April 30, 2021 Coats Museum News
Wanda Pollard continued to share her social notes in the Daily Record and recorded that Doug and Sharon Stevens and children, Charlie and Kandi, had returned to Coats from Doug’s military assignment in Florida. Birthday wishes went to Carlie McLamb, Blanche Turlington, Catherine Peede, Amy Peede, Albert Regan, Betty Weaver, Donahue Stephenson, Rhonda Penny, Hobart Lamn and April Dixon. Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Barnes had celebrated their anniversary (Daily Record April 19, 2021)
Carolina Telephone Co. was burying new phone lines toward the Coats area. The underground cable assured a prettier environment without poles and the cable was less likely to be damaged by winds or storms (Daily Record April 8, 1987).
Does anyone recall that occurrence? Who remembers the party lines? We often get reactions from our collection of old telephones and visitors share stories on how many people were on their party lines and who shared the most gossip . Do you remember your first telephone number? How many digits were there in your number? Most importantly-today-do you know all the numbers of your various phones and your friends’ numbers or do you rely on favorite contacts or other means to place a call? Who remembers when 911 was implemented and was there a fee? Was there a charge to call a Benson, Dunn or Lillington number or a “ it’s not necessary to dial a 1 before your ….”
Questions could continue about the telephone, but there is other news to be shared from the month of April in 1987. Ronnie and Bonnie Watkins Poole announced the birth of a son, Matthews Shane Poole. The grandparents were Mrs. Grace Matthews Watkins and Robert Willis and Ethel Poole (Daily Record April 13, 1987).
“Furnishings by Judy” was the Coats Chamber of Commerce Business Focus of the Week. The business was owned and operated by Judy Turlington (Daily Record April 16, 1987) No additional info was available but knowing Judy, I bet it offered some beautiful ideas to make the home or office a showplace).
Wendy Williams, daughter of Barney and Mary Frances Weaver Williams, was one of the county’s top spellers in the Harnett County Spelling Bee (Daily Record April 17, 1987). Wendy also proved later to not only be good at spelling but also good in science because she became a pharmacist along with her classmate Jane Tyndall (Wilson) who was also pictured in the April 16, 2021 Coats Museum News.
Lee C. Parrish, 76, of Coats, had died. He was survived by his wife, Mrs. Rebecca Stancil Parrish; his sisters were Mrs. Pearl Lovett, Mrs. Wilma Byrd, Mrs. Ruth Parrish and Mrs. Belle Williams, all of Coats. Mr. Parrish was a member of the Gift Primitive Baptist Church where the services were held prior to his burial in the Coats City Cemetery (Daily Record April 20, 1987).
A family name held in high regard in the Coats community is Hayes- both in the white and black Hayes families. Richard Hayes lived outside of Coats and he and his family operated a dairy and owned much real estate in the town of Coats. His son, Chester Thomas Hayes, 69, of Route One, Coats, had died according to the Daily Record, April 21, 1987 edition. His daughter was Bonnie Lynne Hayes and his sons were Larry Thomas and William Henry Hayes. Bettie Jean Hayes Byrd was his only sister and she survived him. He was buried at Bethel Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery.
Just a side note is that Bettie Jean married Graham Byrd who operated the Coats Feed Mill outside of town. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think Graham also played music in events around town. Graham and Bettie Jean’s son was Richie Byrd who graduated from CHS in 1973. Despite the fact he had a slight speech impediment, he won countless speaking honors in the FFA organization. Richie died a few years ago, but his mother resides in Oak Hill in Angier. The dairy is long gone as is the Hayes Abattoir that operated next to the Richard Hayes homestead. Another interesting note is that there was a second dairy on that same road now known as the Abattoir Road. It was the Seth Lee Dairy and is the current home of the Monroe P. Lee, Jr. family who moved back from Florida and brought back to life the farm with hundreds of cattle grazing from the greenest grasses and drinking from numerous ponds on the property. One cannot help but be so proud of what Monroe has accomplished. To top it off, he has been so generous in financially supporting local organizations in town. Monroe is the nephew of Naomi Dixon Lee who is a beautiful lady and I think the last living member of the CHS Class of 1938. Millie Harmon Wiggins, Naomi’s classmate, died a short while back. Monroe’s other local aunt was Mary Lee Denning, wife of Carsie Denning. Both were instrumental in the organization of the Coats Museum.
Thanks to folks like the Lees and Dennings, we have display items that the younger generations can learn from. Who remembers the little glass bottles that we drank milk from in our early school days. Seth Lee filled milk from his dairy into those little glass bottles. We don’t have a bottle but we do have the little paper toppers that kept the milk within.
Naomi Dixon Lee gifted the museum a large portrait of Amos Coats of Johnston County who was a county commissioners and community leader. Amos Coats was brother to John Rufus Coats who also served his county as the first Johnston County Chairman of Commissioners. From Amos Coats‘s descendants we have the Coats Bell Tower Museum and from the John Rufus Coats descendants, we have the Coats Museum.
Does anyone remember Mrs. Harriett Lenz Breeden of Route One, Coats? She was survived by a son Wilmer E. Breeden and grandchildren (Daily Record April 22, 1987). Was she connected to Will Breeden whose mother-in-law was Rosa O’Neal who worked in local businesses like the dime store?
Good news-- Work had begun on the Coats Senior Center (Daily Record April 23, 1987).
We have really enjoyed reopening the museum. Last week one of our exciting visitors was Tim Stevens from Garner. Tim is working on a TV documentary about eight Vietnam soldiers who lost their lives in that war. Two of them were from Coats-Sherrill Willis and Donald David Stewart. We shared what info we have on the two men but we welcome additional stories and information about Sherrill and Donald from family and friends who would like to share to help Mr. Stevens portray the life of the two war heroes. We are at the museum on Thursdays and Sundays and can be reached by phone at 897-2525, 897-5611, or 514-2021.
Thank you Susan Jenkins- the kids and grownup kids will love your vintage dolls. We always enjoy visits from Ralph Denning, one of strongest museum supporters, and from Lenny Parker, former SBI agent. Plans are for Lenny to present a program on his experiences in identifying the bodies of those who lost their lives in 9/11 and those in various hurricanes. Dana Coats Byrd is always a delightful visitor as she shares history she recalls from growing up in Coats as a descendant of Preacher Tom Coats.
Visit us at the museum on Thursdays and Sundays. Becky Adams is working on our second edition of the Defenders of the Red, White and Blue. If you served in the US military and have not submitted your military information, please drop by the museum and the volunteers will share with you what we need. Please do not assume that the volunteers know that you served your country in the military.
Wanda Pollard continued to share her social notes in the Daily Record and recorded that Doug and Sharon Stevens and children, Charlie and Kandi, had returned to Coats from Doug’s military assignment in Florida. Birthday wishes went to Carlie McLamb, Blanche Turlington, Catherine Peede, Amy Peede, Albert Regan, Betty Weaver, Donahue Stephenson, Rhonda Penny, Hobart Lamn and April Dixon. Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Barnes had celebrated their anniversary (Daily Record April 19, 2021)
Carolina Telephone Co. was burying new phone lines toward the Coats area. The underground cable assured a prettier environment without poles and the cable was less likely to be damaged by winds or storms (Daily Record April 8, 1987).
Does anyone recall that occurrence? Who remembers the party lines? We often get reactions from our collection of old telephones and visitors share stories on how many people were on their party lines and who shared the most gossip . Do you remember your first telephone number? How many digits were there in your number? Most importantly-today-do you know all the numbers of your various phones and your friends’ numbers or do you rely on favorite contacts or other means to place a call? Who remembers when 911 was implemented and was there a fee? Was there a charge to call a Benson, Dunn or Lillington number or a “ it’s not necessary to dial a 1 before your ….”
Questions could continue about the telephone, but there is other news to be shared from the month of April in 1987. Ronnie and Bonnie Watkins Poole announced the birth of a son, Matthews Shane Poole. The grandparents were Mrs. Grace Matthews Watkins and Robert Willis and Ethel Poole (Daily Record April 13, 1987).
“Furnishings by Judy” was the Coats Chamber of Commerce Business Focus of the Week. The business was owned and operated by Judy Turlington (Daily Record April 16, 1987) No additional info was available but knowing Judy, I bet it offered some beautiful ideas to make the home or office a showplace).
Wendy Williams, daughter of Barney and Mary Frances Weaver Williams, was one of the county’s top spellers in the Harnett County Spelling Bee (Daily Record April 17, 1987). Wendy also proved later to not only be good at spelling but also good in science because she became a pharmacist along with her classmate Jane Tyndall (Wilson) who was also pictured in the April 16, 2021 Coats Museum News.
Lee C. Parrish, 76, of Coats, had died. He was survived by his wife, Mrs. Rebecca Stancil Parrish; his sisters were Mrs. Pearl Lovett, Mrs. Wilma Byrd, Mrs. Ruth Parrish and Mrs. Belle Williams, all of Coats. Mr. Parrish was a member of the Gift Primitive Baptist Church where the services were held prior to his burial in the Coats City Cemetery (Daily Record April 20, 1987).
A family name held in high regard in the Coats community is Hayes- both in the white and black Hayes families. Richard Hayes lived outside of Coats and he and his family operated a dairy and owned much real estate in the town of Coats. His son, Chester Thomas Hayes, 69, of Route One, Coats, had died according to the Daily Record, April 21, 1987 edition. His daughter was Bonnie Lynne Hayes and his sons were Larry Thomas and William Henry Hayes. Bettie Jean Hayes Byrd was his only sister and she survived him. He was buried at Bethel Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery.
Just a side note is that Bettie Jean married Graham Byrd who operated the Coats Feed Mill outside of town. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think Graham also played music in events around town. Graham and Bettie Jean’s son was Richie Byrd who graduated from CHS in 1973. Despite the fact he had a slight speech impediment, he won countless speaking honors in the FFA organization. Richie died a few years ago, but his mother resides in Oak Hill in Angier. The dairy is long gone as is the Hayes Abattoir that operated next to the Richard Hayes homestead. Another interesting note is that there was a second dairy on that same road now known as the Abattoir Road. It was the Seth Lee Dairy and is the current home of the Monroe P. Lee, Jr. family who moved back from Florida and brought back to life the farm with hundreds of cattle grazing from the greenest grasses and drinking from numerous ponds on the property. One cannot help but be so proud of what Monroe has accomplished. To top it off, he has been so generous in financially supporting local organizations in town. Monroe is the nephew of Naomi Dixon Lee who is a beautiful lady and I think the last living member of the CHS Class of 1938. Millie Harmon Wiggins, Naomi’s classmate, died a short while back. Monroe’s other local aunt was Mary Lee Denning, wife of Carsie Denning. Both were instrumental in the organization of the Coats Museum.
Thanks to folks like the Lees and Dennings, we have display items that the younger generations can learn from. Who remembers the little glass bottles that we drank milk from in our early school days. Seth Lee filled milk from his dairy into those little glass bottles. We don’t have a bottle but we do have the little paper toppers that kept the milk within.
Naomi Dixon Lee gifted the museum a large portrait of Amos Coats of Johnston County who was a county commissioners and community leader. Amos Coats was brother to John Rufus Coats who also served his county as the first Johnston County Chairman of Commissioners. From Amos Coats‘s descendants we have the Coats Bell Tower Museum and from the John Rufus Coats descendants, we have the Coats Museum.
Does anyone remember Mrs. Harriett Lenz Breeden of Route One, Coats? She was survived by a son Wilmer E. Breeden and grandchildren (Daily Record April 22, 1987). Was she connected to Will Breeden whose mother-in-law was Rosa O’Neal who worked in local businesses like the dime store?
Good news-- Work had begun on the Coats Senior Center (Daily Record April 23, 1987).
We have really enjoyed reopening the museum. Last week one of our exciting visitors was Tim Stevens from Garner. Tim is working on a TV documentary about eight Vietnam soldiers who lost their lives in that war. Two of them were from Coats-Sherrill Willis and Donald David Stewart. We shared what info we have on the two men but we welcome additional stories and information about Sherrill and Donald from family and friends who would like to share to help Mr. Stevens portray the life of the two war heroes. We are at the museum on Thursdays and Sundays and can be reached by phone at 897-2525, 897-5611, or 514-2021.
Thank you Susan Jenkins- the kids and grownup kids will love your vintage dolls. We always enjoy visits from Ralph Denning, one of strongest museum supporters, and from Lenny Parker, former SBI agent. Plans are for Lenny to present a program on his experiences in identifying the bodies of those who lost their lives in 9/11 and those in various hurricanes. Dana Coats Byrd is always a delightful visitor as she shares history she recalls from growing up in Coats as a descendant of Preacher Tom Coats.
Visit us at the museum on Thursdays and Sundays. Becky Adams is working on our second edition of the Defenders of the Red, White and Blue. If you served in the US military and have not submitted your military information, please drop by the museum and the volunteers will share with you what we need. Please do not assume that the volunteers know that you served your country in the military.