History of the Town of Apex

Last Updated: 31 December 2004

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Town of Apex History
Apex Volunteer Fire Department History
Chief Officers
Fire Apparatus

Click each photo to view a larger image, it will come up in a separate browser window. Some of the larger photos may take some time to load, especially over a dial-up connection, so please be patient. Many of the photos were un-dated, so I could only guess at the timeframes they represent. If anyone has more information on any of the photos or historical events, or has any corrections to anything that I have presented in this section, please email me and let me know!

Private landowners were the first to settle Apex in the 1860's. In 1873 the town was incorporated. The name "Apex" referred to the fact that the town was the highest point on the Chatham Railroad which ran from Virginia to Florida.
The first buildings downtown were all-wood construction. The photo at left is, I believe, from about 1900, and is of Main Street, Apex, looking north.

Here is a later view of North Salem Street, again looking to the North. The downtown fire station does not yet exist. One can make out signs for the W.H. Harward Co. and A.V. Baucom Pharmacy, as well as the A.B. Hunt General Store further down the road.

(Below, left) Apex Mule and Supply Co. which later became Bill Garriger Chevrolet, then W. A. Hinton and Son Hardware Store. The one-story section housed the offices of D. A. Saunders, the town's first undertaker. (Below, right) The same area of North Salem Street nearly a century later in 2004, once again undergoing extensive renovation.

(From the Apex Chamber of Commerce web site) Apex's population was 349 in 1900. With the boom in the tobacco industry, the number of residents increased to 1000 by 1920. However, the tobacco industry suffered a decline and the population was down to 863 in 1930. By 1990, it was at 5000 and growing rapidly. As of 2004, with nearly 30,000 residents the town is experiencing even more explosive growth, with new construction occurring in just about every corner.

	Private landowners were the first to settle Apex in the 1860's. In 1873 the town was incorporated. The name "Apex" referred to the fact that the town was the highest point on the Chatham Railroad which ran from Virginia to Florida. The first buildings downtown were all-wood construction. The photo at left is, I believe, from about 1900, and is of Main Street, Apex, looking north.
Here is a later view of North Salem Street, again looking to the North. The downtown fire station does not yet exist. One can make out signs for the W.H. Harward Co. and A.V. Baucom Pharmacy, as well as the A.B. Hunt General Store further down the road.
(Below, left) Apex Mule and Supply Co. which later became Bill Garriger Chevrolet, then W. A. Hinton and Son Hardware Store. The one-story section housed the offices of D. A. Saunders, the town's first undertaker. (Below, right) The same area of North Salem Street nearly a century later in 2004, once again undergoing extensive renovation.

(From the Apex Chamber of Commerce web site) Apex's population was 349 in 1900. With the boom in the tobacco industry, the number of residents increased to 1000 by 1920. However, the tobacco industry suffered a decline and the population was down to 863 in 1930. By 1990, it was at 5000 and growing rapidly. As of 2004, with nearly 30,000 residents the town is experiencing even more explosive growth, with new construction occurring in just about every corner.