Wake Wednesday - Christmas in Wake County, pt. 1

Caution: Extreme Nostalgia Ahead!

Do you remember the Fayeteville Street Christmas lights (before the acorns or snowflakes), a nighttime downtown Christmas parade, Happyland or Cross Family Lights? No matter which of these traditions strike a nostalgic chord in you soul, you will find all these and more in this Wake County Christmas time collection of remembrances from various sources.

A Ghost of Christmas Past - the late Karl Larrson shares his memories of downtown Raleigh at Christmas.

source

Then and now: Scenes of Raleigh at Christmas since the 1930s by Heather Leah of WRAL. Enjoy this nostalgic look at Fayetteville Street as the hub of holiday cheer from the 1930s forward. I love the many wonderful retro photos from the State Archives of NC.

It is my hope that your memories spark the urge to tell the stories to your younger kin creating new family traditions and a hunger for more family stories. Keep the stories flowing and Christmas memories alive.

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Wake Wednesday - Slave Narratives in the Wake Treasures Journal Archive

A selection of the slave narratives relevant to Wake County were transcribed as noted below. The Wake Treasures Journal Archives are currently free to all to view. Note that historical materials often include viewpoints, language, norms, and values of the original creators that may be harmful to our sensibilities today. There is language here that some may wish to skip. The words of the original speakers were preserved as originally expressed.* SLAVE NARRATIVES – A FOLK HISTORY OF SLAVERY IN THE US, FROM INTERVIEWS WITH FORMER SLAVES Transcribed by Jerry J. Lewis NORTH CAROLINA NARRATIVES, Pt. 1, Vol. 14, NC District #2. This can be found in the North Carolina State Library. This was a project of the Works Progress Administration in 1937. These narratives were can be found in Vol 8.2 (starting p. 57 ) and Vol 9.1 (starting p. 59 ) The narratives include accounts from former enslaved persons who lived in Raleigh at the time of the WPA survey. Many were enslaved in Wake County...

2026 Wake County Genealogical Society Virtual Meetings - next - Sept 22, 2026

Tuesday, Sept 22, 2026 @ 6:30pm – Virtual Topic: Using Artificial Intelligence Tools in Genealogy Speaker: David McCorkle Learn how to use AI tools to process genealogical evidence from various records in a more comprehensive and less time consuming manner. This lecture will cover document analysis, reading handwriting, processing images, and more, using real examples and the latest tools. This is an introductory lecture, so no AI knowledge is required. Join us! Free and virtual! *Please register by 4pm day of meeting. *Please save your passcode and link for ease of entry at start time. *Presentation starts promptly at 6:30 pm. Link to register at the Wakecogen website events page . Registration is now open! **Get the video recording to watch on-demand for 30 days and access to our webinar handout library with your WCGS membership!** ** At presenters discretion. Upcoming Events View events page for details...

Reminder - Join Wakecogen for "Coffee & Conversation" - July 16 Meet-up - This Thursday

Join Wakecogensoc for "Coffee & Conversation" What - July Meet-up When - Thursday, July 16 , at 9:30 am Where - Panera Bread - (Glenwood/Pleasant Valley), 6201 Glenwood Avenue , Raleigh, NC 27612 Designed by pch.vector / Freepik Our first coffee gathering was so fun, we are going to do it again! We’ll chat about what genealogical topics we're working on, or a brick wall, or ask other members how to do something. No RSVP - just show up , order your beverage or food, and look around for Barbara at a large table with a sign for WCGS. We tentatively plan to hold several more “Coffee and Conversation” events on different days and locations throughout 2026. If you are interested in hosting one, email President@WakeCoGen.org and we'll choose a date and location. Visit Wake County Genealogical Society's Website - Homepage | WCGS Events | Join WCGS | Publications | Wake Cemetery Survey Images |...

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