June 7, 2013 Coats Museum News
You were asked last week if anyone in Coats had been killed by a train on the Durham and Southern Railroad that ran through the town. Many of our youngest readers are not even aware that a railroad ever ran through the town. Let’s tell them a bit about the history of it and the town of Coats. On May 23, 1903, Elder Tom Coats donated land for a right-of-way and depot for the Cape Fear and Northern Railroad. Then on July 13, 1903, his son Andrew D. Coats became the station agent and postmaster of Coats. On November 23, 1904, Carrie Coats, Robert Metzer Coats, J.T. and Nancy Isabella Turlington Coats granted 6.13 acres to the Cape Fear and Northern Railroad. Who were J. Tom and Nancy Isabella Tulington Coats? Read on to discover to see how this Johnston County man acquired this property in the Troyville post office area.
It is interesting to note that Coats was not really an incorporated town until March 4, 1905, but the area was known as Coats in the “North Carolina Post Offices and Postmasters Records” where Andrew D. Coats was listed as postmaster in 1903. In the “1890 N.C. Business Directory-Harnett County”, Harnett authorities reported the various populations at the post offices in the area- Barclaysville (15), Troyville (20), Averasboro (38), Dunn (821), Lillington (156), and Turlington 25). You will note that there is no mention of a Coats post office in 1890.
Large acreage around Troyville was owned by Thomas Coats who had purchased over 700 acres of land. Where and when did he acquire this land? H.A. and Jennettie Barnes sold him 92 acres for $110.00 in 1875. He paid Mary Ann Barnes (Daniel Shaw heir), $240.00 for 160 acres in 1875. Coats purchased 227 acres from B.F. Shaw, A.J. Shaw, A.H. Shaw, D.W. Shaw of Texas, and Mary Ann Shaw Barnes, heirs of Daniel Shaw, for $ 2, 081.00. In 1876, he bought another 227 acres of the Daniel Shaw land from Benjamin Shaw and wife, A.H. Shaw, Daniel W. Shaw and John A. Shaw of Texas, Mary Ann Barnes, A.J. Byrd and wife Margaret Caroline Byrd. He paid them $1, 020.50 for this acreage. On December 31, 1887, Andrew Jackson Turlington and Brazilla Denning Turlington of Harnett County gave daughter Nancy Isabella Turlington Coats (wife of Thomas Coats) 2 tracts of land for one dollar. One tract of 75 acres was on the west side of Black River adjacent to J.K. Stewart and the second tract of 35 acres was adjacent to Joseph Stone property. This meant that Coats had access to over 800 acres of land in 1888 (Harnett County Grantor-Grantee Records-N.C. Archives).
In 1882, Thomas Coats became an ordained elder of the Primitive Baptist Church. He preached at New Hope Primitive Baptist Church. This church building is a residence in 2013 and is the house on the left before reaching the Carson Gregory Road and Ma’s Grill on N.C. Highway 55. He wanted the area to have a religious life so he built in 1904 at his own expense and donated the Gift Primitive Baptist in Coats.
From 1891-1894, Preacher Tom sold 111 acres of his land to people interested in living in the area. On October 9, 1902, he sold Thomas D. Stewart 16 more acres. On September 2, 1903, he gave his son, W.H. Coats 114 acres of land; his son R.M. Coats was given 108 acres and his son Andrew Coats received 92 acres. He sold Benjamin L. Langdon a lot on October 16, 1903. David Ryals bought 30.75 acres on November 23, 1904. Milly Bailey and J.R. Woodall purchased land from Elder Coats on August 31, 1904. He had surveyor Lambert to lay off the area and to include 2 acres for a final resting place for the citizens (Harnett County Grantor-Grantee Records).
It would be one year after the area called Coats was chartered in 1905 that the Cape Fear and Northern Railroad was consolidated into the Durham and Southern Railroad. It was on these tracks of the Durham and Southern Railroad that ran through Coats that Howard Beasley, a 30 year-old filling station operator, was killed in an accident which occurred only a few blocks from the depot in 1940. His brother, E. M. Beasley, found his body after searching for him when he failed to come home at the regular time. A six-man jury convened the next morning. It consisted of J.E. Jackson, C.V. Stewart, Worth Stewart, Newton Byrd, A .C. Grimes and J.F. Parrish. The men concluded that Beasley was asleep when he was hit by the Durham and Southern train (Harnett County News August 29, 1940).
School days has arrived but not at Coats. The school committeemen at Coats made the decision to postpone the school opening until September 25, 1940. The children were needed for harvesting of crops (Harnett County News September 12, 1940). Was that called “local control”?
When the listing of the teachers was posted in the paper, surely the youngsters were wishing and guessing who would be their teacher. J.T. Jerome was the principal and the following were listed as teachers: M.P Snipes, H.A. Godwin, Mattie Gainey, Mabel Lynch, Kate Black, George G. Richards, M.L. Coggins, M.O. Phillips, Ruther Summers, Nettie Pearle Tilley, Melissa Ward, Mrs. J.T. Jerome, Rosa Edwards, Eunice Dawson, Dulcie Terry, Mrs. Hazel Gunter Sorrell, Mrs. J.B. Williams, Mrs. Ada B. Brickhouse, Erma Benson, Mrs. Mattie Highhill, Mrs. Ella Footman, Mrs. Margaret Snipes, and Mrs. George Richards. At Oakdale Elementary School the teachers were J.R. Mc Daniels, Emily C. Barbour, Ester Morgan, and Elizabeth E. Burns (Harnett County News September 12, 1940). Did you know that Mrs. Hazel Sorrell is living still and sharp. Are there others still alive?
Talk about planning ahead, read next week to see the planned activities for the students in the 1940-41 school year at Coats School.
One of the many rewards of working at the museum is to meet newcomers who come through the doors and also to learn more about those whom you thought you knew. Martha Goff shared via her sister-in-law Lynda Butler that the Wilson& Lee Drug Store is the current site of the Broad Street Deli and Market in Dunn. The drug store eventually became Butler and Carroll. Robie and Martha are descendants of the Butlers and Druggist Carroll was the husband of Mrs. Carroll whom we remember as being a Coats teacher in the primary department in the late 50’s and 60’s. Brenda Rhiner, who shared with us the textbook from the Wilson & Lee Corner Drugstore, returned to the museum bearing pictures taken when tin plates were common. She has priceless pictures of high school students and activities taken at the time about which you are now reading in the column. Many of the photographs are of the Coats girls’ basketball championship team. Do the names “Beanie” Langdon and Mable Reid Hayes sound familiar? Does anyone remember when the typewriters had carbon ribbons? Did you ever see the little tin can in which the little wheel of ribbon came? Thanks to Hilda Pope, the museum has a small ribbon can on display beside one of the vintage typewriters in our typewriter exhibit. Carl Byrd, thank you for your gift of two blue bird houses for the heritage square.
You were asked last week if anyone in Coats had been killed by a train on the Durham and Southern Railroad that ran through the town. Many of our youngest readers are not even aware that a railroad ever ran through the town. Let’s tell them a bit about the history of it and the town of Coats. On May 23, 1903, Elder Tom Coats donated land for a right-of-way and depot for the Cape Fear and Northern Railroad. Then on July 13, 1903, his son Andrew D. Coats became the station agent and postmaster of Coats. On November 23, 1904, Carrie Coats, Robert Metzer Coats, J.T. and Nancy Isabella Turlington Coats granted 6.13 acres to the Cape Fear and Northern Railroad. Who were J. Tom and Nancy Isabella Tulington Coats? Read on to discover to see how this Johnston County man acquired this property in the Troyville post office area.
It is interesting to note that Coats was not really an incorporated town until March 4, 1905, but the area was known as Coats in the “North Carolina Post Offices and Postmasters Records” where Andrew D. Coats was listed as postmaster in 1903. In the “1890 N.C. Business Directory-Harnett County”, Harnett authorities reported the various populations at the post offices in the area- Barclaysville (15), Troyville (20), Averasboro (38), Dunn (821), Lillington (156), and Turlington 25). You will note that there is no mention of a Coats post office in 1890.
Large acreage around Troyville was owned by Thomas Coats who had purchased over 700 acres of land. Where and when did he acquire this land? H.A. and Jennettie Barnes sold him 92 acres for $110.00 in 1875. He paid Mary Ann Barnes (Daniel Shaw heir), $240.00 for 160 acres in 1875. Coats purchased 227 acres from B.F. Shaw, A.J. Shaw, A.H. Shaw, D.W. Shaw of Texas, and Mary Ann Shaw Barnes, heirs of Daniel Shaw, for $ 2, 081.00. In 1876, he bought another 227 acres of the Daniel Shaw land from Benjamin Shaw and wife, A.H. Shaw, Daniel W. Shaw and John A. Shaw of Texas, Mary Ann Barnes, A.J. Byrd and wife Margaret Caroline Byrd. He paid them $1, 020.50 for this acreage. On December 31, 1887, Andrew Jackson Turlington and Brazilla Denning Turlington of Harnett County gave daughter Nancy Isabella Turlington Coats (wife of Thomas Coats) 2 tracts of land for one dollar. One tract of 75 acres was on the west side of Black River adjacent to J.K. Stewart and the second tract of 35 acres was adjacent to Joseph Stone property. This meant that Coats had access to over 800 acres of land in 1888 (Harnett County Grantor-Grantee Records-N.C. Archives).
In 1882, Thomas Coats became an ordained elder of the Primitive Baptist Church. He preached at New Hope Primitive Baptist Church. This church building is a residence in 2013 and is the house on the left before reaching the Carson Gregory Road and Ma’s Grill on N.C. Highway 55. He wanted the area to have a religious life so he built in 1904 at his own expense and donated the Gift Primitive Baptist in Coats.
From 1891-1894, Preacher Tom sold 111 acres of his land to people interested in living in the area. On October 9, 1902, he sold Thomas D. Stewart 16 more acres. On September 2, 1903, he gave his son, W.H. Coats 114 acres of land; his son R.M. Coats was given 108 acres and his son Andrew Coats received 92 acres. He sold Benjamin L. Langdon a lot on October 16, 1903. David Ryals bought 30.75 acres on November 23, 1904. Milly Bailey and J.R. Woodall purchased land from Elder Coats on August 31, 1904. He had surveyor Lambert to lay off the area and to include 2 acres for a final resting place for the citizens (Harnett County Grantor-Grantee Records).
It would be one year after the area called Coats was chartered in 1905 that the Cape Fear and Northern Railroad was consolidated into the Durham and Southern Railroad. It was on these tracks of the Durham and Southern Railroad that ran through Coats that Howard Beasley, a 30 year-old filling station operator, was killed in an accident which occurred only a few blocks from the depot in 1940. His brother, E. M. Beasley, found his body after searching for him when he failed to come home at the regular time. A six-man jury convened the next morning. It consisted of J.E. Jackson, C.V. Stewart, Worth Stewart, Newton Byrd, A .C. Grimes and J.F. Parrish. The men concluded that Beasley was asleep when he was hit by the Durham and Southern train (Harnett County News August 29, 1940).
School days has arrived but not at Coats. The school committeemen at Coats made the decision to postpone the school opening until September 25, 1940. The children were needed for harvesting of crops (Harnett County News September 12, 1940). Was that called “local control”?
When the listing of the teachers was posted in the paper, surely the youngsters were wishing and guessing who would be their teacher. J.T. Jerome was the principal and the following were listed as teachers: M.P Snipes, H.A. Godwin, Mattie Gainey, Mabel Lynch, Kate Black, George G. Richards, M.L. Coggins, M.O. Phillips, Ruther Summers, Nettie Pearle Tilley, Melissa Ward, Mrs. J.T. Jerome, Rosa Edwards, Eunice Dawson, Dulcie Terry, Mrs. Hazel Gunter Sorrell, Mrs. J.B. Williams, Mrs. Ada B. Brickhouse, Erma Benson, Mrs. Mattie Highhill, Mrs. Ella Footman, Mrs. Margaret Snipes, and Mrs. George Richards. At Oakdale Elementary School the teachers were J.R. Mc Daniels, Emily C. Barbour, Ester Morgan, and Elizabeth E. Burns (Harnett County News September 12, 1940). Did you know that Mrs. Hazel Sorrell is living still and sharp. Are there others still alive?
Talk about planning ahead, read next week to see the planned activities for the students in the 1940-41 school year at Coats School.
One of the many rewards of working at the museum is to meet newcomers who come through the doors and also to learn more about those whom you thought you knew. Martha Goff shared via her sister-in-law Lynda Butler that the Wilson& Lee Drug Store is the current site of the Broad Street Deli and Market in Dunn. The drug store eventually became Butler and Carroll. Robie and Martha are descendants of the Butlers and Druggist Carroll was the husband of Mrs. Carroll whom we remember as being a Coats teacher in the primary department in the late 50’s and 60’s. Brenda Rhiner, who shared with us the textbook from the Wilson & Lee Corner Drugstore, returned to the museum bearing pictures taken when tin plates were common. She has priceless pictures of high school students and activities taken at the time about which you are now reading in the column. Many of the photographs are of the Coats girls’ basketball championship team. Do the names “Beanie” Langdon and Mable Reid Hayes sound familiar? Does anyone remember when the typewriters had carbon ribbons? Did you ever see the little tin can in which the little wheel of ribbon came? Thanks to Hilda Pope, the museum has a small ribbon can on display beside one of the vintage typewriters in our typewriter exhibit. Carl Byrd, thank you for your gift of two blue bird houses for the heritage square.
