February 22, 2013 Coats Museum News
Last week you read about W.E. Nichols and M.C. Stewart businesses which were selling mules in 1938. Another establishment that had a long history in Coats was the Walter Keene Market which was also operating in 1938 but had opened in 1922. The Keene store sold staples and fresh fancy groceries. Fresh and cured meats, feeds for cattle and poultry, and garden and field seeds could be bought at Keene’s grocery store. Keene’s motto was “Keene’s will treat you right or quit business”.
One of the newest businesses in Coats was that of E.V. Barefoot. Barefoot had offered a splendid variety of staples and fancy groceries, canned goods, salad dressings, canned meats, all kinds of sardines, sugars, and the best makes of flour. He boasted of buying by the carload. He reminded his customers that every penny spent in his store stays at home and is put right back into circulation.
Question- Were the sugar and flour sold in cloth bags? The museum has a cloth sugar bag belonging to Jenny S. Denning and several flour sacks which did not make it into blouses, shirts or other garments that housewives made from the pretty cloth bags in by gone days.
Speaking of outside of Coats, the area near Bailey’s Crossroads lost one of its finest ladies. Mrs. Mary Alice Johnson, 81, was a well-known citizen who loved playing the violin and tending to her flower gardens. She was the widow of Benjamin “B.F.” Johnson who was an early farmer operating a cotton gin and sawmill. She died at her home early on Tuesday morning after being ill with pneumonia for a week. Funeral services were held Wednesday afternoon at Bethel Primitive Baptist Church. Elder T. Floyd Adams, pastor, assisted Elder Frank Nordan in the service. She was buried at the Johnson Family Cemetery near her home. Mrs. Johnson was the daughter of Amos Greene and Mary Sutton Johnson of Johnston County. She moved to Harnett County when she married. She was survived by three sons -John Lewis, Joe M., and Jonah C. Johnson and three daughters- Nolia (J. Lewis Johnson), Florence (B.T. Barnes) and Mary (J. Robert Dixon).Her surviving brothers were John Lewis Johnson of Raleigh (former mayor of Coats), Joe Johnson of Cary, and Robert Johnson of Miami, Florida. She had four sisters-Suzannah (Young Ryals, Jr.) and Annie Adair of Coats, Mrs. Edith Smith of Raleigh, and Mrs. Sally Bailey of Middlesex (Harnett County News April 7, 1938).
While in the Coats area, death stayed and claimed another beloved woman. Mrs. Irene Jordan, 77, one of the oldest residents of Coats, died at her home on Monday night. She was the widow of the late W.B. Ennis and she came here 50 years ago from Georgia. Two of her daughters, Mrs. L.L. McLeod and Mrs. V.R. McGee were Coats residents. Mrs. B.F. Stephens was from Erwin and Mrs. J.A. Spencer lived in Fayetteville.
The Harnett County News April 14, 1938 edition also recorded that a former mayor of Coats had died of a heart attack. A. Floyd Grimes, a prominent Harnett citizen, was 76 years old and suffered infirmities of old age. For 47 years he had served as justice of peace and three times he was elected as mayor. His last term started in 1932, but his health forced his retirement and he was replaced by another former mayor-Pat F. Pope. Grimes was a charter member of the Coats Baptist Church and was an honorary deacon. He was a member of the Jr. Order and in other civic affairs. His funeral service was conducted at his home with burial in the Coats Cemetery. He was survived by his second wife, Mrs. Mary E. Grimes; four sons-D.T., A.C., E.C., and A.F. , Jr. and three daughters-Mary Grimes, , Mrs. Floyd Grimes, and Mrs. P.B. Wood.
Do you wonder who some of the local political leaders were in the news in 1938? The Harnett County Board of Elections announced the registrars and judges for Grove 1 and 2. Zeb Stewart was registrar and Bernard Hudson, Pat Pope, and J.C. Langdon were judges in Grove 1. In Grove 2 there was M.C. Stewart as registrar and Charlie Turlington, Louise Lasater and E.F. Parker as judges (Harnett County News April 21, 1938).
Precinct Committees were picked at the Harnett County Democratic Convention. In Grove 1, Bernard Hudson, Edna Beasley, T.D. Stewart, J.T. Pollard, R.M. Hayes, T.E. Barnes, Joe M. Johnson, and J.B Ennis were named. In Grove 2, J.B. Williams, Mrs. W.E. Nichols, M.C. Stewart, Ellis Langdon, and Henry A. Turlington were leaders picked (Harnett County News May 19, 1938).
J.B. Ennis of the Oak Dale area, chairman of the Harnett County Board of Commissioners, announced that he would seek reelection as county commissioner subject to the Democratic Primary on June 4th (Harnett County News May 26th, 1938).
Wonder how many Coats folks have received degrees from Wake Forest College (University). I do know that in 1938, there were two –J.W. Kelly and Clarence Roberts. H. Tallie Dupree of Angier also graduated with the Coats fellows. Did any of you have the pleasure of knowing any of these graduates (Harnett County News May 5, 1938)?
Carsie Denning shared with me in a 2003 interview that after the great depression was easing up, the merchants in Coats supplied funds for the presentation of an outdoor, sixteen-millimeter movie. The open space between the two-story brick building that housed the Roycroft’s Drug and the railroad depot was used for the parking of cars for the people who came to watch the free movie that was projected onto the white sheet hung over the wall to serve as the point of projection of the film. Every Tuesday night during the warm months, people from miles around would converge upon the town to see the free movie, to shop at the local stores or to visit neighbors. All stores remained open until eleven. Prior to the movie, people had a chance to just chat and have a good time after having worked in the fields all day. Clothes included overalls, for most did not wear their best. Most were barefooted but a few did wear tennis shoes or leftovers from winter. (Don’t ask!)
A special thank you goes to Jutta Turlington, the 2011 J.T. Coats Humanitarian Award recipient, for her memorial donation to the museum to honor Louise S. Jackson. Dovie Beasley who for years has helped the museum folks order plaques for the Wall of Honor has given donations to the museum building project to honor the memory of Louise S. Jackson, Joe Lee and Nellie Carroll. Thanks, Dovie. Thanks to those who voted for Teresa Honeycutt for Coats Woman of the Year for 2012. Her hard work on the museum grounds is so appreciated. It will not be long before the public will be invited into the museum to see all the improvements being made possible by the many generous donors in the area.
Last week you read about W.E. Nichols and M.C. Stewart businesses which were selling mules in 1938. Another establishment that had a long history in Coats was the Walter Keene Market which was also operating in 1938 but had opened in 1922. The Keene store sold staples and fresh fancy groceries. Fresh and cured meats, feeds for cattle and poultry, and garden and field seeds could be bought at Keene’s grocery store. Keene’s motto was “Keene’s will treat you right or quit business”.
One of the newest businesses in Coats was that of E.V. Barefoot. Barefoot had offered a splendid variety of staples and fancy groceries, canned goods, salad dressings, canned meats, all kinds of sardines, sugars, and the best makes of flour. He boasted of buying by the carload. He reminded his customers that every penny spent in his store stays at home and is put right back into circulation.
Question- Were the sugar and flour sold in cloth bags? The museum has a cloth sugar bag belonging to Jenny S. Denning and several flour sacks which did not make it into blouses, shirts or other garments that housewives made from the pretty cloth bags in by gone days.
Speaking of outside of Coats, the area near Bailey’s Crossroads lost one of its finest ladies. Mrs. Mary Alice Johnson, 81, was a well-known citizen who loved playing the violin and tending to her flower gardens. She was the widow of Benjamin “B.F.” Johnson who was an early farmer operating a cotton gin and sawmill. She died at her home early on Tuesday morning after being ill with pneumonia for a week. Funeral services were held Wednesday afternoon at Bethel Primitive Baptist Church. Elder T. Floyd Adams, pastor, assisted Elder Frank Nordan in the service. She was buried at the Johnson Family Cemetery near her home. Mrs. Johnson was the daughter of Amos Greene and Mary Sutton Johnson of Johnston County. She moved to Harnett County when she married. She was survived by three sons -John Lewis, Joe M., and Jonah C. Johnson and three daughters- Nolia (J. Lewis Johnson), Florence (B.T. Barnes) and Mary (J. Robert Dixon).Her surviving brothers were John Lewis Johnson of Raleigh (former mayor of Coats), Joe Johnson of Cary, and Robert Johnson of Miami, Florida. She had four sisters-Suzannah (Young Ryals, Jr.) and Annie Adair of Coats, Mrs. Edith Smith of Raleigh, and Mrs. Sally Bailey of Middlesex (Harnett County News April 7, 1938).
While in the Coats area, death stayed and claimed another beloved woman. Mrs. Irene Jordan, 77, one of the oldest residents of Coats, died at her home on Monday night. She was the widow of the late W.B. Ennis and she came here 50 years ago from Georgia. Two of her daughters, Mrs. L.L. McLeod and Mrs. V.R. McGee were Coats residents. Mrs. B.F. Stephens was from Erwin and Mrs. J.A. Spencer lived in Fayetteville.
The Harnett County News April 14, 1938 edition also recorded that a former mayor of Coats had died of a heart attack. A. Floyd Grimes, a prominent Harnett citizen, was 76 years old and suffered infirmities of old age. For 47 years he had served as justice of peace and three times he was elected as mayor. His last term started in 1932, but his health forced his retirement and he was replaced by another former mayor-Pat F. Pope. Grimes was a charter member of the Coats Baptist Church and was an honorary deacon. He was a member of the Jr. Order and in other civic affairs. His funeral service was conducted at his home with burial in the Coats Cemetery. He was survived by his second wife, Mrs. Mary E. Grimes; four sons-D.T., A.C., E.C., and A.F. , Jr. and three daughters-Mary Grimes, , Mrs. Floyd Grimes, and Mrs. P.B. Wood.
Do you wonder who some of the local political leaders were in the news in 1938? The Harnett County Board of Elections announced the registrars and judges for Grove 1 and 2. Zeb Stewart was registrar and Bernard Hudson, Pat Pope, and J.C. Langdon were judges in Grove 1. In Grove 2 there was M.C. Stewart as registrar and Charlie Turlington, Louise Lasater and E.F. Parker as judges (Harnett County News April 21, 1938).
Precinct Committees were picked at the Harnett County Democratic Convention. In Grove 1, Bernard Hudson, Edna Beasley, T.D. Stewart, J.T. Pollard, R.M. Hayes, T.E. Barnes, Joe M. Johnson, and J.B Ennis were named. In Grove 2, J.B. Williams, Mrs. W.E. Nichols, M.C. Stewart, Ellis Langdon, and Henry A. Turlington were leaders picked (Harnett County News May 19, 1938).
J.B. Ennis of the Oak Dale area, chairman of the Harnett County Board of Commissioners, announced that he would seek reelection as county commissioner subject to the Democratic Primary on June 4th (Harnett County News May 26th, 1938).
Wonder how many Coats folks have received degrees from Wake Forest College (University). I do know that in 1938, there were two –J.W. Kelly and Clarence Roberts. H. Tallie Dupree of Angier also graduated with the Coats fellows. Did any of you have the pleasure of knowing any of these graduates (Harnett County News May 5, 1938)?
Carsie Denning shared with me in a 2003 interview that after the great depression was easing up, the merchants in Coats supplied funds for the presentation of an outdoor, sixteen-millimeter movie. The open space between the two-story brick building that housed the Roycroft’s Drug and the railroad depot was used for the parking of cars for the people who came to watch the free movie that was projected onto the white sheet hung over the wall to serve as the point of projection of the film. Every Tuesday night during the warm months, people from miles around would converge upon the town to see the free movie, to shop at the local stores or to visit neighbors. All stores remained open until eleven. Prior to the movie, people had a chance to just chat and have a good time after having worked in the fields all day. Clothes included overalls, for most did not wear their best. Most were barefooted but a few did wear tennis shoes or leftovers from winter. (Don’t ask!)
A special thank you goes to Jutta Turlington, the 2011 J.T. Coats Humanitarian Award recipient, for her memorial donation to the museum to honor Louise S. Jackson. Dovie Beasley who for years has helped the museum folks order plaques for the Wall of Honor has given donations to the museum building project to honor the memory of Louise S. Jackson, Joe Lee and Nellie Carroll. Thanks, Dovie. Thanks to those who voted for Teresa Honeycutt for Coats Woman of the Year for 2012. Her hard work on the museum grounds is so appreciated. It will not be long before the public will be invited into the museum to see all the improvements being made possible by the many generous donors in the area.