What could these three Raleigh icons have in common?  Why the very ground they sat on! This parcel of land between Hillsborough, Horne and Brooks streets was home to all three. The Old State Fairgrounds was established in 1873 and hosted the fair until 1925.  At the outset of World War 1, the large flat expanse of land that was the Fairgrounds was appropriated for military housing and training as it made an excellent site for tank maneuvers. At the end of the war the Fairground activities were in full swing again and two racetracks were built on the site. Over time, the financial burden of second racetrack resulted in the sale of the land to create the Fairmont subdivision,  but portions of that land proved too sunken and muddy for building.  The City of Raleigh bought these compromised sites to create a park and the rose garden. The theater was built in the mid-1930s.  As a frequent visitor to the Raleigh Little Theater Rose Garden, I was very surprised to lear...