This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Wake Forest Garden Club. In 1924, women created the Wake Forest Garden Club to foster an appreciation of flowers and the natural beauty of Wake Forest. Since the establishment of the first garden club in 1891, garden club gatherings throughout the country have served as a platform for sharing gardening knowledge and swapping plant cuttings. As these local clubs grew, they became part of a larger national movement advocating for conservation and preservation. Today, the Wake Forest Garden Club and the Garden Club of America continue to promote education and a love for gardening while actively participating in civic improvement initiatives aimed at enhancing and protecting the environment.

Susie Lanneau Powell served as the Wake Forest Garden Club’s first president. Powell’s family moved to Wake Forest in 1890 when her father became a mathematics professor at Wake Forest College. In 1912, Susie and her husband, William Royall Powell, built a large, classical revival home on six acres at 546 North Main Street. Susie expressed her love for gardening through the stunning landscaping of her home.

The Wake Forest Garden Club’s first project was to plant flowering shrubs and trees along the highway to create a more scenic route after the completion of US Highway 1. The club’s roadside beautification efforts laid the groundwork for future initiatives to enhance the town’s aesthetic. In the 1940s, the Wake Forest Garden Club directed its efforts toward decorating and furnishing the Wake Forest Community House and its grounds after the Works Progress Administration completed the building. Then, during World War II, the Garden Club focused on war efforts, contributing to the Red Cross Ambulance Fund, purchasing war bonds, and planting Victory Gardens.

When Wake Forest College relocated to Winston-Salem in 1956, the Wake Forest Garden Club experienced a significant decline in membership. As the campus underwent renovations, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary announced its plans to construct a new cafeteria on the site of the Calvin Jones House. Garden club member Annie Gill Harris led Edith Taylor Earnshaw, Essie Morgan Poteat, Ursula Bernstein Wilkinson, Louise Smoot, Nannie Holding, Hannah Lanneau Holding, Helen Johnson, Inez Black, Sybil Gulley, Sallie Powell, and Elenore Reid in drafting a petition urging support for relocating and restoring Wake Forest College’s inaugural structure. Through fundraising, advocacy, and community engagement, garden club members secured $2,500 and received a matching donation from the Trustees of Wake Forest University. The Calvin Jones House was moved to its current location on North Main Street, on a four-acre lot provided by Wake Forest College.

The tenacity and unwavering commitment of Garden Club leaders Kathleen Mackie Lake, Ruth Snyder, Pauline Binkley, and Carolyn Holding ensured the survival of a historic landmark for future generations. In 1963, Lake, Snyder, Binkley, and Holding hosted a Rock Party to collect rocks and prepare the new lot for mowing after the Calvin Jones House restoration process. They also helped organize the first membership drive for the Wake Forest College Birthplace Society, Inc. The Wake Forest Garden Club’s commitment to conservation and preservation has resulted in an ongoing partnership with the Wake Forest Historical Museum. Garden Club members contribute hundreds of volunteer hours to maintain the museum’s gardens.

The Wake Forest Garden Club is a testament to the enduring power of community collaboration and environmental stewardship. Today, the garden club is also involved in various outreach projects promoting gardening and community involvement. They host the Wake Forest Flower Cart to deliver small flower arrangements to those in need, maintain the gardens at Miller Park, distribute container gardens through Tri-Area Ministries Food Pantry, and partner with WCPE radio station to maintain a Pollinator Garden. The Wake Forest Garden Club has a century-long legacy of initiatives that bring people together to enhance the beauty of the Town of Wake Forest, one garden at a time.