Coats Museum
  • Museum News by Gayle
  • Home
    • Heritage Museum
    • Cotton Museum
  • Exhibits
    • Aviation
    • Military >
      • Military Events/Exhibits
      • Military Personnel from Coats >
        • Civil War
        • WWI
        • WWII
      • Military Reflections >
        • Cuban Missile Crisis
        • Vietnam
        • WWII
    • Other Exhibits >
      • The way it was done
      • Native American Exhibit
      • Vintage Hat Exhibit
      • Miscellaneous Exhibits
      • Reflections
    • Historical Records >
      • Coats City Cemetery
      • Census
      • Coats Mayors and Commissioners
      • Coats Schools
      • Coats Town Charter
      • Other Records >
        • Cumberland County Tax Lists
        • Deeds
    • Special Events >
      • Centennial Project 2005
      • Grand Re-opening 2013
      • Grove Area African American History Project 2012
      • Other Events
  • Funding
    • Building Fund Honorariums and Memorials
    • Endowment Fund Honorariums & Memorials
    • Grants
  • Contact
  • June 1, 2018
  • May 9, 2014
  • June 8, 2018
  • May 16, 2014
  • June 15, 2018
  • May 23, 2014
  • May 30, 2014
  • June 6, 2014
  • June 29, 2018
  • July 6, 2018
  • June 13, 2014
  • July 13, 2018
  • June 20, 2014
  • July 20, 2018
  • June 27, 2014
  • July 27, 2018
  • July 4, 2014
  • August 3, 2018
  • July 11, 2014
  • August 10, 2018
  • July 18, 2014
  • August 17, 2018
  • July 25, 2014
  • August 24, 2018
  • August 3, 2014
  • August 31, 2018
  • August 10, 2014
  • September 7, 2018
  • August 15, 2014
  • September 14, 2018
  • August 22, 2014
  • September 21, 2018
  • August 29, 2014
  • September 28, 2018
  • September 5, 2014
  • October 5, 2018
  • October 12, 2018
  • October 19, 2018
  • October 26, 2018
  • September 12, 2018
  • November 2, 2018
  • September 26, 2014
  • September 19, 2014
  • November 9, 2018
  • November 7, 2014
  • November 16, 2018
  • November 14, 2014
  • November 23, 2018
  • November 21, 2014
  • November 30, 2018
  • November 28, 2014
  • December 7, 2018
  • December 12, 2014
  • December 14, 2018
  • December 17, 2014
  • December 21, 2018
  • December 24, 2014
  • December 28, 2018
  • December 26, 2014
  • January 2, 2015
  • January 6, 2019
  • January 9, 2015
  • January 11, 2019
  • January 18, 2019
  • January 25, 2019
  • February 1, 2019
  • February 8, 2019
  • February 15, 2019
  • February 22, 2019
  • March 1, 2019
  • March 8, 2019
  • March 15, 2019
  • March 22, 2019
  • March 29, 2019
  • April 5, 2019
  • April 12, 2019
  • April 19, 2019
  • April 26, 2019
  • May 3, 2019
  • May 10, 2019
  • May 17, 2019
  • May 24, 2019
  • May 31, 2019
  • June 7, 2019
  • June 14, 2019
  • June 21, 2019
  • June 28, 2019
  • July 5, 2019
  • July 12, 2019
  • July 19, 2019
  • July 26, 2019
  • August 2, 2019
  • August 9, 2019
  • August 16, 2019
  • August 23, 2019
  • August 30, 2019
  • September 6, 2019
  • September 13, 2019
  • September 13, 2019
  • September 20, 2019
  • September 27, 2019
  • October 4, 2019
  • October 11, 2019
  • October 18, 2019
  • October 18, 2019
  • October 25, 2019
  • November 1, 2019
  • November 8, 2019
  • November 15, 2019
  • November 22, 2019
  • November 29, 2019
  • December 6, 2019
  • December 13, 2019
  • December 20, 2019
  • December 27, 2019
  • January 3, 2020
  • January 10, 2020
  • New Page
  • January 17, 2020
  • January 24, 2020
  • January 31, 2020
  • February 7, 2020
  • February 14, 2020
  • February 14, 2020
  • February 21, 2020
  • February 28, 2020
  • March 6, 2020
  • March 13, 2020
  • March 20, 2020
  • March 27, 2020
  • March 27, 2020
  • April 3, 2020
  • April 3, 2020
  • April 10, 2020
  • April 17, 2020
  • April 24, 2020
  • May 1, 2020
  • May 8, 2020
  • May 15, 2020
  • May 23, 2020
  • May 22, 2020
  • May 29, 2020
  • June 5, 2020
  • June 12, 2020
  • June 19, 2020
  • June 26, 2020
  • July 3, 2020
  • July 10, 2020
  • July 17, 2020
  • July 24, 2020
  • July 31, 2020
  • August 7, 2020
  • August 14, 2020
  • August 21, 2020
  • August 28, 2020
  • September 4, 2020
  • September 11, 2020
  • September 18, 2020
  • September 25, 2020
  • October 2, 2020
  • October 9, 2020
  • October 16, 2020
  • October 23, 2020
  • October 30, 2020
  • November 6, 2020
  • November 13, 2020
  • November 20, 2020
  • November 27, 2020
  • December 3, 2020
  • December 11, 2020
  • December 18, 2020
  • December 24, 2020
  • January 1, 2021
  • January 8, 2021
                                                                                            February 14, 2014 Coats Museum News
How many of you can remember what color the walls were in your classrooms when you attended the public schools? The Harnett County Grand Jurors reported that the schools needed classroom walls to have paints in pastel colors and that fluorescent lights needed to be installed. Mr. Ross of the county office estimated the cost would be well over $100,000-more money than the county commissioners could appropriate without a tax increase. Dark colors were used in schools to hide dirt. Certainly that was not a big concern of Miss Nettie Pearl Tilley, a Coats teacher, who lost her mother, Mrs. Nettie Veasey Tilley, widow of A Lee Tilley, Sr. (Dunn Dispatch Jan. 12, 1948).
Snow fell in Dunn on January 14 but did not stick. W.E. Nichols was endorsed by the Coats Fellowship Club to fill the seat left on the Harnett County Board of Education by the death of Dr. C. Garner Fuquay. Ruth Langdon of Coats completed her work for her AB Degree at East Carolina Teachers’ College (Dunn Dispatch Jan. 14, 1948).
Death had claimed another prominent Coats resident, Johnnie F. Parrish, 62, a member of the Coats Baptist Church and the Fellowship Club. He was husband of the former Ora Turlington and brother to Herman Parrish of Lillington and J. Henry Parrish of Coats. His sisters were Mrs. W.T. Stewart, Mrs.  Delma Grimes, and Mrs. H.A. Turlington. He was son of Barty F. Parrish (Dunn Dispatch Jan. 16, 1948)
The same edition of the paper printed that Mrs. Eugene Stewart was hostess to a study dessert bridge shower honoring Mrs. Bill Akerman, the former Christine Stewart of Coats.  Meanwhile, the Junior Woman’s Club had met at the home of Mrs. Thomas Williams. Mrs. Earl Ryals and Mrs. Woodrow Langdon were voted into the club. Mr. and Mrs. John Wolfe visited John’s mother in Iowa. The Coats Fellowship Club met at the Coats Café on January 14th. The main discussion was securing fire equipment for the town.
The Harnett County Educo Club named M.O. Phillips as vice president; Roger Johnson as president and C.H. Hood as secretary-treasurer (Dunn Dispatch Jan. 21, 1948).
The Sexton Brothers- Billy and Fred Sexton- who ran a Sinclair station on Lillington’s Main Street, had recently built a new car lot. They planned to run an extensive sales agency for new and used cars (Dunn Dispatch Jan. 28, 1948).
 The museum has yard sticks that advertise the Sexton Ford Co. in Lillington and Barnes and Lee Chevrolet in Benson and a ruler asking the voters to elect Gerald Hayes for the Harnett County Board of Education and one from CP&L promoting heat pumps for the home. Would an exhibit filled with rulers and yard sticks advertising businesses share much history of our area’s establishments? Does anyone have any to loan to the museum for while?
 Snow and sleet closed the courts and schools. There was a shortage of oil in the area. Does that sound like January 2014? That was 1948. The Coats PTA was to meet and the program was to be a musical program on Founder’s Day (Dunn Dispatch Feb. 2, 1948. (No explanation was given as to what Founder’s Day was. If it was honoring town founder James “Tom” Coats, he was never mentioned. If it was honoring the founder of the Parent –Teachers Association, the person was never named.)
Licenses were required to sell beer in Harnett County. The J.A. Langdon Store, five miles north of Coats, received a license. Elsewhere, Miss Christine Grimes had married Joseph Coats on December 17th in the Coats Baptist Church. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Delma Grimes (Dunn Dispatch Feb. 4, 1948).
Claud L. Norris, 83, of Coats, had died at his home. He was buried at Red Hill Church. Dallas Norris, Mrs. Eunice Norris, Trudie Norris, and Mrs. Craig Johnson survived him. J.H. Norris was a sibling along with John, Burt, and Henry Norris who were half brothers. All survived the deceased (Dunn Dispatch Feb. 11, 1948).
The same edition of the paper published that the county had received 6 to 8 more inches of snow. Note the word “more”. The schools had been closed two weeks. Leroy Jackson was one of the 36 North Carolinians to complete a course in dairy and crop production according to the same edition of the Dunn paper.
In 1898, the population of Harnett County was 13,656 people. There were 4220 colored citizens and 9437 white residents. John McKay Byrd was the Register of Deeds. Have we ever grown since then and how about Coats being the home of the county’s Register of Deeds!! That was 116 years ago. Going back to 1948, Mrs. F.H Fleming was featured soloist of musical varieties in Dunn. Mrs. Rena Coats was buried. She was the wife of M.A. Coats and had been the widow of L.L. Turlington. She was buried on a Sunday at the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church at Bailey’s Crossroads (Dunn Dispatch Feb. 16, 1948).
On the Coats School boys basketball team were O. Max Langdon, Max Avery, Marshall McLamb, Neill Barnes, Stacy Williams, William Regan, Bobby Stewart, Tommy Johnson, Haywood Penny, Charles Ennis and Darwin Whittington.
The girls team was made up of Doris Johnson, Jane Stewart, Lois Smith, Dorothy Pope, Evangeline Stewart, Norma Jean Wood, Doris Messer, Joyce Parrish, Eloise Pope, Wilma Barnes, Jacqueline Whittington, Jenny Grimes, Joyce Turlington, Elizabeth Peacock, Lunette Sorrell, and Betty Stewart (Dunn Dispatch Feb. 19, 1948).
Wonder how many of those players are living in the area now. Would that not make an interesting reunion to talk coaches, games and gymnasiums? Did Coats have a gymnasium in 1948? The museum volunteers love to open its doors for reunions.
Alice Johnson was inducted into the honor society at Strayer College in Washington, D.C. The ceremony was held at the Hamilton Hotel where 16 new members were inducted into Alpha Iota, the International  Honor Society. Alice was a 1947 graduate of Coats High School where she had an outstanding record (Dunn Dispatch Feb. 25, 1948).
Mr. and Mrs. Thurman Sorrell announced the birth of a daughter at Fleming Clinic in Coats. Mrs. Sorrell was the former Pauline Stephenson. Mr. and Mrs. Pat Wilbourne also announced a birth. It was for Patrick Connor Wilbourne, Jr. The mother was the former Helen Taylor (Dunn Dispatch March 1, 1948).
A big thank you goes to JoAnn Ennis Turlington for her memorial donations to the Coats Museum to honor the Allene Turlington Honeycutt and Laura Grace Ennis.