March 7, 2011 Coats
Museum News
Recall last week that H.A. Turlington, Jr. gave to the museum a copy of the program booklet for the Coats Community Fair believed to have been held between 1914 and 1919. From this program booklet one is able to learn about some of the businesses and businessmen who advertised in the program.
Shall we meet the owner of a store who stated that he sold general merchandise? Among his offerings were registered big type Poland China hogs. For $12.50, ten-week-old pigs were for sale. For an additional $2.50, one could buy a three-month-old pig. If one had a question about the quality of the pigs, pedigrees were available. I don’t have a question about the pedigree but where did A.D. “Andrew” keep the pigs? His store was located on the site of recently fire damaged Auto Parts business on the corner of East Main and Railroad Street. Did Allison Ennis, Woodrow Langdon, B.T. Barnes, Howard Barnes, Doyle Barbour have businesses there before Mike Norris opened Bumper to Bumper?
Another merchant who offered dry goods, notions, shoes and groceries and a nice line of 5 and 10 cent ware was T.D. “Thaddy “ Whittington. He also stated that he offered the “highest” prices paid for country produce. Do you know what dry goods and notions were? Was this business located in the site of the former Surrealnet business?
Farmers always want to improve the yields from their crops. Right? G.I. “Irvin “ Smith, soilist, offered the farmer both fertilizer and lime. No location was printed. Did they dump all the nutrients in a mound and mix by hand with flat bottom shovels to distribute the nutrients throughout the fertilizer? Was it done on the ground or in a barn?
W.M. Keen told his customers that “once a customer, always a customer”. He promised in his ad that he offered heavy and fancy groceries. Keen also offered the highest price for country produce. Was he in competition with Mr. Whittington? On the side, Mr. Keen told his customers to see him for “high class tailoring”. Was his store the first two- story building on South Main, next to the former Surrealnet office and beside the one -story building where Lonnie Stewart once operated a fish-grocery store, prior to Lewis and Marvin Johnson’s business there?
If someone needed life insurance, C.A. Daniels was the special agent for Aetna Life Insurance of Hartford Connecticut. He advertised that the company paid out over $14 million in 1913. You did read the 1913 date? This date tells this writer that the program booklet was post 1913. No site location was given for this business. Maybe he went door to door to sell the policies.
Another businessman who had an ad was John Stewart. He sold groceries but did not make any promises about his merchandise in the booklet. If someone needed drugs, medicine or chemicals, the one place in Coats to shop was the Coats Drug, Co. Fancy and toilet articles, perfumes, toilet soap, field and garden seed, and school supplies were found at the “Drug Store”. Did the parents buy their children’s school books there? Was the pharmacist Mr. Fields or Mr. Wiggins? A. R. Byrd offered a “Shave, Tailored Suit, or Clean Collar”. J.T. Pollard was the man to see about horseshoeing. He was also the town blacksmith who also did woodwork according to his advertisement.
The Coats Supply Company was advertised as the “New Store”. It was operated by H.A. Matthews. He sold hats, shoes, and hardware. His customers were invited to go upstairs and see the entire line of new and clean furniture. Does that mean some was new and some was used? The ad did not say that Mr. Matthews would barter, but he would buy cotton, seed, and country produce.
Read next week to see what other merchants advertised in the booklet from the Coats Community Fair.
The planners for the Open House and Book Signing by Carsie Denning would like to thank all those who came out for the big afternoon on the Square. Thanks to Flowers by Jean, the square was very colorful with the red, white and blue bows blowing in the wind. Thanks also to Vicki Johnson and Marilyn Ennis for cooking the yummy food for the event. Thanks to the dozens of veterans who came by to check the museum’s military archives for their records and to those who picked up forms to write their stories for the book, The Defenders of the Red, White, and Blue.
Please be mindful that this article appeared in the Daily Record on March 7, 2011.
Recall last week that H.A. Turlington, Jr. gave to the museum a copy of the program booklet for the Coats Community Fair believed to have been held between 1914 and 1919. From this program booklet one is able to learn about some of the businesses and businessmen who advertised in the program.
Shall we meet the owner of a store who stated that he sold general merchandise? Among his offerings were registered big type Poland China hogs. For $12.50, ten-week-old pigs were for sale. For an additional $2.50, one could buy a three-month-old pig. If one had a question about the quality of the pigs, pedigrees were available. I don’t have a question about the pedigree but where did A.D. “Andrew” keep the pigs? His store was located on the site of recently fire damaged Auto Parts business on the corner of East Main and Railroad Street. Did Allison Ennis, Woodrow Langdon, B.T. Barnes, Howard Barnes, Doyle Barbour have businesses there before Mike Norris opened Bumper to Bumper?
Another merchant who offered dry goods, notions, shoes and groceries and a nice line of 5 and 10 cent ware was T.D. “Thaddy “ Whittington. He also stated that he offered the “highest” prices paid for country produce. Do you know what dry goods and notions were? Was this business located in the site of the former Surrealnet business?
Farmers always want to improve the yields from their crops. Right? G.I. “Irvin “ Smith, soilist, offered the farmer both fertilizer and lime. No location was printed. Did they dump all the nutrients in a mound and mix by hand with flat bottom shovels to distribute the nutrients throughout the fertilizer? Was it done on the ground or in a barn?
W.M. Keen told his customers that “once a customer, always a customer”. He promised in his ad that he offered heavy and fancy groceries. Keen also offered the highest price for country produce. Was he in competition with Mr. Whittington? On the side, Mr. Keen told his customers to see him for “high class tailoring”. Was his store the first two- story building on South Main, next to the former Surrealnet office and beside the one -story building where Lonnie Stewart once operated a fish-grocery store, prior to Lewis and Marvin Johnson’s business there?
If someone needed life insurance, C.A. Daniels was the special agent for Aetna Life Insurance of Hartford Connecticut. He advertised that the company paid out over $14 million in 1913. You did read the 1913 date? This date tells this writer that the program booklet was post 1913. No site location was given for this business. Maybe he went door to door to sell the policies.
Another businessman who had an ad was John Stewart. He sold groceries but did not make any promises about his merchandise in the booklet. If someone needed drugs, medicine or chemicals, the one place in Coats to shop was the Coats Drug, Co. Fancy and toilet articles, perfumes, toilet soap, field and garden seed, and school supplies were found at the “Drug Store”. Did the parents buy their children’s school books there? Was the pharmacist Mr. Fields or Mr. Wiggins? A. R. Byrd offered a “Shave, Tailored Suit, or Clean Collar”. J.T. Pollard was the man to see about horseshoeing. He was also the town blacksmith who also did woodwork according to his advertisement.
The Coats Supply Company was advertised as the “New Store”. It was operated by H.A. Matthews. He sold hats, shoes, and hardware. His customers were invited to go upstairs and see the entire line of new and clean furniture. Does that mean some was new and some was used? The ad did not say that Mr. Matthews would barter, but he would buy cotton, seed, and country produce.
Read next week to see what other merchants advertised in the booklet from the Coats Community Fair.
The planners for the Open House and Book Signing by Carsie Denning would like to thank all those who came out for the big afternoon on the Square. Thanks to Flowers by Jean, the square was very colorful with the red, white and blue bows blowing in the wind. Thanks also to Vicki Johnson and Marilyn Ennis for cooking the yummy food for the event. Thanks to the dozens of veterans who came by to check the museum’s military archives for their records and to those who picked up forms to write their stories for the book, The Defenders of the Red, White, and Blue.
Please be mindful that this article appeared in the Daily Record on March 7, 2011.
