March 30, 2013 Coats Museum News
Have you ever wondered why roads were established on the sites that they were? For example, was NC Highway 27 from Lillington through Buies Creek to Coats the only route being considered? According to the April 6, 1939 edition of the Harnett County News, there was much discussion as to whether the road should go through the southern route through Buies Creek or take the northern route through Neill’s Creek.
Citizens of the Black River area of Barclaysville petitioned the commissioners for approval of the reconditioning of the Harnett to Johnston trail which has a long history as being a route of the British General Cornwallis. A short portion of a trail, running from Barclaysville into Johnston County and back again into Harnett County by the way of E.O. Adams’s place to the residence of Dan Johnson’s, about three quarters of a mile in length, owes its existence to none other than the actions of Cornwallis. He was the man who had the command of the British forces that tried but failed to convince George Washington he couldn’t free this country from British rule. The Harnett County News, April 20, 1939 edition gave Angier attorney Henry Strickland the credit for the following story.
It seems that Cornwallis had his troops to throw up the road in order that his soldiers might traverse this section, no doubt on their way to aid other British forces who met their Waterloo at Yorktown. According to Strickland, Cornwallis and his troops, by their inferiority in morale and other handicaps, allowed this nation to gain its independence and freedom from British rule. The short piece of road they left trailing along the Harnett-Johnston line is something they built and left for use by a liberty-loving people.
Strickland continued that it was the desire of the residents along this thoroughfare that the State of N.C. with its highway construction facilities reconstruct the road so that it could be used by school buses, mail carriers, business, and pleasure purposes. The petition was presented to the BOC and it was promptly approved and ordered forwarded to the state highway authorities. The short road traverses a portion of one of Harnett’s richest agricultural sections. It lies in an area known for the golden tobacco and the progressive farmers who produce it. What do you think of that story? Did such a road exist? If so, who were those progressive farmers mentioned? Give me some names.
This I do know. Coats was runner-up in the county’s second annual track session by taking enough events to amass 45.1 points. Edwin Stewart of Coats School won the 100-yard dash and he also won points in the high jump. Wallace Giles of Coats placed second in the shot put (Harnett County News April 30, 1939).
The Harnett County Board of Education picked the Coats School Board members. Selected were the W.T. Sorrell, Sr., Dr. Fred Fleming, T.E. Barnes, Zeb Stewart, and Malcolm Stewart. Spring in Harnett County is and has always been a place that excites the senses. The honeysuckle, the May and Magnolia trees are plants that are hard to resist not getting a closer look and smell. The crabapple, blackberry, and white dogwood add drama to the woods. Despite the beauty of Mother Nature in Grove Township, the fifth, sixth, and seventh graders at Oakdale School were given a sightseeing tour of Raleigh.
The following are the young people who attended the Oakdale School in 1939 and made the trip to the capital city: Charles Denning, Rosaline Denning, Jerry Denning, Raeford Seagroves, Graham Seagroves, Nina Ruth Miller, Doris Miller, Theron Miller, Maude Miller, Grace Jackson, Lloyd Hall, Everett Norris, D.J. McLamb, Norma Lee Byrd, Cara Norris, Louis Norris, Juanita Norris, Mabel McLamb, Merile McLamb, M.B. Williams, Audrey Stewart, Delores Stewart, James Howard, Dorothy Williams, Mildred Pope, Grace Pope, Thurlene Pope, Helen Altman, Rachael Altman, Irene Norris, Naomi Ivey, Pauline Ivey, Velma Lou Norris, Beatrice Miller, Linwood Barefoot, Gladys Ennis, Algie Cobb, James Pleasant, Viennia Stone, Fred Jones, E.C. Jones, Fred Miller, Kathleen Ennis, Edna Ennis, Josephine Ennis, Gamalia Moore, Eloise Moore, Evelyne Moore, Vennie Moore, Ernestine Wood, Willis Stewart, Warren Stewart, Rudolph Stewart, Marshalene Hairre, Arlene Howard, Edna Tripp, Clarence Neighbors, Christine Neighbors, Lena Gertrude Hodges and Thurman Moore(Harnett County News April 20, 1939).
Wonder if the students went to Pullen Park and rode the Carousel? Did they count the number of animals going around the sawdust floor? Did they ride on one of the 29 horses, four ostriches, four pigs, four rabbits, four cats, two giraffes, one mule, one lion, one tiger, one goat or one reindeer(News and Observe r G.D. Gearino-E-1, March 8, 2005)?
Surely Kirkland Ennis, Ira Tart, Sherrill Creech, and David Ennis shared this story with their offspring. It seems that these young men were visiting Raven Rock when their cars were broken into and had two coats, a pair of slippers, and two pairs of overalls stolen. Two of the young Oakdale area men were sons of two of Harnett’s well-known men. David was son of Rodolphus Ennis, a businessman and farmer, and Kirkland was son of J.B. Ennis, the Chairman of the HCBOC. What happened to the two men who stole the items? The judge ordered them not to drink liquor for that was the reason for getting into trouble (Harnett County News April 20, 1939).
The work at the museum is nearing completion and the Board of Directors toured the museum after their quarterly meeting. They approved plans for the Reopening Brunch to be held at the museum on Saturday, April 13, 2013 from 10:00 till noon. They invite all area Coats residents to come out and enjoy the reopening. No formal invitation is needed to attend. People near and far have been instrumental in our having artifacts to display. Many of you know educator Dickie Smith of Lillington. He gave the museum a large number of medical books of Dr. H.C. Roberts and Dr. Fred Fleming. Thanks-Dickie. Board member C.T. Clayton brought a cane cutter to be on display. Frank and Sybil Putney of Raleigh and their children and spouses of Raleigh and Florida have visited twice in the last week. Sybil is the great-granddaughter of Preacher Tom Coats and granddaughter of R.M. (Metzer) Coats. A portrait of the founder and his wife, a picture of Metzer’s family, a picture of an older Metzer, a 1952 layout of the town and many photographs were among the articles the Putneys brought to loan or give. Thank you goes to these awesome visitors. Mark Valsame of Raleigh loaned two items from the estate of his great-grandparents Burl and Florence Johnson Barnes family. The heirlooms are a banjo and a lard pot? Have you ever seen a lard pot? Mark has done most of the historical research found on the coatsmuseum.com website. Thank you-Mark. Lenee Smith, thank you for your donation to the Coats Museum to honor your dad H.L. Sorrell on his birthday. Thanks is extended to those who have given to honor the 100th birthday of Allene Honeycutt.
Have you ever wondered why roads were established on the sites that they were? For example, was NC Highway 27 from Lillington through Buies Creek to Coats the only route being considered? According to the April 6, 1939 edition of the Harnett County News, there was much discussion as to whether the road should go through the southern route through Buies Creek or take the northern route through Neill’s Creek.
Citizens of the Black River area of Barclaysville petitioned the commissioners for approval of the reconditioning of the Harnett to Johnston trail which has a long history as being a route of the British General Cornwallis. A short portion of a trail, running from Barclaysville into Johnston County and back again into Harnett County by the way of E.O. Adams’s place to the residence of Dan Johnson’s, about three quarters of a mile in length, owes its existence to none other than the actions of Cornwallis. He was the man who had the command of the British forces that tried but failed to convince George Washington he couldn’t free this country from British rule. The Harnett County News, April 20, 1939 edition gave Angier attorney Henry Strickland the credit for the following story.
It seems that Cornwallis had his troops to throw up the road in order that his soldiers might traverse this section, no doubt on their way to aid other British forces who met their Waterloo at Yorktown. According to Strickland, Cornwallis and his troops, by their inferiority in morale and other handicaps, allowed this nation to gain its independence and freedom from British rule. The short piece of road they left trailing along the Harnett-Johnston line is something they built and left for use by a liberty-loving people.
Strickland continued that it was the desire of the residents along this thoroughfare that the State of N.C. with its highway construction facilities reconstruct the road so that it could be used by school buses, mail carriers, business, and pleasure purposes. The petition was presented to the BOC and it was promptly approved and ordered forwarded to the state highway authorities. The short road traverses a portion of one of Harnett’s richest agricultural sections. It lies in an area known for the golden tobacco and the progressive farmers who produce it. What do you think of that story? Did such a road exist? If so, who were those progressive farmers mentioned? Give me some names.
This I do know. Coats was runner-up in the county’s second annual track session by taking enough events to amass 45.1 points. Edwin Stewart of Coats School won the 100-yard dash and he also won points in the high jump. Wallace Giles of Coats placed second in the shot put (Harnett County News April 30, 1939).
The Harnett County Board of Education picked the Coats School Board members. Selected were the W.T. Sorrell, Sr., Dr. Fred Fleming, T.E. Barnes, Zeb Stewart, and Malcolm Stewart. Spring in Harnett County is and has always been a place that excites the senses. The honeysuckle, the May and Magnolia trees are plants that are hard to resist not getting a closer look and smell. The crabapple, blackberry, and white dogwood add drama to the woods. Despite the beauty of Mother Nature in Grove Township, the fifth, sixth, and seventh graders at Oakdale School were given a sightseeing tour of Raleigh.
The following are the young people who attended the Oakdale School in 1939 and made the trip to the capital city: Charles Denning, Rosaline Denning, Jerry Denning, Raeford Seagroves, Graham Seagroves, Nina Ruth Miller, Doris Miller, Theron Miller, Maude Miller, Grace Jackson, Lloyd Hall, Everett Norris, D.J. McLamb, Norma Lee Byrd, Cara Norris, Louis Norris, Juanita Norris, Mabel McLamb, Merile McLamb, M.B. Williams, Audrey Stewart, Delores Stewart, James Howard, Dorothy Williams, Mildred Pope, Grace Pope, Thurlene Pope, Helen Altman, Rachael Altman, Irene Norris, Naomi Ivey, Pauline Ivey, Velma Lou Norris, Beatrice Miller, Linwood Barefoot, Gladys Ennis, Algie Cobb, James Pleasant, Viennia Stone, Fred Jones, E.C. Jones, Fred Miller, Kathleen Ennis, Edna Ennis, Josephine Ennis, Gamalia Moore, Eloise Moore, Evelyne Moore, Vennie Moore, Ernestine Wood, Willis Stewart, Warren Stewart, Rudolph Stewart, Marshalene Hairre, Arlene Howard, Edna Tripp, Clarence Neighbors, Christine Neighbors, Lena Gertrude Hodges and Thurman Moore(Harnett County News April 20, 1939).
Wonder if the students went to Pullen Park and rode the Carousel? Did they count the number of animals going around the sawdust floor? Did they ride on one of the 29 horses, four ostriches, four pigs, four rabbits, four cats, two giraffes, one mule, one lion, one tiger, one goat or one reindeer(News and Observe r G.D. Gearino-E-1, March 8, 2005)?
Surely Kirkland Ennis, Ira Tart, Sherrill Creech, and David Ennis shared this story with their offspring. It seems that these young men were visiting Raven Rock when their cars were broken into and had two coats, a pair of slippers, and two pairs of overalls stolen. Two of the young Oakdale area men were sons of two of Harnett’s well-known men. David was son of Rodolphus Ennis, a businessman and farmer, and Kirkland was son of J.B. Ennis, the Chairman of the HCBOC. What happened to the two men who stole the items? The judge ordered them not to drink liquor for that was the reason for getting into trouble (Harnett County News April 20, 1939).
The work at the museum is nearing completion and the Board of Directors toured the museum after their quarterly meeting. They approved plans for the Reopening Brunch to be held at the museum on Saturday, April 13, 2013 from 10:00 till noon. They invite all area Coats residents to come out and enjoy the reopening. No formal invitation is needed to attend. People near and far have been instrumental in our having artifacts to display. Many of you know educator Dickie Smith of Lillington. He gave the museum a large number of medical books of Dr. H.C. Roberts and Dr. Fred Fleming. Thanks-Dickie. Board member C.T. Clayton brought a cane cutter to be on display. Frank and Sybil Putney of Raleigh and their children and spouses of Raleigh and Florida have visited twice in the last week. Sybil is the great-granddaughter of Preacher Tom Coats and granddaughter of R.M. (Metzer) Coats. A portrait of the founder and his wife, a picture of Metzer’s family, a picture of an older Metzer, a 1952 layout of the town and many photographs were among the articles the Putneys brought to loan or give. Thank you goes to these awesome visitors. Mark Valsame of Raleigh loaned two items from the estate of his great-grandparents Burl and Florence Johnson Barnes family. The heirlooms are a banjo and a lard pot? Have you ever seen a lard pot? Mark has done most of the historical research found on the coatsmuseum.com website. Thank you-Mark. Lenee Smith, thank you for your donation to the Coats Museum to honor your dad H.L. Sorrell on his birthday. Thanks is extended to those who have given to honor the 100th birthday of Allene Honeycutt.