December 6, 2013 Coats Museum News
The date was April and on the other side of Harnett County, a pretty, young lady with coal black hair named Esther Holder had married Paul Johnson at the Spring Hill Church (Dunn Dispatch April 7, 1947). Years later Esther would impact the lives of so many students and teachers in Harnett County where she was a teacher and supervisor with the school system. Better known today as Esther Howard, she continues to make a difference as she works as a devoted supporter of Campbell University and she has found time to write two books using the talents that those of us who knew her witnessed in any project she undertook.
In Coats, there were men showing their talents and courage as they did something utterly hilarious for the benefit of building a cannery. An all-male wedding scored at Coats School. The Fellowship Club sponsored the program that lasted for one and half-hours of humor. The auditorium was jammed full of people who laughed from minute one. Fifty members of the club were in the play’s cast and out of the cast only 8 were dressed as men—the rest ‘pulchritudinous’ men. Four of the men were the minister, ring bearer, best man, and father of the bride. Reverend Joe Mack Long and Gene Stewart were soloists.
All the young “ladies” were beautifully dressed and no expense was spared to make them pretty for the ceremony. Professor Walker of Campbell College, who lived in Coats, was master of ceremonies. Following are those who were in the cast: Flower girls were M.O. Phillips, and Haywood Roberts. Best Man was Thurman Ennis. Jilted Lover was Guy Stewart. Bridesmaids were J.F. Parrish, Francis Willis, Manley Willis, R .Hal Smith and Clayburn Norris. Maid of Honor was David Norris and Matron of Honor was C.J. Turlington. The Ring Bearer was Owen Odum. Reggie Parrish was the Baby. The nurse was Marvin Johnson .The Train Bearers were Vic Lee and Carl Hough. W.E. Nichols was the Bride’s Father and Ray Coon was the Bride’s Mother while Z,N. Dorman was the Groom’s Mother. The Bride’s Grandmother was Heber Honeycutt and the Groom’s Grandmother was Stacy Byrd. The Bride’s Brother was Clarence Grimes. Ushers were Dr. C.G. Fuquay and Luther Barefoot.
The evening was one of fun and the purpose for the event was accomplished in that $243.00 was raised (Dunn Dispatch April 17, 1947).
The museum folks used a picture of the cast of “The Womanless Wedding” as a wall mural in the Theater Room in the Coats Museum. How many of you know Marie Salmon? I know she had nothing to do with the above event but she pulled this type of event off countless times many years later when she was a teacher at Coats School. She coaxed many teachers into doing the most ridiculous things such as dressing in black plastic garbage bags pretending to be the California raisins and dancing on stage to the students’ delight. She even had Dunn’s Joe Edwards jumping up and down the auditorium’s aisles in a gorilla suit before taking part in a monkey wedding.
Coats has obviously always found ways to have community involvement. The paper recorded that a series of card game tournaments began in the Coats Motor Company. The tournament was sponsored by the Page Book Club and was the first of a series of tournaments to launch a drive for funds toward the construction of a community building. The Page Book Club and the Woman’s Club worked in conjunction with the Men’s Fellowship Club of the First Baptist Church. (Did they call it the First Baptist at this time?)
Approximately sixty-five citizens participated in the games and valuable prizes, donated by the merchants of Coats, were presented to the lady and man high scorers for each game. Door prizes were given. Mrs. Reggie Parrish and Manley Willis and Miss Annie Ruth Penny and Leroy Stewart won prizes.
Coats business firms who donated prizes for the event were Coats Mercantile Co., Pope’s Department Store, Coats Beauty Shop, Coats Barber Shop, Roberts Supply Co., Coats Café, Dr. C.G. Fuquay, Coats Motor Company, Stephens Hardware, and A.R. Byrd Grocery Store. Are you thinking times haven’t really changed that much?
Mrs. W. E. Nichols was president of the Page Book Club; Mrs. C.G. Fuquay was vice president and Mrs. Reggie Parrish was secretary-treasurer. Mrs. Lucy Kelly, Mrs. Thomas Byrd and Miss Christine Stewart handled the arrangements for the tournaments. Miss Joyce Grimes spent the weekend with her sister, Miss Evelyn Grimes, in Raleigh. Did she miss the event? Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Robertson of Goldston returned to Coats. Wonder if they played cards.
Truly in some ways, the people of the 1940’s were moving into the mechanical age. Some folks had had electric lights for a very short time and there were modern gadgets available for them. One of those new devices was found in the Buick. With a touch of finger, the windows went up or down—“Power Windows” (Dunn Dispatch April 17, 1947).
Yes, times were changing, as were the juror’s lists .The jury box was purged and the names of women were included so that women would serve in early summer. Do you recall reading all the difficulty that the Coats Town Commissioners had in getting a jail? It seems that it took years. Shortly after they obtained a cage and jail, they were confronted that they must have cages for men and women and colored and white. Is the following poetic justice? The “county” now had to provide toilets and other facilities for men and women , colored and white (Dunn Dispatch April 21, 1947). Did this have anything to do with women serving as jurors?
The museum volunteers invite you to drop by the museum to see it decorated for Christmas. While there, check out the donors plaques to see who has given to the building fund to make the new exhibit happen. In fact, you might consider giving a small donation to help meet the challenge to raise $50,000. It will be sad to lose the challenge money because we fail to support our museum. Visit the website-coatsmuseum.com- for a sneak preview of what’s available for the visitors.
A special thank you also goes to H.L. for remembering some very dear friends with memorials and honorariums to the Coats Museum Endowment. Memorials were sent for Ida Campbell and Shelton Benson. Patsy and Stacy Avery were honored for their anniversary. Stacy also had a donation given for his birthday and Becky Adams and Lynda Butler had honorariums given for Christmas..
The date was April and on the other side of Harnett County, a pretty, young lady with coal black hair named Esther Holder had married Paul Johnson at the Spring Hill Church (Dunn Dispatch April 7, 1947). Years later Esther would impact the lives of so many students and teachers in Harnett County where she was a teacher and supervisor with the school system. Better known today as Esther Howard, she continues to make a difference as she works as a devoted supporter of Campbell University and she has found time to write two books using the talents that those of us who knew her witnessed in any project she undertook.
In Coats, there were men showing their talents and courage as they did something utterly hilarious for the benefit of building a cannery. An all-male wedding scored at Coats School. The Fellowship Club sponsored the program that lasted for one and half-hours of humor. The auditorium was jammed full of people who laughed from minute one. Fifty members of the club were in the play’s cast and out of the cast only 8 were dressed as men—the rest ‘pulchritudinous’ men. Four of the men were the minister, ring bearer, best man, and father of the bride. Reverend Joe Mack Long and Gene Stewart were soloists.
All the young “ladies” were beautifully dressed and no expense was spared to make them pretty for the ceremony. Professor Walker of Campbell College, who lived in Coats, was master of ceremonies. Following are those who were in the cast: Flower girls were M.O. Phillips, and Haywood Roberts. Best Man was Thurman Ennis. Jilted Lover was Guy Stewart. Bridesmaids were J.F. Parrish, Francis Willis, Manley Willis, R .Hal Smith and Clayburn Norris. Maid of Honor was David Norris and Matron of Honor was C.J. Turlington. The Ring Bearer was Owen Odum. Reggie Parrish was the Baby. The nurse was Marvin Johnson .The Train Bearers were Vic Lee and Carl Hough. W.E. Nichols was the Bride’s Father and Ray Coon was the Bride’s Mother while Z,N. Dorman was the Groom’s Mother. The Bride’s Grandmother was Heber Honeycutt and the Groom’s Grandmother was Stacy Byrd. The Bride’s Brother was Clarence Grimes. Ushers were Dr. C.G. Fuquay and Luther Barefoot.
The evening was one of fun and the purpose for the event was accomplished in that $243.00 was raised (Dunn Dispatch April 17, 1947).
The museum folks used a picture of the cast of “The Womanless Wedding” as a wall mural in the Theater Room in the Coats Museum. How many of you know Marie Salmon? I know she had nothing to do with the above event but she pulled this type of event off countless times many years later when she was a teacher at Coats School. She coaxed many teachers into doing the most ridiculous things such as dressing in black plastic garbage bags pretending to be the California raisins and dancing on stage to the students’ delight. She even had Dunn’s Joe Edwards jumping up and down the auditorium’s aisles in a gorilla suit before taking part in a monkey wedding.
Coats has obviously always found ways to have community involvement. The paper recorded that a series of card game tournaments began in the Coats Motor Company. The tournament was sponsored by the Page Book Club and was the first of a series of tournaments to launch a drive for funds toward the construction of a community building. The Page Book Club and the Woman’s Club worked in conjunction with the Men’s Fellowship Club of the First Baptist Church. (Did they call it the First Baptist at this time?)
Approximately sixty-five citizens participated in the games and valuable prizes, donated by the merchants of Coats, were presented to the lady and man high scorers for each game. Door prizes were given. Mrs. Reggie Parrish and Manley Willis and Miss Annie Ruth Penny and Leroy Stewart won prizes.
Coats business firms who donated prizes for the event were Coats Mercantile Co., Pope’s Department Store, Coats Beauty Shop, Coats Barber Shop, Roberts Supply Co., Coats Café, Dr. C.G. Fuquay, Coats Motor Company, Stephens Hardware, and A.R. Byrd Grocery Store. Are you thinking times haven’t really changed that much?
Mrs. W. E. Nichols was president of the Page Book Club; Mrs. C.G. Fuquay was vice president and Mrs. Reggie Parrish was secretary-treasurer. Mrs. Lucy Kelly, Mrs. Thomas Byrd and Miss Christine Stewart handled the arrangements for the tournaments. Miss Joyce Grimes spent the weekend with her sister, Miss Evelyn Grimes, in Raleigh. Did she miss the event? Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Robertson of Goldston returned to Coats. Wonder if they played cards.
Truly in some ways, the people of the 1940’s were moving into the mechanical age. Some folks had had electric lights for a very short time and there were modern gadgets available for them. One of those new devices was found in the Buick. With a touch of finger, the windows went up or down—“Power Windows” (Dunn Dispatch April 17, 1947).
Yes, times were changing, as were the juror’s lists .The jury box was purged and the names of women were included so that women would serve in early summer. Do you recall reading all the difficulty that the Coats Town Commissioners had in getting a jail? It seems that it took years. Shortly after they obtained a cage and jail, they were confronted that they must have cages for men and women and colored and white. Is the following poetic justice? The “county” now had to provide toilets and other facilities for men and women , colored and white (Dunn Dispatch April 21, 1947). Did this have anything to do with women serving as jurors?
The museum volunteers invite you to drop by the museum to see it decorated for Christmas. While there, check out the donors plaques to see who has given to the building fund to make the new exhibit happen. In fact, you might consider giving a small donation to help meet the challenge to raise $50,000. It will be sad to lose the challenge money because we fail to support our museum. Visit the website-coatsmuseum.com- for a sneak preview of what’s available for the visitors.
A special thank you also goes to H.L. for remembering some very dear friends with memorials and honorariums to the Coats Museum Endowment. Memorials were sent for Ida Campbell and Shelton Benson. Patsy and Stacy Avery were honored for their anniversary. Stacy also had a donation given for his birthday and Becky Adams and Lynda Butler had honorariums given for Christmas..