January 16, 2012 Coats Museum News
The month was May of 1926 and John McKay Byrd presided at the Coats P.T. A. meeting. The Literary Society had charge of the program. Declamations and a debate on capital punishment were also on the agenda. Mrs. Paul E. Turlington, Mrs. W. M. Keen and Miss Ada Yarborough were selected as the nominating committee for new P.T. A. officers (Harnett County News May 6, 1926).
Likely most of the adults who attended that P.T. A. meeting were part of the locals who wanted good roads to connect the towns. At a joint meeting of the county board of commissioners and the county road commissioners, the men adopted a joint resolution resolving that this side of the county, which was the most populated section the county, needed a feasible connection to the state capital. A road as far east as consistent with the local needs in the placing of State Highway Number 21 was wanted. Second, the resolution resolved that the N.C. State Highway Commission be requested to place on the system a gravel highway connecting with Route 60 at Erwin, Harnett County, N.C. and running hence by the most feasible route through Turlington, Coats, and Angier to connect 21 at the most feasible point in Wake County (Harnett County May 6, 1926).
The minutes of the May 7, 1926 meeting of the Coats Town Commissioners recorded that A.F. Grimes had collected $500.00 in town taxes and had to date collected $1500.00. Grimes was also appointed to secure help to clean out and to put the town well in good order, and to clean the town cemetery. No more than $2.00 a day was allowed to complete the tasks. Tom D. Stewart was unanimously appointed list taker for property within Coats.
Where was the town well located? Is this the well that was used in the bucket brigade to put out fires in town? Does it still exist? This I do know. The cap to cover the well is located on the Coats Heritage Square between the Heritage Museum and the Cotton Museum.
With the close of school fast approaching, the Harnett County News, May 13, 1926 edition reported that 317 students were enrolled in the Coats High School and that an average of 288 of them attended daily. The students were needed on the farms so schools opened at 8:00 AM which allowed them to get out in early afternoon to do spring farm jobs.
That same edition of the paper also recorded that Archictect Cannady had made necessary measurements in order to draw plans for the new heating plant and sanitary equipment for the Coats School. Does that means no more tin stoves in each classroom and no more outdoor toilets?
Read the list of students‘ names that were printed in the Harnett County News May 20, 1926 reporting the list of honor students for the seventh month at Coats High School. The first graders who made the list were Inez Kelly, Neva Dorman, Dorothy Stewart, Homer Ennis, Seth Lee, Jr., and William Earl Williams. Second grade honors went to Rave Langdon, Edward Denning, Curtis Ennis, and Robert Godwin. George Ryals, and Grace Wood were on the third grade honor roll. The fourth grade had many high achievers such as Virginia Langdon, Lois Grimes, Josie Cannady, Unetta Byrd, Elease Williams, Martha Sutton, Haywood Roberts, Neil Patterson, David Langdon, Eugene Stewart, and Brady Denning. Tiny Weaver, Leta Dorman, and Grace Coats made the fifth grade honors. Grade six winners were James Stewart, Linwood Stewart, Kenneth Kelly, Marvin Johnson, Dora Stewart, and Callie Belle Lee. Bruce Langdon, Alice Coats and Annie Belle King made the seventh grade honors. Inez King, James Lee, William Patterson and Nellie Penny were eighth grade honor students. The ninth grade had no students making the lists but Lucille Lee, Margaret Kelly, and Eubern Dorman were top of the grade ten list.
Was there no grade 11 in 1926? Principal Taylor announced about the end of year of ceremonies at the Coats campus. Miss Martin’s music students would give a music recital on Friday, May 21, 1926 at 8:00 PM. Then on Tuesday night, the grammar grades activities would include an operetta, “The Rose Dream” and a play, “Old Colony Days”. Friday was reserved for declamations and recitations contests. Following those events, there was to be a debate: Resolved That North Carolina Should Levy a Tax to Support an Eighth Month of School”. The Friday night activities were also to include a play, “Men, Maids, and Matchmakers”, presented by the high school students (Harnett County News, May 20, 1926).
How many of you recognize the name G. Alton Stewart? Alton Stewart, J.L. Sorrell, L.R. Ennis, E.L. Avera, and C.A. Stewart were jurors for the special Superior Court called to convene on June 14, 1926 (Harnett County News, May 27, 1926). Wonder if those men knew that the public debt of the 48 states of the Union averaged $15.62 for each man, woman, and child (Harnett County News, June 10, 1926). WOW!
How long would it take to fly a plane from Raleigh to the Morehead Bluffs in 1926 if the pilot was the first licensed pilot in North Carolina? Read next week for the answer and also the answer to the question ”What deputy sheriff from Coats was charged by J.F. Collier of Buies Creek for assaulting his son with a deadly weapon?”
The Coats Museum cannot function without the support of the friends of the museum. Again a thank you is sent to Doug Johnson for his help in preparation to put up a chain link fence behind the museum. The folks at the museum are happy to share with you that the permitting is complete for the 2500 square foot addition to the Heritage Museum.
Please be mindful that this Coats Museum News appeared in the Daily Record on January 17, 2012.
The month was May of 1926 and John McKay Byrd presided at the Coats P.T. A. meeting. The Literary Society had charge of the program. Declamations and a debate on capital punishment were also on the agenda. Mrs. Paul E. Turlington, Mrs. W. M. Keen and Miss Ada Yarborough were selected as the nominating committee for new P.T. A. officers (Harnett County News May 6, 1926).
Likely most of the adults who attended that P.T. A. meeting were part of the locals who wanted good roads to connect the towns. At a joint meeting of the county board of commissioners and the county road commissioners, the men adopted a joint resolution resolving that this side of the county, which was the most populated section the county, needed a feasible connection to the state capital. A road as far east as consistent with the local needs in the placing of State Highway Number 21 was wanted. Second, the resolution resolved that the N.C. State Highway Commission be requested to place on the system a gravel highway connecting with Route 60 at Erwin, Harnett County, N.C. and running hence by the most feasible route through Turlington, Coats, and Angier to connect 21 at the most feasible point in Wake County (Harnett County May 6, 1926).
The minutes of the May 7, 1926 meeting of the Coats Town Commissioners recorded that A.F. Grimes had collected $500.00 in town taxes and had to date collected $1500.00. Grimes was also appointed to secure help to clean out and to put the town well in good order, and to clean the town cemetery. No more than $2.00 a day was allowed to complete the tasks. Tom D. Stewart was unanimously appointed list taker for property within Coats.
Where was the town well located? Is this the well that was used in the bucket brigade to put out fires in town? Does it still exist? This I do know. The cap to cover the well is located on the Coats Heritage Square between the Heritage Museum and the Cotton Museum.
With the close of school fast approaching, the Harnett County News, May 13, 1926 edition reported that 317 students were enrolled in the Coats High School and that an average of 288 of them attended daily. The students were needed on the farms so schools opened at 8:00 AM which allowed them to get out in early afternoon to do spring farm jobs.
That same edition of the paper also recorded that Archictect Cannady had made necessary measurements in order to draw plans for the new heating plant and sanitary equipment for the Coats School. Does that means no more tin stoves in each classroom and no more outdoor toilets?
Read the list of students‘ names that were printed in the Harnett County News May 20, 1926 reporting the list of honor students for the seventh month at Coats High School. The first graders who made the list were Inez Kelly, Neva Dorman, Dorothy Stewart, Homer Ennis, Seth Lee, Jr., and William Earl Williams. Second grade honors went to Rave Langdon, Edward Denning, Curtis Ennis, and Robert Godwin. George Ryals, and Grace Wood were on the third grade honor roll. The fourth grade had many high achievers such as Virginia Langdon, Lois Grimes, Josie Cannady, Unetta Byrd, Elease Williams, Martha Sutton, Haywood Roberts, Neil Patterson, David Langdon, Eugene Stewart, and Brady Denning. Tiny Weaver, Leta Dorman, and Grace Coats made the fifth grade honors. Grade six winners were James Stewart, Linwood Stewart, Kenneth Kelly, Marvin Johnson, Dora Stewart, and Callie Belle Lee. Bruce Langdon, Alice Coats and Annie Belle King made the seventh grade honors. Inez King, James Lee, William Patterson and Nellie Penny were eighth grade honor students. The ninth grade had no students making the lists but Lucille Lee, Margaret Kelly, and Eubern Dorman were top of the grade ten list.
Was there no grade 11 in 1926? Principal Taylor announced about the end of year of ceremonies at the Coats campus. Miss Martin’s music students would give a music recital on Friday, May 21, 1926 at 8:00 PM. Then on Tuesday night, the grammar grades activities would include an operetta, “The Rose Dream” and a play, “Old Colony Days”. Friday was reserved for declamations and recitations contests. Following those events, there was to be a debate: Resolved That North Carolina Should Levy a Tax to Support an Eighth Month of School”. The Friday night activities were also to include a play, “Men, Maids, and Matchmakers”, presented by the high school students (Harnett County News, May 20, 1926).
How many of you recognize the name G. Alton Stewart? Alton Stewart, J.L. Sorrell, L.R. Ennis, E.L. Avera, and C.A. Stewart were jurors for the special Superior Court called to convene on June 14, 1926 (Harnett County News, May 27, 1926). Wonder if those men knew that the public debt of the 48 states of the Union averaged $15.62 for each man, woman, and child (Harnett County News, June 10, 1926). WOW!
How long would it take to fly a plane from Raleigh to the Morehead Bluffs in 1926 if the pilot was the first licensed pilot in North Carolina? Read next week for the answer and also the answer to the question ”What deputy sheriff from Coats was charged by J.F. Collier of Buies Creek for assaulting his son with a deadly weapon?”
The Coats Museum cannot function without the support of the friends of the museum. Again a thank you is sent to Doug Johnson for his help in preparation to put up a chain link fence behind the museum. The folks at the museum are happy to share with you that the permitting is complete for the 2500 square foot addition to the Heritage Museum.
Please be mindful that this Coats Museum News appeared in the Daily Record on January 17, 2012.
