Issue link: http://townofcary.uberflip.com/i/320439
Chapter 2 ! Who is Cary? 7 0 2 ! Who is Cary? Public art is an expression of a community — its people, heritage, thi nking, and culture — through the perspective of artists and parameters developed by the municipal art program. Understanding Cary within this context, therefore, is the first step in the process of creating and reviewing unique works of art that are communit y - based and site - specific. Heritage, local culture, and community values are key to defining community character and infusing place with meaning and identity. Identifying these themes challenges artists and policymakers to remember, celebrate, and reinvent community identity. Placing public art in highly visible locations in the public sphere promises exposure to many people who can learn from and discuss the piece and its context. Historic Cary Cary was considered an advantageous location because it was on the main road between New Bern and Hillsborough, two of North Carolina's largest colonial towns (HP MP). The earliest businesses include the Ordinary, an inn established by John Bradford in 1760, and a stagecoach stop that resident Nancy Jones had conv erted from her home: the building is still standing. Beginning in the 1800s, cotton farmers began moving to Green Level in the western part of Cary. Some of the farmers constructed a sawmill for cutting lumber, while others continued to farm cotton. Th e area of Green Level is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Cary started to develop more briskly in the mid 1800s when the North Carolina Railroad expanded , running through the Town and connecting it to a major transportation route in 1856. Frank Page became a railroad agent and the town's developer. He called his town "Cary" after an Ohio abolitionist and Congressman whom he admired. In 1868, Page built a hotel to serve railroad passeng ers coming through Cary. The Second Empire building still stands and serves as Cary's Page - Walker Arts & History Center on Ambassador Loop. Page and others also built a private school for their children called Cary Academy, which eventually converted to Ca ry's first high school. In 1871, Cary was incorporated and Frank Page became the first mayor. The following year another rail line, now CSX Transportation, was constructed just north of downtown, spurring further growth. Agriculture remained a major par t of Cary's economy throughout the 1 9th and early 20 t th centur ies . Local farmers started growing bright leaf tobacco in the late 1880s, which later supplanted the cotton industry that had been destroyed by the boll weevil. One of the main farm cooperative s was located in the Village of Carpenter, which still remains and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In the early 20th century Cary offered services and retail stores for local residents and the school community. In 1909, the Bank of Cary was chartered; other businesses included small grocery stores, a drug store and Frank Page's old hotel, now known as the Page - Walker Arts and History Center. For items that could not be purchased in Cary, there was daily passenger service to Raleigh on both railroad lines . A fire in 1908 destroyed the largest commercial building in town (Frank Page's former tobacco factory building), which housed the Episcopal chapel, Mayor's office, the Post Office, a gristmill, a cotton gin and two lodge halls. In the 1930s, the Great Depression hit Cary. The Bank of Cary failed, and by October 1932 the town was bankrupt due to poor managem ent and bookkeeping. After these setbacks, Cary rebounded i n 1946 , in part due to the constru c tion of th e Raleigh - Durham Inter national Airport ; originally a military facility, it was completely converted to civilian use. In combination with post - WWII growth, this led to the development of residential suburbs in the Town of Cary.