June 17, 2022 Coats Museum News
For the last few weeks you have read about the Grove Townships schools recorded as the Ennis –Oakdale District #1 Grove, Gregory-Fair Hope District #2, Coats District #3 and Turlington District #4. You also read that the one room Wiggins #5 consolidated with Turlington #4B in 1913. Additional research will be required to share information on the history of the Wiggins School.
I do know this. On September 7, 1885, J.R. Grady, Neill McLeod and James A. Morgan met at the Board of Education and appointed to District 13 James A. Avera, John L. Ennis, and R.M. (W) Parker. On January 8, 1896, the minutes indicated that Districts 18, 14, and 13 were joined to form a new school, District 62. Devereux Turlington, W.J. Hodges, and R.B. Johnson were appointed to the committee for District 62.
On July 5, 1897, the Board of Education minutes recorded that R.M. Parker was named as a committeeman to Key School. On June 5, 1916, Grove District 8 Key was eliminated and the pupils went to Grove District #6 Sorrell School and Duke (Erwin). The resources were not available to me through records to untangle the Key School and another school referred to as the Wye School. Were they the same school but called a different name on the records than what students called it? It appears that they are in the section of Grove Township that meant that the students would be relocated into Duke or Sorrell #6.
It is not definitive that any of this changing of districts was the source for the establishment of the Parker School which was on the land owned by R.W. (M) Parker. The Parker School was referred to on the 1917 records as Grove District #5.
Records of 1917-18 indicated that the daily attendance at Parker District #5 was 36 students and the 2 teachers earned $50.40 each (higher than any other teachers in Grove Township).
In 1919-20, there were 102 students on school census; in 1920-21, 103; in 1921-22,116, and in 1922-23 there were 112. In 1920-21, a third teacher was added.
In the 1922-23 term, Ethel Graham reported to the county that the school consisted of 3 rooms, 1toilet, 2 U.S. flags, 3 teachers’ desks, 37 patent desks (18 single desks, 19 double desks), 12 homemade desks, 3 stoves, 1 library, 75 books in 1 bookcase, 1 musical instrument, I pump, 1 globe and 6 maps.
Parker District # 5 records indicated that 15 students attended 110 to 120 days. Ethel Graham reported 14 students to the attendance officer for unexcused absences. No transportation was available and no public donations were recorded in that term. One student over 20 years of age attended school and was in the 8th grade. One student was 18 years old and was in the 6th grade while another 18 year old was in the 8th grade.
Mrs. Gertie Hight (Ennis) (Tommy Ennis’s Mom) was a former teacher at Parker and she recalled that the front porch of the school was used as the setting for programs and, sometimes, even older youth from the neighborhood were in the programs. She found the school to contain young students who were eager to learn.
A.C. Hollaway, Gertie Hight Ennis, Kathleen Honeycutt, R.C. McNabb, Iva McNabb, Mamie Turlington, Lena Morris, Mary Lou Smith, Mrs. R.H. Williamson, Ralvin McLeod, Mamie Lee, Mrs. O.M. (Irene) Johnson, Josephine Link, Nannie McNeill, and Aggie Woodward taught at Parker #5.
There is a house in the close vicinity to the Cape Fear Christian Academy that is said to be the building that housed the Parker School. Can someone verify this to the folks at the Coats Museum?
The date was September 7, 1885. The Harnett County Board of Education met and J.R. Grady, Neill McLeod, and James a Morgan were present. Mordecai Parrish, R. Sorrell and M. Ennis were duly appointed to District 18 school district. There were 56 white school districts at that time and the Harnett County Superintendent J.A. Cameron was paid $3.00 a day for every day of service.
Grove District #6, formerly 18, 13, and 14, was known as the Sorrell School. John C. Sorrell is the patriarch of all the Sorrell clan that lived (s) on the current Red Hill Church Road and the Turlington Road. Legend is that John C. Sorrell came to this area because of the naval stores industry and would own over 1600 acres of land in the area and father a house full of children. It would be his sons, William Richardson and Calvin who are associated with the sites of Sorrell District # 6 and Sorrell District #6A.
The Sorrell District # 6 school predated the Turlington District #4 School since Andrew Jackson Turlington had built the first Turlington School for his little crippled granddaughter to attend. Little Mary was unable to walk the distance to the Sorrell School.
The first Sorrell District # 6 was a one room, one heater school. Lightwood and wood were picked up in the woods by the students to feed the stove. Water was obtained from a spring. Mr. Walt Sorrell, 96 year old former student who attended the Sorrell School, remembered that Annie Parker was his teacher. He stated that the school was moved from its original site on the Calvin Sorrell farm about one mile south of the second Sorrell School. The old site was near a gravel pit and was moved prior to 1916 to the farm of William Richard Sorrell, older brother of Calvin Sorrell, since Mae Johnson had taught at Sorrell School in 1916 in the second site.
There, the old school had an additional room added. Maude Johnson and Mae Johnson, principal, taught in 1919-20. Average salary was between $42.50 and $60.00 at Sorrell District #6.
In 1920-21, H. Boyd Pichard and Berta Sloop taught at Sorrell. In 1921-22, Ethel Graham and Gertie Hight (Ennis) taught and boarded with Mr. and Mrs. H.A. Turlington, Sr. Gertie Hight remembered that during lunch break, the students ate lunches consisting of sweet potatoes, sausage biscuits and other meats and plain cake.
She recalled that ball was played and remembered that one of the students, the granddaughter of William Richard Sorrell, was hit in the face with a ball. Wonder if she remembered the incident because the student was badly injured or it was because she was the granddaughter of the school’s namesake.
This I do know. In 1922-23, Sorrell grew to a three- teacher school. J.W. Bordeux, Mae Crumpler, and Lillian Spence taught. Gregg Epsie, Minnie Turlington and Mary Allen taught in 1923-24. Sallie Rebecca King, Brookie Stewart, and Maude Hill taught in 1925-26 and they were there the next year and earned $95.00, $60.00 and $60.00 respectively. In 1927-28, Annie Lee Halloway, Carrie Dixie Bizzell and Gladys Maria Jenkins were at Sorrell. They earned $115.00, $90.00 and $80.00 respectively.
Attendance dropped and the school returned to the two teachers. Dixie Bizzell and Brookie Stewart taught for two terms and earned $95.00 and $90.00. The county gave each as additional $15.00. In 1929-30, the Sorrell School closed its door and consolidated with the Coats Grove District #3 School.
Next week you will read about the last Grove School to consolidate with Coats District #3-the Penny “Rockridge” Grove District #7 School. It was located on what is now the Bill Avery Road.
Tomorrow morning, the Coats Museum will have its annual meeting to nominate the officers and new members to the board of directors. I will share information on that meeting next week along with how a group of thirty senior citizens from Durham reacted to their visit to Coats last Tuesday.
For the last few weeks you have read about the Grove Townships schools recorded as the Ennis –Oakdale District #1 Grove, Gregory-Fair Hope District #2, Coats District #3 and Turlington District #4. You also read that the one room Wiggins #5 consolidated with Turlington #4B in 1913. Additional research will be required to share information on the history of the Wiggins School.
I do know this. On September 7, 1885, J.R. Grady, Neill McLeod and James A. Morgan met at the Board of Education and appointed to District 13 James A. Avera, John L. Ennis, and R.M. (W) Parker. On January 8, 1896, the minutes indicated that Districts 18, 14, and 13 were joined to form a new school, District 62. Devereux Turlington, W.J. Hodges, and R.B. Johnson were appointed to the committee for District 62.
On July 5, 1897, the Board of Education minutes recorded that R.M. Parker was named as a committeeman to Key School. On June 5, 1916, Grove District 8 Key was eliminated and the pupils went to Grove District #6 Sorrell School and Duke (Erwin). The resources were not available to me through records to untangle the Key School and another school referred to as the Wye School. Were they the same school but called a different name on the records than what students called it? It appears that they are in the section of Grove Township that meant that the students would be relocated into Duke or Sorrell #6.
It is not definitive that any of this changing of districts was the source for the establishment of the Parker School which was on the land owned by R.W. (M) Parker. The Parker School was referred to on the 1917 records as Grove District #5.
Records of 1917-18 indicated that the daily attendance at Parker District #5 was 36 students and the 2 teachers earned $50.40 each (higher than any other teachers in Grove Township).
In 1919-20, there were 102 students on school census; in 1920-21, 103; in 1921-22,116, and in 1922-23 there were 112. In 1920-21, a third teacher was added.
In the 1922-23 term, Ethel Graham reported to the county that the school consisted of 3 rooms, 1toilet, 2 U.S. flags, 3 teachers’ desks, 37 patent desks (18 single desks, 19 double desks), 12 homemade desks, 3 stoves, 1 library, 75 books in 1 bookcase, 1 musical instrument, I pump, 1 globe and 6 maps.
Parker District # 5 records indicated that 15 students attended 110 to 120 days. Ethel Graham reported 14 students to the attendance officer for unexcused absences. No transportation was available and no public donations were recorded in that term. One student over 20 years of age attended school and was in the 8th grade. One student was 18 years old and was in the 6th grade while another 18 year old was in the 8th grade.
Mrs. Gertie Hight (Ennis) (Tommy Ennis’s Mom) was a former teacher at Parker and she recalled that the front porch of the school was used as the setting for programs and, sometimes, even older youth from the neighborhood were in the programs. She found the school to contain young students who were eager to learn.
A.C. Hollaway, Gertie Hight Ennis, Kathleen Honeycutt, R.C. McNabb, Iva McNabb, Mamie Turlington, Lena Morris, Mary Lou Smith, Mrs. R.H. Williamson, Ralvin McLeod, Mamie Lee, Mrs. O.M. (Irene) Johnson, Josephine Link, Nannie McNeill, and Aggie Woodward taught at Parker #5.
There is a house in the close vicinity to the Cape Fear Christian Academy that is said to be the building that housed the Parker School. Can someone verify this to the folks at the Coats Museum?
The date was September 7, 1885. The Harnett County Board of Education met and J.R. Grady, Neill McLeod, and James a Morgan were present. Mordecai Parrish, R. Sorrell and M. Ennis were duly appointed to District 18 school district. There were 56 white school districts at that time and the Harnett County Superintendent J.A. Cameron was paid $3.00 a day for every day of service.
Grove District #6, formerly 18, 13, and 14, was known as the Sorrell School. John C. Sorrell is the patriarch of all the Sorrell clan that lived (s) on the current Red Hill Church Road and the Turlington Road. Legend is that John C. Sorrell came to this area because of the naval stores industry and would own over 1600 acres of land in the area and father a house full of children. It would be his sons, William Richardson and Calvin who are associated with the sites of Sorrell District # 6 and Sorrell District #6A.
The Sorrell District # 6 school predated the Turlington District #4 School since Andrew Jackson Turlington had built the first Turlington School for his little crippled granddaughter to attend. Little Mary was unable to walk the distance to the Sorrell School.
The first Sorrell District # 6 was a one room, one heater school. Lightwood and wood were picked up in the woods by the students to feed the stove. Water was obtained from a spring. Mr. Walt Sorrell, 96 year old former student who attended the Sorrell School, remembered that Annie Parker was his teacher. He stated that the school was moved from its original site on the Calvin Sorrell farm about one mile south of the second Sorrell School. The old site was near a gravel pit and was moved prior to 1916 to the farm of William Richard Sorrell, older brother of Calvin Sorrell, since Mae Johnson had taught at Sorrell School in 1916 in the second site.
There, the old school had an additional room added. Maude Johnson and Mae Johnson, principal, taught in 1919-20. Average salary was between $42.50 and $60.00 at Sorrell District #6.
In 1920-21, H. Boyd Pichard and Berta Sloop taught at Sorrell. In 1921-22, Ethel Graham and Gertie Hight (Ennis) taught and boarded with Mr. and Mrs. H.A. Turlington, Sr. Gertie Hight remembered that during lunch break, the students ate lunches consisting of sweet potatoes, sausage biscuits and other meats and plain cake.
She recalled that ball was played and remembered that one of the students, the granddaughter of William Richard Sorrell, was hit in the face with a ball. Wonder if she remembered the incident because the student was badly injured or it was because she was the granddaughter of the school’s namesake.
This I do know. In 1922-23, Sorrell grew to a three- teacher school. J.W. Bordeux, Mae Crumpler, and Lillian Spence taught. Gregg Epsie, Minnie Turlington and Mary Allen taught in 1923-24. Sallie Rebecca King, Brookie Stewart, and Maude Hill taught in 1925-26 and they were there the next year and earned $95.00, $60.00 and $60.00 respectively. In 1927-28, Annie Lee Halloway, Carrie Dixie Bizzell and Gladys Maria Jenkins were at Sorrell. They earned $115.00, $90.00 and $80.00 respectively.
Attendance dropped and the school returned to the two teachers. Dixie Bizzell and Brookie Stewart taught for two terms and earned $95.00 and $90.00. The county gave each as additional $15.00. In 1929-30, the Sorrell School closed its door and consolidated with the Coats Grove District #3 School.
Next week you will read about the last Grove School to consolidate with Coats District #3-the Penny “Rockridge” Grove District #7 School. It was located on what is now the Bill Avery Road.
Tomorrow morning, the Coats Museum will have its annual meeting to nominate the officers and new members to the board of directors. I will share information on that meeting next week along with how a group of thirty senior citizens from Durham reacted to their visit to Coats last Tuesday.