April 24, 2020 Coats Museum News
The calendar continued to display the year 1983. New words were added to our vocabulary. “Evil empire” was a term that President Reagan used to describe the Soviet Empire. “Mouse” entered with the introduction of the Apple Lisa computer to describe the cursor mover. “Freedom fighters” was coined the name given by the Reagan Administration to the anti-Communist and anti-Sandinista troops in Nicaragua.”Star Wars” was added to describe the White house’s invincible missile defense system.
Interior Secretary James Watt resigned under pressure after describing the members of a commission as “a Black, a woman, two Jews and a Cripple”. A terrorist attack on the U.S. Marine headquarters in Beirut killed more than 200 marines and effectively caused the US to drop its attempt at a peacekeeping role in Lebanon. The US invaded the small Caribbean nation of Grenada, which had experienced a bloody, Marxist coup. The move was made to restore order and protect the 1,100 Americans on the island. Congress refused to revive the equal rights amendment which had been unable to attract the required number of ratifying states (Dickson, Paul. From Elvis to E-Mail. Massachusetts: Federal Street Press, 1999, pp. 267-269).
Local news was being shared in the Daily Record November 21, 1983 edition. Mrs. Esther Mae Johnson, 71, of Route One, Coats, had died on Saturday. Funeral services were held at Red Hill Church. Surviving Mrs. Johnson were Miss Judy Johnson, Mrs. Bennie Grimes, Zeb, Jasper and Ronald Johnson. Her siblings were Mrs. Gertrude Moore, Mrs. Nealie Norris, Mrs. Vada Jackson and Everett Norris.
Epsilon Sigma Phi, the professional fraternity of extension workers, had given Juanita Hudson one of its three State Friends of Extension Awards for 1983 for her long time support of work conducted by the NC Agriculture Extension Service (Daily Record Nov. 22, 1983).
The Tuesday morning prayer group wrote a memorial to one of their dear members-Beulah Brown Miller- daughter of Mary Alice King Brown and Thomas O. Brown. Mrs. Miller was remembered by her church friends for her faithful work at Hodges Chapel Church (Daily Record Nov. 22, 1983).
Carson Gregory was elected as president of the Dunn Shrine Club that had 150 members (Daily Record Nov. 23, 1983). How many members do they have in 2020? Is this the group that travels to parades to entertain the crowds as clowns? Do they raise money for the burn centers?
I do know that the CACC had recognized the Business Focus of the Week-the Coats Auto Supply Company. The company was owned by Terry Miller who had begun operating the business in the old McLeod Building in October of 1975. In 1980, he moved to the building formerly operated as Earl’s Self-Service Grocery Store (Daily Record Nov. 25, 1983).
Residents of Coats had a chance to shop at Pope’s Family Center in the Village Square. This was a new location for the business (Daily Record Dec.5, 1983).
Several of the talented young girls were members of a regional dance company who presented the “Gift of Dance”. The local performers were Christy Barbour, daughter of Junior and Celia Barbour, and Amy Adams, daughter of Dennis and Becky Adams. Both girls and their families attended the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church (Daily Record Dec. 8, 1983).
Coats Magistrate Verle Flowers administered the oath of office to Mayor Godfrey Beasley, Commissioners J.D. Norris and Cecil Fuquay. Mrs. Flowers also administered oaths to Town Clerk Sherwood Gregory, Assistant Clerk Elaine Keene, Police Chief Dan Ferrell and police officer Robert Paskiowicz (Daily Record Dec. 7, 1983).
Some people ask me if I get tired of writing all this history of Coats. I never do but I am almost brought to tears when I know that many of the folks written about are dead and readers can’t share with them that they saw their name in the Daily Record and appreciate the contributions each made to the town.
Becky Ferguson’s engagement to Hubert R. Stewart, son of Mr. and Mrs. Billy R. Stewart, was announced. The wedding was planned for the Full Gospel Tabernacle Church in Coats (Daily Record Dec. 6, 1983).
Mr. John Thomas McNeill, 71, of Coats, had died on Saturday morning. Elder Odell Jones held the funeral services in the Coats Chapel Free Will Baptist Church. Burial was in the Restlawn Cemetery. Relatives in Coats were Mrs. Effie McNeill and Mrs. Sarah Clegg. Another sister, Mrs. Nellie Abney lived in Benson. Lester McNeill of Coats was his only surviving brother (Daily Record Dec. 6, 1983).
Another Coats man died. Mr. Jack Stewart, 58, of Coats, had died on Monday. He was the son of Ross Herbert Stewart and Elsie Reardon Stewart. His wife was Mary Belle Worrell Stewart. His three children were Mrs. Tammy Stewart Ennis, Miss Nancy Cummings and Johnny Blue Cummings. Clarence, Earl, R.L., William E., and Earl were his brothers. Mrs. Alma Parker, Mrs. Edna Hawley, and Mrs. Dorothy Stewart were sisters (Daily Record Dec. 6, 1983).
Mrs. Ruth Gregory honored the newly elected officials in Coats. The wife of the town clerk, Sherwood Gregory, entertained the staff members, media and family members (Daily Record Dec. 12, 1983).
Did anyone recognize Mrs. Ruth Gregory as being a teacher at Angier Elementary School? Did she ever teach at Coats?
James Douglas Johnson had completed the Executive Development Seminar for Tobacco Farmers and his wife Freda Adams Johnson, had completed the same seminar for women (Daily Record Dec.13, 1983).
A proposed zoning ordinance was the topic of a meeting with the town commissioners and planning board for a zoning plan so the future growth in and around town would orderly and desirable, especially since new water system was under construction. Members of the planning board were Max Beasley, Earl Denning, Anne Thornton, Hubert Rowland, and Marvin Johnson. Robert Pleasant and Cecil Stephenson represented the one-mile area outside of the town (Daily Record Dec. 16, 1983).
The Rose Funeral home was honored by the CACC as their Business Focus of the Week. Jimmy Rose was manager and co-worker. He began his career after graduating from UNC Chapel Hill in 1953. He became president of the business after his died. Winn Graham was vice-president of the company (Daily Record Dec. 23, 1983). Denzil Stephenson, 47, of Benson, died on Tuesday. Funeral services were held at the Rose’s Funeral Home with burial in the Fellowship Cemetery. Donahue Stephenson was his brother (Daily Record Dec. 28, 1983).
Another death made the final news in Coats for 1983. Mrs. Pearl E. Hasty, 74, of Coats, had died on Wednesday. Her services were at the Coats Baptist Church with burial in the Coats City Cemetery. Surviving her were her husband- Odell Hasty, two daughters-Mrs. Mary Lou Allred and Mrs. Sue Nabors and one son=Robert Stewart, Jr. Her two sisters were Mrs. Mary Ross Williams and Mrs. Gladys Tyndall. Carl, Leroy and Bob Hough were brothers (Daily Record Dec. 29, 1983).
The Coats girls’ basketball team was pictured with coaches Teresa Neal (Honeycutt) and Sandy Howard. Players for 1983-84 team were Christie Gregory, Lisa Wood, Andrea Ennis, Denise Williams, Dana Barnes, Tina Dunston, Beth Pope, Shannon Lucas, Penny Weaver and Michelle Champion. The Daily Record also recorded the picture of the Coats boys’ team basketball team with Coach Bill Turner. The team was made up of Jerry Lee, Dion Blue, Freddie McDuffie, Manuel Hayes, Tracy White, Clark Johnson, Terry Dibella, Andy Williams, Antonio Purcell, Pernell Greene and Mark Pope (Daily Record December 30, 1983).
Our vintage kitchen exhibit brings back memories for many of our visitors who always seem to have a story to share. An old wooden ice box, pie safe and a wood stove complete with cooking tools share the kitchen. Just about anything that was found in the early kitchen is found in the exhibit. Thanks to Louis Dupree, a former businessman from Coats who later moved to Windsor Point in Fuquay, died a few weeks ago. Years ago he called and asked us to get a truck and some strong men because he had something he wanted to give to the Coats Museum. Our minds filled with curiosity, we headed to Willow Spring to a farm house where our men loaded the old wood cook stove onto the truck and headed back to Coats. Do you have any idea how heavy an old wood stove is? I will say that the men told us when we moved into the new exhibit hall to make sure where we wanted it placed because wherever it was to be- would be where it had to stay.
H.L. and I are honored to remember Louis Dupree with a memorial to the Coats Museum for his many visits, his loaning of items for other exhibits and especially for his gift of the wood cook stove. His name will be forever associated with the little wood stove as visitors share memories of bringing in the stove wood to fill up the wood box, eating hot butter or molasses filled biscuits and cold Irish potatoes found in a pot sitting on the stove. Some even recall their mamas heating the irons on the stoves before electricity was available.
It is so rewarding to have readers such as Miriam Ennis Byrd, Keith McLeod, and Genevieve Sorrell to share how much they enjoy reading the Daily Record and the “Coats Museum News”. Keith shared the answer that the Coats area has had six water tanks-on Byrd cotton gin site, at old Coats School, behind current fire station, near Gray Flex area, across from Smith Farms Ice Cream and at Barclaysville. (Does anyone have pictures?) Miriam shared that Charles Ogburn indeed married a Dupree girl whose parents attend her church-Mt. Pleasant Presbyterian. Thanks!
Have you visited the Coats Museum’s website-coatsmuseum.com? You will be amazed at what is covered on the site. Hours went into collecting the data by museum volunteers. Also of interest under “Funding” are the names listed of those who have been honored or memorialized by family and friends. The names of recipients- not donors- are shown. This gives you some perspective of when some individuals died and how important these donations are in operating the museum. Interviews given by many of our outstanding citizens and veterans are on the site for you to enjoy and learn. You can also see pictures of several events and exhibits we displayed in days past. On the page you can learn all about cotton from videos and exhibits in the Cotton Museum which built as the 2005 Coats Centennial project.
If you have copies of the Heritage o f Coats, NC, Volumes I and II, now is a good time to read about the families and history of the Coats and Grove Townships. It will be hard to put the book down once you begin to read either volume.
The calendar continued to display the year 1983. New words were added to our vocabulary. “Evil empire” was a term that President Reagan used to describe the Soviet Empire. “Mouse” entered with the introduction of the Apple Lisa computer to describe the cursor mover. “Freedom fighters” was coined the name given by the Reagan Administration to the anti-Communist and anti-Sandinista troops in Nicaragua.”Star Wars” was added to describe the White house’s invincible missile defense system.
Interior Secretary James Watt resigned under pressure after describing the members of a commission as “a Black, a woman, two Jews and a Cripple”. A terrorist attack on the U.S. Marine headquarters in Beirut killed more than 200 marines and effectively caused the US to drop its attempt at a peacekeeping role in Lebanon. The US invaded the small Caribbean nation of Grenada, which had experienced a bloody, Marxist coup. The move was made to restore order and protect the 1,100 Americans on the island. Congress refused to revive the equal rights amendment which had been unable to attract the required number of ratifying states (Dickson, Paul. From Elvis to E-Mail. Massachusetts: Federal Street Press, 1999, pp. 267-269).
Local news was being shared in the Daily Record November 21, 1983 edition. Mrs. Esther Mae Johnson, 71, of Route One, Coats, had died on Saturday. Funeral services were held at Red Hill Church. Surviving Mrs. Johnson were Miss Judy Johnson, Mrs. Bennie Grimes, Zeb, Jasper and Ronald Johnson. Her siblings were Mrs. Gertrude Moore, Mrs. Nealie Norris, Mrs. Vada Jackson and Everett Norris.
Epsilon Sigma Phi, the professional fraternity of extension workers, had given Juanita Hudson one of its three State Friends of Extension Awards for 1983 for her long time support of work conducted by the NC Agriculture Extension Service (Daily Record Nov. 22, 1983).
The Tuesday morning prayer group wrote a memorial to one of their dear members-Beulah Brown Miller- daughter of Mary Alice King Brown and Thomas O. Brown. Mrs. Miller was remembered by her church friends for her faithful work at Hodges Chapel Church (Daily Record Nov. 22, 1983).
Carson Gregory was elected as president of the Dunn Shrine Club that had 150 members (Daily Record Nov. 23, 1983). How many members do they have in 2020? Is this the group that travels to parades to entertain the crowds as clowns? Do they raise money for the burn centers?
I do know that the CACC had recognized the Business Focus of the Week-the Coats Auto Supply Company. The company was owned by Terry Miller who had begun operating the business in the old McLeod Building in October of 1975. In 1980, he moved to the building formerly operated as Earl’s Self-Service Grocery Store (Daily Record Nov. 25, 1983).
Residents of Coats had a chance to shop at Pope’s Family Center in the Village Square. This was a new location for the business (Daily Record Dec.5, 1983).
Several of the talented young girls were members of a regional dance company who presented the “Gift of Dance”. The local performers were Christy Barbour, daughter of Junior and Celia Barbour, and Amy Adams, daughter of Dennis and Becky Adams. Both girls and their families attended the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church (Daily Record Dec. 8, 1983).
Coats Magistrate Verle Flowers administered the oath of office to Mayor Godfrey Beasley, Commissioners J.D. Norris and Cecil Fuquay. Mrs. Flowers also administered oaths to Town Clerk Sherwood Gregory, Assistant Clerk Elaine Keene, Police Chief Dan Ferrell and police officer Robert Paskiowicz (Daily Record Dec. 7, 1983).
Some people ask me if I get tired of writing all this history of Coats. I never do but I am almost brought to tears when I know that many of the folks written about are dead and readers can’t share with them that they saw their name in the Daily Record and appreciate the contributions each made to the town.
Becky Ferguson’s engagement to Hubert R. Stewart, son of Mr. and Mrs. Billy R. Stewart, was announced. The wedding was planned for the Full Gospel Tabernacle Church in Coats (Daily Record Dec. 6, 1983).
Mr. John Thomas McNeill, 71, of Coats, had died on Saturday morning. Elder Odell Jones held the funeral services in the Coats Chapel Free Will Baptist Church. Burial was in the Restlawn Cemetery. Relatives in Coats were Mrs. Effie McNeill and Mrs. Sarah Clegg. Another sister, Mrs. Nellie Abney lived in Benson. Lester McNeill of Coats was his only surviving brother (Daily Record Dec. 6, 1983).
Another Coats man died. Mr. Jack Stewart, 58, of Coats, had died on Monday. He was the son of Ross Herbert Stewart and Elsie Reardon Stewart. His wife was Mary Belle Worrell Stewart. His three children were Mrs. Tammy Stewart Ennis, Miss Nancy Cummings and Johnny Blue Cummings. Clarence, Earl, R.L., William E., and Earl were his brothers. Mrs. Alma Parker, Mrs. Edna Hawley, and Mrs. Dorothy Stewart were sisters (Daily Record Dec. 6, 1983).
Mrs. Ruth Gregory honored the newly elected officials in Coats. The wife of the town clerk, Sherwood Gregory, entertained the staff members, media and family members (Daily Record Dec. 12, 1983).
Did anyone recognize Mrs. Ruth Gregory as being a teacher at Angier Elementary School? Did she ever teach at Coats?
James Douglas Johnson had completed the Executive Development Seminar for Tobacco Farmers and his wife Freda Adams Johnson, had completed the same seminar for women (Daily Record Dec.13, 1983).
A proposed zoning ordinance was the topic of a meeting with the town commissioners and planning board for a zoning plan so the future growth in and around town would orderly and desirable, especially since new water system was under construction. Members of the planning board were Max Beasley, Earl Denning, Anne Thornton, Hubert Rowland, and Marvin Johnson. Robert Pleasant and Cecil Stephenson represented the one-mile area outside of the town (Daily Record Dec. 16, 1983).
The Rose Funeral home was honored by the CACC as their Business Focus of the Week. Jimmy Rose was manager and co-worker. He began his career after graduating from UNC Chapel Hill in 1953. He became president of the business after his died. Winn Graham was vice-president of the company (Daily Record Dec. 23, 1983). Denzil Stephenson, 47, of Benson, died on Tuesday. Funeral services were held at the Rose’s Funeral Home with burial in the Fellowship Cemetery. Donahue Stephenson was his brother (Daily Record Dec. 28, 1983).
Another death made the final news in Coats for 1983. Mrs. Pearl E. Hasty, 74, of Coats, had died on Wednesday. Her services were at the Coats Baptist Church with burial in the Coats City Cemetery. Surviving her were her husband- Odell Hasty, two daughters-Mrs. Mary Lou Allred and Mrs. Sue Nabors and one son=Robert Stewart, Jr. Her two sisters were Mrs. Mary Ross Williams and Mrs. Gladys Tyndall. Carl, Leroy and Bob Hough were brothers (Daily Record Dec. 29, 1983).
The Coats girls’ basketball team was pictured with coaches Teresa Neal (Honeycutt) and Sandy Howard. Players for 1983-84 team were Christie Gregory, Lisa Wood, Andrea Ennis, Denise Williams, Dana Barnes, Tina Dunston, Beth Pope, Shannon Lucas, Penny Weaver and Michelle Champion. The Daily Record also recorded the picture of the Coats boys’ team basketball team with Coach Bill Turner. The team was made up of Jerry Lee, Dion Blue, Freddie McDuffie, Manuel Hayes, Tracy White, Clark Johnson, Terry Dibella, Andy Williams, Antonio Purcell, Pernell Greene and Mark Pope (Daily Record December 30, 1983).
Our vintage kitchen exhibit brings back memories for many of our visitors who always seem to have a story to share. An old wooden ice box, pie safe and a wood stove complete with cooking tools share the kitchen. Just about anything that was found in the early kitchen is found in the exhibit. Thanks to Louis Dupree, a former businessman from Coats who later moved to Windsor Point in Fuquay, died a few weeks ago. Years ago he called and asked us to get a truck and some strong men because he had something he wanted to give to the Coats Museum. Our minds filled with curiosity, we headed to Willow Spring to a farm house where our men loaded the old wood cook stove onto the truck and headed back to Coats. Do you have any idea how heavy an old wood stove is? I will say that the men told us when we moved into the new exhibit hall to make sure where we wanted it placed because wherever it was to be- would be where it had to stay.
H.L. and I are honored to remember Louis Dupree with a memorial to the Coats Museum for his many visits, his loaning of items for other exhibits and especially for his gift of the wood cook stove. His name will be forever associated with the little wood stove as visitors share memories of bringing in the stove wood to fill up the wood box, eating hot butter or molasses filled biscuits and cold Irish potatoes found in a pot sitting on the stove. Some even recall their mamas heating the irons on the stoves before electricity was available.
It is so rewarding to have readers such as Miriam Ennis Byrd, Keith McLeod, and Genevieve Sorrell to share how much they enjoy reading the Daily Record and the “Coats Museum News”. Keith shared the answer that the Coats area has had six water tanks-on Byrd cotton gin site, at old Coats School, behind current fire station, near Gray Flex area, across from Smith Farms Ice Cream and at Barclaysville. (Does anyone have pictures?) Miriam shared that Charles Ogburn indeed married a Dupree girl whose parents attend her church-Mt. Pleasant Presbyterian. Thanks!
Have you visited the Coats Museum’s website-coatsmuseum.com? You will be amazed at what is covered on the site. Hours went into collecting the data by museum volunteers. Also of interest under “Funding” are the names listed of those who have been honored or memorialized by family and friends. The names of recipients- not donors- are shown. This gives you some perspective of when some individuals died and how important these donations are in operating the museum. Interviews given by many of our outstanding citizens and veterans are on the site for you to enjoy and learn. You can also see pictures of several events and exhibits we displayed in days past. On the page you can learn all about cotton from videos and exhibits in the Cotton Museum which built as the 2005 Coats Centennial project.
If you have copies of the Heritage o f Coats, NC, Volumes I and II, now is a good time to read about the families and history of the Coats and Grove Townships. It will be hard to put the book down once you begin to read either volume.