A brief history from the Angier Chamber of Commerce website: "It was Jake Williams' farm that the railroad, which put Angier on the map, was built in 1899. The railroad was little more than a tramway leading from Apex, in Wake County, to the Jake Williams' farm in Harnett County. It was first known and chartered as the Cape Fear and Northern Railroad; later, about 1906, the line was extended to Durham and the name changed to the Durham and Southern. The purpose of the railroad was to haul lumber and logs. The area around Angier had a vast sweep of fine saw timber, from short and long straw pines. The trees had been bled by the turpentine workers, leaving long stems of southern pine ready to be cut and sawed into lumber. When the turpentine business came to an end, workers and their families moved south to find un-bled timber; and a new era began. A new way of making a living and supporting a family began-saw milling. No longer was the ox cart and mule-drawn wagon efficient to move lumber and logs. Now the building of the railroad was hailed as a step forward. Farming was becoming more important; growing cotton and tobacco took the place of sawmill work as that era came to a close. The late Col. Johnathan Cicero Angier married the niece of the late Washington Duke whose "golden leaf' had found its way north after the war. The demand for more tobacco is said to have been the impetus for Mr. Duke and his sons to establish the American Tobacco Company. Col. Angier owned and operated a lumber plant in Cary and decided to build a railroad down along the pine ridge from Apex to Harnett County. Supposedly with the backing of the Dukes, he built a railroad to the farm of Jake Williams where a "Y" was also built for turning the engine around. In time, a station house was erected for the train crew to stay at night and daily round trips were made to Apex. Jake and his son Benton operated a general store and a turpentine distillery. Goods were transported to and from Raleigh or Dunn by two or four-horse wagons. The coming of the railroad was a boon to farmers, merchants and lumbermen. After much discussion and numerous suggestions, the station house was named Angier to honor Johnathan C. Angier who played a major part in bringing the railroad to the area. In July 1899, Jake Williams secured a noted surveyor, Daniel E. Green, to map and plot the land surrounding his home and the newly erected depot. Streets were laid off and named and Angier had its beginnings. By act of the North Carolina Legislature of 1901 the town received its charter. During the 1930's, The Angier Woman's Club undertook a project to have crepe myrtles planted on roadsides leading into town from all directions. The trees make a spectacular show during June, July and August. The town chose "The Town of the Crepe Myrtles" as its slogan. Every year a Crepe Myrtle Festival is held in September with food, crafts and entertainment for all. The Durham and Southern railroad which had run through the center of town since 1899, had its last run from Apex to Dunn on July 5, 1979. No longer was the railroad the cheapest way to transport goods to and from the industries of Angier and was no longer realizing a profit. Mayor Jack Marley and other town officials requested that railroad officials donate to the town the depot and the one hundred foot right of way within town limits. That was done and so ended another era." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2001 RATIFIED BILL RESOLUTION 2001-3 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 273 A JOINT RESOLUTION HONORING THE FOUNDERS OF THE TOWN OF ANGIER ON THE TOWN'S 100TH ANNIVERSARY. Whereas, the Town of Angier was founded on the farm of J.C. "Jake" Williams, who according to the census of Harnett County in 1860 had approximately 1,300 acres of land; and Whereas, around 1899, a railroad built by Colonel Jonathan Cicero Angier was completed from Apex to Jake Williams' farm in order to haul lumber and logs; and Whereas, a railroad station house was erected and after much discussion, was named Angier, in honor of Jonathan Cicero Angier; and Whereas, in July of 1899, Jake Williams obtained the services of a surveyor, Daniel E. Green, to map out and plot the streets for the Town of Angier; and Whereas, the Town of Angier was incorporated by the General Assembly on March 1, 1901; and Whereas, the first Mayor was Jake Williams, the first Board of Commissioners was composed of B.F. Williams, W.H. Gregory, and C.S. Adams, and the first Chief of Police was M.W. Denning; and Whereas, the Town began to grow due to the lumber, sawmill, and farming businesses, with cotton as the major money crop and later tobacco; and Whereas, as a result of the concern and dedication of its progressive citizens, the Town of Angier achieved several store buildings, gas lamps and eventually electric lights, a water and sewer system, paved streets, one of the best municipal buildings in the area, many churches, one of the first, if not the first, high school buildings in Harnett County, and a Chamber of Commerce; and Whereas, the Town of Angier became known as "The Town of the Crepe Myrtles" because the Angier Woman's Club planted crepe myrtles along the roadways in the 1930s; and Whereas, the Town of Angier is continuing to grow, improve, and prosper through the continued dedication, insight, and planning of concerned leaders and citizens; Now, therefore, Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring: SECTION 1. The General Assembly honors the founders of the Town of Angier and extends its sincere congratulations and best wishes to the Town of Angier upon the Town's 100th anniversary. SECTION 2. The Secretary of State shall transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the Mayor of the Town of Angier. SECTION 3. This resolution is effective upon ratification. In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 1st day of March, 2001.