Wake Forest Magazine September 2003 - Past Issues - Wake Forest ...

It is paradoxical that almost half a century after the primaryforce in Wake Forest’s history, the College, was extracted,leaving behind a town desperate for new development, thattoday Wake Forest’s history could be at the peril of urbanexpansion. However, that danger is not likely to materializebecause the tenacity and devotion of Wake Forest leaders fivedecades ago characterize Wake Forest citizens today. Many ofthe town’s senior and newer residents, including many Collegeand University alumni, care deeply about the character of thecommunity and its past. Residents like Susan Brinkley (’62),president of the Birthplace Society, echo the attitudes of manywhen she refers to Wake Forest jokingly as “the holy land.”Their love for the place is serious, however, and they do nothesitate to serve the cause.In the town teachers are including more local history intheir curricula, and even the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs offersclasses on Wake Forest heritage.The historical DuBois HighSchool campus is being transformed into a center that offerseducational and cultural programs focusing on the African-American community. Downtown merchants are committedto maintaining White Street’s historical flavor and generatingsales by building upon its past. A director of the DowntownRevitalization Corporation will soon be hired, and the DRC isworking to become a part of North Carolina’s Main Streetprogram, which will provide assistance with preservation andrevitalization of the main commercial district.Town leadersrecognize the value of the community’s historical characterand understand the eventual worth of heritage tourism.Theyalso see the potential of a growing base of local customerswho are educated, have discretionary income, and are interestedin good restaurants and upscale shops located in the uniquebusiness district and the adjoining historical areas.The Wake Forest College Birthplace Society is a criticalcomponent in helping Wake Forest hold on to its interestingpast and its special identity. In three years the Society willcelebrate its fiftieth anniversary and the work of countlessvolunteers who have accomplished many goals during thathalf-century, including restoring the Calvin Jones House,collecting thousands of documents and artifacts, creatingexhibits, and sponsoring programs.With significant supportfrom Wake Forest University, the exterior of the Calvin JonesHouse is now carefully maintained and a full-time executivedirector is responsible for the daily operations of the archivesand museum. Progressing to another level of preserving andsharing college and town history, the Society will begin a campaignsoon to raise funds to build a heritage center behind theCalvin Jones house and to create an endowment to supportmore exhibits, expanded programs, and better archival storage.When Dr. Calvin Jones advertised his plantation for sale inthe September 7, 1827, issue of the Raleigh Register,hedescribed the “Forest district” sixteen miles from Raleigh andbeyond the Neuse as “one of the best neighborhoods in thestate.” Many people would raise their glasses today to toastthose attributes of Wake Forest. Many also would toast its richhistory since Calvin Jones’ time.Wake Forest has been and is agood place to live.There are many challenges, of course,including a potential tripling of the population over the nexttwo decades, but those challenges can become opportunitiesfor citizens who care about their community and want tomaintain its strong sense of past and place. It is hoped that thehistorical Wake Forest will thrive and help better the lives ofits residents. It is hoped as well that Wake Forest alumni, oldand young, will travel to “the holy land” and once they arrivewill experience a small college town and enjoy the comfortsand insights of its interesting past, which began with the birthof Wake Forest Institute in 1834.Gene Capps is executive director of the Wake Forest College BirthplaceSociety and can be reached at cappsgt@wfu.edu.40 Wake Forest Magazine