January 3, 2025 Coats Museum News
2025—does it seem possible that it was 20 years ago that we were celebrating the centennial of the small town of Coats? It was almost 25 years ago that a few of us folks who were willing to take on the task of revisiting the historical newsprint covering Coats. We volunteers were so much younger and had so much energy and enthusiasm to share the story of our people in Coats.
Mina Williams of Coats was 91 and she had died at the GHH. Do any of the very young readers even know where the Good Hope Hospital was in Harnett County? What a beautiful name for a hospital. Was it always called Good Hope and was that town the location of the first hospital in Harnett County?
I do know that Mina was the daughter of Kelly and Joannie Williams. She was the widow of Dewey Williams and was a member of the Friendship FWB Church. Revs. Ronnie Byrd and Ronald Byrd conducted the service in the Rose and Graham Funeral Home and was followed by the burial in the Williams Cemetery. Surviving her were Christine W. Bass, Margie W. Daniel and Leon Williams (Daily Record Feb. 17, 1995).
While the Williams family was mourning the loss of their mom, Clark and Kathy Johnson were celebrating the second birthday of their daughter, Whitney Leigh Johnson. Excited grandparents were Doug and Freda Johnson. Also attending were Great Grandmother Dorothy Johnson and Great Aunt Ann O’Neal
Who didn’t recognize the name Bertha Westbrook regardless of where one lived in Harnett County? Miss Bertha Westbrook, 89, had died in BJMH in Dunn after an extended illness. She was the first “special education” teacher in Harnett County, starting in Coats in 1952. For her work, she was given the 1969 Service Award by the N.C. Association for Retarded Citizens.
The museum is so fortunate to have many items in the museum from Miss Westbrook including her christening gown, a crochet bed spread, school documents and much more thanks to the Nelson Currin family (Daily Record Feb. 20, 1995).
The Cape Fear Christian Academy had won the conference junior varsity tournament with a 14-2 season. Greg Adams was a member of that team (Our hardworking volunteer Becky Adams’s son) (Daily Record Feb. 21. 1995).
Lots of news came out of the Coats Senior Center where Scott LeMan Alston had made his take for “Star Search” for the senior folks. Scotty is the son of Gale Spears of the Coats Town Commission and John Spears. As a student, Scotty was always filled with joy and would light up the room with his smile and laughter. On the date of his performance at the center, he was a 25-year-old man who lived in Chapel Hill.
The Coats Museum had designated a workday for the community to come together and work at the museum to get it ready for its grand opening in October. The Coats PTO was planning its annual spaghetti supper fundraiser (Daily Record Feb. 23, 1995).
The headlines of the February 28, 1995, Daily Record read “Graymon Powell Is Hanging Up His Wrench After 50 Years.” Graymon recalled that his father died and left his mom with two underage children and plus he had a wife and 3-month-old –daughter so Graymon said he took over the business out of necessity. Graymon recalled that the saddest thing about leaving the business was “his knowing that there were lots of little ladies who would have to find someone else to look after their jalopies that he had been servicing for years (Daily Record February 18, 1995).
Some folks probably think that there’s not a whole lot to be a county leader compared to higher leadership positions and I likely was one of them until H.L won that position during this news period. There was so much pressure. Many times, he would attend four or five meetings a day and sometimes was asked to speak at so many organizations, schools and conferences. I am sure he felt right at home speaking to the Annual Harnett County Livestock Banquet at Ernie’s because he loved animals and the calmness of watching his cattle grazing the pastures at our farm on Massengill Pond (Daily Record Mar. 1, 1995).
Two weddings were making the headlines. Debby Lynn Pollard and Al Warrick were married at the Coats Baptist Church and Patsy Matthews and Louis Peterson were married at the home of her parents Billy and Frances Matthews. Patsy was owner of Patsy’s Beauty Den.
Wayne Parrish wrote works of poetry to give encouragement to others. He recalled,” I began to write to ease the pain and bring back memories of better times. Writing poetry helped me deal with the pain more than anything else.” Some might wonder what he had dealt with that caused him so much pain. The answer is he dealt with the sickness and death of his young daughter.
Melissa Matthews, a freshman at South Johnston High School, was picked the 1995 Young Miss Greater Raleigh (Daily Record March 9, 1995). Was Melissa the niece of the new Mrs. Louis Paterson?
This I do know. Coats has had its share of beautiful girls. Two of them have come back into my life. Despite being a little bit behind them in school did not keep us younger girls from wanting to look just like some of them. One was Dorothy Matthews Byrd who now resides in Dunn but has not lost her beauty or love of Coats over the years. A second lady is Barbara Byrd Holt who has returned to live in Coats and she too was someone that we younger teens aspired to look like. Thank you, ladies, for being supporters of the Coats Museum. Your generosity, beauty and fascinating stories will long be remembered by this museum volunteer.
2025—does it seem possible that it was 20 years ago that we were celebrating the centennial of the small town of Coats? It was almost 25 years ago that a few of us folks who were willing to take on the task of revisiting the historical newsprint covering Coats. We volunteers were so much younger and had so much energy and enthusiasm to share the story of our people in Coats.
Mina Williams of Coats was 91 and she had died at the GHH. Do any of the very young readers even know where the Good Hope Hospital was in Harnett County? What a beautiful name for a hospital. Was it always called Good Hope and was that town the location of the first hospital in Harnett County?
I do know that Mina was the daughter of Kelly and Joannie Williams. She was the widow of Dewey Williams and was a member of the Friendship FWB Church. Revs. Ronnie Byrd and Ronald Byrd conducted the service in the Rose and Graham Funeral Home and was followed by the burial in the Williams Cemetery. Surviving her were Christine W. Bass, Margie W. Daniel and Leon Williams (Daily Record Feb. 17, 1995).
While the Williams family was mourning the loss of their mom, Clark and Kathy Johnson were celebrating the second birthday of their daughter, Whitney Leigh Johnson. Excited grandparents were Doug and Freda Johnson. Also attending were Great Grandmother Dorothy Johnson and Great Aunt Ann O’Neal
Who didn’t recognize the name Bertha Westbrook regardless of where one lived in Harnett County? Miss Bertha Westbrook, 89, had died in BJMH in Dunn after an extended illness. She was the first “special education” teacher in Harnett County, starting in Coats in 1952. For her work, she was given the 1969 Service Award by the N.C. Association for Retarded Citizens.
The museum is so fortunate to have many items in the museum from Miss Westbrook including her christening gown, a crochet bed spread, school documents and much more thanks to the Nelson Currin family (Daily Record Feb. 20, 1995).
The Cape Fear Christian Academy had won the conference junior varsity tournament with a 14-2 season. Greg Adams was a member of that team (Our hardworking volunteer Becky Adams’s son) (Daily Record Feb. 21. 1995).
Lots of news came out of the Coats Senior Center where Scott LeMan Alston had made his take for “Star Search” for the senior folks. Scotty is the son of Gale Spears of the Coats Town Commission and John Spears. As a student, Scotty was always filled with joy and would light up the room with his smile and laughter. On the date of his performance at the center, he was a 25-year-old man who lived in Chapel Hill.
The Coats Museum had designated a workday for the community to come together and work at the museum to get it ready for its grand opening in October. The Coats PTO was planning its annual spaghetti supper fundraiser (Daily Record Feb. 23, 1995).
The headlines of the February 28, 1995, Daily Record read “Graymon Powell Is Hanging Up His Wrench After 50 Years.” Graymon recalled that his father died and left his mom with two underage children and plus he had a wife and 3-month-old –daughter so Graymon said he took over the business out of necessity. Graymon recalled that the saddest thing about leaving the business was “his knowing that there were lots of little ladies who would have to find someone else to look after their jalopies that he had been servicing for years (Daily Record February 18, 1995).
Some folks probably think that there’s not a whole lot to be a county leader compared to higher leadership positions and I likely was one of them until H.L won that position during this news period. There was so much pressure. Many times, he would attend four or five meetings a day and sometimes was asked to speak at so many organizations, schools and conferences. I am sure he felt right at home speaking to the Annual Harnett County Livestock Banquet at Ernie’s because he loved animals and the calmness of watching his cattle grazing the pastures at our farm on Massengill Pond (Daily Record Mar. 1, 1995).
Two weddings were making the headlines. Debby Lynn Pollard and Al Warrick were married at the Coats Baptist Church and Patsy Matthews and Louis Peterson were married at the home of her parents Billy and Frances Matthews. Patsy was owner of Patsy’s Beauty Den.
Wayne Parrish wrote works of poetry to give encouragement to others. He recalled,” I began to write to ease the pain and bring back memories of better times. Writing poetry helped me deal with the pain more than anything else.” Some might wonder what he had dealt with that caused him so much pain. The answer is he dealt with the sickness and death of his young daughter.
Melissa Matthews, a freshman at South Johnston High School, was picked the 1995 Young Miss Greater Raleigh (Daily Record March 9, 1995). Was Melissa the niece of the new Mrs. Louis Paterson?
This I do know. Coats has had its share of beautiful girls. Two of them have come back into my life. Despite being a little bit behind them in school did not keep us younger girls from wanting to look just like some of them. One was Dorothy Matthews Byrd who now resides in Dunn but has not lost her beauty or love of Coats over the years. A second lady is Barbara Byrd Holt who has returned to live in Coats and she too was someone that we younger teens aspired to look like. Thank you, ladies, for being supporters of the Coats Museum. Your generosity, beauty and fascinating stories will long be remembered by this museum volunteer.