Cary History Publications

The Friends are involved with several publications that document Cary's history. Proceeds from each of these publications benefit the Friends and support our mission of historic preservation, history education and cultural arts advocacy.

All of these publications can be purchased at the Page-Walker Arts & History Center; some also can be purchased at other outlets, including the Cary Arts Center and Ashworth Drugs.


Cary: Through the Years

Updated for Cary's Sesquicentennial, Cary: Through the Years highlights milestone occurrences that shaped Cary over more than two and a half centuries, recognizing the events and citizens that made Cary the place it is today.

This 28-page softcover booklet is available for purchase for $5.



Around and About Cary

The authoritative history of Cary, written by long-time Cary resident Tom Byrd and illustrated by renowned Cary artist Jerry Miller, Around and About Cary documents the events and people of our community from the 1700s through the 1990s.

This 200-page hardcover book belongs on every Cary history lover's bookshelf and can be purchased for $15.
Oral History Compilation I

Just a Horse-Stopping Place

This collection of oral history interviews from Peggy Van Scoyoc spans the period from the mid-1800s to the mid-2000s, focused mostly in the mid-1900s. Thirty seven narrators tell rich stories about growing up, going to school, going to church, farming and other work endeavors, medicine, entertainments and other aspects of life in Cary.

This 300-page paperback is an engaging history of Cary as told by the people who observed and made that history. It can be purchased for $20.

Oral History Compilation II

Desegregating Cary

Peggy Van Scoyoc's second oral history collection describes what life was like in Cary for African-Americans before the Civil Rights era and following the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision . Narrators tell how the small community of Cary became a model for other communities to emulate as they tackled the mandate to desegregate schools.

This 220-page paperback documents an important historical era as told by people who lived through it. It can be purchased for $18.

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