 80-acre farm on Reynolda Road in 1915. In addition to farming, he established a brick kiln, selling most of the brick to R.J. Reynolds for his new home, Reynolda. Davis dammed a stream near the brickyard and made a lake for harvesting ice during the winter. This was the beginning of Crystal Lake, a privately owned public swimming lake and park that operated from 1922 to 1975. BELOW (right): Today, the Corners Apartments are located on the site.

FAMILY MATTERS “You know how they say it takes a whole village to raise a child? Well, it takes a whole family to make a book,” says Rawls, showing gratitude for the help of her husband, Jeffrey, and sons, Curtis, Allen, and Kevin.

new VACANCY ABOVE: Hotel Zinzendorf opened on Main Street in 1906 on the site of the former Jones Hotel, which was previously the Merchants Hotel. The city’s first bus station was located next door, and the hotel provided rooms for travelers and boarders, plus some businesses, until it was demolished in 1971. BELOW: The Federal Building opened in 1976 on the Hotel Zinzendorf site in the 200 block of North Main Street. The building was named for federal judge Hiram H. Ward in 1999.