July 31, 2015 Coats
Museum News
Do you recall several columns back that there was to be a change in the route of the US 301 in Dunn? There was concern on how it would affect the merchants in Dunn. Where was the original route of that road? This I do know. According to the paper, work was to begin on the Dunn 301 Bypass before the end of 1954. Elsewhere the Democrats flagged the four-cent postage stamp as a GOP tax. That was a reference being made about the Republican Eisenhower raising the price of a stamp from three cents to four cents. Is hard to believe that one could ever mail a letter for three or four cents?
Little Elizabeth Capps of Coats had celebrated her eighth birthday with a party in her classroom at Coats. She was in Mrs. Keen’s first and second grade combination class. Wonder how many of her classmates lived on a tenant farm. The Dunn paper recorded that tenants farmed 52.8 percent of the farms in Harnett County. There were 5,331 farms in Harnett and 47,605 people according to the 1950 census. Fifteen point one percent of the total households had more than 1.5 persons per room in white families and 3.41 for non-white populace. Electric lights were missing in 15.1 percent of the farms. No kind of refrigeration was found in 28 percent of the farm homes and 52.3 percent of those 52.3 percent of those homes were non-white homes. Mechanical refrigeration (electric refrigerators) was found on 56.3 of the farms in the county. Almost 86 percent of the 43.7 percent that did not have refrigerators were in non-white farmhouses. About 60 percent of the homes did not have kitchen sinks and about 90 percent of those were in non-white farmhouses.
About 68 percent of the houses did not have piped water and 7.6 percent did not have any toilet facilities. About 85 percent had no showers; 90 percent had no hot water, and 98.6 had no central heat. Nearly 7 percent of the homes had no radios (Daily Record Feb. 5, 1954). At the time that this info was researched in 2004, that had only been about 50 years. Today it would be only 61 years so there are many readers out there who experienced these conditions. Were you one of them? Do you think they were “good ole days”?
Wonder if conditions were better for our military men. I do know that Leroy Jernigan, 22, son Mr. and Mrs. C.E. Jernigan of Coats, was promoted to sergeant first class while serving the 7th Infantry Division in Korea. Back in the county, a Harnett group attended the Jackson-Jefferson Democratic Dinner. Among those in attendance were Carson Gregory, Henry A. Turlington, Mr. and Mrs. Hoover Adams, Neill McKay Ross, Dougald McRae, Judge Paul Strickland, and Wade Lucas.
Mr. Charley Benton Young, 66, of Coats, died at his home on Saturday. He was the son of Amos G. and Mary Parrish Young. Surviving were his wife, Mrs. Tobita Young, six daughters and two sons-Ralph and Gerald. A sister, Mrs. Nellie Dupree, was of Coats (Daily Record Feb. 15, 1954). Does anyone know the names of the daughters? This I do know. Mr. Young’s grandson, Tommy Young, has just joined the gospel group, The Harvesters, after being with the Glorymen for many years. Tommy obviously inherited his beautiful voice from his dad Gerald Young who sang with Clyde Stone on WCKB for many years. Who can tell me the third member of that band?
Believe it or not- shoes could be purchased at Leder Bros. of Dunn for $1.99, shirts for $.88, and chenille spreads for $3.98—Bargain Days (Daily Record Feb. 16, 1954)!
Mrs. Annie Holder Peiffer, 41, wife of Robert Peiffer, died at her home. She was sister of Erwin Holder of Coats. Former Dunn Police Chief George Arthur Jackson had announced that he would run for the office of Constable of Averasboro Township. Fred Turlington’s Store at Turlington Crossroads was broken into and had $25.00 stolen (Daily Record Feb. 17, 1954).
Mrs. Bessie Pleasant Nordan, 62, of Benson Route 1, died at Good Hope Hospital. Her services were at Bethel with interment at the Nordan Cemetery. She was survived by her husband, J. Albert Nordan; three son-C.B., Joe Tom, and John Nordan; one brother-R.A. Pleasant and one half brother-Richard Pleasant; three sisters-Mrs. Newborn Weeks, Mrs. Flossie Penny and Miss Lola Pleasant (Daily Record Feb. 19, 1954). Did not most of these folks live near Bailey’s Crossroads?
Chairman Joe Norris of the March of Dimes Drive in Benson reported the drive netted $1,340.31.
The students at Coats High School attended a meeting with Mrs. Gladys Phillips and Mrs. Mary Jo Mann if they were interested in becoming teachers. Students who attended the meeting were Jean Ryals, Hughie Baker, Della Jackson, Charlotte Ferrell, Becky Pope, Lea Joy Johnson, Sue Johnson, Faye Avery, Susan Turlington, Jo Ann Stephenson, Donald Blalock, Allie Mae Barnes, Bobby Smith, Connie Mason and Joyce Johnson. How many of them became teachers?
Upsets marked the basketball tournament. Coats boys defeated the favored Boone Trail team by 59-54. The highly favored Coats girls’ team lost to Lillington sextet by 47-37. Surely there were some tears shed on the part of the girls’ loss and for sure there were many for the family of George A. Truelove of Dunn, Route 3, who had died at age seventy at his home of a heart attack. G.A. Truelove of Coats was his son (Daily Record Feb. 22, 1954).
The Daily Record featured an article on two super salesmen-Mayor J.D. Norris and Herbert L. Johnson. Johnson was a native of Coats, son of “Joe Johnson of a prominent Harnett family”. He attended Coats High School, Campbell, and NC State with a degree in civil engineering in 1937. He served as a county surveyor for six years. The article continued, “Like Johnson, Norris was a native of the area. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Norris of near Coats. Norris started out in the grocer business at the Textile Union Store in East Erwin and in 1939 took a job with the Imperial Life Insurance Co. He was the popular Coats mayor. During his term, the streets of Coats were paved.” It is interesting to note that Mayor Norris followed Mayor Vic Lee who resigned his position to move into his new house outside of Coats. Under Lee the town had purchased a new grader and had installed the first two stoplights for the town –one at the intersection of NC 55 and NC27 and the other at the intersection of Main and McKinley Street. It seems there was a big problem with speeders going through town. Were drivers required to drive on a certain side of the streets in 1954?
The same edition of the paper continued that Dan McLamb, five year-old son of Brantley and Ruby Johnson McLamb, had celebrated his birthday with a party. The All-County Basketball Teams were selected. Two of the six girls selected at the tournament were Coats players-Ann Pleasant and Sue Johnson. The Coats team also won the Sportsmanship Award.
I bet you have been wondering when the inspector was going to check the markets, restaurants, and abattoirs in the Coats area in 1954. There were four Coats markets graded for sanitation –City Market, Coats Super Market, Coats Variety Store and M.E. Ennis Market. The three Coats restaurants checked were Keene’s Drive-In, The Kitchen and Norris’s Café. All of these along with the Hayes Abattoir met the grade (Daily Record Feb. 24, 1954).
We really enjoyed a visit from Dottie Tyndall who visited the museum to loan the plaque presented to her late husband, Jerry Tyndall, signifying his patent on his first metal detector. Jerry’s metal detectors can be found on many continents.
One of our favorite people to visit the museum is Mike Tocci from Sparks, Nevada. He spent last week in our area with his mom’s folks-Jane Barnes and Margaret Gardner Johnson. He shared additional information about his parents who served in WWII and were married in Italy after our victory in Europe. We are so fortunate to have on display his mom’ s wedding dress made by Italian seamstresses from parachute material and his dad’s uniform. Both items get many comments from visitors. Lynda videoed Mike as he shared his parents’ story of love and WWII experiences.
Thank you goes to Sandra W. McKellar and Pamela W. Brewer who gave memorials for their sister Anita Grimes’ father-in-law, James Grimes. If James could respond to everyone’s generosity in remembering him he would probably say, “Ain’t that something, girls!”
Do you recall several columns back that there was to be a change in the route of the US 301 in Dunn? There was concern on how it would affect the merchants in Dunn. Where was the original route of that road? This I do know. According to the paper, work was to begin on the Dunn 301 Bypass before the end of 1954. Elsewhere the Democrats flagged the four-cent postage stamp as a GOP tax. That was a reference being made about the Republican Eisenhower raising the price of a stamp from three cents to four cents. Is hard to believe that one could ever mail a letter for three or four cents?
Little Elizabeth Capps of Coats had celebrated her eighth birthday with a party in her classroom at Coats. She was in Mrs. Keen’s first and second grade combination class. Wonder how many of her classmates lived on a tenant farm. The Dunn paper recorded that tenants farmed 52.8 percent of the farms in Harnett County. There were 5,331 farms in Harnett and 47,605 people according to the 1950 census. Fifteen point one percent of the total households had more than 1.5 persons per room in white families and 3.41 for non-white populace. Electric lights were missing in 15.1 percent of the farms. No kind of refrigeration was found in 28 percent of the farm homes and 52.3 percent of those 52.3 percent of those homes were non-white homes. Mechanical refrigeration (electric refrigerators) was found on 56.3 of the farms in the county. Almost 86 percent of the 43.7 percent that did not have refrigerators were in non-white farmhouses. About 60 percent of the homes did not have kitchen sinks and about 90 percent of those were in non-white farmhouses.
About 68 percent of the houses did not have piped water and 7.6 percent did not have any toilet facilities. About 85 percent had no showers; 90 percent had no hot water, and 98.6 had no central heat. Nearly 7 percent of the homes had no radios (Daily Record Feb. 5, 1954). At the time that this info was researched in 2004, that had only been about 50 years. Today it would be only 61 years so there are many readers out there who experienced these conditions. Were you one of them? Do you think they were “good ole days”?
Wonder if conditions were better for our military men. I do know that Leroy Jernigan, 22, son Mr. and Mrs. C.E. Jernigan of Coats, was promoted to sergeant first class while serving the 7th Infantry Division in Korea. Back in the county, a Harnett group attended the Jackson-Jefferson Democratic Dinner. Among those in attendance were Carson Gregory, Henry A. Turlington, Mr. and Mrs. Hoover Adams, Neill McKay Ross, Dougald McRae, Judge Paul Strickland, and Wade Lucas.
Mr. Charley Benton Young, 66, of Coats, died at his home on Saturday. He was the son of Amos G. and Mary Parrish Young. Surviving were his wife, Mrs. Tobita Young, six daughters and two sons-Ralph and Gerald. A sister, Mrs. Nellie Dupree, was of Coats (Daily Record Feb. 15, 1954). Does anyone know the names of the daughters? This I do know. Mr. Young’s grandson, Tommy Young, has just joined the gospel group, The Harvesters, after being with the Glorymen for many years. Tommy obviously inherited his beautiful voice from his dad Gerald Young who sang with Clyde Stone on WCKB for many years. Who can tell me the third member of that band?
Believe it or not- shoes could be purchased at Leder Bros. of Dunn for $1.99, shirts for $.88, and chenille spreads for $3.98—Bargain Days (Daily Record Feb. 16, 1954)!
Mrs. Annie Holder Peiffer, 41, wife of Robert Peiffer, died at her home. She was sister of Erwin Holder of Coats. Former Dunn Police Chief George Arthur Jackson had announced that he would run for the office of Constable of Averasboro Township. Fred Turlington’s Store at Turlington Crossroads was broken into and had $25.00 stolen (Daily Record Feb. 17, 1954).
Mrs. Bessie Pleasant Nordan, 62, of Benson Route 1, died at Good Hope Hospital. Her services were at Bethel with interment at the Nordan Cemetery. She was survived by her husband, J. Albert Nordan; three son-C.B., Joe Tom, and John Nordan; one brother-R.A. Pleasant and one half brother-Richard Pleasant; three sisters-Mrs. Newborn Weeks, Mrs. Flossie Penny and Miss Lola Pleasant (Daily Record Feb. 19, 1954). Did not most of these folks live near Bailey’s Crossroads?
Chairman Joe Norris of the March of Dimes Drive in Benson reported the drive netted $1,340.31.
The students at Coats High School attended a meeting with Mrs. Gladys Phillips and Mrs. Mary Jo Mann if they were interested in becoming teachers. Students who attended the meeting were Jean Ryals, Hughie Baker, Della Jackson, Charlotte Ferrell, Becky Pope, Lea Joy Johnson, Sue Johnson, Faye Avery, Susan Turlington, Jo Ann Stephenson, Donald Blalock, Allie Mae Barnes, Bobby Smith, Connie Mason and Joyce Johnson. How many of them became teachers?
Upsets marked the basketball tournament. Coats boys defeated the favored Boone Trail team by 59-54. The highly favored Coats girls’ team lost to Lillington sextet by 47-37. Surely there were some tears shed on the part of the girls’ loss and for sure there were many for the family of George A. Truelove of Dunn, Route 3, who had died at age seventy at his home of a heart attack. G.A. Truelove of Coats was his son (Daily Record Feb. 22, 1954).
The Daily Record featured an article on two super salesmen-Mayor J.D. Norris and Herbert L. Johnson. Johnson was a native of Coats, son of “Joe Johnson of a prominent Harnett family”. He attended Coats High School, Campbell, and NC State with a degree in civil engineering in 1937. He served as a county surveyor for six years. The article continued, “Like Johnson, Norris was a native of the area. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Norris of near Coats. Norris started out in the grocer business at the Textile Union Store in East Erwin and in 1939 took a job with the Imperial Life Insurance Co. He was the popular Coats mayor. During his term, the streets of Coats were paved.” It is interesting to note that Mayor Norris followed Mayor Vic Lee who resigned his position to move into his new house outside of Coats. Under Lee the town had purchased a new grader and had installed the first two stoplights for the town –one at the intersection of NC 55 and NC27 and the other at the intersection of Main and McKinley Street. It seems there was a big problem with speeders going through town. Were drivers required to drive on a certain side of the streets in 1954?
The same edition of the paper continued that Dan McLamb, five year-old son of Brantley and Ruby Johnson McLamb, had celebrated his birthday with a party. The All-County Basketball Teams were selected. Two of the six girls selected at the tournament were Coats players-Ann Pleasant and Sue Johnson. The Coats team also won the Sportsmanship Award.
I bet you have been wondering when the inspector was going to check the markets, restaurants, and abattoirs in the Coats area in 1954. There were four Coats markets graded for sanitation –City Market, Coats Super Market, Coats Variety Store and M.E. Ennis Market. The three Coats restaurants checked were Keene’s Drive-In, The Kitchen and Norris’s Café. All of these along with the Hayes Abattoir met the grade (Daily Record Feb. 24, 1954).
We really enjoyed a visit from Dottie Tyndall who visited the museum to loan the plaque presented to her late husband, Jerry Tyndall, signifying his patent on his first metal detector. Jerry’s metal detectors can be found on many continents.
One of our favorite people to visit the museum is Mike Tocci from Sparks, Nevada. He spent last week in our area with his mom’s folks-Jane Barnes and Margaret Gardner Johnson. He shared additional information about his parents who served in WWII and were married in Italy after our victory in Europe. We are so fortunate to have on display his mom’ s wedding dress made by Italian seamstresses from parachute material and his dad’s uniform. Both items get many comments from visitors. Lynda videoed Mike as he shared his parents’ story of love and WWII experiences.
Thank you goes to Sandra W. McKellar and Pamela W. Brewer who gave memorials for their sister Anita Grimes’ father-in-law, James Grimes. If James could respond to everyone’s generosity in remembering him he would probably say, “Ain’t that something, girls!”