The History of Carpenter
Village
Earliest Days: William Henry Carpenter, had a
farm near the current location of Good Hope Baptist Church. Will
began selling general-store type of merchandise from there in
1885.
In 1895, Will moved his store to the corner of
Carpenter-Upchurch and Morrisville-Carpenter Roads.
Local historians, including Bryan Edwards, speculate that it was
either dumb luck or brilliant planning that motivated Will to pick
that exact location. By 1906, the Durham & Southern railroad
had a depot right in front of the store.
Durham & Southern: In all likelihood, Will
Carpenter was well aware of the plans for the railroad. The Duke
family was getting tobacco from local farmers and had invested in
cotton production in Erwin, NC. They needed a way to get the
harvest to Durham and Carpenter lies on a ridge perfect for a
railroad bed.
The railroad eventually built a coal chute, water tower,
passenger and freight depot and housing for railroad personnel.
According to Edwards, “for all practical purposes, the
railroad was operated from Carpenter” (Carpenter, NC
– As I Remember, 2006, by Bryan Edwards).
The Durham & Southern put up a sign identifying the village
as “Carpenter” around 1905.
Charlie Ferrell: Another enterprising citizen
in the area was Charlie Ferrell.
Charlie opened a store across the street from Will Carpenter. At
one time, Mr. Ferrell owned or participated in eight businesses in
the village.
In 1906, the U.S. Postal Service established a Carpenter Post
Office in Ferrell’s store. Charlie was the post master.
A Bustling Village: Carpenter grew to be a
bustling village and I installed a light over the middle door.
There was a Carpenter School, serving children of all ages until
1926 when it transferred its students to the new Green Hope
School.
Good Hope Baptist Church moved to the community around 1900.
Judd Clark had an early auto shop next to the Carpenter Store,
selling Dodges and fixing cars until a move to Apex in 1942.
There was a funeral home, jointly owned by Will Carpenter and
Mal Butts. The business later moved and became Apex Funeral
Home.
In addition to his store, Charlie Ferrell had a sawmill,
blacksmith shop, grist mill and cotton gin. Maude and Russell
McGhee had a small general goods store and barbershop where you
could get a shave, a bath, a haircut and a Pepsi all in one
place.
Gradual Decline: Dale Carpenter told me that
the Depression landed a heavy blow on the village. In 1931,
the Durham & Southern moved to end operations in Carpenter. By
1935, the tracks had gone silent.
Charlie Ferrell became ill in 1929 and passed away in 1933. All
his businesses were shut down. In 1936, Troy and Lesbia Edwards
rented and reopened the Ferrell Store, but the tide was running
against the village.
After the Second World War, most local farmers switched to
tobacco. But the advent of RTP and the growth of Cary eventually
made “the land too expensive to farm,” as Dale told
me.
Carpenter Today: Will Carpenter's Store
continues its operation, 125 years after its founding and many
locals still sit around the old cast iron stove drinking a Pepsi
and swapping news with their neighbors.