April 25, 2014 Coats Museum News
Have you noticed that many accidents have been written about in the column—some occurring on wagons while others in cars? Another example came in November of 1948 when two young people were hurt in a car accident a few miles east of Coats. The 1941 Chevrolet hit a wooden bridge when George Allen took his eyes off the road to brush off cigarette ashes. His passenger, Ruth Hughes, was taken to the Dunn Hospital along with Allen (Dunn Dispatch Nov. 15, 1948).
The Third English Class of 1948-49 had scheduled a Friday night play, “No Bride for the Groom”. It starred Bess Shelby, Sylvia Ingold, Herbert Prindel and William Regan. Do any of those last names sound like Coats families? Did that mean 11th grade or was it the third period class? The story did not share who the groom was in the wedding but that was not the case in another story in that same edition of the Dunn Dispatch. Robert H. Morgan had married Miss Selma Denning at the Coats Baptist Church.
Do any of you remember when the schools had Halloween Carnivals and the boys and girls raised money to be crowned Princess and King of the carnival? I don’t know if this was the case in 1948, but I do know that Miss Judy Breeden was Princess and Robert Autry was King of the Halloween Carnival (Dunn Dispatch Nov. 17, 1948).
Mrs. Joe M. (Mamie) Johnson was hostess to the Banner Home Demonstration Club at her home. The home was beautifully decorated for the 24 members present. A demonstration on floor finishes was the program. At the conclusion, Mrs. Johnson’s daughters Ruby, Mary Jo, and Doris served the guests (Dunn Dispatch Nov. 26, 1948). Do you know where this house is located? It is the lovely two- story brick house on Ebenezer Church Road in which Charla and Bob Jenkins now own and reside there.
As the years zoom by, there are fewer and fewer Coats folks who recognize the name B.F. Parrish. He was 91 years old in 1948 and had been born in 1857 in Johnston County in a log cabin to John and Sybil Parrish. “Barty” (B.F.) lost his father in the Civil War. B.F. recalled using primitive tools made by the nearest blacksmith and seeding was done mainly by hand. It was 1890 before plows comparable to 1948 ones were in general use. Oxen were utilized as often as horses or mules. In 1897, Parrish purchased an 80-acre farm near Coats from Allen Stewart for $800.00 and moved his family to this farm. The farm had a larger log cabin that was better suited for his seven children-3 boys and 4 girls. He had 20 acres of cotton that brought 5 to 8 cents a pound. It took him 3 years to pay off notes with that cotton money. At the time the article was written in 1948, cotton sold for 32 cents a pound. Parrish and his family cleared land and he installed a cotton gin. Noting that lumber had to be brought in from other communities, he built a sawmill (Dunn Dispatch Nov. 29, 1948). Does anyone know who some of his descendents are in and around Coats? Better yet, does anyone know where this 80- acre farm was located near Coats?
The Coats PTA planned an Open House entitled “At Home” for the Coats Teacherage on December 7, 1948. The teachers who resided in the teacherage were to greet the guests. Are there any teachers living today who once lived there? Recall from current Daily Record coverage that the building is no longer the Coats Municipal Hall but is being renovated to accommodate renters of apartments again (Dunn Dispatch Dec. 6, 1948).
John Haywood Ennis, 76, a well-known Dunn resident, had died in his sleep at his home on Tuesday morning. Funeral services were held at his home. He was the son of John Austin and Winnifred Ennis. He was survived by his wife, Nancy Stewart Ennis. Johnnie G. Ennis and Zelma Ennis were his sons and Mrs. William Bumer, Mrs. Roy Tew, and Mrs. Ben D. Maynard were daughters. Jimmy Ennis of Coats was his brother. Question-Did he reside in Dunn or did he simply have a Dunn mail address? Second question- today, does one need to claim the town through which one gets the mail as their hometown?
Another Ennis died from the area. Mrs. Ina Ennis, 87, had died at the home of her son, Clem Ennis. She died on a Sunday morning after a lingering illness. She was buried in the Ennis Cemetery. Rev. J.D. Capps and Rev. C.S. Johnson conducted the home service. She was survived by three sons-Festus, Clem Ennis, and Joel Ennis. Mrs. J. Daniel Nordan was his sister (Dunn Dispatch Dec. 8, 1948).
Recruit Max L. Barnes was assigned to the 237th Prov. Co. 1st Platoon in Germany. Barnes graduated from Coats High School and the Hoyles Secretarial School in 1948. Mr. and Mrs. T.E. Barnes were his parents. Meanwhile, W.J. Sauls and Carson Gregory were sworn in as county officials (Dunn Dispatch Dec. 10, 1948).
The State Highway and Public Works Commission awarded the contracts to pave the road between Coats and Benson. A hard surfaced road had long been needed between the two towns. The dirt road connecting the two towns was almost impassable in bad weather. The 6.94 miles of roadway was bid at $148.861.15 (Dunn Dispatch Dec. 13, 1948). Questions? Is this the current N.C. Highway 27? Is it the road that previously went down the Coats Main Street and around Dead Man’s Curve to the current Delma Grimes Road to a point much farther down the current 27? If so, were there bridges on that dirt road on Black River near where Kenneth Pollard now lives. Was there any road between the current Ebenezer Church Road near Cecil Stephenson’s house and the current entry onto the Delma Grimes Road? Last question-did you think that I possibly made a mistake in writing the bid as being only $148, 861.15? The point 15 made me ponder. Is that referred to as “getting it down to the penny”?
Some of you may remember Eddie Smith who grew up a mile or so northeast of Coats and know that he recorded several records. He returned to Coats in 1985 when the Coats Reunion Project celebrated the closing of the high school where he performed with several musicians who were also Coats students in the 1950 and 1960’s. He lives in Chesapeake, Virginia now but recently visited the museum with his daughter who teaches school in Chesapeake. Eddie is the son of Howard Smith who was son of G.I Smith who formulated the Smith Douglas Fertilizer so trusted by farmers far and wide to make bumper crops. They came to check out what the museum had on G.I. Smith and discovered that we had one of G.I.’s books sharing the fertilizer ingredients, stationery with his Smith Douglas label, a cloth calendar with the Smith Douglas emblem. They plan to return when school is out and want to give the museum one of Eddie’s guitars and a record he cut according to Becky Adams who was delighted to give them a tour of the hard work given by the museum’s volunteers.
Lynda Butler gave a tour to Susan Jenkins and her young grandson Mark who Lynda described as being “amazing”. A special thank you goes to Dr. Bryan and Liz Sorrell, two of our financial donors from Virginia Beach, who gave part of their Easter break in N.C. clipping the scrubs around the museums on the Heritage Square. Their work was followed by the grass cutting by the Dan Honeycutt family and if you follow the sports page in the Daily Record, you recently read that the Honeycutt family has really made a difference at the Harnett Central High School. Thanks!
Have you noticed that many accidents have been written about in the column—some occurring on wagons while others in cars? Another example came in November of 1948 when two young people were hurt in a car accident a few miles east of Coats. The 1941 Chevrolet hit a wooden bridge when George Allen took his eyes off the road to brush off cigarette ashes. His passenger, Ruth Hughes, was taken to the Dunn Hospital along with Allen (Dunn Dispatch Nov. 15, 1948).
The Third English Class of 1948-49 had scheduled a Friday night play, “No Bride for the Groom”. It starred Bess Shelby, Sylvia Ingold, Herbert Prindel and William Regan. Do any of those last names sound like Coats families? Did that mean 11th grade or was it the third period class? The story did not share who the groom was in the wedding but that was not the case in another story in that same edition of the Dunn Dispatch. Robert H. Morgan had married Miss Selma Denning at the Coats Baptist Church.
Do any of you remember when the schools had Halloween Carnivals and the boys and girls raised money to be crowned Princess and King of the carnival? I don’t know if this was the case in 1948, but I do know that Miss Judy Breeden was Princess and Robert Autry was King of the Halloween Carnival (Dunn Dispatch Nov. 17, 1948).
Mrs. Joe M. (Mamie) Johnson was hostess to the Banner Home Demonstration Club at her home. The home was beautifully decorated for the 24 members present. A demonstration on floor finishes was the program. At the conclusion, Mrs. Johnson’s daughters Ruby, Mary Jo, and Doris served the guests (Dunn Dispatch Nov. 26, 1948). Do you know where this house is located? It is the lovely two- story brick house on Ebenezer Church Road in which Charla and Bob Jenkins now own and reside there.
As the years zoom by, there are fewer and fewer Coats folks who recognize the name B.F. Parrish. He was 91 years old in 1948 and had been born in 1857 in Johnston County in a log cabin to John and Sybil Parrish. “Barty” (B.F.) lost his father in the Civil War. B.F. recalled using primitive tools made by the nearest blacksmith and seeding was done mainly by hand. It was 1890 before plows comparable to 1948 ones were in general use. Oxen were utilized as often as horses or mules. In 1897, Parrish purchased an 80-acre farm near Coats from Allen Stewart for $800.00 and moved his family to this farm. The farm had a larger log cabin that was better suited for his seven children-3 boys and 4 girls. He had 20 acres of cotton that brought 5 to 8 cents a pound. It took him 3 years to pay off notes with that cotton money. At the time the article was written in 1948, cotton sold for 32 cents a pound. Parrish and his family cleared land and he installed a cotton gin. Noting that lumber had to be brought in from other communities, he built a sawmill (Dunn Dispatch Nov. 29, 1948). Does anyone know who some of his descendents are in and around Coats? Better yet, does anyone know where this 80- acre farm was located near Coats?
The Coats PTA planned an Open House entitled “At Home” for the Coats Teacherage on December 7, 1948. The teachers who resided in the teacherage were to greet the guests. Are there any teachers living today who once lived there? Recall from current Daily Record coverage that the building is no longer the Coats Municipal Hall but is being renovated to accommodate renters of apartments again (Dunn Dispatch Dec. 6, 1948).
John Haywood Ennis, 76, a well-known Dunn resident, had died in his sleep at his home on Tuesday morning. Funeral services were held at his home. He was the son of John Austin and Winnifred Ennis. He was survived by his wife, Nancy Stewart Ennis. Johnnie G. Ennis and Zelma Ennis were his sons and Mrs. William Bumer, Mrs. Roy Tew, and Mrs. Ben D. Maynard were daughters. Jimmy Ennis of Coats was his brother. Question-Did he reside in Dunn or did he simply have a Dunn mail address? Second question- today, does one need to claim the town through which one gets the mail as their hometown?
Another Ennis died from the area. Mrs. Ina Ennis, 87, had died at the home of her son, Clem Ennis. She died on a Sunday morning after a lingering illness. She was buried in the Ennis Cemetery. Rev. J.D. Capps and Rev. C.S. Johnson conducted the home service. She was survived by three sons-Festus, Clem Ennis, and Joel Ennis. Mrs. J. Daniel Nordan was his sister (Dunn Dispatch Dec. 8, 1948).
Recruit Max L. Barnes was assigned to the 237th Prov. Co. 1st Platoon in Germany. Barnes graduated from Coats High School and the Hoyles Secretarial School in 1948. Mr. and Mrs. T.E. Barnes were his parents. Meanwhile, W.J. Sauls and Carson Gregory were sworn in as county officials (Dunn Dispatch Dec. 10, 1948).
The State Highway and Public Works Commission awarded the contracts to pave the road between Coats and Benson. A hard surfaced road had long been needed between the two towns. The dirt road connecting the two towns was almost impassable in bad weather. The 6.94 miles of roadway was bid at $148.861.15 (Dunn Dispatch Dec. 13, 1948). Questions? Is this the current N.C. Highway 27? Is it the road that previously went down the Coats Main Street and around Dead Man’s Curve to the current Delma Grimes Road to a point much farther down the current 27? If so, were there bridges on that dirt road on Black River near where Kenneth Pollard now lives. Was there any road between the current Ebenezer Church Road near Cecil Stephenson’s house and the current entry onto the Delma Grimes Road? Last question-did you think that I possibly made a mistake in writing the bid as being only $148, 861.15? The point 15 made me ponder. Is that referred to as “getting it down to the penny”?
Some of you may remember Eddie Smith who grew up a mile or so northeast of Coats and know that he recorded several records. He returned to Coats in 1985 when the Coats Reunion Project celebrated the closing of the high school where he performed with several musicians who were also Coats students in the 1950 and 1960’s. He lives in Chesapeake, Virginia now but recently visited the museum with his daughter who teaches school in Chesapeake. Eddie is the son of Howard Smith who was son of G.I Smith who formulated the Smith Douglas Fertilizer so trusted by farmers far and wide to make bumper crops. They came to check out what the museum had on G.I. Smith and discovered that we had one of G.I.’s books sharing the fertilizer ingredients, stationery with his Smith Douglas label, a cloth calendar with the Smith Douglas emblem. They plan to return when school is out and want to give the museum one of Eddie’s guitars and a record he cut according to Becky Adams who was delighted to give them a tour of the hard work given by the museum’s volunteers.
Lynda Butler gave a tour to Susan Jenkins and her young grandson Mark who Lynda described as being “amazing”. A special thank you goes to Dr. Bryan and Liz Sorrell, two of our financial donors from Virginia Beach, who gave part of their Easter break in N.C. clipping the scrubs around the museums on the Heritage Square. Their work was followed by the grass cutting by the Dan Honeycutt family and if you follow the sports page in the Daily Record, you recently read that the Honeycutt family has really made a difference at the Harnett Central High School. Thanks!