Past Projects

WCHS donated $1,000 to the much needed re-painting project for the Historic Hepzibah Baptist Church in Wendell. 

In collaboration with the Lafayette Trail, Shaw University, and the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, WCHS facilitated the placement of a historic marker commemorating Lafayette’s visit to Raleigh during his farewell tour. The marker is near the corner of East South and South Wilmington Streets on Shaw’s campus, adjacent to the Performing Arts complex, the location of the former Government House where Lafayette was entertained on March 2, 1825.

WCHS donated $4,000 to adopt a window for restoration at St. Paul AME Church in downtown Raleigh and led a campaign to help the church raise additional funds to restore more of the 72 windows. Karl Larson and his committee did a superb job of publicizing an Open House held in February at the church to highlight the adopt-a-window campaign. The result was two extensive articles in the News and Observer, one on the front page. You may view the articles by clicking here and here. A story broadcast over WVTD can be viewed here. Over $60,000 was raised.

The window WCHS adopted is the right panel in the photo.

The Society also gave $300 to Preservation North Carolina for an advertisement is in its annual meeting program.

Donated $500 to Oakwood Cemetery to help repair damage caused by vandalism.

Right: Entrance Gate to Oakwood Cemetery, Raleigh

Gave $500 towards restoration of the Tenant House at Historic Oak View County Park, located in Raleigh.

Right: Tenant House at Historic Oak View County Park

Gave $250 to Preservation North Carolina to help sponsor M. Ruth Little’s book entitled Cameron Park, Raleigh, NC.

Right: Cover of Cameron Park, Raleigh, NC

Gave $500 to help with the move of the Tenant House to Historic Oak View County Park in Raleigh.

Above: Tenant House Undergoing Restoration

Paid $450 for the restoration of the photo on Rachel Blythe Bauer’s monument at Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh.

Right: Rachel Blythe Bauer Grave Marker

Gave $250 to Historic Yates Mill County Park in Raleigh.

Right: Yates Mill

Joined the Vanguard Class from First Presbyterian Church and Dean Ruedrich to restore the Devereux Plot in Raleigh’s City Cemetery, which opened in 1798. Each entity gave $2,500.

Right: Devereux Plot at City Cemetery

Gave $2,500 to the B.W. Wells Foundation in Wake Forest to help pay for wiring in the circa 1895 main building of Rock Cliff Farm.

Right: Rock Cliff Farm House

Paid $2,400 to restore the box tombstone of Mary Burges in City Cemetery in Raleigh. Her box tombstone was the only box tombstone with legs that was still standing in that cemetery.

Right: Mary Burges Box Tomb after Restoration

Gave $1,000 to the Wake Forest Historical Commission to help stabilize the Ailey-Young House in Wake Forest, a circa 1875, Reconstruction-era home of freed slaves.

Above Right: Ailey-Young House in Wake Forest

Paid $3,800 to restore the monument of Jacob Johnson in Raleigh’s City Cemetery. He was the father of U.S. President Andrew Johnson.

Right: Jacob Johnson’s Monument, Restored

Paid $250 for an advertisement in the program for the Raleigh Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

​Below Right: Raleigh Hall of Fame Logo

Gave $250 to the Wake Forest Historical Society for a new brochure.

Right: The Wake Forest Historical Museum

Gave All Saints’ Anglican Church $2,500 to help pay for moving All Saints’ Chapel at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Raleigh. The group did not raise enough money for the move, so WCHS’s donation was returned. In 2008, Greg Hatem of Empire Properties paid for the move and restored the chapel.

Right: All Saints’ Chapel in its current location south of downtown Raleigh. Photo by Cynthia Viola

Paid $550 for a new brochure for Raleigh City Cemeteries Preservation.

Paid for $500 for a display case for an original State Capitol chair at the NC State Capitol. The display case is no longer in use.

Right: NC State Capitol in Raleigh

Gave $1,000 for the tenth anniversary of the Raleigh City Museum.

​Below Right: Briggs Building which houses the re-named City of Raleigh Museum

Paid $425 for storage of furniture that was to be used in the L.L. Polk House when it was completed.

Right: L.L. Polk House in Raleigh

Gave $2,000 to Olivia Raney Public Library for microfiming Wake County newspapers.

Above: Olivia Raney Library in Raleigh

Gave $1,500 for Raleigh Heritage Trail brochures.

Paid $200 for lettering on a cemetery stone at City Cemetery in Raleigh.

Right: Entrance to City Cemetery

Gave $1,500 to the Manassa Pope House Foundation toward the purchase of a 1920 stove to help in the restoration of the ca. 1900 home of Dr. Manassa T. Pope

Right: Dr. Manassa T. Pope House in Raleigh, Photo by Elizabeth Alley, courtesy of the Raleigh Historic Development Commission

Gave $500 to NC State Capitol Foundation to assist in cleaning monuments on the Capitol grounds.

Right: NC State Capitol, courtesy John Hall

Gave $100 to Olivia Raney Library.

Right: Olivia Raney Local History Library in Raleigh

Gave $1,500 to the Dubois School Alumni Association in Wake Forest for a sign for the 1922 W.E.B. DuBois Rosenwald School that was being renovated.

Right: W.E.B. DuBois School in Wake Forest

Paid $950 to place grave makers at the graves of two of Joel Lane’s daughters, Martha Lane McKethan Brickell (1778-1852) and Grizelle Lane Ryan (1793-1868) in City Cemetery in Raleigh. The project was initiated by Elizabeth Norris and implemented by Anne Gordon.

Right: Grizelle Lane Grave Marker at City Cemetery

Donated $2,000 to Yates Mill Associates for restoration of the mill.

Right: Yates Mill, restored

Voted to donate $3,000 to the ca. 1890 L L Polk House in Raleigh. Society President Mabel Dorsey (1988-1990) had suggested to the board that the Polk House needed restoration. Society members Mabel Dorsey and Tom Norris met with N.C. State Chancellor Larry Monteith and Agricultural Commissioner Jim Graham to get their support for a new organization to restore the home of the first N.C. Agriculture Commissioner. This effort started as a WCHS project with Mabel Dorsey, Tom Norris, Barbara Massenburg, Tom Jordan, and others. It soon grew to a separate group. The beautiful home is mostly restored and is open today.

Above Right: Leonidas L. Polk House

​Donated $2,000 to Yates Mill for a millstone.

Right: Corn millstones at Yates Mill

​Donated $200 each to Historic Yates Mill, L. L. Polk House, and Oak View Farm.

Right: Main House at Oak View County Park

Sponsored the publication of the Raleigh pictorial history, “Raleigh, City of Oaks,” authored by James Vickers. Past-president Mrs. Joan Pennell (1979-1980) headed the project.

Right: Cover of Raleigh, City of Oaks

​Donated $500 to Historic Yates Mill in Raleigh.

Right: Yates Mill

Donated $500 to L. L. Polk House in Raleigh.

Below Right: Leonidas L. Polk House

Donated $200 to the Apex Historical Society for the Maynard-Pearson House.

Helped to market Kelly Lally’s book, “The Historic Architecture of Wake County.”

Above: Cover of the book

Donated $450 to Oak View for brochures

Donated $505 to L.L. Polk House

Donated $100 to Yates Mill

Donated $100 for restoration of a Rosenwald School near Raleigh built in 1922, St. Matthew’s School.

Donated $200 to the DuBois Rosenwald School in Wake Forest.

Spent $1440 on reproducing Fendol Bevers and Welt’s Wake County maps.

Right: Fendol Bevers's Map

Raised $17,200 for the Oak View restoration.

Donated $1,200 to Yates Mill Associates.

Donated $200 to Wake Forest Historical District and Properties Commission fo the DuBois Rosenwald School in Wake Forest.

Right: N. C. State Archives building

Donated $200 to the Friends of the Archives special fund.

Under the leadership of Barbara Massenburg (1990-1992), Oak View farm began its transformation from being a rundown farm house to becoming the beautiful education park it is today. Earl Droessler (1987-1988) and Barbara Massenburg lobbied the county commissioners and others to restore the farm house and make a park out of this area. Today it is a county park used to educate the public about farm life in the past.

Above Right: Historic Oak View County Park Main House

​Donated $1455 to N C State Capitol for 2 reproduction chairs, one each for Senate and House.

Right: chair at N. C. State Capitol

Donated $630 to Yates Mill.

Donated $100 to Page-Walker Hotel in Cary.

Right: The Page-Walker Hotel

Society President Mabel Dorsey (1988-1990) initiated a movement to restore Yates Mill. The effort soon grew too large for the Society. A separate group was formed to restore the mill. WCHS helped in raising money for the group as well as holding the new group’s money until it received its tax-exempt status. The mill was restored, and the subsequent park opened in 2006.

Right: Yates Mill During Restoration

Donated $100 to Friends of Page-Walker Hotel in Cary.

Right: The Page-Walker Hotel

In collaboration with NC State University, held a “Preservation Pig-Picking” fundraiser for Yates Mill.

Right: Yates Mill

Paid $950 and worked with several groups to erect a tombstone in Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh for Adolphus Gustavus Bauer, the architect of the N.C. Executive Mansion and many other famous buildings. The Society also did restoration work to the tombstone of his wife, Rachel Bauer.

Right: Tombstone of A.G. Bauer at Oakwood Cemetery

WCHS President Martha G. Robinson worked with the Hope Foundation to find and place a gravestone for Governor David Stone (1770-1818). He is buried near Knightdale at his site of his former Wake County plantation, “Restdale” on what is now private land. Restdale was on Hodge Road, south of Poole Road.

Above Right: Grave Marker of NC Governor David Stone

Placed a plaque for Wendell’s historic Hephzibah Baptist Church, a county landmark. The congregation was constituted in 1809.

Right: Historic Hephzibah Baptist Church

Right: Plaque located inside behind the last pew

WCHS member Beth Crabtree led the WCHS to save the ca. 1810 Badger-Iredell Law Office now located at Mordecai Historic Park in Raleigh. The Society worked with the Wake County Bar Association to move the office to Mordecai Square. The WCHS also held an auction to raise funds to furnish to law office and placed a plaque inside the law office.

Right: Badger-Iredell Law Office

Placed a bronze plaque on a large stone near the site of the first Wake County Courthouse at the corner of Boylan Avenue and Hargett Street in Raleigh.

Right: Boulder and Plaque Near Site of First Wake County Court House

Placed a plaque in Raleigh honoring General James Robertson, a pre-Revolutionary War hero, near the site of his boyhood home.

Above Right: Stone and Plaque to General James Robertson

Acquired and placed a walnut showcase in the lobby of the Wake County Court House to display historical artifacts. The display case is no longer in the court house.

Placed plaque commemorating Alfred Moore in Moore Square Park

Above right: The 1970 Wake County Court House

​Below right: Plaque commemorating Alfred Moore, Moore Square’s namesake

Placed plaques in at least two of the four public squares in Raleigh including for Governor Abner Nash and for Attorney General Alfred Moore.

Right: Plaque in Nash Square, Raleigh

Spent $900 to print the historic 1870 Fendol-Bevers map of Wake County.

Right: The Fendol-Bevers Map

Gave $200 to Mordecai Historic Park for the ca. 1810 Badger-Iredell Law Office restoration.

Right: The Badger-Iredell Law Office

Paid $180 to place a bronze marker on a granite stone at Raleigh’s City Cemetery for Jacob Marling, first professional artist painter in Raleigh.

Right: Plaque for Jacob Marling at City Cemetery

Asked Elizabeth Reid Murray to write a history of Wake County to be ready for the 1971 county bicentennial. She did extensive research, and it soon became evident she would not meet the 1971 deadline. The Society and she dissolved the partnership. Mrs. Murray continued her research on her own, and 12 years later in 1983, published her first volume of Wake County history entitled, “Wake: Capital County of North Carolina.”

Gave $100 to Olivia Raney History Library.

Right: Olivia Raney Library as it appears today

Gave $100 to Raleigh’s City Cemetery, opened 1798. Conducted annual walking tours of Raleigh’s cemeteries beginning around 1965. These tours continued for many years.

Right: Entrance to City Cemetery