Cary, NC — Adapted from Just a Horse-Stopping Place, an Oral History of Cary, North Carolina by Peggy Von Scoyoc, published in August, 2006. This story is about tobacco farming in Cary, particularly at the corner of Davis and High House that includes The Bradford.
Folks remember the first preachers in the area and Cary religious traditions.
During World War II, the folks back in Cary kept the home-fires burning.
Vivian Dalmas, Lewanna Stout, Rosemarie Verhoeven and Linda Weaver told us how, in 1967, they introduced the first program to teach deaf children 18 months and older into a public school. It was one of the very first in the U.S. Over time, the program extended into some middle and high schools throughout North Carolina.
In 1893, the two-room segregated Cary Colored School opened off of Shirley Drive behind what is today Cary Elementary School. In 1900, Dr. Rev. Meadows became the principal and one teacher, and Ada Ruffin was the second teacher for grades 1-6. When students graduated from the 6th grade, they were bused to Berry O’Kelly segregated High School in Method, a suburb of Raleigh.
Cary, NC – Many folks remember the earlier history of the Rogers building at 149 East Chatham Street. Where EE Salons is now and before Rogers Restaurant was there, the building housed an earlier restaurant called the Rendezvous. And before that, it was a feed store and chicken hatchery. Here are some early memories.
Rogers Restaurant was once at the location on East Chatham Street where EE Salons is now. In his oral history interview with us in August of 2000, Billy Rogers told us some history about the restaurant.
William “Billy” Rogers died recently, and now the Chatham Street Commercial development group is planning to buy the Rogers Motel building and tear it down for commercial and office space construction.When the building is lost, the history that took place there does not need to disappear with it. In August of 2000, Billy gave us an oral history interview. Here is what he told us at that time about his family’s businesses.
I came to Cary in 1948 after finishing a master’s degree in Missouri. I taught economics and business at North Carolina State from 1948 until 1976 when I retired. I grew up on a farm, and bought this one close to the university.In 1951, when Mr. Bringham bought it, the house had never been painted. He was going to convert it into a hog farm, but in 1957, he decided to sell it. There was a big lawn and some enormous trees in front, and fruit trees on the land, so we could raise fruit.
A.J. Bartley bought a farm on Penny Road in 1957. Known today as the Barnabas Jones Farm, now owned by the Town of Cary, the farmhouse and out-buildings are being restored and Jack Smith Park was built on part of the land. A.J. and his son, Jon, were both interviewed and told us their memories of stories as told to them about the farm.