August 29, 2025 Coats Museum News
There was a Troyville, a Turlington and a Barclaysville but there was no Coats when Mrs. Lector Matthews Langdon was born. She died at age 95. There was no railroad by her house, no car in her yard and no airplanes overhead when she entered this world in 1900. She was daughter of Guston and Louisa Matthews and wife of Dester A. Langdon who preceded her in death. A son Drexal Langdon also preceded in death. Her services were held at the Bryan Lee Funeral Home in Angier and burial was in the Harnett Memorial Cemetery. Surviving her were seven children: Brookie Tripp, Berlene Ennis, Brenda Langdon, Daywood Langdon, Devaul Langdon, Danville Langdon and Don Ray Langdon. A brother, “Mike” Matthews also survived (Daily Record Dec. 4, 1995).
Her grandson, Dudley Langdon, shared a story with me a few years ago about his grandmother and my dad. My granddaddy Johnson was a prominent businessman and farmer in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s in the county line road area of Johnston and Harnett County, not too far from the Bethel Church, Barclaysville and Baileys Crossroads areas. Granddaddy had a very fancy car that my dad would drive to visit the pretty ladies in our area. Many, many years later when by dad was working in the yard, Dudley Langdon stopped to talk to Dad and told him that Dad had taught his Grandmother Langdon to drive a car.
How ironic it is that my late husband H.L. taught hundreds of young people to drive a car in Drivers Ed and then to find out years later that my own dad had in a way been a Driver’s Ed teacher also?
The hard-working scouts of Boy Scout Troop 779 were selling memorial lights for $5 or three for $10 (DR Dec. 7, 1995).
The former Erwin Hospital had an amazing history, and it was very sad when it closed as a general hospital. In 1995, hundreds of people had attended the Open House of Good Hope Hospital. The Dec. 13, 1995 edition of the Daily Record stated that among the crowd was H.L. Sorrell, Jr. who represented the Harnett County Board of Commissioners.
Was it always called Good Hope Hospital? Is there a story there? There was a hospital there before the town changed its name from Duke to Erwin, right? I do know that Grady Matthews and G.R. Stephenson were home a few days from hospital stays. Belle noted that Frances was very appreciative of the good folks in Coats for their kindness shown to her during Grady’s illness.
Coats Town Hall was busy in December of 1995. Judge Frank Lanier swore in the Coats Commissioners Max Beasley, Don Ennis and Bob Hedrick. Town Manager Clenton Smith reported to the board at that meeting that he had located and purchased a used leaf truck for $4,500. The town board gave Kevin Bennett permission to provide bordering around the existing pear trees in the business section of Main Street. The town allocated no money for this project.
Question-was this the Eagle Scout project of Travis Bennett? Was Kevin really known as Travis? I do know that Mr. Smith reported that the inside of the water tank had been painted and part of the outside had been primed. Smith reported that the painters were working 24 hours a day hoping to finish before Christmas.
David W. Blackwelder, 72, of East Stewart Street, had died at Good Hope hospital. The Harnett native was son of the late Richard and Kuna Williams Blackwelder. David was a veteran of WWII and grounds keeper at Campbell University. He was a member of both the American Legion Banner Post #109 and the Coats Junior Order. His services were held at the Rose and Graham Funeral Home and Chapel with burial in the Williams Cemetery. Lucille Blackwelder Cooke survived her brother.
People’s names have always been fascinating to many of us. The name Blackwelder has to have a story behind it. Names such as Stephenson and Johnson originated when individuals were identified as the sons of Stephen and John. What do you think is the origin of Blackwelder?
I do know that J. Sherrill Stephenson, 80, of Route 2, Angier, had died on Monday at Wake Medical Center. The Johnston County native was the son of the Jimmy and Lessie Wallace Stephenson. He was a retired farmer. His services were held at the Rose and Graham Funeral Chapel with burial in the Lakeside Memorial Gardens. His wife Edith Stephenson and children-Larry Stephenson, JoAnn Barnes and Beth Crumpler survived him. Ila Sauls, Blanche Pleasant and J.B. Stephenson were his siblings (Daily Record Dec. 26, 1995).
We each will have a birth date and death date on our tombstone and those two dates will be connected with a dash. The dash is so important because it is the life that we have lived between those two dates. Stacy Avery will now have his death date added to his and Patsy’s tombstone. They did everything together to make a good life together and much of it was giving back to the community. Patsy and Stacy gave hundreds of hours to the Coats Museum and to the Coats Kiwanis Club. Stacy died last week on the first anniversary of Patsy’s death last year. Death is claiming so many of our faithful volunteers. The family has named the Coats Museum as one way to show your love and respect for Stacy Avery. The post office box for the Coats Museum is PO Box 1294-Coats, NC 27521.
There was a Troyville, a Turlington and a Barclaysville but there was no Coats when Mrs. Lector Matthews Langdon was born. She died at age 95. There was no railroad by her house, no car in her yard and no airplanes overhead when she entered this world in 1900. She was daughter of Guston and Louisa Matthews and wife of Dester A. Langdon who preceded her in death. A son Drexal Langdon also preceded in death. Her services were held at the Bryan Lee Funeral Home in Angier and burial was in the Harnett Memorial Cemetery. Surviving her were seven children: Brookie Tripp, Berlene Ennis, Brenda Langdon, Daywood Langdon, Devaul Langdon, Danville Langdon and Don Ray Langdon. A brother, “Mike” Matthews also survived (Daily Record Dec. 4, 1995).
Her grandson, Dudley Langdon, shared a story with me a few years ago about his grandmother and my dad. My granddaddy Johnson was a prominent businessman and farmer in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s in the county line road area of Johnston and Harnett County, not too far from the Bethel Church, Barclaysville and Baileys Crossroads areas. Granddaddy had a very fancy car that my dad would drive to visit the pretty ladies in our area. Many, many years later when by dad was working in the yard, Dudley Langdon stopped to talk to Dad and told him that Dad had taught his Grandmother Langdon to drive a car.
How ironic it is that my late husband H.L. taught hundreds of young people to drive a car in Drivers Ed and then to find out years later that my own dad had in a way been a Driver’s Ed teacher also?
The hard-working scouts of Boy Scout Troop 779 were selling memorial lights for $5 or three for $10 (DR Dec. 7, 1995).
The former Erwin Hospital had an amazing history, and it was very sad when it closed as a general hospital. In 1995, hundreds of people had attended the Open House of Good Hope Hospital. The Dec. 13, 1995 edition of the Daily Record stated that among the crowd was H.L. Sorrell, Jr. who represented the Harnett County Board of Commissioners.
Was it always called Good Hope Hospital? Is there a story there? There was a hospital there before the town changed its name from Duke to Erwin, right? I do know that Grady Matthews and G.R. Stephenson were home a few days from hospital stays. Belle noted that Frances was very appreciative of the good folks in Coats for their kindness shown to her during Grady’s illness.
Coats Town Hall was busy in December of 1995. Judge Frank Lanier swore in the Coats Commissioners Max Beasley, Don Ennis and Bob Hedrick. Town Manager Clenton Smith reported to the board at that meeting that he had located and purchased a used leaf truck for $4,500. The town board gave Kevin Bennett permission to provide bordering around the existing pear trees in the business section of Main Street. The town allocated no money for this project.
Question-was this the Eagle Scout project of Travis Bennett? Was Kevin really known as Travis? I do know that Mr. Smith reported that the inside of the water tank had been painted and part of the outside had been primed. Smith reported that the painters were working 24 hours a day hoping to finish before Christmas.
David W. Blackwelder, 72, of East Stewart Street, had died at Good Hope hospital. The Harnett native was son of the late Richard and Kuna Williams Blackwelder. David was a veteran of WWII and grounds keeper at Campbell University. He was a member of both the American Legion Banner Post #109 and the Coats Junior Order. His services were held at the Rose and Graham Funeral Home and Chapel with burial in the Williams Cemetery. Lucille Blackwelder Cooke survived her brother.
People’s names have always been fascinating to many of us. The name Blackwelder has to have a story behind it. Names such as Stephenson and Johnson originated when individuals were identified as the sons of Stephen and John. What do you think is the origin of Blackwelder?
I do know that J. Sherrill Stephenson, 80, of Route 2, Angier, had died on Monday at Wake Medical Center. The Johnston County native was the son of the Jimmy and Lessie Wallace Stephenson. He was a retired farmer. His services were held at the Rose and Graham Funeral Chapel with burial in the Lakeside Memorial Gardens. His wife Edith Stephenson and children-Larry Stephenson, JoAnn Barnes and Beth Crumpler survived him. Ila Sauls, Blanche Pleasant and J.B. Stephenson were his siblings (Daily Record Dec. 26, 1995).
We each will have a birth date and death date on our tombstone and those two dates will be connected with a dash. The dash is so important because it is the life that we have lived between those two dates. Stacy Avery will now have his death date added to his and Patsy’s tombstone. They did everything together to make a good life together and much of it was giving back to the community. Patsy and Stacy gave hundreds of hours to the Coats Museum and to the Coats Kiwanis Club. Stacy died last week on the first anniversary of Patsy’s death last year. Death is claiming so many of our faithful volunteers. The family has named the Coats Museum as one way to show your love and respect for Stacy Avery. The post office box for the Coats Museum is PO Box 1294-Coats, NC 27521.