Zebulon adds area, residents
Staff Photo by Roger Winstead
In the fall, Zebulon's tree-lined streets are filled with scenes like this.

By SABRINA JONES, Staff Writer for the Raleigh News & Observer, June 1998


       ZEBULON -- A community that sprouted out of a railroad depot at the turn of the century, Zebulon now blooms with increased population and business activity.
     In January, the town Board of Commissioners annexed the 260-acre community of Wakefield, which added about 200 acres and 400 residents to the town's population of about 4,160.
     And commercial growth is changing the town's landscape. PYA/Monarch, one of the Southeast's largest food distributors, came to town in 1996. In February, the company announced plans to double its Zebulon work force. The company, which feeds some of the area's largest employers -- SAS, Glaxo Wellcome and IBM -- as well as Triangle retailers and restaurants, plans to add about 250 workers and 100,000 square feet at its Zebulon facility. The addition is expected to be finished by June 2000.
     This spring, local developer William Parrish proposed a 72-room motel, a steakhouse and fast-food stops in the former Wakefield community, a part of officials have targeted for development.
     The town is also home to Glaxo-Wellcome, the global pharmaceutical giant that runs its manufacturing base on Arendell Avenue.
     All the development has not changed the town's quaint atmosphere. Residents from other counties drive to Five County Stadium, about three miles from downtown Zebulon, to cheer on the Carolina Mudcats Class AA baseball team. Town officials plan to renovate the streets of the downtown business district.
     In 1906, Edgar B. Barbee of Barclaysville and F.A. Arendell of Wakefield spurred the town's creation when they formed the Zebulon Co. The pair purchased 49 acres for $1,470 and divided the land into lots, blocks, streets and avenues.