A Brief History

Friends of Wakelon began as a loosely knit organization of citizens of the Zebulon community whose primary goal was, simply put, to save a school. In 2006, the Town of Zebulon had an option to purchase the Wakelon School property, which included over six acres of land and two school buildings, from GlaxoSmithKline, pending passage of a $5 million bond referendum to be held in March, 2007. The plan called for the older building to be the Zebulon’ Town Hall, housing the Administration, Finance, Planning, and Parks and Recreation Departments, as well as the Town Council chambers. The newer “primary” building would house the Zebulon Police Department. Fear that the lovely older building, with its unique architecture and icon status, would be torn down if the bond issue failed and the property were sold to a commercial developer, was a huge motivator and provided the impetus for what followed. Our group met at the home of Jenny Privette to make plans, and then worked tirelessly writing letters to alumni, putting up flyers, talking with voters, and publicizing an Open House on the campus held in January, 2007, to get out the vote and see that the bond referendum passed. And pass it did, by a three to one margin!

Friends of Wakelon, Inc. is an outgrowth of the original group, and was established and incorporated, with the help of attorney and former Zebulon mayor Thurston Debnam, in an effort to to afford citizens of the Zebulon community, and friends and alumni of Wakelon and Zebulon Elementary Schools, a way to make tax deductible donations in support of two goals:
  1. the beautification, enhancement, and perpetual maintenance of the grounds of the former Wakelon School campus, which is now being converted to the Zebulon Metro Complex;

  2. the collection, cataloging, and display of memorabilia in the new town hall.
To that end, members of Friends of Wakelon, Inc. met with the Zebulon Town Board on November 14, 2007, with a proposal to create a commemorative Centennial Plaza, including landscaping, funded primarily through the sale of personalized bricks and pavers to be used in courtyards on the campus. We anticipate that this will be an ongoing project, with new bricks and pavers added yearly, that can be expanded to include a fountain, benches, and decorative plants. The Board approved the concept of this proposal.

We are optimistic, and believe that we will be providing a wonderful place to visit and, in many cases, reminisce that honors the Zebulon community’'s citizens, past and present, and provides a look at our history for the generations who follow.
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