Former Graham mayor backs park replacement, cites state grant support

Former Graham mayor Jennifer Talley has thrown her support behind moving Sesquicentennial Park, giving the city’s relocation push a nod from one of its most recognizable past leaders even as the preservation fight continues to divide downtown Graham.

Talley said during a recent March 10 city council meeting that she wished there were some way to keep Sesquicentennial Park where it stands, but she also supported the council’s decision and the reasoning behind it. That matters because the debate has become more than a question of landscaping or brickwork at Court Square. It has turned into a test of whether Graham’s current leaders should preserve a familiar civic landmark or follow through on a replacement plan tied to state money already committed for the project.

The park sits at the northwest corner of Court Square, across from the Historic Court House, and has long carried symbolic weight. Graham’s own history page says the site was created to celebrate the city’s 150 years and features the original courthouse bell, stone benches, a pergola, flowerbeds and a clock. It was completed in 2001 with private donations marking Alamance County’s 150th anniversary in 1999.

The city’s push to move the park gained force after engineers found it had been built over an unfilled basement, creating sinking and safety concerns. Officials have said fixing the foundation could cost nearly half a million dollars, and one set of repair bids came in at $379,425 and $470,701. The park has been closed since September 2024, sharpening the sense that Graham had to choose between restoring the old space and replacing it altogether.

That choice has split public opinion. At a September 2025 hearing, most speakers urged the city to keep Sesquicentennial Park at its current location. The relocation site behind the Graham Historical Museum at 135 West Elm Street would be less than one-fifth the size of the existing park, meaning residents would gain a more secure site but lose much of the open footprint and historic setting that made the original space distinctive.

The City of Graham has said it wants to preserve historical elements such as memorial bricks and plaques even if the park is altered or moved. Talley had earlier said she had no personal interest in buying the property or being involved in any sale, a point that helped quiet concerns as questions swirled around city property owners. Still, her latest position suggests the former mayor sees the $600,000 state-directed grant in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 budget cycle as a practical anchor for the city’s path forward.

Graham’s city council voted 4-1 in January to move the park to the museum area, then voted 3-2 in February to advance the design phase. With part of the grant set to expire June 30, the council is moving under real fiscal pressure, and Talley’s backing now reads less like nostalgia for the old park than acceptance that Graham may have chosen the only option that can be funded, built and sustained.