December 25, 2015 Coats Museum News
Do all towns have a Jr. Order? In 1956, the Coats Jr. Order had presented their new slate of officers and you will likely recognize many of the following names: Nick Gregory-counsel, Louis Dupree, Jr.-past counsel, R. M. Stone-vice counsel, Mack Parrish-secretary, O.K. Keene-treasurer, Delmer Ennis-warden, C.B. Denning- chaplain, Garland Johnson-conductor, Carson Gregory-trustee, Edward Gregory-trustee, and Leon Davis was also listed as secretary.
Do any of you remember Jerry Glenn Johnson? He died a while back but many of you may have gone to school with one of his two children- Felicia or Michael. In fact Michael participated in our Defenders of the Red, White and Blue event in November. The paper shared that Jerry Glenn Johnson, 22, of Erwin and Betty L. Byrd, 18, of Route One, Coats were issued a marriage license. Elsewhere in the area, another popular name appeared before the readers. Ted Malone of Coats announced he would run for county commissioner for Grove and Duke Townships (Daily Record April 16, 1956).
The same edition of the paper reported that Lois Jernigan, whom you read about last week in a posture contest, was now a contestant in the Miss Dunn Beauty Pageant.
Does anyone remember there being a fire at Campbell College other than when there was a devastating fire in the very early 1900’s. In April of 1956, a fire at the Campbell College’s historic Kivett Building caused between 25 to 50 thousand dollars in damage. Quick action came from the Buies Creek Fire Department. The Coats Fire Department had a flat tire on the way to the fire. The assistant chief said that they had unsuccessfully been trying to get new tires (Daily Record April 19, 1956). Was that just an early estimate of the damage?
The Coats Fellowship Club was not the largest club in the county, but it certainly was one of the most active and rendered valuable community services. Vice President Herbert L. Johnson was extolling to the paper a few of the club’s accomplishments. The club had helped secure the community building, a cannery, a recreation center, a school activity bus (1955), and new lighting equipment for the ball park at the school. Thanks to that project, baseball could soon come to that progressive Harnett town.
Carson Gregory, Dr. Donald Moore, Herbert L. Johnson, Haywood Roberts, and Owen Odum donated 70 dollars each toward the lighting. Curtis Guy was club president. Mrs. Gaither Stewart of near Coats planned a series of arts and crafts workshops. Mrs. Jarvis Pleasant, Mrs. Howard Penny and Mrs. Haywood Penny learned to make beautifully designed trays at the workshop.
Mr. Benjamin Franklin Dixon Wiggins, 72, of Buies Creek, died at his home. His wife Josephine; one brother, J.S. Wiggins of Coats, and three sisters survived him: Mrs. Nannie Ryals, Mrs. Lela Dorman, and Mrs. K.A. Dixon of Buies Creek (Daily Record April 20, 1956).
Another Wiggins made the news because of death. Master Sergeant (Retired) John Richard Wiggins, 46, of Coats had died on Sunday afternoon at Fort Bragg Hospital following a few hours of illness. Funeral services were held at the Baptist Church of Coats. Mr. Wiggins was a native of Harnett County and the son of the late Richard W. Wiggins and Nancy Stone Wiggins. He had attended the Baptist Orphanage at Thomasville. He had served with the quartermaster corps throughout WWII and had retired in 1953. Since his retirement, he had been a civil service employee at Fort Bragg. His wife Ihrie Raynor Wiggins, one son John Richard Wiggins, Jr., two stepsons-Eddie Marion Vaughan and Jimmy Vaughn and his sister, Miss Etta Wiggins survived him (Daily Record April 23, 1956). Eddie is one of very faithful volunteers and board members.
Happy news came to the Neighbors and Munden families. Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Harvey Neighbors of Coats had announced the birth of a son, Clarence Harvey, Jr., on April 13. Mrs. Neighbors was the former Doris Munden. Another birth in Coats was that of Neil Ray, son of Mr. and Mrs. Neil Addison McLean of Coats. The mother was the former Jo Sue Matthews (Daily Record April 25, 1956).
Do the names P.J. Johnson and Charles Sorrell sound familiar? The young students had entered two Yorkshires at the Stock Show in Dunn. The hogs would wind up on people’s plates but the boys wanted a trophy on the shelf. P.J.’s dad had 75 hogs on his farm. How did the boys come out in the contest? They won first prize in Dunn and Benson.
Miss Marilyn Gayle Yarley, daughter of Mrs. Dewey Yarely, and the late Mr. Yarley, was engaged to Cpl. Charles Geltner Davis, USAF, son of Mrs. Custer Davis of Kinston and the late Mr. Davis. The bride-elect was a graduate of Coats High School, attended Campbell College and ECC. She was employed at the N.C. Utilities Company in Raleigh. Mr. Davis had attended ECC but was currently stationed in the Middle East (Daily Record April 30, 1956).
Over at Bailey’s Crossroads, Mrs. Mack Reid Hudson had honored Mrs. Sylvia Avery Ballard with a bridal shower. The house was decorated with spring flowers throughout. Mrs. Naomi Hudson assisted in serving the thirty-four guests.
A Barclaysville girl, Ann Pleasant, was a member of the Campbell College May Court. She was the niece of Mrs. Ada Woodall and the secretary of Senator Robert Morgan and Archie Taylor (Daily Record May 2, 1956).
The final figures came in on the fire damage at Campbell College and the figure was not to exceed $16,000 (Daily Record May 4, 1956). That is a far cry from the 25 to 50 thousand dollars estimated after the fire, right?
As you were reading this column, you undoubtedly noticed the April and May, 1956 dates. However if you look at the date on most of your tech devices, you will read that it is December 24, 2015. If you have been following this Coats Museum News column since it began to appear in the paper in 2009, the column has covered hundreds of years of history of the region that is now Coats and the surrounding areas in the county.
There was a time when there was no Dunn, Erwin, Angier, Lillington or Coats. There was Troyville, Turlington, Barclaysville, Summerville, Duke and Lucknow. There was a Cumberland County but no Harnett until 1855.
There were animal and Indian trails, rutted, sand and clay paths but no good roads until the first quarter of the 1900’s. The one room schools have been replaced by schools capable of holding over a thousand students. There was a time when man and woman dug in the soils for their survival but today their descendants zoom to work on land and in air. We have traveled through so much change in this little news column.
The one thing which this writer has seen as being constant is that every generation has citizens who truly care about their communities and are willing to step forward to make them better for the next generation.
At the Coats Museum we have been so fortunate to deal with people who want to make a difference. This past week we have heard from several former students from the Coats High School Class of 1963 who gave money to the museum endowment. Thank you goes to Ralph Denning, Billy Matthews and Ronald Coats. Susie Turlington Mewborn, a former student, and her daughter dropped by to give a donation to the museum and Linda Butler of Chapel Hill remembered her sister-in-law Lynda Butler with a birthday donation. Tom and Joan Eckert from Virginia Beach sent a Christmas donation to support the museum. Thank you to all of these people for helping to make a difference at the museum.
Also ,thank you to Hilda Pope and H.L. Sorrell for remembering Carl Williams with a memorial endowment donation. Carl was a courageous cancer fighter.
Daphene Barnes called from Angier to share that J.P. Gregory whose obituary was in last week’s column was her ancestor. She also added that her husband Max Barnes had served in the US Army during the Korean War and for us to add his name into our military collection. The list continues to grow of Coats people who have made a difference.
Have a Merry Christmas from all the board members and volunteers at the museum. May you find hope, peace, joy and love in 2016.
Do all towns have a Jr. Order? In 1956, the Coats Jr. Order had presented their new slate of officers and you will likely recognize many of the following names: Nick Gregory-counsel, Louis Dupree, Jr.-past counsel, R. M. Stone-vice counsel, Mack Parrish-secretary, O.K. Keene-treasurer, Delmer Ennis-warden, C.B. Denning- chaplain, Garland Johnson-conductor, Carson Gregory-trustee, Edward Gregory-trustee, and Leon Davis was also listed as secretary.
Do any of you remember Jerry Glenn Johnson? He died a while back but many of you may have gone to school with one of his two children- Felicia or Michael. In fact Michael participated in our Defenders of the Red, White and Blue event in November. The paper shared that Jerry Glenn Johnson, 22, of Erwin and Betty L. Byrd, 18, of Route One, Coats were issued a marriage license. Elsewhere in the area, another popular name appeared before the readers. Ted Malone of Coats announced he would run for county commissioner for Grove and Duke Townships (Daily Record April 16, 1956).
The same edition of the paper reported that Lois Jernigan, whom you read about last week in a posture contest, was now a contestant in the Miss Dunn Beauty Pageant.
Does anyone remember there being a fire at Campbell College other than when there was a devastating fire in the very early 1900’s. In April of 1956, a fire at the Campbell College’s historic Kivett Building caused between 25 to 50 thousand dollars in damage. Quick action came from the Buies Creek Fire Department. The Coats Fire Department had a flat tire on the way to the fire. The assistant chief said that they had unsuccessfully been trying to get new tires (Daily Record April 19, 1956). Was that just an early estimate of the damage?
The Coats Fellowship Club was not the largest club in the county, but it certainly was one of the most active and rendered valuable community services. Vice President Herbert L. Johnson was extolling to the paper a few of the club’s accomplishments. The club had helped secure the community building, a cannery, a recreation center, a school activity bus (1955), and new lighting equipment for the ball park at the school. Thanks to that project, baseball could soon come to that progressive Harnett town.
Carson Gregory, Dr. Donald Moore, Herbert L. Johnson, Haywood Roberts, and Owen Odum donated 70 dollars each toward the lighting. Curtis Guy was club president. Mrs. Gaither Stewart of near Coats planned a series of arts and crafts workshops. Mrs. Jarvis Pleasant, Mrs. Howard Penny and Mrs. Haywood Penny learned to make beautifully designed trays at the workshop.
Mr. Benjamin Franklin Dixon Wiggins, 72, of Buies Creek, died at his home. His wife Josephine; one brother, J.S. Wiggins of Coats, and three sisters survived him: Mrs. Nannie Ryals, Mrs. Lela Dorman, and Mrs. K.A. Dixon of Buies Creek (Daily Record April 20, 1956).
Another Wiggins made the news because of death. Master Sergeant (Retired) John Richard Wiggins, 46, of Coats had died on Sunday afternoon at Fort Bragg Hospital following a few hours of illness. Funeral services were held at the Baptist Church of Coats. Mr. Wiggins was a native of Harnett County and the son of the late Richard W. Wiggins and Nancy Stone Wiggins. He had attended the Baptist Orphanage at Thomasville. He had served with the quartermaster corps throughout WWII and had retired in 1953. Since his retirement, he had been a civil service employee at Fort Bragg. His wife Ihrie Raynor Wiggins, one son John Richard Wiggins, Jr., two stepsons-Eddie Marion Vaughan and Jimmy Vaughn and his sister, Miss Etta Wiggins survived him (Daily Record April 23, 1956). Eddie is one of very faithful volunteers and board members.
Happy news came to the Neighbors and Munden families. Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Harvey Neighbors of Coats had announced the birth of a son, Clarence Harvey, Jr., on April 13. Mrs. Neighbors was the former Doris Munden. Another birth in Coats was that of Neil Ray, son of Mr. and Mrs. Neil Addison McLean of Coats. The mother was the former Jo Sue Matthews (Daily Record April 25, 1956).
Do the names P.J. Johnson and Charles Sorrell sound familiar? The young students had entered two Yorkshires at the Stock Show in Dunn. The hogs would wind up on people’s plates but the boys wanted a trophy on the shelf. P.J.’s dad had 75 hogs on his farm. How did the boys come out in the contest? They won first prize in Dunn and Benson.
Miss Marilyn Gayle Yarley, daughter of Mrs. Dewey Yarely, and the late Mr. Yarley, was engaged to Cpl. Charles Geltner Davis, USAF, son of Mrs. Custer Davis of Kinston and the late Mr. Davis. The bride-elect was a graduate of Coats High School, attended Campbell College and ECC. She was employed at the N.C. Utilities Company in Raleigh. Mr. Davis had attended ECC but was currently stationed in the Middle East (Daily Record April 30, 1956).
Over at Bailey’s Crossroads, Mrs. Mack Reid Hudson had honored Mrs. Sylvia Avery Ballard with a bridal shower. The house was decorated with spring flowers throughout. Mrs. Naomi Hudson assisted in serving the thirty-four guests.
A Barclaysville girl, Ann Pleasant, was a member of the Campbell College May Court. She was the niece of Mrs. Ada Woodall and the secretary of Senator Robert Morgan and Archie Taylor (Daily Record May 2, 1956).
The final figures came in on the fire damage at Campbell College and the figure was not to exceed $16,000 (Daily Record May 4, 1956). That is a far cry from the 25 to 50 thousand dollars estimated after the fire, right?
As you were reading this column, you undoubtedly noticed the April and May, 1956 dates. However if you look at the date on most of your tech devices, you will read that it is December 24, 2015. If you have been following this Coats Museum News column since it began to appear in the paper in 2009, the column has covered hundreds of years of history of the region that is now Coats and the surrounding areas in the county.
There was a time when there was no Dunn, Erwin, Angier, Lillington or Coats. There was Troyville, Turlington, Barclaysville, Summerville, Duke and Lucknow. There was a Cumberland County but no Harnett until 1855.
There were animal and Indian trails, rutted, sand and clay paths but no good roads until the first quarter of the 1900’s. The one room schools have been replaced by schools capable of holding over a thousand students. There was a time when man and woman dug in the soils for their survival but today their descendants zoom to work on land and in air. We have traveled through so much change in this little news column.
The one thing which this writer has seen as being constant is that every generation has citizens who truly care about their communities and are willing to step forward to make them better for the next generation.
At the Coats Museum we have been so fortunate to deal with people who want to make a difference. This past week we have heard from several former students from the Coats High School Class of 1963 who gave money to the museum endowment. Thank you goes to Ralph Denning, Billy Matthews and Ronald Coats. Susie Turlington Mewborn, a former student, and her daughter dropped by to give a donation to the museum and Linda Butler of Chapel Hill remembered her sister-in-law Lynda Butler with a birthday donation. Tom and Joan Eckert from Virginia Beach sent a Christmas donation to support the museum. Thank you to all of these people for helping to make a difference at the museum.
Also ,thank you to Hilda Pope and H.L. Sorrell for remembering Carl Williams with a memorial endowment donation. Carl was a courageous cancer fighter.
Daphene Barnes called from Angier to share that J.P. Gregory whose obituary was in last week’s column was her ancestor. She also added that her husband Max Barnes had served in the US Army during the Korean War and for us to add his name into our military collection. The list continues to grow of Coats people who have made a difference.
Have a Merry Christmas from all the board members and volunteers at the museum. May you find hope, peace, joy and love in 2016.