Wake County Community Singled Out For Its Historic Charm

A sleepy crossroads just west of Cary does not have to worry about encroaching development anymore. The Green Level community is now on the

National Register of Historic Places

.

The bell still rings at the Green Level Baptist Church, as it has for nearly a century. The beaded wood walls, the pointed arches, and the original pews are how they were when the church was built in 1906.

"It is probably the finest example of rural gothic revival in Wake County," says church historian Danny Moody. "The congregation is very proud of this structure and has maintained it throughout the years."

In the early years, the church was the center of a thriving farming community.

"You've got everything that you'd want to see in a rural crossroads. You've got the church as the kind of social center of the community [and] an amazing farm, and then the community stores necessary for farmers to come and trade," says Ed Davis, chairman of the

Wake County Historic Preservation Commission

.

It is hard to imagine that the bustling town of Cary is just a stones throw away. In a few years, the Western Wake Freeway will be, too.

To protect Green Level it from encroachment, the Wake County Historic Preservation Commission spent the past three years working to have it added to the National Register of Historic Places.

"Our first priority was to look over the county and look for rural historic districts, because that's how we lived for 200 years. This is a great example of that," says Davis.

The goal is to preserve a bit of the past well into the future.

The historic designation was supported by most of the residents of the Green Level community, as well as the town of Cary.