August 9, 2024 Coats Museum News
Last week you read that the first exploration of the NC coast was 500 years ago in 1524 by a Florentine navigator in service of France. Then came Barlowe in 1584 who reported to Sir Walter Raleigh that “delicious odors of the bay trees, the highest cedars of the world”, oaks “farre greater and better than any in Europe, and pines, cypress and other sweet smelling timber trees” were to found here.
Ralph Lane in 1585-1586 planted the first English colony in the “new world”. Ralph White’s “Lost Colony” at Roanoke Island followed this feat in 1587. By 1607, the English had planted a permanent colony in the “new world” at Jamestown, Virginia.
Also there was settlement activity in places north of the Carolina coast. Up in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and in the Connecticut Colony at Hartford, much activity was affected by the religious beliefs of the Puritans or the non-Puritans English yeoman and merchants.
A flood of immigrants to Virginia was a result of the English civil war. Like all wars, the underlying causes were complex and had been woven into the fabric of the whole society many years before. Parliament and the king had come to an impasse over the issue of taxation and the royal finances and seeing the opportunity, the English Puritans joined the antimonarchical forces.
King Charles I attempted to force loans from the gentry and the commercial class. The gentry refused and Charles I became desperate for money. The war finally precipitated when the famous Long Parliament of 1640 repudiated the Charles I concepts of absolutism and rule by the Divine Right. The members demanded greater freedom and religious tolerance.
When war broke out, the battle lines were drawn between the Royalists who supported Charles I and the Puritans who supported the Parliament. Just as the name implies, the Royalists were recruited from the Cavaliers who were for the most part Roman Catholics and wealthy landowners, Whereas, most of the Puritan forces were the common folk.
While these series of wars were occurring, many people-Royalists and Puritans- were coming to the “new world.” However, the largest migration occurred after Cromwell defeated Charles I who was consequently beheaded.
The supporters of Charles I headed to Virginia knowing they would not be welcomed in the Puritan New England. Also, Virginia had a social and economic system developing which was similar to that of the English gentry. As time passed, tobacco plantations were the outgrowth of the earliest settlements and eventually the aura of the English estate appeared according to history records.
Next week I will share how all this history played into our local Coats and Grove’s story, but for now let’s read about what M.O. Phillips and Dee Haskins had to say about the origin of the Coats Farmers Day. They stated that H.A. Turlington, Sr. started the Farmers Day in 1910. Mr. Turlington wanted the people of the Coats Community to know about the quality of life the farm families were living. The writers stated that Turlington was aware of the effect that the new technology had made on farming. The Farmers Day had gone on continuously through the years with exceptions being during WWI, WWII and flu, polio and other epidemic years.
Coincidentally, in the same October 5, 1994 issue of the Daily Record, it was printed that Holly Turlington, daughter of Dennis Turlington and granddaughter of H.A. Turlington, Sr., was engaged to Brian Raynor. Both were 1993 graduates of Triton High School. Holly was attending JCC and Brian was a student of Wake Community College.
When the sound o f the museum door opening, we never know whose face will show up in the Research Library. If they specifically come to the museum, we know we will be better by the visits. Recently through the door came James Tart, a 1972 graduate of Coats High School, now living in Asheville. How enlightening it was to hear about his Grandfather Ira Tart and uncles from Benson and how his grandfather Tart handled the Great Depression.
Then came Barbara Byrd Holt who moved back here from Fayetteville, and we listened in awe as she shared her memories of houses and people in Coats when she lived here. Life at the museum is a new story with every visitor. What a blessing it is to volunteer there.
Thank you goes to JoAnne Turlington who dropped by the museum after attending the Hall of Fame ceremony where her mother-in-law, Dona Ennis Turlington, was honored for the impact she had had in the Home Extension organization and for her many years as a principal and teacher in the Oakdale , Coats and Penny Schools. Some of Dona’s handiwork is and has been on display in the museum. Thank you, JoAnne, for your memorial to the museum for your husband, T.J. Turlington, Jr.
Last week you read that the first exploration of the NC coast was 500 years ago in 1524 by a Florentine navigator in service of France. Then came Barlowe in 1584 who reported to Sir Walter Raleigh that “delicious odors of the bay trees, the highest cedars of the world”, oaks “farre greater and better than any in Europe, and pines, cypress and other sweet smelling timber trees” were to found here.
Ralph Lane in 1585-1586 planted the first English colony in the “new world”. Ralph White’s “Lost Colony” at Roanoke Island followed this feat in 1587. By 1607, the English had planted a permanent colony in the “new world” at Jamestown, Virginia.
Also there was settlement activity in places north of the Carolina coast. Up in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and in the Connecticut Colony at Hartford, much activity was affected by the religious beliefs of the Puritans or the non-Puritans English yeoman and merchants.
A flood of immigrants to Virginia was a result of the English civil war. Like all wars, the underlying causes were complex and had been woven into the fabric of the whole society many years before. Parliament and the king had come to an impasse over the issue of taxation and the royal finances and seeing the opportunity, the English Puritans joined the antimonarchical forces.
King Charles I attempted to force loans from the gentry and the commercial class. The gentry refused and Charles I became desperate for money. The war finally precipitated when the famous Long Parliament of 1640 repudiated the Charles I concepts of absolutism and rule by the Divine Right. The members demanded greater freedom and religious tolerance.
When war broke out, the battle lines were drawn between the Royalists who supported Charles I and the Puritans who supported the Parliament. Just as the name implies, the Royalists were recruited from the Cavaliers who were for the most part Roman Catholics and wealthy landowners, Whereas, most of the Puritan forces were the common folk.
While these series of wars were occurring, many people-Royalists and Puritans- were coming to the “new world.” However, the largest migration occurred after Cromwell defeated Charles I who was consequently beheaded.
The supporters of Charles I headed to Virginia knowing they would not be welcomed in the Puritan New England. Also, Virginia had a social and economic system developing which was similar to that of the English gentry. As time passed, tobacco plantations were the outgrowth of the earliest settlements and eventually the aura of the English estate appeared according to history records.
Next week I will share how all this history played into our local Coats and Grove’s story, but for now let’s read about what M.O. Phillips and Dee Haskins had to say about the origin of the Coats Farmers Day. They stated that H.A. Turlington, Sr. started the Farmers Day in 1910. Mr. Turlington wanted the people of the Coats Community to know about the quality of life the farm families were living. The writers stated that Turlington was aware of the effect that the new technology had made on farming. The Farmers Day had gone on continuously through the years with exceptions being during WWI, WWII and flu, polio and other epidemic years.
Coincidentally, in the same October 5, 1994 issue of the Daily Record, it was printed that Holly Turlington, daughter of Dennis Turlington and granddaughter of H.A. Turlington, Sr., was engaged to Brian Raynor. Both were 1993 graduates of Triton High School. Holly was attending JCC and Brian was a student of Wake Community College.
When the sound o f the museum door opening, we never know whose face will show up in the Research Library. If they specifically come to the museum, we know we will be better by the visits. Recently through the door came James Tart, a 1972 graduate of Coats High School, now living in Asheville. How enlightening it was to hear about his Grandfather Ira Tart and uncles from Benson and how his grandfather Tart handled the Great Depression.
Then came Barbara Byrd Holt who moved back here from Fayetteville, and we listened in awe as she shared her memories of houses and people in Coats when she lived here. Life at the museum is a new story with every visitor. What a blessing it is to volunteer there.
Thank you goes to JoAnne Turlington who dropped by the museum after attending the Hall of Fame ceremony where her mother-in-law, Dona Ennis Turlington, was honored for the impact she had had in the Home Extension organization and for her many years as a principal and teacher in the Oakdale , Coats and Penny Schools. Some of Dona’s handiwork is and has been on display in the museum. Thank you, JoAnne, for your memorial to the museum for your husband, T.J. Turlington, Jr.