May 23, 2011 Coats
Museum News
Wonder if Miss Laura Parrish had any money in the Bank of Coats before she married Roger Sexton and moved to Lillington. Surely her wealthy father, Barty F. Parrish, did. According to a report filed and printed in the “Harnett County News” (November 27, 1919), the Bank of Coats made an excellent showing. On November 17, 1919, the State Bank Examiner disclosed a report showing that the bank was doing phenomenal growth. It was doing such splendid work in “upbuilding not only of its immediate community surrounding it but also of the entire county.”
The article noted that the Bank of Coats was fortunate in having men of character and business ability at its head, in being located in a progressive community and there by enjoying its share of prosperity which comes to an industrious people. The article confidently predicted that the figures in the bank’s total column would soon reach the half million dollar mark. Officers of the bank were President P.S. Cooper, Vice President Elder J.T. Coats, Cashier N.T. Patterson, and Assistant Cashier Miss Ida Coats. Did P.S. Cooper later become an officer in a Dunn bank? Miss Ida Coats married C.J. Turlington who later served as mayor of Coats for many terms. Their son, Charles Turlington, would work with First Citizens Bank for many years in Benson. J.T. Coats was founding father of the town and N.T. Patterson was a prominent businessman in partnership with John McKay Byrd. They indeed were outstanding men in the community.
Do you think Jefferson Davis Barnes had any money in the Bank of Coats? Recall the Barnes family had deep roots in the area when it was called Troyville. The Barnes family had sold land to J.T. Coats in 1875. In 1919, the Barnes and Holliday Company had a branch of the store in Coats. The store offered hardware, furniture, and undertaker services. Piano, organs, and Edison phonographs were available. Did the phonograph require electricity? Read on; they sold even more. There were New Home Sewing Machines, mill supplies, rubber, leather, and gandy belting. The store’s contents reads like a modern day big box store.
As the decade of the 1920’s showed its face, the January 1, 1920, ”Harnett County News” had an ad encouraging the farmers in Coats to head to the Roberts Auto and Electric Company to purchase a Fordson tractor. Is it a coincidence that the word Ford appears in the name or was it a product of Ford? J.H. McLamb, Richard Blackwelder, James Walter Cook, and J.T. Pollard were blacksmiths in the Coats area. Did the arrival of the tractor have a positive or negative impact on their business?
Telephone service was in the headlines of the “Harnett County News”. Carolina Telephone Company planned to improve its services to Harnett County. Many parts of the county were almost isolated from the county seat. The company had begun to work in rebuilding the local exchange. The toll lines between Benson and Lillington were being overhauled according that March 18, 1920 edition of paper. What tree was used to make telephone poles? In that same edition of the paper, the telephone company had placed an ad to buy Juniper poles.
A paid Democratic ad called for a meeting in the courthouse in Lillington on April 3 at 12:00 o’clock noon for the Democratic Convention. Charles Ross, Chairman of the Democratic Party, had placed the ad in the “Harnett County News” (March18, 1920). Who was Charles Ross? Was he the lawyer who was driving on the Lillington Cape Fear River Bridge when it collapsed into the river? Is he a relative of Reid Ross who was Superintendent of the Harnett County Schools before going to Cumberland County?
How much road would $200,000.00 build in 2011? In April of 1920, contracts for that amount of money had been awarded to P.R. Ashby, a Raleigh contractor, for the construction of 50 miles of highways radiating from Dunn. The roads would be the clay gravel type and when completed, would give this section of Harnett County a splendid system of roads. The main roads were to built, leading from Dunn to the Cumberland line, the Johnston line, and the Sampson line. Work was to start immediately. Would it not be interesting to research exactly where this construction of roads was in comparison to the placement of our current roads leaving Dunn to cross county lines of Sampson, Johnston and Cumberland.
Please be mindful that this Coats Museum News was published in the Daily Record in May of 2011.
Wonder if Miss Laura Parrish had any money in the Bank of Coats before she married Roger Sexton and moved to Lillington. Surely her wealthy father, Barty F. Parrish, did. According to a report filed and printed in the “Harnett County News” (November 27, 1919), the Bank of Coats made an excellent showing. On November 17, 1919, the State Bank Examiner disclosed a report showing that the bank was doing phenomenal growth. It was doing such splendid work in “upbuilding not only of its immediate community surrounding it but also of the entire county.”
The article noted that the Bank of Coats was fortunate in having men of character and business ability at its head, in being located in a progressive community and there by enjoying its share of prosperity which comes to an industrious people. The article confidently predicted that the figures in the bank’s total column would soon reach the half million dollar mark. Officers of the bank were President P.S. Cooper, Vice President Elder J.T. Coats, Cashier N.T. Patterson, and Assistant Cashier Miss Ida Coats. Did P.S. Cooper later become an officer in a Dunn bank? Miss Ida Coats married C.J. Turlington who later served as mayor of Coats for many terms. Their son, Charles Turlington, would work with First Citizens Bank for many years in Benson. J.T. Coats was founding father of the town and N.T. Patterson was a prominent businessman in partnership with John McKay Byrd. They indeed were outstanding men in the community.
Do you think Jefferson Davis Barnes had any money in the Bank of Coats? Recall the Barnes family had deep roots in the area when it was called Troyville. The Barnes family had sold land to J.T. Coats in 1875. In 1919, the Barnes and Holliday Company had a branch of the store in Coats. The store offered hardware, furniture, and undertaker services. Piano, organs, and Edison phonographs were available. Did the phonograph require electricity? Read on; they sold even more. There were New Home Sewing Machines, mill supplies, rubber, leather, and gandy belting. The store’s contents reads like a modern day big box store.
As the decade of the 1920’s showed its face, the January 1, 1920, ”Harnett County News” had an ad encouraging the farmers in Coats to head to the Roberts Auto and Electric Company to purchase a Fordson tractor. Is it a coincidence that the word Ford appears in the name or was it a product of Ford? J.H. McLamb, Richard Blackwelder, James Walter Cook, and J.T. Pollard were blacksmiths in the Coats area. Did the arrival of the tractor have a positive or negative impact on their business?
Telephone service was in the headlines of the “Harnett County News”. Carolina Telephone Company planned to improve its services to Harnett County. Many parts of the county were almost isolated from the county seat. The company had begun to work in rebuilding the local exchange. The toll lines between Benson and Lillington were being overhauled according that March 18, 1920 edition of paper. What tree was used to make telephone poles? In that same edition of the paper, the telephone company had placed an ad to buy Juniper poles.
A paid Democratic ad called for a meeting in the courthouse in Lillington on April 3 at 12:00 o’clock noon for the Democratic Convention. Charles Ross, Chairman of the Democratic Party, had placed the ad in the “Harnett County News” (March18, 1920). Who was Charles Ross? Was he the lawyer who was driving on the Lillington Cape Fear River Bridge when it collapsed into the river? Is he a relative of Reid Ross who was Superintendent of the Harnett County Schools before going to Cumberland County?
How much road would $200,000.00 build in 2011? In April of 1920, contracts for that amount of money had been awarded to P.R. Ashby, a Raleigh contractor, for the construction of 50 miles of highways radiating from Dunn. The roads would be the clay gravel type and when completed, would give this section of Harnett County a splendid system of roads. The main roads were to built, leading from Dunn to the Cumberland line, the Johnston line, and the Sampson line. Work was to start immediately. Would it not be interesting to research exactly where this construction of roads was in comparison to the placement of our current roads leaving Dunn to cross county lines of Sampson, Johnston and Cumberland.
Please be mindful that this Coats Museum News was published in the Daily Record in May of 2011.
