January 25, 2011
Coats Museum News
Shall we continue to explore the 1913 Industrial Report of Coats which has given us factual insight into the early years of the town? The report recorded that “Capitalists have been considering this town for a fertilizer factory, knitting mill, and also a sash and blind factory. It is not unusual to hear traveling men say that they have never seen a young town make so many improvements in so short a time.
“Agricultural improvements have also been seen in eastern Harnett County the past five years. Government Statistics show that corn production increased from 18 bushels to 49.6 bushels per acre under demonstration agents. Cotton poundage increased from 1,000 pounds to 2,232.3 pounds per acre under the demonstration agents’ guidance. The eastern section of Harnett (Grove Township was included.) produced more seed cotton per acre than any section in North Carolina.
“Farming land around Coats is priced a little high because the farm soils are excellent for corn, cotton, tobacco, fruits, and vegetables. The climate is delightful. The gentle breezes from such an elevation bring a healthy tonic.” Questions—How do these 1913 pounds and bushels compare to the 2010 farm data in Grove, and second, when did farm demonstration agents come onto the scene? A fact that might be of interest to you the reader is that W.H. Turlington (Turlington Crossroads, Harnett County) and Joshua E. Mewborn, Sr. (Greene County) were members of the class of first farm demonstration agents. J.M. Mewborn and his wife Susan Turlington Mewborn of Turlington Crossroads are descendants of those two gentlemen agents.
“The 1913 industrial report also recorded that “Coats is exceedingly fortunate in being largely made up of citizens who are alive to the needs of church and school. There are two churches in town. The Primitive Baptist Church is a handsome building situated near the park, and on a gently inclining hill. (You ask, “What park and where is it in 2011?) J.T. Coats presented his congregation this church that he had built. The church added two wings because of church membership growth. The loyalty of the pastor, Elder Tom (J.T.) Coats, and his faithful flock, representing a great deal of the wealth in the town the town and surrounding county, is a divine witness to the great interest in religious work taken by steady, staunch Primitive Baptist in Coats.
“The second church in Coats is the Missionary Baptist which graces one of the highest hills in the town. This area has some of the town’s most desirable building sites. The Missionary Baptist Church was built about two years ago by the efforts of two or three men, including the efficient pastor, Reverend J.A. Campbell. The church has grown from about 15 to near 100. Last spring, it was necessary to make different arrangements for Sunday school work. To meet this demand, each wing of the building was fitted up with rolling doors, and seats put in the vestibule and can be turned into one large auditorium. (Who knows where this church was located and what other Coats church located into it for many years before building on another site in town?)
“The school has grown from an one room school to a four room school with 198 students in 1912. For the past year the teachers are graduates or students from four of the leading colleges in the state. (Was the report saying that the school had four teachers?) The term of the school has grown from four months to eight months and an application has been made for state aid in high school works.
“A new man was heard to say that more trading was done in Coats than any place its size that he ever saw. The price of land is rapidly increasing because the town has the reputation of being the best town on the Durham and Southern Railroad. Lots of houses are selling for top prices when they are resold. One man bought a lot for $350 and it has been sold twice recently for $1,000 and $1,025 respectively. Land is doubling in price in some cases. There have been 30 new buildings erected in Coats in 1912 at a cost of $50,000. The population has just about doubled in the past year. She manufactures her own brick and lumber and uses them at home.” (Taken from the 1913 Industrial Report of Coats)
Please be mindful that this article was published by the Daily Record in January 25, 2011.
Shall we continue to explore the 1913 Industrial Report of Coats which has given us factual insight into the early years of the town? The report recorded that “Capitalists have been considering this town for a fertilizer factory, knitting mill, and also a sash and blind factory. It is not unusual to hear traveling men say that they have never seen a young town make so many improvements in so short a time.
“Agricultural improvements have also been seen in eastern Harnett County the past five years. Government Statistics show that corn production increased from 18 bushels to 49.6 bushels per acre under demonstration agents. Cotton poundage increased from 1,000 pounds to 2,232.3 pounds per acre under the demonstration agents’ guidance. The eastern section of Harnett (Grove Township was included.) produced more seed cotton per acre than any section in North Carolina.
“Farming land around Coats is priced a little high because the farm soils are excellent for corn, cotton, tobacco, fruits, and vegetables. The climate is delightful. The gentle breezes from such an elevation bring a healthy tonic.” Questions—How do these 1913 pounds and bushels compare to the 2010 farm data in Grove, and second, when did farm demonstration agents come onto the scene? A fact that might be of interest to you the reader is that W.H. Turlington (Turlington Crossroads, Harnett County) and Joshua E. Mewborn, Sr. (Greene County) were members of the class of first farm demonstration agents. J.M. Mewborn and his wife Susan Turlington Mewborn of Turlington Crossroads are descendants of those two gentlemen agents.
“The 1913 industrial report also recorded that “Coats is exceedingly fortunate in being largely made up of citizens who are alive to the needs of church and school. There are two churches in town. The Primitive Baptist Church is a handsome building situated near the park, and on a gently inclining hill. (You ask, “What park and where is it in 2011?) J.T. Coats presented his congregation this church that he had built. The church added two wings because of church membership growth. The loyalty of the pastor, Elder Tom (J.T.) Coats, and his faithful flock, representing a great deal of the wealth in the town the town and surrounding county, is a divine witness to the great interest in religious work taken by steady, staunch Primitive Baptist in Coats.
“The second church in Coats is the Missionary Baptist which graces one of the highest hills in the town. This area has some of the town’s most desirable building sites. The Missionary Baptist Church was built about two years ago by the efforts of two or three men, including the efficient pastor, Reverend J.A. Campbell. The church has grown from about 15 to near 100. Last spring, it was necessary to make different arrangements for Sunday school work. To meet this demand, each wing of the building was fitted up with rolling doors, and seats put in the vestibule and can be turned into one large auditorium. (Who knows where this church was located and what other Coats church located into it for many years before building on another site in town?)
“The school has grown from an one room school to a four room school with 198 students in 1912. For the past year the teachers are graduates or students from four of the leading colleges in the state. (Was the report saying that the school had four teachers?) The term of the school has grown from four months to eight months and an application has been made for state aid in high school works.
“A new man was heard to say that more trading was done in Coats than any place its size that he ever saw. The price of land is rapidly increasing because the town has the reputation of being the best town on the Durham and Southern Railroad. Lots of houses are selling for top prices when they are resold. One man bought a lot for $350 and it has been sold twice recently for $1,000 and $1,025 respectively. Land is doubling in price in some cases. There have been 30 new buildings erected in Coats in 1912 at a cost of $50,000. The population has just about doubled in the past year. She manufactures her own brick and lumber and uses them at home.” (Taken from the 1913 Industrial Report of Coats)
Please be mindful that this article was published by the Daily Record in January 25, 2011.
