August 24, 2012 Coats Museum News
Fall was approaching and times were troubling in September of 1931.The Coats Town Board had met in a regular meeting on September 8, 1931 when Mr. J.F. McLeod was appointed town tax collector. The board decided to collect taxes for the past two years and then tackle the taxes prior to that later. The board moved and decided to write Carolina Power Light Company requesting them to cut the rate on town lights and to lower the rate to 10KW on residence instead of 15 KW or make the minimum rate $1.00 flat (Coats Town Board meeting minutes, September 8, 1931).
The county also had their problems with finances during those trying times. The Harnett County Board of Commissioners fixed the rate of taxation. For county purposes it was 15 cents, for poor 5 cents, for health 2 cents, for debt services 32 cents, for schools 73 cents for a total countywide rate of $1.27. Do you know the rate in 2012? At this same meeting the board voted to give $320 for a public school music teacher at Coats if the local school board approved the levy (Harnett County News September 25, 1931). Do you think that some folks complained that there was not much to sing about during these depression years? I have heard many of those who lived during the depression say that because the farmers raised most of their food that they did not suffer as some folks did.
Many people were without jobs but not Mr. Roberts Wells who had been hired by Mr. Guy Stewart, proprietor and manager of the Coats Motor Company. Mr. Wells had extensive training as a motorcar salesman (Harnett County News September 25, 1931).
In a called meeting of the Coats Town Board on September 27, 1931, B.F. McLeod, attorney, and all board members met with Mr. Caughman and Mr. Tyler from CPL. The board voted to have Attorney McLeod write to CPL in Raleigh to reduce the candlepower of the four streetlights on Main Street from 250 C.P. to 100 C.P. All other 25 town lights were to have 60 C.P. Who understands? Does C.P. mean candle power and that the town will be somewhat darker at night?
I do know that Coats students did not arrive on campus until October 5th. When they arrived, some students would have to climb three flights of stairs to get to their classrooms. The Harnett County News October 22, 1931 edition reported that the school had a fair attendance on that date and because of a lack of an auditorium which had been built into six nice classrooms, the students, patrons, and friends stood in front of the building while the speaker stood on the steps. Mr. John McKay Byrd was the principal speaker. He again promised a five dollar gold piece to the best all-around student. Would the three new teachers on the campus –Miss Ethel Williams, Miss Nellie Penny, and Miss Maxine Roberson-help pick that student at the close of the school year in 1932? Or would Mrs. C.G. Fuquay, president of the PTA have a vote? Do you know why six new classrooms were needed at Coats? Does consolidation give you a clue?
Depression or not, the new calendar replaced the old one in most people’s houses. Each month would have 1932 imprinted and much history would be recorded that year. The effort by the League of Nations and the United States to mediate the second war between Japan and China has failed miserably. President Hoover had threatened to be an active participant and he sent more military reinforcements to Shanghai to protect American interests. Hoover signed into law a bill to establish a $2 billion agency to help prop up industry and create jobs. With the U.S. in the midst of a severe depression, the bill won speedy approval of Congress. The 20- month –old son of Charles Lindberg was snatched from his crib in the family’s home in Hopewell, New Jersey and was found dead 72 days later. Dr. J.D. Cockroff and Dr. E.T.S. Walton at Cambridge University split the atom. Amelia Earhart flew solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Democrats promised a “new deal”. The price of a Butter finger candy bar was 5 cents. Eleven million people were jobless. The Olympics were held in Los Angeles. Roosevelt won in a landslide victory over Hoover in 1932. The country was in a deep depression with soup kitchens and bread lines growing. Bank failures and foreclosures and unemployment soared. Roosevelt promised that no American would starve. He said that he would wage war against the Four Horseman of the Republican leadership: Delay, Deceit, Destruction and Despair (Daniel, Clifton. Ed. Chronicle of the 20th Century, 1987, pp.404-413).
The inspection of the Harnett County school trucks had to go on -depression or not. The examination showed that the buses in Coats were in good shape. Bus No. 28 had bad lights and Bus. No. 71 had no lights. Buses 16 and 22 had no problems. Some buses at other schools had no horn, no muffler, and no lights. No. 56 at Oakdale had no lights or muffler. There was no mention of buses from Turlington and Gregory Schools (Harnett County News January 21, 1932). Who would have ever thought that such news would find its way into newsprint twice-then and now?
Harnett County had 7,313 families in 1930. Each family averaged 5.2 people per family. In 1920, the census showed Harnett had 5,375 families of 5.3 persons per family. Only 634 families or 8.7 percent of the total county had radio sets in 1930. When did they stop calling it a radio set?
Everything was depressed in 1932, even the Honor Roll at Coats. In the 1st grade, Ruby Turner, Edwin Moore, James McGee, Mary Pollard, Hilda Ruth Grimes, and Thurlene Pollard performed excellently. In the 2nd grade, Jocelyn Hayes, Mildred Johnson, Mary Elizabeth Lee, Meredith Nichols, Helen White Roycroft, Christine Stewart, Keith Wayne Stewart, and Zenobia Surles were honorees. Delaney Turlington, Prentis Johnson, Dorothy Denning, Francis Whittington, Grace Williams, and Mildred Weaver were named on the grade four list. In grade 8, Alvin Powell, Velma Cannady, and Dorothy Stewart were honored. Grade 10 named Virginia Langdon, Grace Turlington, and Lois Grimes to the list (Harnett County News January 28, 1932). Would you not agree that the list was shorter than usual?
Thanks goes to Benny and Caleb Weaver, and Todd Pope with the Hardwood Man for refinishing the floors in the Research Library. They are really beautiful. Thanks also goes to Tony and Chris Mangum and the crew at Mangum’s Body Shop for helping with a special project for the research library. We had a wonderful visit from Joyce McLamb who brought for the Coats Museum some of the refinished boards from the first floor of the 1936 Coats School building. Just think about it, everyone who ever attended or visited the school likely walked on those boards.
Please be mindful that this article appeared in the Daily Record on August 24, 2012.
Fall was approaching and times were troubling in September of 1931.The Coats Town Board had met in a regular meeting on September 8, 1931 when Mr. J.F. McLeod was appointed town tax collector. The board decided to collect taxes for the past two years and then tackle the taxes prior to that later. The board moved and decided to write Carolina Power Light Company requesting them to cut the rate on town lights and to lower the rate to 10KW on residence instead of 15 KW or make the minimum rate $1.00 flat (Coats Town Board meeting minutes, September 8, 1931).
The county also had their problems with finances during those trying times. The Harnett County Board of Commissioners fixed the rate of taxation. For county purposes it was 15 cents, for poor 5 cents, for health 2 cents, for debt services 32 cents, for schools 73 cents for a total countywide rate of $1.27. Do you know the rate in 2012? At this same meeting the board voted to give $320 for a public school music teacher at Coats if the local school board approved the levy (Harnett County News September 25, 1931). Do you think that some folks complained that there was not much to sing about during these depression years? I have heard many of those who lived during the depression say that because the farmers raised most of their food that they did not suffer as some folks did.
Many people were without jobs but not Mr. Roberts Wells who had been hired by Mr. Guy Stewart, proprietor and manager of the Coats Motor Company. Mr. Wells had extensive training as a motorcar salesman (Harnett County News September 25, 1931).
In a called meeting of the Coats Town Board on September 27, 1931, B.F. McLeod, attorney, and all board members met with Mr. Caughman and Mr. Tyler from CPL. The board voted to have Attorney McLeod write to CPL in Raleigh to reduce the candlepower of the four streetlights on Main Street from 250 C.P. to 100 C.P. All other 25 town lights were to have 60 C.P. Who understands? Does C.P. mean candle power and that the town will be somewhat darker at night?
I do know that Coats students did not arrive on campus until October 5th. When they arrived, some students would have to climb three flights of stairs to get to their classrooms. The Harnett County News October 22, 1931 edition reported that the school had a fair attendance on that date and because of a lack of an auditorium which had been built into six nice classrooms, the students, patrons, and friends stood in front of the building while the speaker stood on the steps. Mr. John McKay Byrd was the principal speaker. He again promised a five dollar gold piece to the best all-around student. Would the three new teachers on the campus –Miss Ethel Williams, Miss Nellie Penny, and Miss Maxine Roberson-help pick that student at the close of the school year in 1932? Or would Mrs. C.G. Fuquay, president of the PTA have a vote? Do you know why six new classrooms were needed at Coats? Does consolidation give you a clue?
Depression or not, the new calendar replaced the old one in most people’s houses. Each month would have 1932 imprinted and much history would be recorded that year. The effort by the League of Nations and the United States to mediate the second war between Japan and China has failed miserably. President Hoover had threatened to be an active participant and he sent more military reinforcements to Shanghai to protect American interests. Hoover signed into law a bill to establish a $2 billion agency to help prop up industry and create jobs. With the U.S. in the midst of a severe depression, the bill won speedy approval of Congress. The 20- month –old son of Charles Lindberg was snatched from his crib in the family’s home in Hopewell, New Jersey and was found dead 72 days later. Dr. J.D. Cockroff and Dr. E.T.S. Walton at Cambridge University split the atom. Amelia Earhart flew solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Democrats promised a “new deal”. The price of a Butter finger candy bar was 5 cents. Eleven million people were jobless. The Olympics were held in Los Angeles. Roosevelt won in a landslide victory over Hoover in 1932. The country was in a deep depression with soup kitchens and bread lines growing. Bank failures and foreclosures and unemployment soared. Roosevelt promised that no American would starve. He said that he would wage war against the Four Horseman of the Republican leadership: Delay, Deceit, Destruction and Despair (Daniel, Clifton. Ed. Chronicle of the 20th Century, 1987, pp.404-413).
The inspection of the Harnett County school trucks had to go on -depression or not. The examination showed that the buses in Coats were in good shape. Bus No. 28 had bad lights and Bus. No. 71 had no lights. Buses 16 and 22 had no problems. Some buses at other schools had no horn, no muffler, and no lights. No. 56 at Oakdale had no lights or muffler. There was no mention of buses from Turlington and Gregory Schools (Harnett County News January 21, 1932). Who would have ever thought that such news would find its way into newsprint twice-then and now?
Harnett County had 7,313 families in 1930. Each family averaged 5.2 people per family. In 1920, the census showed Harnett had 5,375 families of 5.3 persons per family. Only 634 families or 8.7 percent of the total county had radio sets in 1930. When did they stop calling it a radio set?
Everything was depressed in 1932, even the Honor Roll at Coats. In the 1st grade, Ruby Turner, Edwin Moore, James McGee, Mary Pollard, Hilda Ruth Grimes, and Thurlene Pollard performed excellently. In the 2nd grade, Jocelyn Hayes, Mildred Johnson, Mary Elizabeth Lee, Meredith Nichols, Helen White Roycroft, Christine Stewart, Keith Wayne Stewart, and Zenobia Surles were honorees. Delaney Turlington, Prentis Johnson, Dorothy Denning, Francis Whittington, Grace Williams, and Mildred Weaver were named on the grade four list. In grade 8, Alvin Powell, Velma Cannady, and Dorothy Stewart were honored. Grade 10 named Virginia Langdon, Grace Turlington, and Lois Grimes to the list (Harnett County News January 28, 1932). Would you not agree that the list was shorter than usual?
Thanks goes to Benny and Caleb Weaver, and Todd Pope with the Hardwood Man for refinishing the floors in the Research Library. They are really beautiful. Thanks also goes to Tony and Chris Mangum and the crew at Mangum’s Body Shop for helping with a special project for the research library. We had a wonderful visit from Joyce McLamb who brought for the Coats Museum some of the refinished boards from the first floor of the 1936 Coats School building. Just think about it, everyone who ever attended or visited the school likely walked on those boards.
Please be mindful that this article appeared in the Daily Record on August 24, 2012.
