October 24, 2011 Coats Museum News
Recall last week that you read about a Harnett County Schools Commencement and Field Day which was held in Lillington on March 24, 1923.The participates were individual winners from the schools throughout Harnett County. You read about the academic events in which the younger students participated.
This week let’s learn in what the older students were competing on the ball field to earn points to take back to their schools. The competitors were running the broad jump, the high jump, standing broad jump, chinning, and shot put. The following events were held in a street just in front of the ball park: 100-yard dash for boys over 14 years; 100-yard dash for boys under 14; 100-yard dash for girls; 220-yard dash for boys over 14 of age; and 1-mile relay for boys over 14 years of age. The basketball games were the last event at the field day program. Places were designated for each school.
A megaphone was used from the grandstands to call the contestants to the events. The winner in each event was given a card designating the prize won. A booth for awarding prizes was set up to distribute awards. Sounds like it was well organized, doesn’t it?
The judges for the Field Day events in which the boys from 14 to 21 years of age competed were Professor Charles Watson, Gerald Wilson, H.P Wright, T.T. Lanier and L.H. Campbell . Questions—Are you thinking I thought this was for school students? Were there students who were 21 years old in the schools? Second-Was L.H. Campbell the same man as Leslie Campbell? Was he president of Campbell College or was it Campbell Academy in 1923? How about the name T.T. Lanier-was he the Coats School principal in 1923?
The judges for the girls 13 and over were Regina Egerton, Vivian Draper, Annie Kenyon, Eva Crumpler, Mattie Henderson, and Mrs. R.P. Dewberry. Judges for the events under that age were Misses Elva Byrd, Mame Williams, Mary McIntosh, Josephine Harmon, Sudie Markham, C.R. Adams and Luther Denning.
The schools were required to send rope, beanbags, sacks, and reins or ribbons for the chariot race. A solid gold pin or emblem was given to the winner in each event. A pupil taking first place in any event scored five points for his school ; second place carried three points home and third place one point (Harnett County News March29,1923).
The Coats girls won the basketball championship at the Field Day in Lillington. Wonder what the final score was. It was 10-6. The first half was closely contested, for after two quarters, the score was tied up at four points. Are questions popping into your mind? Was the game in a building or was it played on dirt? Did the girls wear uniforms or dresses in 1923? Did women wear pants in 1923? Were there referees and if so, were they wearing striped black and white shirts; did they have whistles and was the basketball made of leather or rubber?
I have no idea to several of the questions, but I do know that the Coats girls were more accurate than Lillington in the second half. According to the newspaper account, both teams showed they needed more practice. Who played on the teams? Miss C. Coats made 2 points for Coats Others Coats players were F. Smith, G. Stewart, and G. Langdon . F. Byrd, F. Lanier, C. Draper, G. Turlington were players but I am not positive for which school they played. However, G. Dewer, C. Abernathy and F. Abernathy played for Lillington. A picture of the 1923 Coats School basketball champions is in the book, Together We Leave, which is in the Coats Museum. This book was put together by Marie Salmon’s Photography Class in 1985 and contains the pictures of most of the students who attended Coats School from the years 1911 to 1985.
Yes, they did have referees and they were believed to be Bill Newberry and Neill McKay Salmon. Yes, Mr. Salmon was the outstanding attorney from Lillington who was the father-in-law of our Marie Salmon who has touched the lives of thousands of former Coats students.
Life is never dull at the Coats Museum. We recently met a delightful lady, Peggy Robinson, who lives near Erwin. Peggy’s love for the preservation of her black history is contagious. With the help of her family and friends she has amassed a priceless collection of family histories, pictures, documents, obituaries, and church and reunion materials. Becky Adams, Lynda Butler and I are working with Peggy to publish her black history book.
From her materials we can learn how closely tied together the white and black families were in years past. For example one family that will be met in her book is the Ryals family that has deep roots in the Coats and Erwin areas. White Richard Ryals who was born in Virginia in 1748 came to this area and married Milly Baggett about 1780 and she died after 1840 in Cumberland County (later Harnett). Richard had died in 1816. The couple had eight known children. Some of them stayed in the area and married into some of the families with current very recognizable names. Some moved to Alabama. Black Thomas Ryals from Cumberland, white William Ryals and black James Ryals from Georgia are three men about whom we seeking more information.
About four years ago the black Ryals family with Harnett roots held the family reunion at Myrtle Beach, S.C. At the same date across the way at another lodging, the descendents of a black James Ryals were also holding a family reunion. What are the chances of two black Ryals families holding their reunions at the same site on the same date?
Last Sunday afternoon Peggy came to the Coats Museum and brought with her Dr. Moses Jones, M.D. from near Dothan, Alabama and his photographer Hermie Chambers from Tucson, AZ., and Lula Ryals Raines from Augusta, Georgia who is retired from the U.S. Army Air Force Exchange. Dr. Jones is a hard researcher who was at the other Ryals Reunion from the more southern area and he is searching information about his great-great-great grandfather who was black James Ryals who was taken to Georgia by his slave owner, white William Ryals, in the early 1800’s (1806-1818 (?). The two different Ryals Reunion folks shared some information and discovered some of the same names were in Georgia and Harnett Ryals families. Our job is to find out if the families have the same roots. Life brings new adventures.
Please be mindful that this article appeared in the Daily Record in October of 2011.
Recall last week that you read about a Harnett County Schools Commencement and Field Day which was held in Lillington on March 24, 1923.The participates were individual winners from the schools throughout Harnett County. You read about the academic events in which the younger students participated.
This week let’s learn in what the older students were competing on the ball field to earn points to take back to their schools. The competitors were running the broad jump, the high jump, standing broad jump, chinning, and shot put. The following events were held in a street just in front of the ball park: 100-yard dash for boys over 14 years; 100-yard dash for boys under 14; 100-yard dash for girls; 220-yard dash for boys over 14 of age; and 1-mile relay for boys over 14 years of age. The basketball games were the last event at the field day program. Places were designated for each school.
A megaphone was used from the grandstands to call the contestants to the events. The winner in each event was given a card designating the prize won. A booth for awarding prizes was set up to distribute awards. Sounds like it was well organized, doesn’t it?
The judges for the Field Day events in which the boys from 14 to 21 years of age competed were Professor Charles Watson, Gerald Wilson, H.P Wright, T.T. Lanier and L.H. Campbell . Questions—Are you thinking I thought this was for school students? Were there students who were 21 years old in the schools? Second-Was L.H. Campbell the same man as Leslie Campbell? Was he president of Campbell College or was it Campbell Academy in 1923? How about the name T.T. Lanier-was he the Coats School principal in 1923?
The judges for the girls 13 and over were Regina Egerton, Vivian Draper, Annie Kenyon, Eva Crumpler, Mattie Henderson, and Mrs. R.P. Dewberry. Judges for the events under that age were Misses Elva Byrd, Mame Williams, Mary McIntosh, Josephine Harmon, Sudie Markham, C.R. Adams and Luther Denning.
The schools were required to send rope, beanbags, sacks, and reins or ribbons for the chariot race. A solid gold pin or emblem was given to the winner in each event. A pupil taking first place in any event scored five points for his school ; second place carried three points home and third place one point (Harnett County News March29,1923).
The Coats girls won the basketball championship at the Field Day in Lillington. Wonder what the final score was. It was 10-6. The first half was closely contested, for after two quarters, the score was tied up at four points. Are questions popping into your mind? Was the game in a building or was it played on dirt? Did the girls wear uniforms or dresses in 1923? Did women wear pants in 1923? Were there referees and if so, were they wearing striped black and white shirts; did they have whistles and was the basketball made of leather or rubber?
I have no idea to several of the questions, but I do know that the Coats girls were more accurate than Lillington in the second half. According to the newspaper account, both teams showed they needed more practice. Who played on the teams? Miss C. Coats made 2 points for Coats Others Coats players were F. Smith, G. Stewart, and G. Langdon . F. Byrd, F. Lanier, C. Draper, G. Turlington were players but I am not positive for which school they played. However, G. Dewer, C. Abernathy and F. Abernathy played for Lillington. A picture of the 1923 Coats School basketball champions is in the book, Together We Leave, which is in the Coats Museum. This book was put together by Marie Salmon’s Photography Class in 1985 and contains the pictures of most of the students who attended Coats School from the years 1911 to 1985.
Yes, they did have referees and they were believed to be Bill Newberry and Neill McKay Salmon. Yes, Mr. Salmon was the outstanding attorney from Lillington who was the father-in-law of our Marie Salmon who has touched the lives of thousands of former Coats students.
Life is never dull at the Coats Museum. We recently met a delightful lady, Peggy Robinson, who lives near Erwin. Peggy’s love for the preservation of her black history is contagious. With the help of her family and friends she has amassed a priceless collection of family histories, pictures, documents, obituaries, and church and reunion materials. Becky Adams, Lynda Butler and I are working with Peggy to publish her black history book.
From her materials we can learn how closely tied together the white and black families were in years past. For example one family that will be met in her book is the Ryals family that has deep roots in the Coats and Erwin areas. White Richard Ryals who was born in Virginia in 1748 came to this area and married Milly Baggett about 1780 and she died after 1840 in Cumberland County (later Harnett). Richard had died in 1816. The couple had eight known children. Some of them stayed in the area and married into some of the families with current very recognizable names. Some moved to Alabama. Black Thomas Ryals from Cumberland, white William Ryals and black James Ryals from Georgia are three men about whom we seeking more information.
About four years ago the black Ryals family with Harnett roots held the family reunion at Myrtle Beach, S.C. At the same date across the way at another lodging, the descendents of a black James Ryals were also holding a family reunion. What are the chances of two black Ryals families holding their reunions at the same site on the same date?
Last Sunday afternoon Peggy came to the Coats Museum and brought with her Dr. Moses Jones, M.D. from near Dothan, Alabama and his photographer Hermie Chambers from Tucson, AZ., and Lula Ryals Raines from Augusta, Georgia who is retired from the U.S. Army Air Force Exchange. Dr. Jones is a hard researcher who was at the other Ryals Reunion from the more southern area and he is searching information about his great-great-great grandfather who was black James Ryals who was taken to Georgia by his slave owner, white William Ryals, in the early 1800’s (1806-1818 (?). The two different Ryals Reunion folks shared some information and discovered some of the same names were in Georgia and Harnett Ryals families. Our job is to find out if the families have the same roots. Life brings new adventures.
Please be mindful that this article appeared in the Daily Record in October of 2011.