February 7, 2025 Coats Museum News
“I’m coming home” are some of the sweetest words a parent might hear from a child who had moved away for college or work opportunities. Wonder if that was the case when Amy, Anthony and little Katy Beasley were moving to Coats from Florida? Many will recall that Amy Parrish was not only a beautiful girl but was equally intelligent. Surely Patsy and Keith Parrish were excited to learn of the move back to Harnett County.
Did Amy have Mrs. Linda Turlington as a teacher at Coats School? Linda grew up in Benson but the folks in Coats felt she belonged to us. Other folks must have felt her worth in that Linda was a chosen as the guest speaker for the 1995 Honors Banquet at Campbell University (Daily Record Apr. 21, 1995).
A name that has made history in the Coats community and beyond is the Albert Gregory family. Their community outreach was apparently noticed by those outside of the community because Charles Albert Gregory of Route 2, Angier, was elected to Campbell University Board of Advisors. Mr. Gregory was the owner and operator of CAG Farms and Lane’s Seafood and Steakhouse. He was a BB&T board member. He was also a leader in the Coats Baptist Church. His wife was the former Betty Bowling of McGee’s Crossroad area. They are parents of Lane, Larry and Blake Gregory (Daily Record Apr. 25, 1995).
Ruby Johnson was a very popular lady in Coats. Not only was she a historian but was also very involved with the United Methodist Church in Coats. In fact the church honored her for her leadership in the N.C. Conference of United Methodist Church work in the Women’s Division.
Other events making the news were that congratulations also went to the Brian and Jennifer Whittington on the birth of a daughter. The Triton Choir –in two buses, a van, and a car-went to Florida to perform at Disney World.
Belle also shared in her “Notes from Coats’ that Carolyn and David Moore operated a flower shop in Coats and that they really enjoyed their three young grandchildren. –Brianna and Justin Amick and Ashton Denton. Did you realize that those “young” grandchildren would be over 30 years of age now in 2025?
Do you know that of all the students I ever taught, I never had a student with the last name “Blair?” Lo and behold-my daughter married a young man from Mitchell, SD whose mother was a Blair and ever since for some reason the name pops up everywhere. In fact, Lenee and JB named their daughter Blair, so the name catches my eye each time I see it. In fact, in the April 27, 1995 edition the name shows up when it was shared that Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Blair of Coats announced the birth of a daughter, Danielle Renee Blair, at BJMH. The mother was the former Kim Caprano- a new name for our rural community.
Joe Junior McLamb, 48, of Bailey’s Crossroads, died on Thursday. His services were at the Pleasant Grove FWB Church. A son, Joey McLamb, and daughters, Lynn M. Godwin and Rita M. Johnson, survived him. He was the son of R.A. McLamb and Hazel Pope McLamb. Meghan Johnson was his granddaughter (Daily Record Apr. 28, 1995).
Each year Carolina Telephone provided mouth watering hotdogs with all the trimming for the athletes competing in the Special Olympics. Among those helping to serve the Exceptional Children were Grady Strickland, Jessie Moore, Teresa Eason and County Board Chairman H.L. Sorrell, Jr. (Daily Record May 1, 1995).
Carsie Denning and his wife, Mary Lee Denning, were responsible for getting the ball rolling to convert an old school building into a museum according to committee member M.O. Phillips. He quickly had added the project had been a group effort of some hardworking Coats people. The old dilapidated wooden building had been used as two classrooms from 1914 to 1922 until a new brick building was completed after several tax increases opened on the campus in 1921 (Daily Record May 2, 1995).
This structure was referred to as the “Goat House” by later students because it was used as storage and was really messy according to former students who were interviewed in 1985 at the Coats Reunion Project in May of 1985.All former graduates from 1925 to 1985 were invited to a weekend of food, entertainment and reconnecting. From that 1985 date, the high school students would no longer attend the Coats School but go to Triton for their four final years of school. The group moved the structure to its current site on McKinley Street and converted the building into the Coats Museum. The 40’ by 16’ structure is now joined on the Heritage Square with a 50’ by 50’ Kress and Nell Penny Exhibit Hall and a separate Cotton Museum.
“I’m coming home” are some of the sweetest words a parent might hear from a child who had moved away for college or work opportunities. Wonder if that was the case when Amy, Anthony and little Katy Beasley were moving to Coats from Florida? Many will recall that Amy Parrish was not only a beautiful girl but was equally intelligent. Surely Patsy and Keith Parrish were excited to learn of the move back to Harnett County.
Did Amy have Mrs. Linda Turlington as a teacher at Coats School? Linda grew up in Benson but the folks in Coats felt she belonged to us. Other folks must have felt her worth in that Linda was a chosen as the guest speaker for the 1995 Honors Banquet at Campbell University (Daily Record Apr. 21, 1995).
A name that has made history in the Coats community and beyond is the Albert Gregory family. Their community outreach was apparently noticed by those outside of the community because Charles Albert Gregory of Route 2, Angier, was elected to Campbell University Board of Advisors. Mr. Gregory was the owner and operator of CAG Farms and Lane’s Seafood and Steakhouse. He was a BB&T board member. He was also a leader in the Coats Baptist Church. His wife was the former Betty Bowling of McGee’s Crossroad area. They are parents of Lane, Larry and Blake Gregory (Daily Record Apr. 25, 1995).
Ruby Johnson was a very popular lady in Coats. Not only was she a historian but was also very involved with the United Methodist Church in Coats. In fact the church honored her for her leadership in the N.C. Conference of United Methodist Church work in the Women’s Division.
Other events making the news were that congratulations also went to the Brian and Jennifer Whittington on the birth of a daughter. The Triton Choir –in two buses, a van, and a car-went to Florida to perform at Disney World.
Belle also shared in her “Notes from Coats’ that Carolyn and David Moore operated a flower shop in Coats and that they really enjoyed their three young grandchildren. –Brianna and Justin Amick and Ashton Denton. Did you realize that those “young” grandchildren would be over 30 years of age now in 2025?
Do you know that of all the students I ever taught, I never had a student with the last name “Blair?” Lo and behold-my daughter married a young man from Mitchell, SD whose mother was a Blair and ever since for some reason the name pops up everywhere. In fact, Lenee and JB named their daughter Blair, so the name catches my eye each time I see it. In fact, in the April 27, 1995 edition the name shows up when it was shared that Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Blair of Coats announced the birth of a daughter, Danielle Renee Blair, at BJMH. The mother was the former Kim Caprano- a new name for our rural community.
Joe Junior McLamb, 48, of Bailey’s Crossroads, died on Thursday. His services were at the Pleasant Grove FWB Church. A son, Joey McLamb, and daughters, Lynn M. Godwin and Rita M. Johnson, survived him. He was the son of R.A. McLamb and Hazel Pope McLamb. Meghan Johnson was his granddaughter (Daily Record Apr. 28, 1995).
Each year Carolina Telephone provided mouth watering hotdogs with all the trimming for the athletes competing in the Special Olympics. Among those helping to serve the Exceptional Children were Grady Strickland, Jessie Moore, Teresa Eason and County Board Chairman H.L. Sorrell, Jr. (Daily Record May 1, 1995).
Carsie Denning and his wife, Mary Lee Denning, were responsible for getting the ball rolling to convert an old school building into a museum according to committee member M.O. Phillips. He quickly had added the project had been a group effort of some hardworking Coats people. The old dilapidated wooden building had been used as two classrooms from 1914 to 1922 until a new brick building was completed after several tax increases opened on the campus in 1921 (Daily Record May 2, 1995).
This structure was referred to as the “Goat House” by later students because it was used as storage and was really messy according to former students who were interviewed in 1985 at the Coats Reunion Project in May of 1985.All former graduates from 1925 to 1985 were invited to a weekend of food, entertainment and reconnecting. From that 1985 date, the high school students would no longer attend the Coats School but go to Triton for their four final years of school. The group moved the structure to its current site on McKinley Street and converted the building into the Coats Museum. The 40’ by 16’ structure is now joined on the Heritage Square with a 50’ by 50’ Kress and Nell Penny Exhibit Hall and a separate Cotton Museum.