Article V
Shirley Simmons, FV Museums
The Fuquay Springs Baptist Church was constructed on the corner of Main and what is now Academy Street in 1902. Academy Street did not cross the rail line to the West until 1916. Prior to that traffic to the West crossed the rail line at the depot near where the dog park is today and entered town on Depot Street. The Baptist erected three buildings on the site before moving to Woodrow Street in 1972, The next major occupant was the present Fidelity Bank with its grand opening in 1979. Fidelity Bank has plans for the adjacent area which was T. R. Ashworth’s until it was razed.
Across Academy from the church, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Prince built their home in a block which was largely vacant to the north. Pictured here is Robert Prince during a snow storm which swamped Main Street . Main had been paved in 1927. Note the Baptist Church in the background with the first brick structure which had replaced the original wooden building in 1930. Planter’s Warehouse and the several private residences are on site during the early 1930’s.
When the Prince house was moved to the Jones Street area of town, Paul Tutor opened a service station on the corner of Academy and Main across from the church. Following that era, we have recently had the dance studio and NAPA occupy that area. Cotton’s furniture building is still home to several businesses today. The Town of Fuquay-Varina has just announced the purchase of two buildings with the intent of beginning a park or open space across from Centennial Square. Shortly, some will be removed from the scene in demolition.
Across the street there was the Fuquay Theater, later Parker’s Furniture. Along with The Post Office of 1965, which became the Police Station. All are now gone awaiting the construction of a multi use building envisioned by the town. Centennial Square on the corner, originally intended to pay tribute to our first 100 years as a town, will remain only until the new park is ready and the multi use building begun.
Across from the Bank, Bostic and Wilson Antiques last occupied the sprawling building which originally housed the Gold Leaf Restaurant and the Food Center. After the restaurant closed the building became home to the Food Center (grocery). In that building’s basement citizens could rent food lockers before the era of private home freezers. A large meat market existed downstairs.
The Ryals family purchased the empty property Oct 31. 1987 for an antique store. For several years, portions of the basement later housed a Tea Room under the antique store. Dr. Lane purchased from Jewel Ryals when she closed Bostic and Wilson in 2024. Lane has recently cleared all this large building with plans to erect a new structure on that site in the future.
Further to the North on Main, the Harold Parker Homeplace was recently razed for the building of something new. Parker married the daughter of Dr. Judd, the original owner of much of this property along N. Main. The Parkers owned the Knitting Mill, later printing office, the Furniture Store along Main and Broad, and were remembered for having a fallout shelter in their yard.
We await the proposal of a funeral home and whatever else replacing their home.
Yes, continuing changes make your head spin. We await what the next era might bring to our “old Main Street “ with these five new sites replacing “old faces.”