The Friends of the Page-Walker preservation group has breathed new life into the grounds at the Page-Walker Arts & History Center.

The effort to renovate the Page-Walker Educational Gardens was made possible by a grant from the Lazy Daze Arts and Crafts Festival Committee. “[It is a] project of bringing the arts into the center,” said Friends member Anne Kratzer.

The gardens go back a long way. In the mid 1970s Cary resident Rachel Dunham started efforts to plant a garden to protect the smokehouse on the grounds of the Town Hall Campus. The original home of Cary founder Frank Page had burned down, and the smokehouse was all that remained.

The Cary Historical Society maintained that garden until about 1990.

The smokehouse was moved near the Page-Walker to make way for Town Hall, and a new garden was dedicated on the Page-Walker site in 1995.

The Page-Walker Educational Gardens were not kept up for a time because of construction at the center. By 2006 the grounds were fully renovated and equipped with a sprinkler system, welcoming the first growing season in 2007.

This year is the second growing season and the Page-Walker Educational Gardens are now also equipped with detailed signage to provide a more educational experience for visitors. Visitors have an opportunity to learn more about the growing habits and lore of plant materials that were part of late 19th-century community life. The gardens are separated into the categories of ornamental, industrial, medicinal and culinary.

This also adds to the educational benefits that can be gained from visiting the gardens, Kratzer said.

The Friends of the Page-Walker have had help from many other people, such as Carolyn Lewis, the Town of Cary landscape supervisor, Kris Carmichael, the Page-Walker supervisor, and former councilman John Duncan, who engraved the plant signage, crafted the brochure holder and continues to serve on the Friends’ board. Garden clubs have also helped, Kratzer said.

The gardens are maintained by volunteers.

The Page-Walker Gardens, as well as the Page-Walker Arts & History Center, are like a “jewel in the crown, right up here in Cary. [People] would feel extremely elated to know this is part of their community,” Krazter said.

The Friends of the Page-Walker host a summer series of free family concerts events on Friday nights.

The summer series is followed by winter concerts that are hosted inside the Page-Walker.

The experience, as described by Krazter, is as if “you’re listening to music in an intimate setting, like in the parlor of a musician.”

The Page Educational Gardens are open at all hours for self-guided tours. For group reservations with guided tours, or for volunteer opportunities, contact the director of the Page-Walker Arts & History Center at 460-4963.

For information on Friends of the Page-Walker visit friendsofpagewalker.org. For concert information visit townofcary.org.