October 12, 2012 Coats Museum News
The year was 1934 and the students at Gregory (Fair Hope) School had consolidated with Coats School where students studied Latin and French. Roosevelt had devalued the dollar to 60 cents. Bonnie and Clyde had been killed in a police ambush. John Dillinger was killed in Chicago. “Pretty Boy” Floyd was wiped out by G-Men and “Baby Face” Nelson was found dead in a ditch.
The Revenue Department was trying to collect the $1.00 tax on all roadside billboards. Owners of the signs, who did not pay their taxes, were ordered to destroy them. The Highway and Public Works Commission had been reluctant to do so for fear of the violence from landowners who were renting the signs for extra revenue (Harnett County News January 4, 1934).
Miss Wynona Fowler was hostess to a lovely Saturday evening buffet for students from Peace Institute. Questions—Is Miss Fowler a relative of Malcolm Fowler, the late historian of Harnett County, and is Peace Institute the same as the William Peace University in Raleigh?
I do know that Dr. and Mrs. C.G. Fuquay delightfully had entertained the members and husbands of the Page Book Club at a New Year’s party. Mrs. Stewart Turlington, Mrs. Mrs. T.O Beasley, and Mrs. C.Y. Stewart assisted in serving a delectable Christmas salad. Members of the club attending with their spouses were Mr. and Mrs. T.O. Beasley. Mr. and Mrs. Stewart Turlington, Mr. and Mrs. C.Y. Stewart, Mr. and Mrs. J.F. Parrish, Mr. and Mrs. W.E. Nichols, Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Collier, Mrs. T.D. Stewart, Mrs. Lucy Kelly, and Dr. and Mrs. C. G. Fuquay Wouldn’t you love to have heard the various conversations at that party (Harnett County News January 15, 1934).
Other news reported in that same edition was that Mr. and Mrs. Dewey Avery, Mr. and Mrs. Hilton Avery, Mr. Coleman Bayles of Coats and Miss Myrtle Gastor of Erwin had spent Saturday in Durham. The paper also reported that very little had been donated by the families in Coats to the lunchroom but it had already proved to be of value. The high school girls worked with Mrs. Roycroft to get warm lunches for the Coats students. Do you wonder what those warm lunches were?
The Coats PTA had met on Wednesday night and the highlight of the evening was a solo, “In the Valley of the Moon”, by little Peggy McGee, a first grade pupil, who played her own accompaniment. Madeline Keen and Elizabeth Robertson talked for two minutes each on a civic problem. Mrs. Roycroft gave a lunchroom report for the first month. She stated she had about twenty pupils who paid for lunch and thirty-five who received free lunch. The lunchroom offered sandwiches, soups, cocoa, and cake. Mrs. Roycroft had been able to pay for all expenses except for equipment. The new president of the PTA was Mr. C.H. Hood (Harnett County News January 15, 1934).
The death of Mrs. J.S. Cobb at her home four miles from Coats had brought much sadness to family and friends and neighbors. She died on March 20th at 12:30. Funeral services were held at Bethel Church conducted by Elder Leonard Stevens. She was 66 years old and was a member of one of the most prominent families in their section of the state. She had died of pneumonia and bore much suffering with patience. She was one among many mothers who gave a son to die for his country, having lost him on the battlefields in the World War. She was the daughter of the late C.L. and Elizabeth Dorman. Her children were O.A., L.D., J.S., C.A., H.A. and Elgie Cobb. Mrs. Malon Pollard and Miss Ada Cobb were her daughters. Three brothers survived her and were J.I., Robert, and G.W. Dorman. Mrs. Polly Massengill, Mrs. Jessie Parrish, Mrs. Andrew Parrish, and Mrs. Charles Matthews were her sisters (Harnett County News April 4, 1934).
“Coats May Get Funds for a New School” were the headlines of the county paper. Principal Owen Odum and Dr. J.R. Butler had appeared before the Harnett County Board of Commissioners. The State Relief Office had given assurance that they would provide labor if the county provided materials which would cost $15,000.00 Harnett County News April 4, 1934).
Just when the good news was circulating in the Coats community about the possibility of a new school building, bad news overshadowed it with the announcement of the death of former Sheriff John McKay Byrd on Wednesday morning at 2:00 AM. The funeral was in the Coats Baptist Church. His wife, the former Anna Matthews, survived him. Mrs. Elsie Garton, Mrs. Carlos Stewart, and Mrs. Clarence Stewart were daughters. Fred Byrd was a son. Did he not have more than one son? Mr. Byrd had been a Register of Deeds from 1894-1898; sheriff from 1914-1916, and a member of the N.C. General Assembly in 1928. He was a board trustee at Campbell College (Harnett County News pre April 12, 1934).
That same edition of the paper reported that Harnett County Board of Commissioners Chairman J.B. Ennis and wife were in Lillington to attend court. Mr. H.A. Turlington, Deputy U.S. Marshal of Eastern North Carolina, was also in Lillington over the weekend.
N.C. teachers were among the lowest paid in the nation. The N.C. teacher averaged $498 a year-$550 for white and $365 for colored. Massachusetts paid $1,838 per year to teachers (Harnett County News April 12, 1934). Do you wonder why the pay scale differed?
Verle Flowers called to share that the old Coats jail had metal rods on the window and Don Stewart dropped by the museum to share that he knew where the old metal cage from the Coats jail was that had held the more vilolent prisoners. It seems that the old cage became the framework for a nice shed made by Eugene Stewart. Steve and Ben Cook at Benton’s Card Co. made a wallpaper mural from a picture of a baby shower given for Lucy Weaver. As Don looked at the wall mural in the museum, he commented that the baby shower was at his parents’ house-Eugene and Mary Stewart. Those of who taught with Teresa Honeycutt know that she was a teacher who gave 110 percent to her students and athletes. She of course retired a few years back and now serves her community with the same dedication as in the classroom. Thanks goes to her for the immaculate job that she is doing to groom the grounds around the museums. She and Trent Sorrell have big plans for the grounds and courtyard this fall. These two make a difference in Coats.
H.L. Sorrell and Becky Adams of the Coats Museum Board joined Frances Matthews, Pearl Lumley and Joe Tart and his family in the Tart Law Group offices in Dunn to receive the flight suit for the Coats Museum from astronaut Dr. William Thornton who logged over 313 hours in two outer space flights on the orbiter Challenger. Would you have ever thought that the space flight suit from the orbiter Challenger of an astronaut would have a home in the Coats Museum? Read more about this later.
Drop by the Cotton Museum and Heritage Museum on Farmers Day and get a sneak preview of what is being done on the Heritage Square.
PLEASE BE MINDFUL THAT THIS COATS MUSEUM NEWS WAS PUBLISHED ON OCTOBER 12, 2012 IN THE DAILY RECORD.
The year was 1934 and the students at Gregory (Fair Hope) School had consolidated with Coats School where students studied Latin and French. Roosevelt had devalued the dollar to 60 cents. Bonnie and Clyde had been killed in a police ambush. John Dillinger was killed in Chicago. “Pretty Boy” Floyd was wiped out by G-Men and “Baby Face” Nelson was found dead in a ditch.
The Revenue Department was trying to collect the $1.00 tax on all roadside billboards. Owners of the signs, who did not pay their taxes, were ordered to destroy them. The Highway and Public Works Commission had been reluctant to do so for fear of the violence from landowners who were renting the signs for extra revenue (Harnett County News January 4, 1934).
Miss Wynona Fowler was hostess to a lovely Saturday evening buffet for students from Peace Institute. Questions—Is Miss Fowler a relative of Malcolm Fowler, the late historian of Harnett County, and is Peace Institute the same as the William Peace University in Raleigh?
I do know that Dr. and Mrs. C.G. Fuquay delightfully had entertained the members and husbands of the Page Book Club at a New Year’s party. Mrs. Stewart Turlington, Mrs. Mrs. T.O Beasley, and Mrs. C.Y. Stewart assisted in serving a delectable Christmas salad. Members of the club attending with their spouses were Mr. and Mrs. T.O. Beasley. Mr. and Mrs. Stewart Turlington, Mr. and Mrs. C.Y. Stewart, Mr. and Mrs. J.F. Parrish, Mr. and Mrs. W.E. Nichols, Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Collier, Mrs. T.D. Stewart, Mrs. Lucy Kelly, and Dr. and Mrs. C. G. Fuquay Wouldn’t you love to have heard the various conversations at that party (Harnett County News January 15, 1934).
Other news reported in that same edition was that Mr. and Mrs. Dewey Avery, Mr. and Mrs. Hilton Avery, Mr. Coleman Bayles of Coats and Miss Myrtle Gastor of Erwin had spent Saturday in Durham. The paper also reported that very little had been donated by the families in Coats to the lunchroom but it had already proved to be of value. The high school girls worked with Mrs. Roycroft to get warm lunches for the Coats students. Do you wonder what those warm lunches were?
The Coats PTA had met on Wednesday night and the highlight of the evening was a solo, “In the Valley of the Moon”, by little Peggy McGee, a first grade pupil, who played her own accompaniment. Madeline Keen and Elizabeth Robertson talked for two minutes each on a civic problem. Mrs. Roycroft gave a lunchroom report for the first month. She stated she had about twenty pupils who paid for lunch and thirty-five who received free lunch. The lunchroom offered sandwiches, soups, cocoa, and cake. Mrs. Roycroft had been able to pay for all expenses except for equipment. The new president of the PTA was Mr. C.H. Hood (Harnett County News January 15, 1934).
The death of Mrs. J.S. Cobb at her home four miles from Coats had brought much sadness to family and friends and neighbors. She died on March 20th at 12:30. Funeral services were held at Bethel Church conducted by Elder Leonard Stevens. She was 66 years old and was a member of one of the most prominent families in their section of the state. She had died of pneumonia and bore much suffering with patience. She was one among many mothers who gave a son to die for his country, having lost him on the battlefields in the World War. She was the daughter of the late C.L. and Elizabeth Dorman. Her children were O.A., L.D., J.S., C.A., H.A. and Elgie Cobb. Mrs. Malon Pollard and Miss Ada Cobb were her daughters. Three brothers survived her and were J.I., Robert, and G.W. Dorman. Mrs. Polly Massengill, Mrs. Jessie Parrish, Mrs. Andrew Parrish, and Mrs. Charles Matthews were her sisters (Harnett County News April 4, 1934).
“Coats May Get Funds for a New School” were the headlines of the county paper. Principal Owen Odum and Dr. J.R. Butler had appeared before the Harnett County Board of Commissioners. The State Relief Office had given assurance that they would provide labor if the county provided materials which would cost $15,000.00 Harnett County News April 4, 1934).
Just when the good news was circulating in the Coats community about the possibility of a new school building, bad news overshadowed it with the announcement of the death of former Sheriff John McKay Byrd on Wednesday morning at 2:00 AM. The funeral was in the Coats Baptist Church. His wife, the former Anna Matthews, survived him. Mrs. Elsie Garton, Mrs. Carlos Stewart, and Mrs. Clarence Stewart were daughters. Fred Byrd was a son. Did he not have more than one son? Mr. Byrd had been a Register of Deeds from 1894-1898; sheriff from 1914-1916, and a member of the N.C. General Assembly in 1928. He was a board trustee at Campbell College (Harnett County News pre April 12, 1934).
That same edition of the paper reported that Harnett County Board of Commissioners Chairman J.B. Ennis and wife were in Lillington to attend court. Mr. H.A. Turlington, Deputy U.S. Marshal of Eastern North Carolina, was also in Lillington over the weekend.
N.C. teachers were among the lowest paid in the nation. The N.C. teacher averaged $498 a year-$550 for white and $365 for colored. Massachusetts paid $1,838 per year to teachers (Harnett County News April 12, 1934). Do you wonder why the pay scale differed?
Verle Flowers called to share that the old Coats jail had metal rods on the window and Don Stewart dropped by the museum to share that he knew where the old metal cage from the Coats jail was that had held the more vilolent prisoners. It seems that the old cage became the framework for a nice shed made by Eugene Stewart. Steve and Ben Cook at Benton’s Card Co. made a wallpaper mural from a picture of a baby shower given for Lucy Weaver. As Don looked at the wall mural in the museum, he commented that the baby shower was at his parents’ house-Eugene and Mary Stewart. Those of who taught with Teresa Honeycutt know that she was a teacher who gave 110 percent to her students and athletes. She of course retired a few years back and now serves her community with the same dedication as in the classroom. Thanks goes to her for the immaculate job that she is doing to groom the grounds around the museums. She and Trent Sorrell have big plans for the grounds and courtyard this fall. These two make a difference in Coats.
H.L. Sorrell and Becky Adams of the Coats Museum Board joined Frances Matthews, Pearl Lumley and Joe Tart and his family in the Tart Law Group offices in Dunn to receive the flight suit for the Coats Museum from astronaut Dr. William Thornton who logged over 313 hours in two outer space flights on the orbiter Challenger. Would you have ever thought that the space flight suit from the orbiter Challenger of an astronaut would have a home in the Coats Museum? Read more about this later.
Drop by the Cotton Museum and Heritage Museum on Farmers Day and get a sneak preview of what is being done on the Heritage Square.
PLEASE BE MINDFUL THAT THIS COATS MUSEUM NEWS WAS PUBLISHED ON OCTOBER 12, 2012 IN THE DAILY RECORD.