January 10, 2014 Coats Museum News
Has Coats ever had parking meters? I do know that Dunn parking meters went into effect on September 8, 1947. The cost to park was one penny for 12 minutes. The meter would take pennies and nickels of which 2 nickels would allow two hours of parking. What was the cost of over parking? The newspaper recorded that the cost of a parking ticket was $1.00 (Dunn Dispatch September 4, 1947).Task for you—Write down how much money you think the meters netted in the first week.
Some folks had surprise parties in the 1940’s.The family of T.E. Barnes surprised him on his 50th birthday. Who were the family members who shouted, ”Surprise!!”. They were Mrs. Ella Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Barnes, Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Barnes, Mr. Berle Barnes, D .Kirk Grimes, and Miss Ethelyn Grimes (Dunn Dispatch September 4, 1947).
Most of those people were from the Barclaysville region. Here is another article that seems to be referring to a building in that area. Mr. W.F. Burton, researcher for the Highway Workers Program of the N.C. Archives and History, was to mark historic spots. He wrote that “Barbee’s Inn” was built in 1839 according to a date cut on the stone of which one of the two large end chimneys was built. The inn was found to be in excellent condition and showed good architectural features. At the time of the writing of the article, it was being used as a residence. The Dunn Dispatch used this article from The Durham Morning Herald (Dunn Dispatch September 8, 1947).
Burton wrote of the Half-way House that was once a “famed” stopping place on the Old Stage Road halfway between Raleigh and Fayetteville. He noted it was distinguishable only by immense hand hewn sills supporting what is now a tenant house. The article stated that Santa Anna walked the floor of the main room after the Mexican War. The article noted that the walls are burned, or marked, with ancient names and dates in delicate handwriting (Courtesy of The Durham Morning Herald to the Dunn Dispatch September 8, 1947). Did Santa Anna also walk the floors of the Shaw Half-way House? Was he a prisoner at the time?
That article must have raised questions from many of the local historians. Where was the “Barbee’s Inn”? Shall we explore some Barbee family information and note the Barbee- Barclay connection since Burton called the half-way house the Barbee’s Inn and not the Barclay’s Inn? Was it the same inn that was called Mrs. Barclay’s on the Brazier’s Old Stage Road Map, 1818? Note the dates are different-one 1839 (Barbee’s Inn) and the other 1818 (Mrs. Barclay’s).
Several years ago I wrote about the Barclay family of Barclaysville. Recall that John Barclay had married Virginia native, Mildred Eastwood, on October 5, 1798 in New Hanover County, N.C. Neither the name Barclay or Barbee shows up on the areas’s 1804 Tax List of Captain Shaw’s District. On the List of Taxables in Neills Creek District for the year 1824, John Barclay paid taxes on one freeman and one slave and owned 560 acres identified as being on the Cross Roads. No Barbee is listed. However, the N.C. Business Directory-1872 (pp 117-118) reported that C.S. and C.C. Barbee owned 2,200 acres of long-leaf pine forest and operated naval stores.
One of John and Milly Barclay’s three daughters, Esther Barclay, married Rev. John Raboteau in Cumberland County (Harnett) on July 12, 1828. That date places the Barclays in the area before the Barbee’s Inn (1839) mentioned in the above article.
Wait a minute! Kezia Barclay, a second daughter of John and Mildred Eastwood Barclay, married a Barbee. Christopher Barbee was born in Wake County in 1779 and married Frances Jones. They had eleven children. One of their sons, Christopher (C.C.) Barbee married Kezia (K.S.) Barclay. Two of his brothers, George W. and Clement S. Barbee, also resided in the area of the half-way house. Christopher C. and Clement S. Barbee operated a stagecoach business and advertised on January 01,1860 in the Weekly Standard ( Raleigh, N.C.) that when the coaches traveled between Raleigh and Fayetteville that supper will be served at Mrs. Barclay’s in Barclaysville. Christopher Barbee was also postmaster of Barclaysville in 1855 when part of Cumberland County became Harnett County. He was also a teacher and his children were listed on the Harnett County 1870 census as being in school. Hence, we have to conclude that the Barbee name was as prominent as was the Barclay name but never before have we heard the inn referred to as the Barbee’s Inn. Is there anyone out there who can solve the mystery? Another mystery--, Ken Stewart of Buies Creek loaned the museum a large stone engraved with the date 1859. He retrieved that and many other stones when he helped remove a damaged dwelling in the area of the inn. Go by the museum and note what else is engraved on the large stone.
George W. Barbee (born June 5, 1831) married a Barclaysville girl named Elizabeth “Bettie” Barnes about 1866. He died in 1922 in White Oak Township in Wake County, N.C. Bettie and George W. Barbee resided in Wake County at the Barbee family home known as “Barbee’s Tavern” which is today located at 2129 Alston Avenue off Highway 55 north of Carpenter, N.C. This couple had a son John Christopher “Kit” Barbee. Malcolm Fowler mentioned “Kit” Barbee in his book They Passed This Way when writing about naval stores in the area between Turlington Crossroads and Barclaysville. Did Kit Barbee who was born in 1867 and never married ever live in Barclaysville? Was the Barbee Inn and Barclay’s Inn the same? Did the writer of the news article know about both inns and confuse the names?
I do know that at the Harnett Training School that Mrs. Ruby Rowland and Mrs. Jessie M. McKoy were teaching in the primary department. Mrs. Rowland studied at Shaw University and Mrs. McKoy at Fayetteville Teachers’ College (Dunn Dispatch September 15, 1947). I think Mrs. Rowland is dead but Mrs. Jessie McKoy lives in Dunn and is a delightful lady who until the last few years was active in the Harnett County Retired School Personnel group.
Two-year-old Billy Ray Norris, son of Mr. and Mrs. Clayborn Norris, was killed while crossing in the street near his home. Mrs. Annie Byrd accidentally and unavoidably hit the child. Young Norris had three siblings-Charles, Grace and Della Norris. Randall Norris was his grandfather. Another death occurred in the Coats area. Kelly Andrews Williams, 89, died at the home of his sister, Mrs. Sorrell Wiggins on Sunday on Angier, Route 2. Funeral services were held at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Dewey Williams. He was interred at the family cemetery near Barclaysville. His two other daughters were Mrs. Lula Stone and Mrs. Ellis Stone. His siblings were Mrs. Mrs. Billy Byrd and Marion Williams. The same paper printed that Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Collier visited relatives in Wade (Dunn Dispatch September 17, 1947).
The receipts were in for the first week of parking meters in Dunn. The meters netted $395.00 (Dunn Dispatch September 17, 1947). If you made a guess earlier, how close were you on the figures netted?
More supporters have come forth as donors to the museum’s addition and renovation. John F. and Doris Johnson Nolan , Danny West, Wynn and Anne Graham, Shelton “Buddy” Davis, Wallace Pollard, Edward Turlington , Levin Beasley, Hilda Pope, Baxter Ennis, Brent Adams, Dovie Beasley, and Jutta Turlington –we appreciate you r helping us meet the challenge. We also thank Patsy and Stacy Avery for giving memorials to honor Nelson Currin, Clarence Barefoot and Allene Honeycutt and also to Lynn and Tommy Coats for remembering the late Christine Akerman Parrish.
Has Coats ever had parking meters? I do know that Dunn parking meters went into effect on September 8, 1947. The cost to park was one penny for 12 minutes. The meter would take pennies and nickels of which 2 nickels would allow two hours of parking. What was the cost of over parking? The newspaper recorded that the cost of a parking ticket was $1.00 (Dunn Dispatch September 4, 1947).Task for you—Write down how much money you think the meters netted in the first week.
Some folks had surprise parties in the 1940’s.The family of T.E. Barnes surprised him on his 50th birthday. Who were the family members who shouted, ”Surprise!!”. They were Mrs. Ella Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Barnes, Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Barnes, Mr. Berle Barnes, D .Kirk Grimes, and Miss Ethelyn Grimes (Dunn Dispatch September 4, 1947).
Most of those people were from the Barclaysville region. Here is another article that seems to be referring to a building in that area. Mr. W.F. Burton, researcher for the Highway Workers Program of the N.C. Archives and History, was to mark historic spots. He wrote that “Barbee’s Inn” was built in 1839 according to a date cut on the stone of which one of the two large end chimneys was built. The inn was found to be in excellent condition and showed good architectural features. At the time of the writing of the article, it was being used as a residence. The Dunn Dispatch used this article from The Durham Morning Herald (Dunn Dispatch September 8, 1947).
Burton wrote of the Half-way House that was once a “famed” stopping place on the Old Stage Road halfway between Raleigh and Fayetteville. He noted it was distinguishable only by immense hand hewn sills supporting what is now a tenant house. The article stated that Santa Anna walked the floor of the main room after the Mexican War. The article noted that the walls are burned, or marked, with ancient names and dates in delicate handwriting (Courtesy of The Durham Morning Herald to the Dunn Dispatch September 8, 1947). Did Santa Anna also walk the floors of the Shaw Half-way House? Was he a prisoner at the time?
That article must have raised questions from many of the local historians. Where was the “Barbee’s Inn”? Shall we explore some Barbee family information and note the Barbee- Barclay connection since Burton called the half-way house the Barbee’s Inn and not the Barclay’s Inn? Was it the same inn that was called Mrs. Barclay’s on the Brazier’s Old Stage Road Map, 1818? Note the dates are different-one 1839 (Barbee’s Inn) and the other 1818 (Mrs. Barclay’s).
Several years ago I wrote about the Barclay family of Barclaysville. Recall that John Barclay had married Virginia native, Mildred Eastwood, on October 5, 1798 in New Hanover County, N.C. Neither the name Barclay or Barbee shows up on the areas’s 1804 Tax List of Captain Shaw’s District. On the List of Taxables in Neills Creek District for the year 1824, John Barclay paid taxes on one freeman and one slave and owned 560 acres identified as being on the Cross Roads. No Barbee is listed. However, the N.C. Business Directory-1872 (pp 117-118) reported that C.S. and C.C. Barbee owned 2,200 acres of long-leaf pine forest and operated naval stores.
One of John and Milly Barclay’s three daughters, Esther Barclay, married Rev. John Raboteau in Cumberland County (Harnett) on July 12, 1828. That date places the Barclays in the area before the Barbee’s Inn (1839) mentioned in the above article.
Wait a minute! Kezia Barclay, a second daughter of John and Mildred Eastwood Barclay, married a Barbee. Christopher Barbee was born in Wake County in 1779 and married Frances Jones. They had eleven children. One of their sons, Christopher (C.C.) Barbee married Kezia (K.S.) Barclay. Two of his brothers, George W. and Clement S. Barbee, also resided in the area of the half-way house. Christopher C. and Clement S. Barbee operated a stagecoach business and advertised on January 01,1860 in the Weekly Standard ( Raleigh, N.C.) that when the coaches traveled between Raleigh and Fayetteville that supper will be served at Mrs. Barclay’s in Barclaysville. Christopher Barbee was also postmaster of Barclaysville in 1855 when part of Cumberland County became Harnett County. He was also a teacher and his children were listed on the Harnett County 1870 census as being in school. Hence, we have to conclude that the Barbee name was as prominent as was the Barclay name but never before have we heard the inn referred to as the Barbee’s Inn. Is there anyone out there who can solve the mystery? Another mystery--, Ken Stewart of Buies Creek loaned the museum a large stone engraved with the date 1859. He retrieved that and many other stones when he helped remove a damaged dwelling in the area of the inn. Go by the museum and note what else is engraved on the large stone.
George W. Barbee (born June 5, 1831) married a Barclaysville girl named Elizabeth “Bettie” Barnes about 1866. He died in 1922 in White Oak Township in Wake County, N.C. Bettie and George W. Barbee resided in Wake County at the Barbee family home known as “Barbee’s Tavern” which is today located at 2129 Alston Avenue off Highway 55 north of Carpenter, N.C. This couple had a son John Christopher “Kit” Barbee. Malcolm Fowler mentioned “Kit” Barbee in his book They Passed This Way when writing about naval stores in the area between Turlington Crossroads and Barclaysville. Did Kit Barbee who was born in 1867 and never married ever live in Barclaysville? Was the Barbee Inn and Barclay’s Inn the same? Did the writer of the news article know about both inns and confuse the names?
I do know that at the Harnett Training School that Mrs. Ruby Rowland and Mrs. Jessie M. McKoy were teaching in the primary department. Mrs. Rowland studied at Shaw University and Mrs. McKoy at Fayetteville Teachers’ College (Dunn Dispatch September 15, 1947). I think Mrs. Rowland is dead but Mrs. Jessie McKoy lives in Dunn and is a delightful lady who until the last few years was active in the Harnett County Retired School Personnel group.
Two-year-old Billy Ray Norris, son of Mr. and Mrs. Clayborn Norris, was killed while crossing in the street near his home. Mrs. Annie Byrd accidentally and unavoidably hit the child. Young Norris had three siblings-Charles, Grace and Della Norris. Randall Norris was his grandfather. Another death occurred in the Coats area. Kelly Andrews Williams, 89, died at the home of his sister, Mrs. Sorrell Wiggins on Sunday on Angier, Route 2. Funeral services were held at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Dewey Williams. He was interred at the family cemetery near Barclaysville. His two other daughters were Mrs. Lula Stone and Mrs. Ellis Stone. His siblings were Mrs. Mrs. Billy Byrd and Marion Williams. The same paper printed that Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Collier visited relatives in Wade (Dunn Dispatch September 17, 1947).
The receipts were in for the first week of parking meters in Dunn. The meters netted $395.00 (Dunn Dispatch September 17, 1947). If you made a guess earlier, how close were you on the figures netted?
More supporters have come forth as donors to the museum’s addition and renovation. John F. and Doris Johnson Nolan , Danny West, Wynn and Anne Graham, Shelton “Buddy” Davis, Wallace Pollard, Edward Turlington , Levin Beasley, Hilda Pope, Baxter Ennis, Brent Adams, Dovie Beasley, and Jutta Turlington –we appreciate you r helping us meet the challenge. We also thank Patsy and Stacy Avery for giving memorials to honor Nelson Currin, Clarence Barefoot and Allene Honeycutt and also to Lynn and Tommy Coats for remembering the late Christine Akerman Parrish.