Ole Stewart Corn Mill - Coats Museum News
There are few people in Coats who remember the Stewart Corn Mill that was located on Washington Street across from the store and house of “Son” and Lucy Weaver. Thanks to Henry Stewart’s daughter Evangeline and grandson for sharing much of the following story of the mill.
Henry Clay Stewart -born in 1885 and died in 1958- was the original owner and operator of the corn mill which is said to have opened in 1918. It was recalled that Henry furnished the family of eleven with flour and meal after leaving the farm at Bailey’s Crossroads to live in a house that he built in Coats. Reggie Parrish later lived in that house if that helps one identify the dwelling.
Farmers from all over Harnett County brought their corn to be milled according to his beautiful daughter Evangeline. While I was giving a tour to the late Senator Robert Morgan, he shared that his dad had loaded up bags of corn on his wagon and sent Robert to Coats to have it milled. Robert pointed out that his dad wanted his corn meal to be ground from the corn that Robert had driven there in his Papa’s wagon. Apparently, that was the case with most farmers who wanted to make sure it was their corn in the meal that he had milled.
Henry was the son of C.D. Stewart, first principal of Coats School, who had helped his son build the mill. It lastly consisted of three mills but originally had only two. Three flat rocks called boulders were placed on top of a bed of rocks and the top one rotated by force of an electric motor, driven by pulleys and belts. Each mill had a little wheel attached to it that raised and lowered the top rock to make the corn meal grind according to his daughter Evangeline. The rock had to be whetted or sharpened ever so often to make the corn meal grind right.
Was the corn in ears or did it have to be shelled before being ground? There was an electric corn sheller at the mill. Let us be mindful that the town did not have electricity available to any degree until around 1924-25 so was there a device there to provide electricity?
Two of Henry and Myrtle ‘s sons served in WWII and following the war returned to help their dad operate the “ole mill”. Henry died in 1958 and then Myrtle in 1969 after which their four children- Keith Wayne, Laverne, Klyce and Evangeline inherited the mill. Eventually Klyce and Evangeline sold their shares to the other two brothers who operated it until 1978.
The task of shelling, grinding, sacking, tying, loading and delivering the meal was done by the two men even though their dad Henry had on occasion hired young men to help him. After acquiring the mill from their siblings, LaVerne operated the mill and Keith was back and forth from home and kept the books.
Until they closed the business in 1978, the meal was sold in the local towns in Harnett and beyond. It was shared when people visited the area, they would go buy some Stewart meal to carry home as far away as California and Washington, DC.
The mill was located on the land belonging to Dr. Harry Roberts who according to a Stewart grandson “horse traded” the rent for a bag of corn meal. After the doctor’s death from injuries in a plane crash, his widow charged only $25.00 a year for rent. The mill was taken down in 1978-79 and the rocks were sold to House’s Mill in Newton Grove. Does anyone know the current location of the boulders?
The former mayor of Fuquay John Byrne and John’s sister and brother-in-law, Mary Susan and Kyle Gantt from Andalusia, Alabama visited Coats Museum recently. Museum Vice Chairman Lenny Parker and former Mayor Walter Weeks were on site to help give a tour of the museums. Mr. Byrne and the Gantts were presented recent copies of the Daily Record’s Coats Museum News columns about their grandparents W.E. Nichols and Eva Smith Nichols. The brother and sister are going to give a portrait of W.E. Nichols and a vintage dress belonging to Eva S. Nichols. Recall that Mr. W.E. gave the land upon which Heritage Square and the community building and museums are located.
There are few people in Coats who remember the Stewart Corn Mill that was located on Washington Street across from the store and house of “Son” and Lucy Weaver. Thanks to Henry Stewart’s daughter Evangeline and grandson for sharing much of the following story of the mill.
Henry Clay Stewart -born in 1885 and died in 1958- was the original owner and operator of the corn mill which is said to have opened in 1918. It was recalled that Henry furnished the family of eleven with flour and meal after leaving the farm at Bailey’s Crossroads to live in a house that he built in Coats. Reggie Parrish later lived in that house if that helps one identify the dwelling.
Farmers from all over Harnett County brought their corn to be milled according to his beautiful daughter Evangeline. While I was giving a tour to the late Senator Robert Morgan, he shared that his dad had loaded up bags of corn on his wagon and sent Robert to Coats to have it milled. Robert pointed out that his dad wanted his corn meal to be ground from the corn that Robert had driven there in his Papa’s wagon. Apparently, that was the case with most farmers who wanted to make sure it was their corn in the meal that he had milled.
Henry was the son of C.D. Stewart, first principal of Coats School, who had helped his son build the mill. It lastly consisted of three mills but originally had only two. Three flat rocks called boulders were placed on top of a bed of rocks and the top one rotated by force of an electric motor, driven by pulleys and belts. Each mill had a little wheel attached to it that raised and lowered the top rock to make the corn meal grind according to his daughter Evangeline. The rock had to be whetted or sharpened ever so often to make the corn meal grind right.
Was the corn in ears or did it have to be shelled before being ground? There was an electric corn sheller at the mill. Let us be mindful that the town did not have electricity available to any degree until around 1924-25 so was there a device there to provide electricity?
Two of Henry and Myrtle ‘s sons served in WWII and following the war returned to help their dad operate the “ole mill”. Henry died in 1958 and then Myrtle in 1969 after which their four children- Keith Wayne, Laverne, Klyce and Evangeline inherited the mill. Eventually Klyce and Evangeline sold their shares to the other two brothers who operated it until 1978.
The task of shelling, grinding, sacking, tying, loading and delivering the meal was done by the two men even though their dad Henry had on occasion hired young men to help him. After acquiring the mill from their siblings, LaVerne operated the mill and Keith was back and forth from home and kept the books.
Until they closed the business in 1978, the meal was sold in the local towns in Harnett and beyond. It was shared when people visited the area, they would go buy some Stewart meal to carry home as far away as California and Washington, DC.
The mill was located on the land belonging to Dr. Harry Roberts who according to a Stewart grandson “horse traded” the rent for a bag of corn meal. After the doctor’s death from injuries in a plane crash, his widow charged only $25.00 a year for rent. The mill was taken down in 1978-79 and the rocks were sold to House’s Mill in Newton Grove. Does anyone know the current location of the boulders?
The former mayor of Fuquay John Byrne and John’s sister and brother-in-law, Mary Susan and Kyle Gantt from Andalusia, Alabama visited Coats Museum recently. Museum Vice Chairman Lenny Parker and former Mayor Walter Weeks were on site to help give a tour of the museums. Mr. Byrne and the Gantts were presented recent copies of the Daily Record’s Coats Museum News columns about their grandparents W.E. Nichols and Eva Smith Nichols. The brother and sister are going to give a portrait of W.E. Nichols and a vintage dress belonging to Eva S. Nichols. Recall that Mr. W.E. gave the land upon which Heritage Square and the community building and museums are located.
