The History of Fuquay Varina and the Town with the Unique Name

Prized by its residents for its "small town" feel, Fuquay-Varina

remains true to its historical roots. Two communities grew

together around the development of the local transportation

network and tobacco farming, a combination that established

them as trading centers for southern Wake and neighboring

Counties. Since their separate foundings and eventual union in

1963, Fuquay-Varina has continued to grow and develop within

the context of its rural settings and in response to the inevitable

changes brought by time.

This document aims to present a logical and sustainable

transportation plan for Fuquay-Varina, its citizens, and its

business community. Some long-time inhabitants, observing the

town's recent growth in development and traffic, cannot help but

ponder, "When did Fuquay-Varina get a rush hour?" This mindset

needs to be considered in developing the right transportation plan

for the community, one that balances the preservation of a "small

town" feel with room and planning for future growth.

When Frenchman William Fuquay first settled in the small

farming town of Sippihaw, little did he know the future for the

land he had purchased or the town named for the original Native

American tribe that inhabited the area. He could not have known

that his great-grandson, a tobacco farmer named Stephen, would

discover a spring in the mid-1800s while plowing the fields of the

family plantation. Originally used solely for drinking water,

Stephen soon came to the conclusion that the mineral water

flowing from the springs had healing properties. As word spread,

locals began to help the springs establish this reputation, which

brought residents from neighboring communities and counties to

its waters. The springs were eventually walled in to better serve

the tourists coming to the area by road or rail. In 1860, Fuquay

sold the springs to a group of local investors who formed the

Chalybeate Springs Company to market the attraction and its

waters.

At that time another Sippihaw resident, J. D. "Squire"B allentine,

was returning home from the Civil War. Ballentine had been the

town's schoolmaster before going off to fight for the Confederate

Army. During his tour of duty, he had received letters from one of

many southern ladies who wrote to the troops to improve their

morale. Originally signing her name "Varina,"V irginia Avery

would later meet and fall in love with Ballentine. He continued to

call her Varina throughout their life together. When he became

the first postmaster at the new post office in town in 1880, he

named it "Varina"in her honor. A community grew just south of

the springs, near the post office and the couple's Varina Mercantile

Company general store. In time, it adopted the same name.

Ballentine's business success allowed him to construct the local

historic landmark Ballentine Spence House in 1910, the first house

to have plumbing and electricity in the area. This house still stands

today.

The Fuquay Mineral Spring's popularity grew toward the turn of

the century, especially in the 1890s as local businessman John

Mills developed the idea to offer "Moonlight Excursions"to the

springs. He fitted flat rail cars (the same ones he had been using

to ship lumber to and from his Sippihaw yards) with seats and

offered nighttime train trips to southern Wake County from

Raleigh. As more guests came to the springs to "take the waters,"

a group of small hotels sprung up in town, along with restaurants,

barbeque stands, and a dance pavilion with a player piano. The

town became a tourist destination and was the site of special

celebrations on Fourths of July and Easter Mondays. During these

events, residents of Raleigh would take the train down to watch

the accompanying baseball games and participate in the dances

and celebrations. Hotels like the Ben Wiley Hotel catered to the

out-of-towners and became as much a center of town life as the

springs. In 1902, Sippihaw was renamed "Fuquay Springs"in

honor of its founding family and was officially incorporated in

1909.

When it was incorporated, the new Fuquay Springs town limits

included the Varina business district and the rail junction of the

Cape Fear, Northern, Norfolk, and Southern Railroads, the core of

the neighboring town. But Varina reestablished itself the

following year when the Varina Union Station was erected and a

new post office was created, spurred by the lobbying of Mr.

Ballentine. Four years later, the Bank of Varina was established.

Several warehouses for the growing tobacco business were built in

town over the next few years, capitalizing on the railroad

connections. Another supply store and a knitting factory followed.

As Varina came into its own as a hub for area agriculture, the

Fuquay Springs Corporation was formed and began bottling and

selling mineral water from the springs commercially. Area

businesses continued to develop and, in 1927, US 401 was paved

through town, shortening travel times to Raleigh and nearby

communities.

Moving Toward Unification and the Present

By this time, Fuquay Springs and Varina had become major

trading hubs for southern Wake County as well as neighboring

Harnett and Johnston Counties. Yet improvements to

automobiles and area roads caused a decline in tourism at the

springs. Rather than visiting the springs, residents in the region

chose to visit the coast as travel times decreased.

During this time, however, the tobacco industry continued to drive

the area economy, with 5 warehouses, a cotton buyer, and 15

stores established by the end of the 1920s. The shared emphasis

on agricultural and industrial growth brought the towns to a

shared vision, and as their residents worked, played, and attended

church together, the eventual merger into Fuquay-Varina in 1936

was inevitable.

Residents of Fuquay-Varina today still value the small town

atmosphere that has always pervaded the community. While

development in the area today includes numerous residential

communities and commercial sites along the major roadways into

town, many of the older structures from its past remain within the

town limits and are still cherished by the community. The

Victorian, Craftsman, and Colonial Revival homes constructed in

the late 1800s and early 1900s are contributing structures to the

Fuquay Springs National Register Residential Historic District,

while the downtown shops and businesses are part of the Varina

National Register Commercial Historic District. Area landmarks

located in these districts include the Ben Wiley Hotel, the

Ballentine Spence House, and the Dr. Wiley S. Cozart House, built

across the street from the springs by the original owner and

proprietor of the Ben Wiley. The springs are now contained in a

small park developed on the site in 1945 which was handed over to

the town in 1998 to maintain as a historic park.

The Town is presently at a point where decisions made regarding

growth and development will greatly influence the direction of the

community. From 1970 to 2000, the population more than

doubled, growing from 3,576 residents to 7,898. Current

estimates by the NC State Data Center show that Fuquay-Varina

grew an additional 23% from 2000-2003 to 9,726 people, making

it the 26th fastest growing community in the state and the 11th

fastest for those with populations over 5,000.

Community preservation as well as economic development are

important issues, since the area has been a prime location for

families and individuals relocating to and within the successful

Triangle region. More then 20 manufacturers and industries have

located their businesses in the area. The ten with the highest

number of employees are identified in Table 1.1. The area

Chamber of Commerce is quick to point out the prime location of

Fuquay-Varina in relation to the state capital of Raleigh, area

airports and highway corridors, and other metropolitan areas in

the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.

Freight Handlers, Inc. 1991 Lumping Services 600

Tyco Electronics,Raychem 1981 Telecommunication Accessories 505

Guilford Fibers 1985 Polyester Yarn 476

John Deere 1997 Golf/Commercial Mowing Equipment 380

Southbend 1970 Institutional/Commercial Ranges 250

Bob Barker Company 1967 Institutional Supplies 224

In-Serv 1997 Industrial Contractors 200

Berk-Tek (Alcatel) 1989 Fiber Optics 120

Stephens Custom Building Materials 1934 Custom Building Materials 85

Powell & Powell Supply Co., Inc. 1940 /Fertilizers, Lawn and Garden Items, Canopies 58

Fuquay-Varina is one of the finest communities in Wake County

and central North Carolina, as reflected in the residential and

economic growth of the town. In a message from current Mayor

John Byrne on the town website, he states:

This document ventures not only to respect the past, but also to

consider Fuquay-Varina's exciting future. In developing the

forecasts that project a population of nearly 25,200 residents

(15,500+ new residents) and 15,500 employees (8,800+ new

employees) by 2020. As this plan was created, Town and County

officials, area businesses, and concerned citizens sought to provide

a system of roads, transit, rail, pedestrian facilities, and bikeways

that will serve the community that faces this type of considerable

growth over the next quarter century. These people strived to

handle these issues in a logical and sustainable manner.

Information provided by the Town of Fuquay Varina.

Community Transportation Plan, consideration must be given to

Our Town Government is working hard for the community to

provide services that help make our quality of life better in

Fuquay-Varina...Economic development, education, traffic

control, public safety, infrastructure, planning, parks and

recreation are all part to the big picture. Fuquay-Varina is

located in the garden spot of Wake County and the path of

progress of the Research Triangle Park and is changing with

each passing day. What we do as a team to make it better is

most important to our future generation.

The Future of Fuquay-Varina

Table 1.1 - Top Ten Employing, Chamber of Commerce

Established Field/Product Employees

Growth at the Turn of the Century

The Origins of Two Towns

History and Background of Fuquay-Varina