In 1852, Wake Forest College trustees petitioned the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad to establish a depot at the school. The closest station was a mile south in Forestville, forcing students and faculty to walk a mile to collect mail. At the time, the Wake Forest post office only received mail twice a week, while Forestville received daily mail through the depot. The railroad rejected the school’s first request. Finally, in 1872, the railroad closed the Forestville station and opened a passenger depot at Wake Forest. When the train station relocated, Wake Forest became the area’s economic center.

Wake Forest College graduates began establishing businesses along the railroad, helping establish the community’s first commercial district. John Benjamin Powers and T. E. Holding partnered with T. H. Edwards to form Edwards, Holding & Co., a drug store, in 1888. Soon after, the business partners split. Edwards sold his shares in the company, and Powers opened his own drug store, relocating closer to the railroad tracks. T. E. Holding rebranded his drug store to Holding & Co. Holding’s store offered a variety of products, including drugs, toiletries, and textbooks. T. E. Holding’s business helped him earn recognition as a progressive citizen and exemplary pharmacist.

Another Wake Forest College graduate, William Jonathan Wingate, founded W. J. Wingate & Co. in 1884. Wingate was known as a great sportsman. At his general merchandise store, he offered sporting goods, guns, and ammunition, in addition to groceries and dry goods. Wingate carried high-quality bicycle brands such as Columbia, Rambler, and Crawford. The store also featured a repair department for fixing bicycles. During the summer months, the store also served ice cream, soda water, and ice, thanks to an

attached ice house. Wingate built a large and profitable business that attracted patrons from beyond the Wake Forest area. Unfor-tunately, in 1896, a devastating fire destroyed three stores in down-town, including the wooden structure of W. J. Wingate & Co.

Another general merchandise store in downtown Wake Forest, Purefoy & Reid, served as a one-stop shop for groceries, hardware, dry goods, and farming supplies. Frederick Purefoy and Reid expanded their business and announced plans to build a large brick store to replace their wooden structure. This two-story brick building is where Domino’s Pizza is located today.

In 1897, Purefoy and Reid sold their business to William Dickson, Fredrick Dickson, and their brother-in-law, Nathaniel Dunn, who operated Dunn & Dickson Bros. The success of Dunn and Dickson Bros. paralleled the growth of Wake Forest, which had 257 students at that time. Dunn, a Wake Forest College graduate, and the Dickson Brothers were described as individuals of integrity and strong business sense. Committed to staying current with trends and offering an impressive variety of products from both foreign and domestic manufacturers. Dunn & Dickson Bros. stood out among the other general stores in town due to their extensive inventory, competitive prices, and prompt service. By January 1900, the partnership of Dunn & Dickson Bros. dissolved when Dunn retired, and the business became Dickson Bros.

Development around the Wake Forest railroad station transformed a small college community into a thriving business district. The relocation of the railroad depot anchored economic growth along White Street and transformed a small college community. Wake Forest College graduates supported downtown growth, building businesses that served both college students and the surrounding communities.

To learn more about downtown Wake Forest history, visit Wake Forest Historical Museum to view Strolling White Street: A Photographic History of Downtown. This collection of photographs showcases the evolution of transportation, architecture, and commerce in downtown Wake Forest over the past 100 years. They reveal how events such as the Great Depression, World War II, and the departure of Wake Forest College in 1956 shaped this landscape. Each photo-graph holds a story waiting to be uncovered. To learn more, visit wakeforestmuseum.org.