July 20, 2012 Coats Museum News
The year was 1931. Another man of fame had met his death via an airplane crash. Knute Rochne, coach of Notre Dame’s football team, was one of seven people killed on a mail plane. The Empire State Building, the world’s tallest building, had opened formally on May 1, 1931. Al Capone went to prison in this year. Thomas A. Edison died on October 18th at age 84. Edison had given the world the electric light, the phonograph, the motion picture, and hundreds of other inventions and because thousands of people were unemployed, many families had cut back on the enjoyment of some of these inventions.
However in Harnett County, some numbers were up. That would be the number of bales of cotton ginned in the county. In 1929, 29,681 bales were recorded as compared to 30,511 bales in 1930. There were approximately 500,000 automobiles in North Carolina-one for every five people. Cigarette packages sales increased only 5,000,000 in 1930 but should have been twice that amount. How many times have the people in western Harnett County wanted to be annexed by another county? This I do know. In 1931, western Harnett County residents felt that they were not a part of the county. They offered to be annexed by Lee County but that county rejected. They felt that Harnett wanted their taxes and Lee County wanted their trade. Western Harnett County had not had the roads like other sections had. They needed to be made to feel a part of Harnett according to the Scribe who wrote for the Harnett County News. He had written that Western Harnett would one day be one of the most desirable places in the county to live (Harnett County News January 8, 1931). Have you been to Western Harnett County lately? Did the Scribe know something that others did not know in 1931?
February Superior Court jurors from Grove were Floyd Godwin, W.P. Johnson, Jr., L.O. Matthews, and A.L. Williams. Harnett County coffers were short of money because taxes were not paid; hence, Harnett leaders were forced to borrow money at high rates to pay teachers and operate schools. Less than half of the 1930 taxes had been collected. Taxpayers owed $265,000 to the county. Claude Pope had been hired to ride circuit with tax collector R.B.B. Shaw to assist him in coercing the delinquent taxpayer into paying up. Is this the era that the expression “You can’t get blood out of a turnip” came into being? Personal property was being levied to satisfy the taxes.”Bye-Bye Blue Bird”-no, it was “Bye-Bye Blue Ford” that was sung in 1931.Big taxpayers such as Erwin Mills, railroads, telephone, telegraph, etc had paid up. The individual landowners were those who were on the delinquent list.
How many bridges have been constructed over the Cape Fear River in Lillington? I do know that a new Lillington bridge was to be let by the State Highway Commission on February 10, 1931. The new bridge would take the place of the old, dilapidated and neglected bridge that fell into the Cape Fear River on the night of December 13, 1930 (Harnett County News January 15, 1931).
Coats basketball players Grace Penny, Vallie Coats, Rachel Turner, Ruby Ennis, and Mable Coats played forward. Allene Honeycutt, Lerma Parrish, Royaline King, Elsie Wood, and Christine Odum played guard. Grace Penny scored 37 points to help defeat the Erwin team on January 14 (Harnett County News January 15, 1931).
Recall that many of the Grove schools had consolidated before 1931. Their fund balances would go into the district into which they had consolidated. Barclaysville’s fund went to Coats and Angier-both received $44.37. Parker went to Erwin so no funds went to Coats. Sorrell School had $4.62 transferred to Coats School. The county board of education decided not to buy fire extinguishers due to the financial crisis. Dr. Garner Fuquay of Coats had resigned his position last month from Coats School but was reappointed at the Monday meeting to the school board. The Harnett County Board of Commissioners received the following request for funds for the February operations of schools: current expenses, $38,350.00; capital outlay, $525.00; and debt service, $11,273.00 for a total of $50,148.00 (Harnett County News January ,1931). Did you say ”Wow—that won’t even pay one principal’s salary in 2012?
The Coats P.T. A. meeting had a large number of men present. Mr. Odum explained the school expenses. Miss Betts’ fifth grade gave a play “Johnny Appleseed”. Her class also won the cake for having the most parents present. At the same time , the eighth grade was enjoying Treasure Island. Godfrey Beasley, the artist of the class, had made a colored drawing of Hispanolia on the board. Next he would draw the stockade where most of the action took place.
The scholarship honor roll was a short list in January. Miss Horton’s third grader who made the list was Zula Bright Hockaday. Exie Poole, Lucy Pollard, Clinton Lee, and Maude Stewart won honors in Miss Williams’ fourth grade. Miss Betts’ fifth grade students were Edna Barnes, Earl Highfield, Madeline King, Bobby Kelly, John Langdon, Fay Stephenson and Imogene Turlington. Herbert Johnson was the singular student in Miss Lee’s eighth grade. Mr. Lewis’ students in grade nine who scored high were Bernice Bayles, Lois Grimes , Mable Coats, Virginia Langdon, Grace Turlington, Josie Cannady and Vira Mae Whittington. Miss Johnson ‘s tenth graders were Onea Gregory, Mallie Jones and Tiny Weaver. Miss Broadwell’s had one senior (Grade11) Viola Mae Wood to make the honor roll (Harnett County News February 3, 1931). Were any of these honor students your ancestor?
Read next week to discover what was going on at the Gregory School and let’s follow the actions of Dr. Fuquay in his resignations from various positions. What was going on with the town doctor?
Saturday morning was absolutely amazing as groves of people from all over showed up to enjoy the food and get their first look at the new expansion at the Coats Museum. Many visitors spent time in front of the television watching the videos of the veterans’ stories and various interviews with locals that the museum volunteers have recorded the past six years. Others came bearing artifacts to be displayed in the museum. A fife from the Civil War played by Rufus Beasley was brought by Levin Beasley who came from Waltonwood in Cary to see the bare walls. John Weaver and Son Weaver documents were given to the museum by Son and Lucy Weaver’s children-Ann Miller, Kenneth, Mary Frances Williams and Benny Weaver. Dorothea Gilbert of Buies Creek gave the 1933-34 handbook of a Coats Woman’s Club.
PLEASE BE MINDFUL THAT THIS ARTICLE WAS IN THE DAILY RECORD ON JULY 20, 2012.
The year was 1931. Another man of fame had met his death via an airplane crash. Knute Rochne, coach of Notre Dame’s football team, was one of seven people killed on a mail plane. The Empire State Building, the world’s tallest building, had opened formally on May 1, 1931. Al Capone went to prison in this year. Thomas A. Edison died on October 18th at age 84. Edison had given the world the electric light, the phonograph, the motion picture, and hundreds of other inventions and because thousands of people were unemployed, many families had cut back on the enjoyment of some of these inventions.
However in Harnett County, some numbers were up. That would be the number of bales of cotton ginned in the county. In 1929, 29,681 bales were recorded as compared to 30,511 bales in 1930. There were approximately 500,000 automobiles in North Carolina-one for every five people. Cigarette packages sales increased only 5,000,000 in 1930 but should have been twice that amount. How many times have the people in western Harnett County wanted to be annexed by another county? This I do know. In 1931, western Harnett County residents felt that they were not a part of the county. They offered to be annexed by Lee County but that county rejected. They felt that Harnett wanted their taxes and Lee County wanted their trade. Western Harnett County had not had the roads like other sections had. They needed to be made to feel a part of Harnett according to the Scribe who wrote for the Harnett County News. He had written that Western Harnett would one day be one of the most desirable places in the county to live (Harnett County News January 8, 1931). Have you been to Western Harnett County lately? Did the Scribe know something that others did not know in 1931?
February Superior Court jurors from Grove were Floyd Godwin, W.P. Johnson, Jr., L.O. Matthews, and A.L. Williams. Harnett County coffers were short of money because taxes were not paid; hence, Harnett leaders were forced to borrow money at high rates to pay teachers and operate schools. Less than half of the 1930 taxes had been collected. Taxpayers owed $265,000 to the county. Claude Pope had been hired to ride circuit with tax collector R.B.B. Shaw to assist him in coercing the delinquent taxpayer into paying up. Is this the era that the expression “You can’t get blood out of a turnip” came into being? Personal property was being levied to satisfy the taxes.”Bye-Bye Blue Bird”-no, it was “Bye-Bye Blue Ford” that was sung in 1931.Big taxpayers such as Erwin Mills, railroads, telephone, telegraph, etc had paid up. The individual landowners were those who were on the delinquent list.
How many bridges have been constructed over the Cape Fear River in Lillington? I do know that a new Lillington bridge was to be let by the State Highway Commission on February 10, 1931. The new bridge would take the place of the old, dilapidated and neglected bridge that fell into the Cape Fear River on the night of December 13, 1930 (Harnett County News January 15, 1931).
Coats basketball players Grace Penny, Vallie Coats, Rachel Turner, Ruby Ennis, and Mable Coats played forward. Allene Honeycutt, Lerma Parrish, Royaline King, Elsie Wood, and Christine Odum played guard. Grace Penny scored 37 points to help defeat the Erwin team on January 14 (Harnett County News January 15, 1931).
Recall that many of the Grove schools had consolidated before 1931. Their fund balances would go into the district into which they had consolidated. Barclaysville’s fund went to Coats and Angier-both received $44.37. Parker went to Erwin so no funds went to Coats. Sorrell School had $4.62 transferred to Coats School. The county board of education decided not to buy fire extinguishers due to the financial crisis. Dr. Garner Fuquay of Coats had resigned his position last month from Coats School but was reappointed at the Monday meeting to the school board. The Harnett County Board of Commissioners received the following request for funds for the February operations of schools: current expenses, $38,350.00; capital outlay, $525.00; and debt service, $11,273.00 for a total of $50,148.00 (Harnett County News January ,1931). Did you say ”Wow—that won’t even pay one principal’s salary in 2012?
The Coats P.T. A. meeting had a large number of men present. Mr. Odum explained the school expenses. Miss Betts’ fifth grade gave a play “Johnny Appleseed”. Her class also won the cake for having the most parents present. At the same time , the eighth grade was enjoying Treasure Island. Godfrey Beasley, the artist of the class, had made a colored drawing of Hispanolia on the board. Next he would draw the stockade where most of the action took place.
The scholarship honor roll was a short list in January. Miss Horton’s third grader who made the list was Zula Bright Hockaday. Exie Poole, Lucy Pollard, Clinton Lee, and Maude Stewart won honors in Miss Williams’ fourth grade. Miss Betts’ fifth grade students were Edna Barnes, Earl Highfield, Madeline King, Bobby Kelly, John Langdon, Fay Stephenson and Imogene Turlington. Herbert Johnson was the singular student in Miss Lee’s eighth grade. Mr. Lewis’ students in grade nine who scored high were Bernice Bayles, Lois Grimes , Mable Coats, Virginia Langdon, Grace Turlington, Josie Cannady and Vira Mae Whittington. Miss Johnson ‘s tenth graders were Onea Gregory, Mallie Jones and Tiny Weaver. Miss Broadwell’s had one senior (Grade11) Viola Mae Wood to make the honor roll (Harnett County News February 3, 1931). Were any of these honor students your ancestor?
Read next week to discover what was going on at the Gregory School and let’s follow the actions of Dr. Fuquay in his resignations from various positions. What was going on with the town doctor?
Saturday morning was absolutely amazing as groves of people from all over showed up to enjoy the food and get their first look at the new expansion at the Coats Museum. Many visitors spent time in front of the television watching the videos of the veterans’ stories and various interviews with locals that the museum volunteers have recorded the past six years. Others came bearing artifacts to be displayed in the museum. A fife from the Civil War played by Rufus Beasley was brought by Levin Beasley who came from Waltonwood in Cary to see the bare walls. John Weaver and Son Weaver documents were given to the museum by Son and Lucy Weaver’s children-Ann Miller, Kenneth, Mary Frances Williams and Benny Weaver. Dorothea Gilbert of Buies Creek gave the 1933-34 handbook of a Coats Woman’s Club.
PLEASE BE MINDFUL THAT THIS ARTICLE WAS IN THE DAILY RECORD ON JULY 20, 2012.
