Cary, NC — In April 2012, CaryCitizen remembered the history of Morrisville during the time of the Civil War as an official marker was put in place at the Town Hall entrance.
This story has remained a top-read article as it lives on in the CaryCitizen Archive, so we thought it out to be dusted off and remembered once again.
Cary, NC — In this month’s look back into the history of Cary, we hear from four native Cary residents who recall their childhood swimming holes.
“We had to go to Pullen Park in Raleigh to go to a swimming pool. That was a long way. You’d take a picnic over there and go swimming on a Sunday afternoon.”
“We had a church picnic every year. Sometimes we would go to Pullen Park where, at that time, they had caged animals and they always had a merry-go-round. We used to go there to go swimming, and also down to Wilders Pond. We would have a picnic lunch there. Company pond had a grist mill.”
“We had two swimming places. One of them was called “the washout.” It was a creek that had washed out at that spot, which meant you could do a little bit of swimming, but not much. That was in the lower, southern end of Urban Park. You could dog paddle, but that’s about all. That’s where we would go to get wet and cool off.
The better one was “the pothole” at the bottom of North Harrison Avenue. There was a right steep hill going down to the bottom on the other side of Arby’s. Back then that street used to stop where the water tank is and then you’d walk through the woods down to the pothole.
It was probably 12 to 14 feet down and was a place where water washed over a hard rock. That was one place where I got in trouble with my dad because you weren’t supposed to be there. We walked by the road, or ride bicycles if we had them.”
“Before I was old enough to have a motorcycle or a car, maybe five or six of us would ride out to Silver Lake. It was a half or three-quarter day trip out beyond Lake Wheeler Road. It wouldn’t be a formal outing or anything. We’d grab our bicycles and take off, maybe once a week to go swimming. We’d stop at Rhamkatte Trading Post on Rhamkatte Road and get us a moon pie and a Pepsi, coming and going, if we had enough money to buy them in both directions. No one cared if you went out there and went swimming. There was a platform about 30 or 40 feet from the shore directly out from the dam, and it was deep enough to dive off of.
We would either go to Silver Lake or go to Billy Pierce’s farm out on Kildaire Farm Road, which was directly across from the Winn-Dixie shopping center. There were turtles in the pond and we didn’t like to swim in there. They wouldn’t bother you, but we knew they were there, so we didn’t have much to do with that pond.
That was the majority of our swimming unless we wanted to go to Pullen Park, but that was too commercial. We didn’t go to Pullen Park to go swimming.”
Story by Peggy Van Scoyoc. Much of the Cary’s History column is taken from the book, Just a Horse-Stopping Place, an Oral History of Cary, North Carolina, published in August of 2006. The book is a collection of oral history interviews conducted between local citizens and Friends of the Page-Walker Hotel. The rest comes from later oral history interviews with local citizens.
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Cary, NC — As Cary continues to be celebrated for turning 150 this year, one tangible way to see its history is in the structures that not only survived the years but still keep the secrets and stories of times past alive today.
Cary, NC — Cary lost an icon on May 17, 2021, with the passing of Jeanette Reaves Evans. She will be sorely missed.
Here’s a glimpse into her life, in her won words, from an interview in April 2009.
Cary, NC — This year is all about celebrating the history of Cary as an incorporated Town since 1871, but that covers just 150 years of the story of this area.
Cary, NC — Loise Massey Crow was the daughter of Cary’s train station master, Mr. Massey. In this column, she tells the story of her father’s long career from a July 2009 interview when she was 99-years-old.
Cary, NC — In a creative, community-driven effort to celebrate Cary’s 150th year, The Cary Players have sponsored custom and locally-made card sets.
These decks of 24 cards showcase tidbits of Cary history and are now free to the public in several pick-up locations.
Cary, NC — April 3, 1971 was the Town of Cary’s Centennial date, but the whole town celebrated all year. Some folks told us what happened in Cary that year.
Cary, NC — In celebration of Cary’s sesquicentennial, which is fancy talk for 150th birthday, CaryCitizen is creating monthly lookbacks through time to share some of the most important moments, places and people that have shaped this town.
Cary, NC — In this month’s column, you’ll hear from Charlie Adams, a lifetime Cary resident, as he shares memories of his mother, Ethel.
She was a fair, thoughtful and nurturing woman who lived her life to educate everyone, even in a time of segregation.