05/12/2026
We are so proud and excited that our founder Annie Winkler is receiving such an honorable recognition! We wish she was here to see and know how her vision and efforts are thriving and continue to impact Wilkes County today!
2026 Hall of Fame Inductee Annie Winkler
Annie Finley Winkler was born in Charlottesville, VA, on March 17, 1913. Known as the “Matriarch of Wilkes County”, from the age of three, she grew up in Alleghany and Wilkes counties under the care of older relatives who taught her the importance of drive and stubbornness, instilling a strong knowledge and appreciation for local history, traditions, arts, and culture. After graduating from North Wilkesboro High School, she furthered her studies as an honor graduate at Salem College and married John H. Winkler in 1931. Together, the well-known couple were active supporters in the Wilkes community, devoted members of North Wilkesboro Presbyterian Church, and had four children, John, Robin, Molly, and Jim.
A wife, mother, teacher, ministry leader, Girl Scouts leader, philanthropist, and influencer of the arts, “Miss Annie” stood for what was good in the world. She believed in providing wholesome new experiences and making a lasting impact for the people of Wilkes County. Sometimes this provision meant adventurous activities like leading a march down the path of the Overmountain Victory Trail, teaching others how to swim, taking boys by herself to presidential inaugurations, providing day camps and overnight camping trips for separate groups of boys and girls, commemorating the adventures of Daniel Boone by way of the memorial Wagon Train trail from North Wilkesboro to Boone, gathering around campfires listening to fiddled songs and sharing folklore of the past. At other times this provision surfaced through enriching others by teaching finer elements of painting, making donations to the Smithsonian so she could provide resourceful programs to other teachers, making trips to Raleigh to represent Wilkes County in matters related to the arts and historic preservation, hosting exhibitions in the parlor of her home and other locations throughout Wilkes County and teaching the value and appreciation for the arts which later led to her founding Wilkes Art Gallery.
At her church, her philosophy was to “work and pray,” and she served with a “never give up” reputation. She emphasized the importance of faith by teaching and being a living example of “not a puny faith that any ill wind might blow away” for all to see. Miss Annie was known as a devout member serving as Chairman of Christian Education for several years, a leading Bible instructor for the Intensive Bible Study series, and a Sunday School teacher of 22+ years. She was known to invite new members and visitors into her home, serving as a valuable resource for the area.
Not only was Annie a devoted mother of four, but also known for her kindness by tending to other children who needed care, and at times, sheltered and took them under her wing.
Teaching members in the community how to swim and assisting with day camps for children at the local Wilkes YMCA, in 1944, Annie was one of the first two and was later awarded by the Wilkes YMCA for her contributions to physical fitness. Returning to her studies later in life, she graduated once again with honors from Appalachian Teachers’ College and became an art teacher. Miss Annie is fondly remembered for her field trips around Wilkes County, special presentations to the schools, and leading buses of high school children to Washington, D.C. to experience the nation’s museums of art, natural history, American history, and portraits. She later served in a greater capacity as the Arts Coordinator for Wilkes County Schools and was honored by the Board of Education for promoting and making a lasting influence through her development of an integrated and still actively used cultural arts curriculum with the incorporation of music, art, and history. To this day, her efforts are seen in the halls of the Wilkes County School Board of Education Offices as student artworks are put on display year-round.
Annie deeply understood and valued the arts and culture of Wilkes and worked hard to preserve it for generations to come. She established Arts on the Square, held in Smoot Park annually, honoring the artwork of local children during the 1970s-until 1985. As a board member of Old Wilkes Council in North Wilkesboro, she helped pave the way to protect, preserve, and promote the town and county. Serving on both boards for the North Wilkesboro Centennial Committee and the Overmountain Victory Trail, she led participants, young and old, to pay tribute to their ancestors in the commemorative Overmountain Victory Trail march.
Through the support of the local Kiwanis Club, she was instrumental in saving the Old Jail in Wilkesboro from being a parking lot. Now, in the present day, the home of Old Wilkes, Inc., it is surrounded by ten other buildings in downtown Wilkesboro, which she also worked to have acknowledged on the National Register of Historic Places. Regarding the past and its impact on the present day, she was at the forefront of preservation and establishing resources for the Wilkes Heritage Museum. She served as a board member on the North Carolina Museum Council and was given a Certificate of Special Recognition in 1987 for her contributions to NC museums. Known as a folklorist and promoter of the past Wilkesboros and Wilkes County, Annie had a vast knowledge of its rich history and provided tours for the Wilkes Chamber of Commerce to out-of-town visitors, professional groups, scout troops, clubs, 4-H, and many more, sharing the importance and history of the local communities. For these efforts and many others, she was honored by Old Wilkes, Inc. for her contributions, by the North Wilkesboro Kiwanis Club for her community activity, and by Wachovia Bank and Trust for promoting cultural arts.
Her heart and mission for the arts in Wilkes County made its lasting impact through her founding of Wilkes Art Gallery in 1962 and the many now influential artists she championed and resourced along the way. Serving as both Executive Director and later a board member, her dream is Wilkes County’s reality. Today, Wilkes Art Gallery is more than just a gallery, now a facility with 10,000 sq. ft. of space for free exhibitions to the public, and a center for fine art studies and workshops. It continues to provide enriching educational opportunities and arts programming for all ages.
In 1990, headlines announced that Annie was moving closer to her children in Texas. For five more years, she was productive, fruitful and continued to help others. Annie Winkler’s greatest legacy lives on through her family and the many lives she touched. Underneath her tough can- do exterior was a woman with love and kindness for her fellow past, present, and future citizens of Wilkes County. It took Miss Annie Winkler’s push to develop and preserve Wilkes County’s softer side of culture, arts, and enrichment for all.
