December 26, 2014 Coats Museum News
Have any of you ever had dinner with a governor of NC? I do know that the folks around Bailey’s Crossroads had the opportunity to eat BBQ with Governor Kerr Scott at the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church where he encouraged the members of the church to contact the telephone company and make their request known. Whereas the rural folks were short on phones, the Coats School had a shortage of water. Superintendent Reid Ross reported that there were times when Coats, Shawtown, and Lafayette had absolutely no water. Ross stated that the schools needed wells that would cost between $2,000 and $2500 (Dunn Dispatch October 2, 1950).
An automobile struck Clifford Regan, 7-year –old son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Ragan, after he stepped off a Sunday School bus. The accident was unavoidable. The young boy received a fractured skull, a broken right arm, and cuts and lacerations.
The Oscar Core family had Raymond and Geraldine McCorquodale as visitors. Seaman Charles Stewart, U.S. Navy, served on the “Showboat”, a ship-carrier of the Essex class. The crew named it “Showboat” from the fact that she was frequently used as an orientation ship for civilians and military personnel training exercises (Dunn Dispatch October 4, 1950).
Over in Dunn, the Dunn Hospital ended the first decade of services. Is that another way of saying the hospital was ten years old? The hospital had opened its doors in October of 1940. It had had 28,684 patients and 4,856 babies born.
What happened to cotton production in Harnett County in 1950? It was reported that Harnett County had produced only about 6,000 bales of cotton. This I do know. Corporal Waylon Sauls of Coats was shot between the ankle and knee and was in the Naval Hospital in Camp Lejeune after being returned to the states from Korea. The young soldier was the son of Constable and Mrs. Waylon Sauls. His tank was knocked out, and he and two other tank crew jumped out and leaped into a foxhole. A moment after he scrambled from the filled hole, a shell exploded, killing his two comrades. A bullet going through Sauls’s leg left a hole the size of a 50-cent piece. Sauls served with the 72nd heavy Battalion in Korea. While the corporal was in the hospital in Camp Lejeune, Master Clifford Ragan was a patient at the Dunn Hospital.
Mrs. Mack R. Hudson was present at the Coats Woman’s Club meeting which had as its program a discussion on antiques. The group also voted to have a barbeque to raise money for the community building.
Coats was buzzing with visitors in the fall. Mrs. James R. Dunn and daughter, Mary Lynn, of Raleigh had visited Mrs. O.K. Keene. Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Tucker of Richmond, VA had visited Dr. and Mrs. Donald Moore. Mr. and Mrs. Walter Fleming and Miss Belle Fleming had spent time with Mrs. Katherine Fleming (Dunn Dispatch October 6, 1950).
Mrs. Emma Butts Faulkner, 68, well-known Erwin resident, died at the home of her son, J.C. Faulkner (Dunn Dispatch October 11, 1950).
Another lady with Coats connection had died in Durham- Mrs. Susan Ennis Williams, wife of S.E. Williams. Her husband and five children-Colon, A.V., Ward, Iva and Pearl Williams survived her. Mrs. A.N. Matthews was her sister.
The Ebenezer Presbyterian Church Women’s Class organized a “Women of the Church”, and the Coats Woman’s Club had a barbeque and charged $1.00 per plate to raise funds to complete the community building. For those of you who have followed the news- yes- we thought that project was completed months ago-right?
Miss Mattie Bain Circle met with Mrs. Ted Malone. Mrs. Reggie Parrish, Mrs. Helen Dixon, Mrs. Belle Williams, Mrs. Haywood Roberts, Mrs. Donald Moore, Mrs. Mary McKnight, Mrs. Banks Pollard, Mrs. Myra Bryant, and Mrs. Johnnie Barnes were members of that circle. Mrs. Earl Ragan attended as a visitor (Dunn Dispatch October 13, 1950).
The Coats PTA was planning a Halloween Carnival and had a program on “Highway Safety.” Frederick Byrd and Lida Turlington were patients at Dunn Hospital. Harvey Byrd, 56, of Benson, Route 3, died in that same hospital after a short illness. His brother was Willie Byrd of Coats. Are there any of you riding on this paper canoe who remember going into the Coats Mercantile or into Clayton’s Stewart Poolroom beside the Coats Theater? Maybe some of you remember trading in the M.C. Stewart and Son Store (Dunn Dispatch October 20, 1950).
Which Stewart son was this? I do know that Mr. W.E. Nichols had sold some lots to Rayvaughn Stewart. Are all of these Stewarts kin? Wonder if there were any Stewarts on the Coats six-man football team that were walloped by the Benson team. The score was 80 to 12. Maybe the Benson team was accustomed to playing in mud and rain. Yet another Stewart was in the same edition of the paper. Mrs. Leroy Stewart hosted the Ruth Eller Sunday School Class from the Coats Baptist Church (Dunn Dispatch October 23, 1950).
The Coats PTA met with Vic Lee presiding and Reggie Parrish reported that 112 people were members. L. Marvin Johnson shared that the Halloween Carnival had netted $900.00. Over in Buies Creek, President Leslie Campbell spoke on Campbell expansion. How do you think he would react to a visit to the Campbell University campus in 2104?
This I do know. Mrs. Naomi Stewart Hudson enumerated Grove Township and reported that there were 16, 079 hens and pullets of laying age; 333 cows and heifers; 4722 acres of wheat, 3294 acres of soybeans; 1658 acres of sweet potatoes; 625 acres of lespedeza; 155 acres of Irish potatoes, and 42 acres of peanuts (Dunn Dispatch December 8, 1950). Wonder how many acres of farm land were available for farming in Grove Township. Was Grove divided into 1 and 2 in 1950?
Mr. and Mrs. W.H. Avery spent the weekend with Mr. Avery’s mother of Route One. J. Vassie McGee, 60, of Coats, Route One, had died at this home following a lingering illness. The funeral was held at Bethel PBC with Elder Frank Nordan. He was survived by his wife, Mrs. Rose McGee, and eight children-Marvin, James, Johnny, Ray, Mrs. Edward Mooney, Mrs. Mac Gregory, Mrs. William Showman, and Mrs. Woodrow Turnage (Daily Record December 11, 1950).
A big thank you goes to Mary Stewart for honoring Eugene Stewart with a memorial and Patsy and Stacy Avery for honoring the hardworking volunteers at the museum where it has been an unbelievable year. Over 2,000 people have signed the register. Tourists have visited from 19 states and 67 North Carolina towns. The Lions, Kiwanis Club and several friends of the museum have pledged long term donations to the museum. Dozens have added their names to the Donors Plaques in the Kress and Nell Penny Williams Exhibit Hall. Many have given memorials and honorariums to the building fund and the museum endowment. Citizens continue to loan and donate items for exhibits. The Heroes Courtyard had some new plaques added. Bricks have been added to the Walk of Ages. Paul Parker, Tim L. Penny, Teresa Honeycutt and other museum volunteers have worked hard but received no money to maintain the museum and grounds because one hundred percent of the money given to the museum, which is tax deductible, was used to support the museum. A Walmart Express grant was used to purchase mannequins for displaying uniforms of our military veterans from the Korean to the Afghanistan Wars. The museum was awarded the South River Electric Membership Corporation Operation Roundup Grant which will provide money to purchase compatible technology allowing the volunteer staff to preserve and share the history of our citizens in the Coats area and beyond.
Have any of you ever had dinner with a governor of NC? I do know that the folks around Bailey’s Crossroads had the opportunity to eat BBQ with Governor Kerr Scott at the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church where he encouraged the members of the church to contact the telephone company and make their request known. Whereas the rural folks were short on phones, the Coats School had a shortage of water. Superintendent Reid Ross reported that there were times when Coats, Shawtown, and Lafayette had absolutely no water. Ross stated that the schools needed wells that would cost between $2,000 and $2500 (Dunn Dispatch October 2, 1950).
An automobile struck Clifford Regan, 7-year –old son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Ragan, after he stepped off a Sunday School bus. The accident was unavoidable. The young boy received a fractured skull, a broken right arm, and cuts and lacerations.
The Oscar Core family had Raymond and Geraldine McCorquodale as visitors. Seaman Charles Stewart, U.S. Navy, served on the “Showboat”, a ship-carrier of the Essex class. The crew named it “Showboat” from the fact that she was frequently used as an orientation ship for civilians and military personnel training exercises (Dunn Dispatch October 4, 1950).
Over in Dunn, the Dunn Hospital ended the first decade of services. Is that another way of saying the hospital was ten years old? The hospital had opened its doors in October of 1940. It had had 28,684 patients and 4,856 babies born.
What happened to cotton production in Harnett County in 1950? It was reported that Harnett County had produced only about 6,000 bales of cotton. This I do know. Corporal Waylon Sauls of Coats was shot between the ankle and knee and was in the Naval Hospital in Camp Lejeune after being returned to the states from Korea. The young soldier was the son of Constable and Mrs. Waylon Sauls. His tank was knocked out, and he and two other tank crew jumped out and leaped into a foxhole. A moment after he scrambled from the filled hole, a shell exploded, killing his two comrades. A bullet going through Sauls’s leg left a hole the size of a 50-cent piece. Sauls served with the 72nd heavy Battalion in Korea. While the corporal was in the hospital in Camp Lejeune, Master Clifford Ragan was a patient at the Dunn Hospital.
Mrs. Mack R. Hudson was present at the Coats Woman’s Club meeting which had as its program a discussion on antiques. The group also voted to have a barbeque to raise money for the community building.
Coats was buzzing with visitors in the fall. Mrs. James R. Dunn and daughter, Mary Lynn, of Raleigh had visited Mrs. O.K. Keene. Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Tucker of Richmond, VA had visited Dr. and Mrs. Donald Moore. Mr. and Mrs. Walter Fleming and Miss Belle Fleming had spent time with Mrs. Katherine Fleming (Dunn Dispatch October 6, 1950).
Mrs. Emma Butts Faulkner, 68, well-known Erwin resident, died at the home of her son, J.C. Faulkner (Dunn Dispatch October 11, 1950).
Another lady with Coats connection had died in Durham- Mrs. Susan Ennis Williams, wife of S.E. Williams. Her husband and five children-Colon, A.V., Ward, Iva and Pearl Williams survived her. Mrs. A.N. Matthews was her sister.
The Ebenezer Presbyterian Church Women’s Class organized a “Women of the Church”, and the Coats Woman’s Club had a barbeque and charged $1.00 per plate to raise funds to complete the community building. For those of you who have followed the news- yes- we thought that project was completed months ago-right?
Miss Mattie Bain Circle met with Mrs. Ted Malone. Mrs. Reggie Parrish, Mrs. Helen Dixon, Mrs. Belle Williams, Mrs. Haywood Roberts, Mrs. Donald Moore, Mrs. Mary McKnight, Mrs. Banks Pollard, Mrs. Myra Bryant, and Mrs. Johnnie Barnes were members of that circle. Mrs. Earl Ragan attended as a visitor (Dunn Dispatch October 13, 1950).
The Coats PTA was planning a Halloween Carnival and had a program on “Highway Safety.” Frederick Byrd and Lida Turlington were patients at Dunn Hospital. Harvey Byrd, 56, of Benson, Route 3, died in that same hospital after a short illness. His brother was Willie Byrd of Coats. Are there any of you riding on this paper canoe who remember going into the Coats Mercantile or into Clayton’s Stewart Poolroom beside the Coats Theater? Maybe some of you remember trading in the M.C. Stewart and Son Store (Dunn Dispatch October 20, 1950).
Which Stewart son was this? I do know that Mr. W.E. Nichols had sold some lots to Rayvaughn Stewart. Are all of these Stewarts kin? Wonder if there were any Stewarts on the Coats six-man football team that were walloped by the Benson team. The score was 80 to 12. Maybe the Benson team was accustomed to playing in mud and rain. Yet another Stewart was in the same edition of the paper. Mrs. Leroy Stewart hosted the Ruth Eller Sunday School Class from the Coats Baptist Church (Dunn Dispatch October 23, 1950).
The Coats PTA met with Vic Lee presiding and Reggie Parrish reported that 112 people were members. L. Marvin Johnson shared that the Halloween Carnival had netted $900.00. Over in Buies Creek, President Leslie Campbell spoke on Campbell expansion. How do you think he would react to a visit to the Campbell University campus in 2104?
This I do know. Mrs. Naomi Stewart Hudson enumerated Grove Township and reported that there were 16, 079 hens and pullets of laying age; 333 cows and heifers; 4722 acres of wheat, 3294 acres of soybeans; 1658 acres of sweet potatoes; 625 acres of lespedeza; 155 acres of Irish potatoes, and 42 acres of peanuts (Dunn Dispatch December 8, 1950). Wonder how many acres of farm land were available for farming in Grove Township. Was Grove divided into 1 and 2 in 1950?
Mr. and Mrs. W.H. Avery spent the weekend with Mr. Avery’s mother of Route One. J. Vassie McGee, 60, of Coats, Route One, had died at this home following a lingering illness. The funeral was held at Bethel PBC with Elder Frank Nordan. He was survived by his wife, Mrs. Rose McGee, and eight children-Marvin, James, Johnny, Ray, Mrs. Edward Mooney, Mrs. Mac Gregory, Mrs. William Showman, and Mrs. Woodrow Turnage (Daily Record December 11, 1950).
A big thank you goes to Mary Stewart for honoring Eugene Stewart with a memorial and Patsy and Stacy Avery for honoring the hardworking volunteers at the museum where it has been an unbelievable year. Over 2,000 people have signed the register. Tourists have visited from 19 states and 67 North Carolina towns. The Lions, Kiwanis Club and several friends of the museum have pledged long term donations to the museum. Dozens have added their names to the Donors Plaques in the Kress and Nell Penny Williams Exhibit Hall. Many have given memorials and honorariums to the building fund and the museum endowment. Citizens continue to loan and donate items for exhibits. The Heroes Courtyard had some new plaques added. Bricks have been added to the Walk of Ages. Paul Parker, Tim L. Penny, Teresa Honeycutt and other museum volunteers have worked hard but received no money to maintain the museum and grounds because one hundred percent of the money given to the museum, which is tax deductible, was used to support the museum. A Walmart Express grant was used to purchase mannequins for displaying uniforms of our military veterans from the Korean to the Afghanistan Wars. The museum was awarded the South River Electric Membership Corporation Operation Roundup Grant which will provide money to purchase compatible technology allowing the volunteer staff to preserve and share the history of our citizens in the Coats area and beyond.