May 9, 2014 Coats Museum News
Many readers are now sharing that they are especially enjoying reading about the time that their older siblings had lived. I tell them to keep reading because it will be only a blink of the eye until their past will be revisited.
Did any of you have Mrs. Marvin (Della) Johnson as a teacher? She was a very strong promoter of the PTA and had reported that the Coats PTA had 259 paid members and that 10 kids had received free lunches. Mrs. Carlos (Helen Ennis) Dixon had headed up the Grade Mother Committee for the PTA and noted that each classroom now had first aid kits from her committee. The school had received a certificate for outstanding work in the school lunch program. Recall that a teacherage had been built and the community had been invited to see the building. It was printed that articles for the teacherage living room had been purchased from Willis Furniture in Coats. The PTA had purchased a $75.00 base drum for the band (Dunn Dispatch Jan. 14, 1949). Where was this store?
There was a time when living 64 years was noteworthy, so when a couple was married for 64 years, people took notice of them. Such was the case with Mr. and Mrs. John Lewis Barnes who had been making plans to celebrate their 65th anniversary on September 1, 1949. Mr. Barnes, who was 84, was the son of Bryant and Sally Barnes who were farmers at a time when the Civil war had just ended, and the South was overrun with Northern soldiers, pillaging and looting as they went. Money was scarce and 25 cents a day was standard wage. He never owned a store bought suit until he was twenty. He made his shirts for himself and others during his earlier days. Mrs. Barnes was the former Flora Katherine Weeks, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Weeks. They had ten children-Nassie, Elmond, Carvis, Dester, Mrs. Clive Godwin and Mrs. Lexie Langdon were six of them. She had been adept at using the spinning wheel to make her “brood” their clothes (Dunn Dispatch Jan. 14, 1949). Who were the other four children?
Representative Howard Parker (D) Harnett told the HCBOC that he was going to introduce a bill giving the commissioners authority to outlaw the carnivals in the county. Ballgames were not outlawed in Harnett. Angier defeated the Coats team by 31-19 score. Avery, Barnes, and Johnson for Coats each had 5 points. Ragan had 3 and Williams scored 1. Whittington also played for Coats. In the girls’ game, Coats’s Lois Smith scored 6 and Eloise Pope had 4 points. The girls’ lineup was Doris Johnson, Van (Evangeline) Stewart, Wilma Barnes and a substitute was Doris Messer (Dunn Dispatch Jan. 17, 1949).
Question-What was so bad about carnivals that the county has been trying to outlaw them for many years? We just added an exhibit in the museum of carnival glass in the green, blue and amber colors and several pieces of Goofus glass. Were these items given as prizes at the carnivals?
R. Henry Faircloth, 70, had died on Thursday at Coats after a year of illness. His wife, Lillie Holland Faircloth, survived him. Two of his children lived in and around Coats-Lloyd B. Faircloth and Mrs. Jerold Williams (Dunn Dispatch Jan. 24, 1949).
Don Ray Langdon, a member of Coats Senior Club of 4H, attended a Tractor School in Raleigh. He learned about the operation and maintenance of tractors and mechanized farm equipment (Dunn Dispatch Jan. 26, 1949).
Wonder if Don Ray ever got the chance to utilize that training? I do know that thirty-five vocational agriculture students met at Benhaven for the annual Parliamentary Procedure contest. The winning team from Coats was Neal Barnes, Harold Flowers, Wadeford Williams, William Ragan and Tommy Johnson (Dunn Dispatch Jan. 28, 1949).
Henry Turlington had a good hog sale in Rocky Mount where he sold a gilt for $222.50; however, Mr. and Mrs. Owen Odum and Miss Mattie Bain had left for Florida where they would spend some time. The Coats Jr. Woman’s Club had had a card game at the Coats Motor Company. Thirteen tables of bridge, rummy, setback, and rook were played. Cakes were raffled. Mrs. Bill (Christine Stewart) Akerman was chair of the Ways and Means Committee to raise money for the community building. President Mrs. W.M. Keene of the club announced that the event raised approximately $80.00 (Dunn Dispatch Jan. 31, 1949). What would that equate in today’s dollars? Even though Christine left Coats for many years while her husband was serving in the military, she returned to her home town a few years back and was dedicated to making it a better community with the same fervor as she did as a teenager.
Construction had begun on a building on the south edge of town. It was a cinder block structure and when completed, it would be available for all social and civic gatherings of the community. Five clubs got together and decided to make a Community Center. The clubs were the Fellowship Club, Jr. Woman’s Club, Page Book Club, and the American Legion. (What was the fifth club and were there others?) Enough money was raised to purchase one of the war surplus buildings at Camp Butler. Leroy Stewart, Howard Penny, Ed Penny and Melvin Daniel are recalled as being among those who went to Camp Butner to disassemble the building before bringing it to the lot in Coats. Work on the building was voluntary and skilled residents contributed their spare time to the community project (Garland Wittington Interview 2003 and Raymond Ennis 2003).
The Board of Trustees was made up of Mrs. H.T. Roberts, Mrs. J.R. Butler, and M.O. Phillips. Two members from each club served as representatives. They would be on the council to plan programs and specify uses of the building. Future plans called for the addition of a library, children’s playground and two tennis courts when money was available (Dunn Dispatch Feb. 9, 1949).
A Coats girl had married U.S. Congressman William Jennings Bryan Dorn. Her sister, Mrs. William H. ( Chrystelle) Truesdell, disclosed to Mr. Hoover Adams about the marriage of Miss Millie Johnson, the pretty young daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jonah C. Johnson of Coats. The former Coats girl was a graduate of Campbell College and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Mrs. Dorn was an associate editor of the weekly magazine The United States News (later the US News and Report). Her younger sister Mable Johnson held a position on the staff of U.S. Senator Joe McCarthy of Wisconsin who was the youngest member of the upper chamber (Dunn Dispatch Feb. 4, 1949).
Over in Erwin, Mrs. J.H. Stephenson, 75, had died after a long illness of several years. She was survived by three brothers-Henry, Willie and Jimmy Parrish of Coats (Dunn Dispatch Feb. 4, 1949).
A special thank you goes to Mrs. Verle Pollard Flowers of Oak Hill in Angier for her telephone call. She is an encyclopedia of information about the Coats community. She grew up on Route # 40 between Coats and Benson and recalled that the new #27 did go by the Delma Grimes and Coy Williams farms and through the woods requiring one large and one small wooden bridge to get across the Black River. The river was very deep and she remembered that Mrs. Council Williams actually swam in it. I’m sure other local kids did likewise. Verle grew up in the house that Linda Pollard Cobb lives and remembers that the road through the Stewart farm (Herbert Johnson heirs today) was constructed later and noted that the river was more defined before erosion and beavers have changed it.
The late Tim McKinnie was a fine individual and one of my husband’s and my former students. He possessed qualities any parent would cherish in a child. H.L. and I were proud to honor his memory with a donation to the Coats Museum for the difference he made in Coats.
Many readers are now sharing that they are especially enjoying reading about the time that their older siblings had lived. I tell them to keep reading because it will be only a blink of the eye until their past will be revisited.
Did any of you have Mrs. Marvin (Della) Johnson as a teacher? She was a very strong promoter of the PTA and had reported that the Coats PTA had 259 paid members and that 10 kids had received free lunches. Mrs. Carlos (Helen Ennis) Dixon had headed up the Grade Mother Committee for the PTA and noted that each classroom now had first aid kits from her committee. The school had received a certificate for outstanding work in the school lunch program. Recall that a teacherage had been built and the community had been invited to see the building. It was printed that articles for the teacherage living room had been purchased from Willis Furniture in Coats. The PTA had purchased a $75.00 base drum for the band (Dunn Dispatch Jan. 14, 1949). Where was this store?
There was a time when living 64 years was noteworthy, so when a couple was married for 64 years, people took notice of them. Such was the case with Mr. and Mrs. John Lewis Barnes who had been making plans to celebrate their 65th anniversary on September 1, 1949. Mr. Barnes, who was 84, was the son of Bryant and Sally Barnes who were farmers at a time when the Civil war had just ended, and the South was overrun with Northern soldiers, pillaging and looting as they went. Money was scarce and 25 cents a day was standard wage. He never owned a store bought suit until he was twenty. He made his shirts for himself and others during his earlier days. Mrs. Barnes was the former Flora Katherine Weeks, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Weeks. They had ten children-Nassie, Elmond, Carvis, Dester, Mrs. Clive Godwin and Mrs. Lexie Langdon were six of them. She had been adept at using the spinning wheel to make her “brood” their clothes (Dunn Dispatch Jan. 14, 1949). Who were the other four children?
Representative Howard Parker (D) Harnett told the HCBOC that he was going to introduce a bill giving the commissioners authority to outlaw the carnivals in the county. Ballgames were not outlawed in Harnett. Angier defeated the Coats team by 31-19 score. Avery, Barnes, and Johnson for Coats each had 5 points. Ragan had 3 and Williams scored 1. Whittington also played for Coats. In the girls’ game, Coats’s Lois Smith scored 6 and Eloise Pope had 4 points. The girls’ lineup was Doris Johnson, Van (Evangeline) Stewart, Wilma Barnes and a substitute was Doris Messer (Dunn Dispatch Jan. 17, 1949).
Question-What was so bad about carnivals that the county has been trying to outlaw them for many years? We just added an exhibit in the museum of carnival glass in the green, blue and amber colors and several pieces of Goofus glass. Were these items given as prizes at the carnivals?
R. Henry Faircloth, 70, had died on Thursday at Coats after a year of illness. His wife, Lillie Holland Faircloth, survived him. Two of his children lived in and around Coats-Lloyd B. Faircloth and Mrs. Jerold Williams (Dunn Dispatch Jan. 24, 1949).
Don Ray Langdon, a member of Coats Senior Club of 4H, attended a Tractor School in Raleigh. He learned about the operation and maintenance of tractors and mechanized farm equipment (Dunn Dispatch Jan. 26, 1949).
Wonder if Don Ray ever got the chance to utilize that training? I do know that thirty-five vocational agriculture students met at Benhaven for the annual Parliamentary Procedure contest. The winning team from Coats was Neal Barnes, Harold Flowers, Wadeford Williams, William Ragan and Tommy Johnson (Dunn Dispatch Jan. 28, 1949).
Henry Turlington had a good hog sale in Rocky Mount where he sold a gilt for $222.50; however, Mr. and Mrs. Owen Odum and Miss Mattie Bain had left for Florida where they would spend some time. The Coats Jr. Woman’s Club had had a card game at the Coats Motor Company. Thirteen tables of bridge, rummy, setback, and rook were played. Cakes were raffled. Mrs. Bill (Christine Stewart) Akerman was chair of the Ways and Means Committee to raise money for the community building. President Mrs. W.M. Keene of the club announced that the event raised approximately $80.00 (Dunn Dispatch Jan. 31, 1949). What would that equate in today’s dollars? Even though Christine left Coats for many years while her husband was serving in the military, she returned to her home town a few years back and was dedicated to making it a better community with the same fervor as she did as a teenager.
Construction had begun on a building on the south edge of town. It was a cinder block structure and when completed, it would be available for all social and civic gatherings of the community. Five clubs got together and decided to make a Community Center. The clubs were the Fellowship Club, Jr. Woman’s Club, Page Book Club, and the American Legion. (What was the fifth club and were there others?) Enough money was raised to purchase one of the war surplus buildings at Camp Butler. Leroy Stewart, Howard Penny, Ed Penny and Melvin Daniel are recalled as being among those who went to Camp Butner to disassemble the building before bringing it to the lot in Coats. Work on the building was voluntary and skilled residents contributed their spare time to the community project (Garland Wittington Interview 2003 and Raymond Ennis 2003).
The Board of Trustees was made up of Mrs. H.T. Roberts, Mrs. J.R. Butler, and M.O. Phillips. Two members from each club served as representatives. They would be on the council to plan programs and specify uses of the building. Future plans called for the addition of a library, children’s playground and two tennis courts when money was available (Dunn Dispatch Feb. 9, 1949).
A Coats girl had married U.S. Congressman William Jennings Bryan Dorn. Her sister, Mrs. William H. ( Chrystelle) Truesdell, disclosed to Mr. Hoover Adams about the marriage of Miss Millie Johnson, the pretty young daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jonah C. Johnson of Coats. The former Coats girl was a graduate of Campbell College and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Mrs. Dorn was an associate editor of the weekly magazine The United States News (later the US News and Report). Her younger sister Mable Johnson held a position on the staff of U.S. Senator Joe McCarthy of Wisconsin who was the youngest member of the upper chamber (Dunn Dispatch Feb. 4, 1949).
Over in Erwin, Mrs. J.H. Stephenson, 75, had died after a long illness of several years. She was survived by three brothers-Henry, Willie and Jimmy Parrish of Coats (Dunn Dispatch Feb. 4, 1949).
A special thank you goes to Mrs. Verle Pollard Flowers of Oak Hill in Angier for her telephone call. She is an encyclopedia of information about the Coats community. She grew up on Route # 40 between Coats and Benson and recalled that the new #27 did go by the Delma Grimes and Coy Williams farms and through the woods requiring one large and one small wooden bridge to get across the Black River. The river was very deep and she remembered that Mrs. Council Williams actually swam in it. I’m sure other local kids did likewise. Verle grew up in the house that Linda Pollard Cobb lives and remembers that the road through the Stewart farm (Herbert Johnson heirs today) was constructed later and noted that the river was more defined before erosion and beavers have changed it.
The late Tim McKinnie was a fine individual and one of my husband’s and my former students. He possessed qualities any parent would cherish in a child. H.L. and I were proud to honor his memory with a donation to the Coats Museum for the difference he made in Coats.