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Carolina Curious: What Are The Oldest Streets In The Triad?

“Wachovia,” P.C.G. Reuter, 1766, Collection of Moravian Archives, Herrnhut, Germany.

Centuries ago, thousands of Moravian and Quaker settlers came to the Piedmont in search of a better life, and their legacy lives on here in countless ways. WFDD listener James Sims had one specific contribution in mind and asked this question for Carolina Curious.

“What are the oldest streets in the three Triad cities that are still in use today?” asks Sims.

WFDD reporter David Ford set out for answers beginning in the Wachovia Room at Old Salem's Moravian Research and Archaeology Lab. Martha Hartley directs that research and says the answer is complicated, with many layers of history.

Wachovia in the Backcountry. Photo courtesy of Martha Hartley, Old Salem's Moravian Research and Archaeology Lab.
Before his arrival in the Triad, David had already established himself as a fixture in the Austin, Texas arts scene as a radio host for Classical 89.5 KMFA. During his tenure there, he produced and hosted hundreds of programs including Mind Your Music, The Basics and T.G.I.F. Thank Goodness, It's Familiar, which each won international awards in the Fine Arts Radio Competition. As a radio journalist with 88.5 WFDD, his features have been recognized by the Associated Press, Public Radio News Directors Inc., Catholic Academy of Communication Professionals, and Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas. David has written and produced national stories for NPR, KUSC and CPRN in Los Angeles and conducted interviews for Minnesota Public Radio's Weekend America.

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