As the Town has developed around it, the historic Calvin Jones House on North Main Street has remained one of Wake Forest's most central and aesthetically pleasing historic properties. Much of its visual appeal is owed to a specific group: the Wake Forest Garden Club.
Established in 1924, the Garden Club is the oldest in North Carolina and the longest-serving community service organization in Wake Forest. Throughout the past century, the club has dedicated countless hours to ensuring that the flowers, shrubs, and trees of all kinds surrounding the house once occupied by the Town's founder and the beginnings of what was then Wake Forest College, now called “The Birthplace.” A host of other projects across town also bear the badge of the Club’s influence.
The Wake Forest Garden Club comprises 102 members and 15 dedicated garden stewards. Working to fulfill its mission — to preserve and enhance the beauty of Wake Forest — these individuals donated over 400 hours in the past year. The penultimate high point for the club was a mild sunny Tuesday in mid-April, when the dedicated stewards came out to thoroughly clean up the grounds of The Birthplace and its adjacent museum ahead of the Garden and Art Tour two weeks later.
Not that the grounds ever need much work, as the ladies and gentlemen who proudly serve as stewards through all four seasons run a pretty tight ship — and garden shed. Situated to the south of the museum, the garden shed was in heavy use as volunteers came and went, picking up and dropping off all manner of tools during the 3-hour effort to spruce up the finest historic setting in town as the blooming azaleas, irises, and local passersby looked on.
"I love the grounds, and the people are wonderful," said Karen Warn, chair of the garden club, while spraying weeds along the well-worn paths around the Calvin Jones House and adjacent museum. Warn, who grew up on a farm in Ohio, has earned her master gardener certification and served as a member of the garden club for the past seven years.
Along with her mother Ruth Walters before her, Ruth Ann Dyer has been a member of the club for the past eight years. Following retirement from the Army, she and her husband, Jim, moved back to the area in 1989. Dyer later attended a club meeting with her mother during the time when the house was being restored.
"When we moved into our house here seven years ago — the first new home built on N. Main Street in 70 years — I was committed to joining the club and taking care of the garden," said Ruth Ann, who also serves on the board of the Wake Forest College Historical Museum, which would most likely not exist at all if not for the efforts of 11 garden club members in 1956.
Scheduled for demolition in June of that year, just one month after Wake Forest College departed for Winston-Salem, the Club successfully petitioned to save the Calvin Jones House. It was later donated by then-owner Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and moved to its current location on 4.4 acres of land donated by the college.
An elm tree on the grounds that is thought to be more than 100 years old nearly succumbed to blight in the 1960s and '70s. While many trees were lost, this one survived and today creates a quiet, shady space under its foliage for all to enjoy. Many people in town visit the grounds daily, sitting in favorite spots, eating or reading, strolling or walking their dogs, and simply taking in the beautiful scenery.
"One of the best ways to learn about the plants and flowers that grow in North Carolina is to come and join us," said club president Karen Diebolt, carrying on the tradition started by the club's first president, Susie Powell, who presided over its first meeting in October 1924. And despite difficult times over the years, especially in the wake of the college moving away in 1956, the club has persevered in a myriad of ways.
In addition to The Birthplace grounds, club members also maintain Downtown’s Miller Park and the grounds at the classical music station WCPE in Wake Forest. Additionally, members participate in the “Flower Cart” every Friday at St John's Episcopal Church, making small arrangements donated to individuals living in care facilities. They also partner with Tri-Area Ministries Food Pantry to hand out container gardens with soil, seeds, fertilizer, and instructions on how to grow certain vegetables.
Together with the Garden and Art Tour on April 26 and 27, as part of its centennial celebrations, the club will revive the Hat Stroll. This old ritual, not held in more than 30 years but very popular in the '50s and earlier, according to Ruth Ann, will return on Tuesday, May 14, along White Street starting at 11 a.m. No streets will be closed, but the behatted gardeners will be given a wide berth around the town for which they have done so much. They were even featured on a recent episode of WRAL’s Tar Heel Traveler.
"We are grateful to the Wake Forest Garden Club for all they have done and continue to do," said Jason Cannon, President of the Wake Forest Business & Industry Partnership (WFBIP). “As they celebrate 100 years, they offer us a wonderful reminder that while Wake Forest grows and thrives, this community also values its history and traditions now more than ever before. This Club is helping to steward the very special quality of life aspects our residents treasure. They are just one living example of Wake Forest’s unique small-town charm.”
