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Apex celebrates 150th anniversary by exploring lost history

Today, Apex is known as the 'peak' of good living – but many people have no idea the historic downtown is built overtop a lost pond that holds secrets to the town's little-known origins.

Each time you sit down to eat in the alleyway between the Apex Fire Department and The Peak on Salem, you're sitting right on top of one of the most important sites in the town's history: The Log Pond.

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Very little remains of that pond today; however, without that pond, Apex may not have ever existed at all.

"If you look at maps of Wake County prior to the Civil War, you will see places like Holly Springs and a number of communities all around modern day Apex, but you don't see Apex on the map at all," said Toby Holleman, a historian who specializes in the town's history.

That's because 'Apex' didn't exist. The little community had a different name: Log Pond.

Why was 'Log Pond' changed to 'Apex?'

It may seem hard to believe a little pond could have such an impact on a town's growth, but the small body of water served as a refueling station for the steam engines that came through on the Chatham Railroad. Without that pond, the railroad may never have come through the tiny community – and that railroad was a primary reason Apex exists today.

"The railroad was completed 1869," said Holleman. "Until then, there was no Apex."

Prior to 1869, Holleman says travelers who stopped to water their horses may have seen a little lumber business or a mill, as well as a country store and maybe a farm house or two.

"Very little there, not even enough to call a community," he said.

The 'log pond' was maybe 100 feet long or so, and was so named because railroad workers would toss the wooden railroad ties into the pond, giving it the appearance of being filled with logs.

Steam engine trains needed plenty of water, so the pond served as a replenishing reservoir. As the community became a prominent stop for trains, railroad workers began referring to Log Pond as the 'Apex of the Grade.'

The name 'Apex of the Grade' was critically important to railroad workers because it let everyone on the tracks know that this stop was the highest point, the apex or the peak, of the Chatham County Railroad.

"Trains would come up the hill from Haywood. That climb is 15 miles, and for a little steam engine pulling a long train of cars, it needed water by the time it reached the top of the hill. That's where the log pond was," he said. "It would refill at the 'apex' of the grade then proceed on to Cary, and downhill to Raleigh."

Holleman says it was common for communities at the 'peak' of a railroad line to be named in recognition of that:

Engineers named the community Apex, and within a year the first post office was established.

"The United States Postal Service called it the Apex post office," he said.

What happened to the critically important log pond?

Train tracks still carry trains right past the historic Depot in downtown Apex.

But no one knows exactly what happened to the original log pond, according to Holleman.

" We surmise that it vanished as the town began to grow," he said. "Probably by 1900 it could no longer be seen."

Main Street and Old US-1 Hwy ran through right where the pond sat, so a flooding pond could have created a mess. The town inserted culverts to drain it – possibly represented today in the name Culvert Street just behind the train depot.

"Those drains still work today. I can remember as a kid seeing the drain on the east side. So much water tends to accumulate in that spot. It’s a tiny little valley on the ridge, and you can see how the water could come down and settle in that little spot where the Log Pond was," he said.

A map of Log Pond drawn by Staley Smith shows the outline of the pond's old site, as well as the flow of the culvert and direction the water drained. From the drawing, you can see the pond sat directly next to the train tracks along Seaboard St., just a stone's throw away from the historic depot building still sitting by the tracks today.

Smith created that map in 2009.

Precious few photos actually show the Log Pond – and there may only be one in existence.

Holleman's brother Warren, also an Apex historian, shared one of these photos in the book Pluck, Perseverance, and Paint: Apex, North Carolina: Beginnings to 1941. Below is a close-up of that image, restored by Marty Allen and provided by the Apex Volunteer Fire Department collection.

Today, visitors can sit on top of the former site of the log pond and eat lunch – in a little alleyway running alongside the fire station.

Where is the 'apex' of Apex?

Atop a slight hill, just behind the old railroad tracks, sits a historic home known as the Tunstall house – right on the peak of the very highest point in Apex, according to Kerrin Cox, communications coordinator for the Town of Apex.

The historic home sits on the Apex Town Campus, which also includes the town hall, senior center and community center.

As the town prepares to celebrate 150 years of history at their Party in the Peak event on Sept. 23, they're highlighting some of these incredible lost stories as part of an exhibit right there on the town campus – allowing visitors to learn about the town's hidden history while walking around on the very peak of Apex itself.

On September 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the campus will become an interactive museum showcasing Apex’s past, present, and future.

“We have interviewed nearly 100 community members so far, and their stories will be part of the celebration in our Present exhibit,” said Cox. “We’ve covered topics like Black history, women’s history, indigenous history, and more - all of which have been curated by community champions.”

The event has more than just history. There will be 10 food trucks with special Apex 150th menu items. They're also hosting live music, Apex youth performances, kids activities, and storytellers on stage sharing tales from Apex's past.

For those who love Apex history, many historic photos and stories are collected in the Holleman brothers' history book, which is available at ELK Local Foods and Sixpence Accents in downtown. Toby Holleman is also providing a virtual tour of Apex history on October 15 at Eva Perry Library.

For those who love exploring hidden history themselves, the town has worked with historians from several Apex communities – Green Level, Friendship, New Hill, Olive Chapel and more – to create interactive maps to 'lost places' that once played a critical role in making the town what it is today.

Podcast: Explore hidden history from towns all across the Triangle

Hidden History reporter Heather Leah is a seventh-generation North Carolinian who loves sharing all the history hiding just beneath your feet. Scroll to listen to her podcast series about everything from enchanted castles to secret underwater ghost towns to abandoned tunnels leading to forgotten history.

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APEX, N.C. (WNCN) — Opening a new business, especially in the post-pandemic era, is a huge risk. The increased cost to lease space and buy equipment has made it even more challenging.

In Apex, a mixed-use development is under construction with plans to partially open early next year. Sweetwater Town Center aims to provide space not only for well known brands but for small businesses as well.

Among those small businesses is Fratelli’s Delicatessen. RJ Cancel and his brother will be the chefs. They’re working on refining the menu for their family’s new restaurant.

“We got a chicken cutlet in there, that’s for our chicken parm sandwich… [This is] a Chicago staple. It’s called the Italian Beef,” he said as he showcased some of the restaurant’s future offerings.“

Fratelli’s Delicatessen was born out of his grandma Nan’s love for cooking. The lasagna pan she used from 1945 until her death, a symbol of the importance of family, will be displayed in the restaurant.

“That was the start of many, many many lasagnas in our family. We’re so blessed she was able to leave this and give this to us when she passed away,” said Shannon Thomas, Chef Cancel’s aunt and co-owner of the future Fratelli’s Deli.

“We spent Sunday dinners at my grandma’s house growing up in Long Island, New York, and we want to have a place like that here in Apex for families to come and feel like they’re part of our family as well,” Thomas said.

Opening up their own family restaurant proved to have its difficulties. Thomas said they were forced to scrap their initial plan of opening in downtown Apex last year.

“Unfortunately due to just expenses and COVID, it made it really hard for us to financially be able to start a brick-and-mortar building,” said Thomas.

It’s not just hard for startups. The National Restaurant Association said 65% of existing businesses say rent costs are up and 88% say food costs are up.

“We just really decided that it may not be the best time to start because we didn’t want to fail,” said Thomas.

When they found Sweetwater Town Center, Thomas’ dream felt like a reality again.

Marvin Waldo is president of Retail Strategies NC. His 45-acre mixed-use development is still under construction but Waldo says Sweetwater Town Center’s commercial spaces are about 90% pre-leased.

The plan is to have large sidewalks for outdoor dining, a nearly football-sized lawn for events, covered areas for farmers markets, apartments and offices. His idea is to have an old town square feel in a new suburban setting.

“We really want this to be an extension of Apex and not a competitor of anything in Apex. We want it to be a place where families can do a lot of different things,” Waldo said.

One of Waldo’s focuses was to create a space with the businesses in mind. While Sweetwater will have well-established businesses, Waldo wanted to make sure their rents were affordable for small businesses like Fratelli’s Deli.

“Pleasing the town of Apex is the goal. That’s the goal. And secondly, it’s just seeing, I want to come out here and see people having fun,” said Waldo.

“From a renting perspective,” Thomas said, “I think they’re really trying to make it a little bit easier for small businesses to become part of their storefronts, which has helped us a lot.”

Thomas said overcoming this challenge is helping her family’s dream become a reality.

“One of our goals is to definitely have our guests bite into a sandwich on our menu that reminded them of home and be like ‘Wow, this is exactly what I was looking for’,” said Cancel.

Thomas’ dream is to keep Nan’s legacy alive.

“My dream is to just have our place flowing with people, putting a smile on their faces and filling their stomachs with joy.”

Independence Day is almost here, and that means many across the nation are taking off work, having barbecues and popping fireworks (keep ‘em legal).

Most towns in the Triangle are joining the fun by holding their own celebrations starting this weekend (the official holiday is Tuesday, July 4).

We’ve compiled a guide to safe and professional fireworks shows and celebrations across the Triangle, listed chronologically.

The town of Selma is kicking off Independence Day weekend will an All-American Festival. There will be live entertainment, food trucks, and the national anthem will be sung by Chad Thompson

The town of Clayton will be hosting a Friends and Family Independence Day celebration on July 1 with food trucks, games and free watermelon.

The town of Fuquay-Varina will be hosting an Independence Day Celebration at South Park with food and drink vendors.

The town of Wendell will be having a fireworks show with Americana music and food trucks.

The town of Apex will be putting on 4th of July events throughout the weekend starting with a Firework Frenzy on July 3.

The town of Garner will be hosting an Independence Day Celebration with kids games, live music and fireworks on July 3.

The town of Morrisville is putting together a “Family Fun Festival” with live music, entertainment and giveaways on July 3.

The town of Wake Forest put together a “Fireworks Spectacular” on July 3 and a parade on July 4.

The town of Cary will be putting on its Independence Celebration on July 4 at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre.

The town of Durham and Durham Parks & Recreation have created a 4th of July Celebration on July 4.

The town will celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks.

The town of Knightdale will put on its annual “Fourth On First Ave” on July 4.

The free July 4th Celebration at Dix Park is one of the Triangle’s biggest fireworks shows with food trucks, family activities and a foam party pit.

The town of Rolesville’s 4th of July Celebration will have live music, food trucks and activities for kids and adults.

The Town of Holly Springs believes Independence Day celebrations don’t need to end on July Fourth. The town hosts fireworks on Wednesday, July 5, as well as food trucks, games and live music.

This story was originally published June 28, 2023, 2:16 PM.

The Apex Cougars wouldn’t be denied.

Winning back-to-back games en route to an NCHSAA 4A state championship on Saturday wasn’t easy, but head coach Adam Renzi knows his group of girls, and he knows they are a resilient bunch.

“We’ve been gritty all year,” Renzi said after Apex rallied, twice, to upset Hickory Ridge at Duke University. “We don’t have a lot of superstars but just play really tough. And so today we just said, ‘Don’t let us win one.’”

Apex was shut out in Game 1, 3-0, on Friday night as Hickory Ridge got a brilliant performance from Elon-bound pitcher Anna Dew. To win the title, Apex had to win the final two games of the best-of-3 series Saturday.

In Game 2, the Cougars found themselves in a 4-0 hole, and came back. That was their “one,” thanks to a two-run walk-off homer from Kaleigh Ayscue.

From there, Renzi said, it was all about using the energy off the win.

“We managed to get that one,” Renzi said. “That first one was really hard. It was really hot. I thought we were able to really build off that.”

In Game 3, the Cougars got behind again, and trailed 5-2 in the seventh inning, three outs from disaster. But, aided by three Hickory Ridge errors, Apex scored six runs to win 8-5, securing its first softball state title.

“That’s been the story all year,” Renzi said. “We are just gritty and find ways to manufacture runs.”

Renzi said a few years ago, winning double digit games at Apex was a big deal. Now, the Cougars will get fitted for rings.

“I’ve been around softball for so long, travel ball, college and high school,” Renzi said. “The resiliency of the female athlete (is special). They just do not surrender. What you saw today is why I’m involved in this game. Whether we win or lose is irrelevant because of the way they fought back.”

Hickory Ridge head coach Justin Davies said all his team could do is look ahead.

“We don’t have any choice but to move forward,” Davies said. “We try to tell the girls to not worry about the next step and the next pitch, but this hurts. We had four errors (in Game 3) and a bunch of errors in (Game 2) and we just didn’t do the job.”

This story was originally published June 3, 2023, 7:37 PM.

After years of legal wrangling and shelved plans, a mixed-use project on a massive tract of land in Apex is now in new hands and moving forward.

The long-awaited Veridea development is starting to take shape after New York developer RXR recently purchased multiple parcels, roughly 1,100 acres in total, sandwiched between U.S. Highway 1 and N.C. 540, along N.C. 55, according to Wake County deed records.

The total price tag: $91 million.

The project has been in the works since the property’s previous owner, Hudson Realty Capital, began assembling land 16 years ago. However, it hit legal roadblocks and never got off the ground.

About 17 months ago, RXR began scouting the site and says the deal is part of its national push into what it calls “superstar regions,” mainly outlying suburban areas that support housing, logistics and life sciences. Apex is about 20 minutes from RTP and neighbors Cary and Morrisville. The land sale was first reported by the Triangle Business Journal.

“The Veridea project is consistent with our strategy,” said Scott Rechler, chairman and CEO of RXR, in a statement.

RXR plans to build on Hudson Capital’s original vision — with over 1,000 multifamily units to be built by RXR and 1,100 single-family houses and townhomes to be developed by Lennar Corp — as part of the project’s first phase. Plans also include over 750,000 square feet for life sciences research, and 21 acres for the construction of a new elementary school.

RXR is also partnering with Wake Technical Community College to construct a new 340,000-square-foot campus on 34 acres that will include space for a new workforce development center.

Altogether, RXR, Lennar and Wake Tech expect to invest “up to $3 billion” on the site.

“We’re going to create a community of live-work-play,“ Joseph Graziose Sr., RXR’s executive vice president for residential development and construction, told The N&O. “We really pride ourselves in coming into regions and municipalities, and working together to ensure that we’re both aligned and doing good.”

RXR indicated the project will offer housing at an “affordable price point,” but Graziose declined to give exact numbers. “What I could say is, being outside the boundary of the city, it will be much more affordable than living in downtown Raleigh and North Hills.”

RXR plans to break ground with the initial infrastructure and roadway system early next year. The first residents for multifamily units should be able to move in by late 2025, he said.

Amenities for phase one will include walkable green trails, dog parks and bicycle paths. Eventually, four softball fields, six tennis courts and a 22,500-square-foot community center will be added. The zoning of the site allows for the development of up to 8,000 residential units, 12 million square feet of commercial space, including life sciences, industrial, and warehouse, and 3.5 million square feet of retail, hospitality, and civic uses.

Apex Mayor Jacques K. Gilbert called the project a “golden opportunity” for Apex.

“While there are many more steps to take on this journey, I’m truly impressed with the conceptual plans presented by RXR’s team, providing solutions to move us forward,” he said in a statement.

As Apex’s population swells to over 62,000, demand for more housing remains at an all-time high. The town estimates that by 2030, there could be more than 120,000 people living in Apex. A local affordable housing developer, DHIC, recently broke ground on Broadstone Walk, a 164-unit affordable housing complex on a 14-acre parcel along South Hughes Street in Apex.

This story was originally published March 2, 2023, 3:01 PM.