Garner Overview

Welcome to Garner, one of the finest, friendliest portions of what Sir Walter Raleigh called "the goodliest land." Nestled in the exciting, high-tech Research Triangle heart of North Carolina's eastern Piedmont, Garner is a unique and inviting combination of the best of the old and the most innovative of the new.

Nowhere else in the state does the solid bedrock of family-oriented tradition and the progressive catalyst of new ideas and new technology meet and mingle. A truly fascinating harmony is found in our community of over 18,000 people.

That harmony has drawn thousands of new residents to Garner during the last 20 years as workers and leaders in business, industry, government and research look for an affordable, traditional home for their families. With Garner's convenient access to one of the nation's premier metropolitan areas, major transportation arteries, numerous universities, and the world famous Research Triangle Park, Garner has become a popular place to live and do business in recent years.

Because Garner has a small-town heritage, it's the kind of place where neighbors meet at their mailboxes and talk over local issues - where everyone turns out for the Friday night high school football games or the annual Independence Day Festival.

Garner is minutes away from enjoying an exhibit at the State Art Museum, rooting for one of the local Atlantic Coast Conference football teams, enjoying an evening's entertainment with a live performance by the North Carolina Symphony, or laughing with one of the country' s hottest comedians.

Since development has been steady, but not explosive over the last decade, Garner has had time to plan for essential facilities and services to accommodate the growth that's now coming its way.

Today, Garner is the place to find all the opportunities that go along with economic growth and all the benefits of city living in a less taxing, more gracious living and business environment.

Garner got its start with the coming of the railroad through the area beginning in 1847.
In that year, after a tie-breaker vote by the Speaker of the State House of Representatives, what is now Garner was chosen as the location of a station of the North Carolina Railroad between Goldsboro and Charlotte. "Garner's Station" was established with the construction of a post office in 1878 and the Town of Garner's Station incorporated in 1883.

Garner is situated in the St. Mary's Township, which got its name from a Church of the England parish. It is known that there were settlers in the area before the Revolutionary War. There are documented records of a church south of Garner in the Panther Branch Township as far back as 1756. According to the late Parker

Rand, a 3,000 acre tract of land was granted his forefathers by King George in 1759. Part of this area later was to be the site of a community known as Rand's Mill.Rand's Mill Pond was later renamed Lake Benson. It was enlarged in 1951 and is now used as a reservoir.Garner has continued to grow and prosper since its early beginnings. In 1891, the village of Garner's Station had its charter repealed, and in 1905 application was made and granted for its reinstatement as the Town of Garner. The first town officials in 1905 were, J.B. Richardson, mayor; H.D. Rand, J.J. Bagwell, H. Bryan, M.C. Penny, and J.S. Buffaloe, all aldermen. These gentlemen were appointed to serve one year or until their successors were duly elected and qualified.

The late Parker Rand believed that Garner was named for a family that lived in the area and later moved to Texas. Others believe the town was named by Henry Fort, a black cabinetmaker and carpenter who owned some land along the railroad after the Civil War. William S. Powell stated that Garner was named for its founder, H.C. Garner. An article in The State also named H.C. Garner as its founder, but not much information has been found about the man.

Garner experienced actual combat in the closing days of the Civil War. Some skirmishes occurred in the area, as witnessed by the carefully preserved bullet holes in Bethel Church and the "Garner" house, which is said to have been used as a hospital for wounded soldiers.

Times immediately after the close of the war must have been difficult, but by 1878 the little community had succeeded in getting a post office established. This was when the name "Garner's Station" originated. Thomas Bingharn was the first postmaster.

An old map dated 1887 shows Garner connected with the city of Raleigh by a road, listed as Holloman's Road. This was a typical country road at the time, unpaved until about 1918. Its importance, aside from its serving as a link between the small Garner community and the State Capitol, lay in the fact that it was a small section of what was to become one of the oldest and longest traveled corridors in North Carolina, the Central Highway.

In 1910, the road became jointly known as Number 10 and U.S. 70 on the popular maps of the day. Highway 70 was the first paved road to be built in the state and was financed by the first bonds sold by the state to build highways. The Central Highway from the mountains to the sea was started in 1911. The portion of the highway between Garner and Raleigh was paved around 1916 or 1917.

With the increased population and residential growth, Garner has burgeoned in business and service establishments, both within the corporation limits and the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the town. Town officials predict the town will continue to grow at a rapid rate.