November 12, 2009
Coats Museum News
The history of the old Stage Road from Fayetteville to Raleigh (Raleigh- Fayetteville Stage Road) has been written about by many people. Some have written of it because of the colorful Half Way House at Turlington and Barclay’s Inn in Barclaysville. Since there is a huge connection between that Stage Road and the current NC Highway 55 from Erwin to the Wake County line, you might find the history of the latter road informative. In 1910, when Coats was five years old, there were 945 miles of public roads in Harnett County. Two townships paid taxes for the roads to be worked and the other townships used the “old system”. (What is the old system? Did that mean that the property owners along the road had to maintain it?)
In 1923, the Harnett County Board of Commissioners appointed road commissioners for the thirteen townships who would serve two year terms. Coats Grove was represented by J.M. Langdon, J.B. Ennis and A.F. Grimes. In 1925, a proposition to issue $300,000 in road bonds included a tentative layout for Harnett County and included two roads in the Coats Grove area. Route# 2 was to branch from #1 at Ernest Wilder’s and run practically as the route now lies between Lillington via Coats to the Johnston County line. Question- did that road go down Main Street of Coats?
The second proposed road was Route #3 to extend from Duke (Erwin) via Coats and Angier and hence to the Wake County line at or near Kennebec practically paralleling the Durham and Southern Railroad. Some of our younger readers might ask what railroad in Coats? The James Thomas Coats family gave over six acres of land in Coats to the Cape Fear and Northern Railroad in 1903 which later became known as the Durham and Southern in 1906. On July 5, 1979, the last run of the train was made and from February 11-17, 1982, the track was removed from Coats.
Keep in mind these routes were “proposed”. According to the Harnett County News October 8, 1923 edition, it was estimated that tax revenues had to be raised to pay expenses on the bonds. A 17 cents levy would bring in $42,000 while a 40 cents countywide levy would provide enough money to build the proposed roads in Harnett County.
The Coats-Angier area wanted a road. The HCBOC and the road commissioners adopted a joint resolution resolving that this side of the county, which was the most populated section of the county, needed a feasible connection to the state capital. The resolution resolved that the NC Highway Commission be requested to place on the system a gravel highway connecting Route 60 at Erwin, Harnett County, and running thence the most feasible route through Turlington, Coats and Angier to connect with Route 21 at the most feasible point in Wake County reported the May 6, 1926 edition of the Harnett County News. Did you notice that Duke is now known as Erwin in 1926?
The HCN, August 19, 1926 issue stated the W.T. Smith of the Harnett County Highway Commission shared that surveying of the right-of-way to determine the location of a road from Erwin to Angier via Coats and Barclaysville would begin and the road would be pushed to completion.
R. Getty Browning, principal Locating and Claims Engineer, wrote on January 4, 1927 that he had inspected the location of the new road to the county line north of Angier. The new road would start at No. 60 north of Erwin and continue on the west side of the Durham and Southern Railroad all the way to Wake County. Superintendent Ballard and the highway forces would do part of the work while parts of the road would be let to contract according to the January 6, 1927 edition of the Harnett County News.
A contract for $62,171.82 was awarded to W.C. Carter and $7,932.50 to W.B. Collins for the building of the road from Erwin through Coats to Angier to the Wake County line. It was to be one of the best hard surfaced roads in the state. The road was to be tarred as of January 24, 1929 according to the news report of the HCN, January 24, 1929.
Question-how many years did it take to build NC Highway 55? There should be no more getting stuck in the sand and clay ruts between these towns in eastern Harnett County. What wonderful news to begin 1929 in our area; however, the date that some will remember more might be December 25, 1929 for that is when Alton Stewart and two young student pilots from Angier were killed in a plane crash while flying over Dunn. An interesting note is that the FIRST hard surfaced road to go through Coats went right past the home place of Alton Stewart who was proclaimed the FIRST Licensed Pilot in N.C and his license was signed by FIRST in flight Orville Wright.
A special thank you goes to Annie J. Williams for her donation of three early 1920’s school textbooks which were purchased at the Hood and Grantham in Dunn. Thank you also goes to Susan Hawley Cannady for donating the aerial photograph of the Coats High School that belonged to her dad, J.C. Hawley. Lynda Butler, the late Kress Williams and Jonah C. Johnson were remembered with donations to the Coats Museum Endowment. Many students might remember teachers- Evadeane Ingram Jones and Delores Royals-both have supported the Coats Museum Car Raffle fundraiser as have hundreds of former students who now live throughout the USA.
Please be mindful that this article was in the Daily Record in 2009.
The history of the old Stage Road from Fayetteville to Raleigh (Raleigh- Fayetteville Stage Road) has been written about by many people. Some have written of it because of the colorful Half Way House at Turlington and Barclay’s Inn in Barclaysville. Since there is a huge connection between that Stage Road and the current NC Highway 55 from Erwin to the Wake County line, you might find the history of the latter road informative. In 1910, when Coats was five years old, there were 945 miles of public roads in Harnett County. Two townships paid taxes for the roads to be worked and the other townships used the “old system”. (What is the old system? Did that mean that the property owners along the road had to maintain it?)
In 1923, the Harnett County Board of Commissioners appointed road commissioners for the thirteen townships who would serve two year terms. Coats Grove was represented by J.M. Langdon, J.B. Ennis and A.F. Grimes. In 1925, a proposition to issue $300,000 in road bonds included a tentative layout for Harnett County and included two roads in the Coats Grove area. Route# 2 was to branch from #1 at Ernest Wilder’s and run practically as the route now lies between Lillington via Coats to the Johnston County line. Question- did that road go down Main Street of Coats?
The second proposed road was Route #3 to extend from Duke (Erwin) via Coats and Angier and hence to the Wake County line at or near Kennebec practically paralleling the Durham and Southern Railroad. Some of our younger readers might ask what railroad in Coats? The James Thomas Coats family gave over six acres of land in Coats to the Cape Fear and Northern Railroad in 1903 which later became known as the Durham and Southern in 1906. On July 5, 1979, the last run of the train was made and from February 11-17, 1982, the track was removed from Coats.
Keep in mind these routes were “proposed”. According to the Harnett County News October 8, 1923 edition, it was estimated that tax revenues had to be raised to pay expenses on the bonds. A 17 cents levy would bring in $42,000 while a 40 cents countywide levy would provide enough money to build the proposed roads in Harnett County.
The Coats-Angier area wanted a road. The HCBOC and the road commissioners adopted a joint resolution resolving that this side of the county, which was the most populated section of the county, needed a feasible connection to the state capital. The resolution resolved that the NC Highway Commission be requested to place on the system a gravel highway connecting Route 60 at Erwin, Harnett County, and running thence the most feasible route through Turlington, Coats and Angier to connect with Route 21 at the most feasible point in Wake County reported the May 6, 1926 edition of the Harnett County News. Did you notice that Duke is now known as Erwin in 1926?
The HCN, August 19, 1926 issue stated the W.T. Smith of the Harnett County Highway Commission shared that surveying of the right-of-way to determine the location of a road from Erwin to Angier via Coats and Barclaysville would begin and the road would be pushed to completion.
R. Getty Browning, principal Locating and Claims Engineer, wrote on January 4, 1927 that he had inspected the location of the new road to the county line north of Angier. The new road would start at No. 60 north of Erwin and continue on the west side of the Durham and Southern Railroad all the way to Wake County. Superintendent Ballard and the highway forces would do part of the work while parts of the road would be let to contract according to the January 6, 1927 edition of the Harnett County News.
A contract for $62,171.82 was awarded to W.C. Carter and $7,932.50 to W.B. Collins for the building of the road from Erwin through Coats to Angier to the Wake County line. It was to be one of the best hard surfaced roads in the state. The road was to be tarred as of January 24, 1929 according to the news report of the HCN, January 24, 1929.
Question-how many years did it take to build NC Highway 55? There should be no more getting stuck in the sand and clay ruts between these towns in eastern Harnett County. What wonderful news to begin 1929 in our area; however, the date that some will remember more might be December 25, 1929 for that is when Alton Stewart and two young student pilots from Angier were killed in a plane crash while flying over Dunn. An interesting note is that the FIRST hard surfaced road to go through Coats went right past the home place of Alton Stewart who was proclaimed the FIRST Licensed Pilot in N.C and his license was signed by FIRST in flight Orville Wright.
A special thank you goes to Annie J. Williams for her donation of three early 1920’s school textbooks which were purchased at the Hood and Grantham in Dunn. Thank you also goes to Susan Hawley Cannady for donating the aerial photograph of the Coats High School that belonged to her dad, J.C. Hawley. Lynda Butler, the late Kress Williams and Jonah C. Johnson were remembered with donations to the Coats Museum Endowment. Many students might remember teachers- Evadeane Ingram Jones and Delores Royals-both have supported the Coats Museum Car Raffle fundraiser as have hundreds of former students who now live throughout the USA.
Please be mindful that this article was in the Daily Record in 2009.