September 10, 2021 Coats Museum News
February 1st of 1988 had arrived and the news in the Daily Record printed that the Coats Chamber of Commerce President Ann Jones had announced that Greg Fishel would be the key speaker at the annual chamber banquet. Does that name sound familiar? Did you ever get that call during the middle of the night which started out with “This is Greg Fishel with WRAL weather --alerting you that a… ..is in your area and when possible shelter in your safe place.”
Belle Williams in her article wrote that the family of Dallas Messer had lost him to death on Saturday, January 30th. His services were held at the Rose and Graham Funeral Home in Coats. Burial was in the Coats City Cemetery. His children who survived him were Mrs. Goldie (?) Powell, Mrs. Hilda Tyndall, Mrs. Louise Rossman, Mrs. Lois Ennis, Winfred Messer, Buddy Messer and Billy Messer. Mrs. Flonnie Truelove, and Willie Messer were his siblings.
Question-did he have another son? Was Larry Messer a son or grandson or no relation at all to Mr. Dallas?
I do know that Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Williams had announced the forthcoming marriage of their daughter, Denise Williams, to Jerry Wayne Weaver, Jr. The bride-elect was a 1986 graduate of Triton High School. Jerry, Jr. was an Airman 1st Class in the U.S. Army.
The CACC recognized the Coats T-Mart as the Business Focus of the Week. Barbara Jackson Smith was acting manager who was pictured with President Ann Jones and Dottie Tyndall of the Coats Chamber (Daily Record Feb. 1, 1988). Don’t you wish they had shared a bit of history about the Coats T-Mart?
The name Byrd has always been a prominent one in the Coats and Barclaysville area. Think about John McKay Byrd, Fred Byrd, Bennie Byrd, Newton Byrd , Graham or Teddy Byrd to name only a few. In this edition of the Daliy Record of February 2, 1988, it was printed that W. Mack Byrd, 73, had died at Good Hope Hospital. The Coats man was buried in the Coats City Cemetery after Dr. Mark White conducted the services in the Rose and Graham Funeral Home. Two children- Bernie Mack and Retha Faye Byrd survived him. His sister Ellie Byrd also survived him.
Mr. and Mrs. Claude E. Baker, Sr., of Erwin, announced the engagement of their granddaughter, Teresa (Terry) Faye Baker, to Joey Travis Johnson, son of Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Johnson, Jr. of Coats. Terry was a 1986 graduate of Triton, was attending JCC and was employed with Judy’s day Care in Erwin. Joey was the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Jonah C. Johnson, Sr. and the late Mr. and Mrs. Ben H. Barbour of Benson. Joey was a 1986 graduate of Triton and a graduate of JCC. Joey was self employed. First Baptist Church in Erwin was to be the site of the Feb. 27th wedding (Daily Record Feb. 2. 1988). Terry now owns the Dragonfly in Coats.
Mrs. Lillian Stewart Lassiter, 86, of Golden Years Nursing Home in Falcon had died. She was a Coats native and was the daughter of the late William J. Mack Stewart and Lillian Ogburn Stewart. She was the widow of the W. Kirk Lassiter. Services were held by Rev. Warren Bock at the Rose and Graham Funeral Home in Coats. Several nephews and nieces survived her. One was Mack Reid Hudson who later donated her Lassiter cotton gin to the Coats Cotton Museum.
Mack Reid Hudson’s wife Juanita was a descendant of Willie Ennis from near Hodges Crossroads near Dunn. Wonder if she was a relative of Mrs. Ila Ennis, 83, who died on Feb. 4, 1988.
I do know that Tommy Williford, the former CACC Man of the Year, presented to J.D. Norris the similar honor at the CACC Banquet. J.D. was born in 1911 and attended the Oakdale School. He had several work experiences such as working in a grocery and dry-goods stores, selling insurance in 1939 and selling and auctioneering real estate in 1945. He partnered with Herbert L. Johnson in 1952. He was active and instrumental in the establishment of the Coats United Methodist Church. J.D. was involved with the Coats Jr. Order and the Region “M” Council of Government.
Some additional information about J.D. is that he was very involved in town affairs when Vic Lee was Mayor of Coats in 1949. Vic Lee resigned after building a house outside of Coats city limits. Mayor Charlie Turlington had served for about 25 years on the town board as either a councilman or mayor when he was challenged by Vic Lee, a council member and merchant.
In 1949, there were 600 registered voters of which 500 were expected to vote for ten men who were seeking offices in Coats. J.D was a candidate listed as an insurance agent. Carlos Dixon was a veterans farm instructor. Two current members were seeking reelection were Haywood Roberts and L.M. Johnson. Both men had been reelected for 2 terms beginning in 1946. M.A. Coats was not seeking re-election. The new candidates for town councilmen were Edward Denning, T.O. Beasley, Gene Stewart, O.K. Keene, J. Nassie Dorman, and R.E. Parrish- all well known businessmen.
J.D. had promised if he was elected that he would improve sidewalks, install streetlights and oppose selling beer in town. Carlos Dixon promised to work with civic-minded groups, build sidewalks to the school and churches and have machines to improve the Main Street of Coats (Was Main Street dirt at this time and did the town no longer move a streetlight from one block to another at the request of some council members?)
The third candidate-Vic Lee- promised sidewalks and street improvements if revenue was available and he promised concrete plans for general improvement of sanitation and water facilities. Remember at this time most of the residents in Coats drank water from open wells located in some cases very close to the outhouse on either their property or that of their neighbor.
While all this promising was covered in the Dunn Dispatch April 29, 1949 edition, other news was that the Dunn firemen were called to Coats to help Coats firemen extinguish a fire at the lumber plant of Benner and Robertson. The fire was confined to the boiler room. Eleven men came to Coats on a MACK truck and several thousand dollars worth of damage was reported with only half being covered with insurance. Outside of Coats, Melvin Turlington built the new building at Prospect Church.
The next week, W.E. Nichols was sworn in to the Harnett County Board of Education. A big bond vote was being pushed for $200 million for road paving and repair and $25 million for school construction and repair.
What was the outcome of the town elections? Mayor C.J. Turlington had redrawn from the Coats Mayor’s race. David Victor “Vic” Lee, a 36 year-old businessman, was elected to what was one of the liveliest campaigns to that date in Coats. Lee had lived in Coats since an early age and was co-owner of Pope’s Department Store on South Main Street, Coats. Lee was a boiler inspector for the Durham and Southern Railroad for nine and one half years. He became associated with Thad Pope in the Pope’s Department Store and later became part owner and manager. Lee’ family was originally from Johnston County and his father was Harry Lee who served as rural mail carrier prior to his retirement (Dunn Dispatch May 11, 1949).
Who were the other council seat winners? Haywood Roberts, T. Owen Beasley, O.K. Keene, and L.G. “Luke” Barefoot were elected. It would be November when the councilmen would announce that a $4,100 motor and grader made the streets in the best shape ever-AND the announcement came that Coats would get two stop lights-one at the intersection of Main Street and McKinley and the other at the intersection of NC55 and the new Buies Creek-Benson Road (Dunn Dispatch Nov.7, 1949).-Yes, prior to this improvement, one had to travel on the Delma Grimes Road to get to Benson.
With all that good news coming out of Coats –better news was coming out of Dunn in that some citizens were willing to pay to have their streets paved and Angier citizens were contemplating doing the same. By the way, the Grove voters did vote for the huge school and road bond issues.
We enjoyed lots of activity last Thursday and wish to thank Susan and Ron Jenkins for remembering their friend Joe Tart with a memorial to the Coats Museum.
February 1st of 1988 had arrived and the news in the Daily Record printed that the Coats Chamber of Commerce President Ann Jones had announced that Greg Fishel would be the key speaker at the annual chamber banquet. Does that name sound familiar? Did you ever get that call during the middle of the night which started out with “This is Greg Fishel with WRAL weather --alerting you that a… ..is in your area and when possible shelter in your safe place.”
Belle Williams in her article wrote that the family of Dallas Messer had lost him to death on Saturday, January 30th. His services were held at the Rose and Graham Funeral Home in Coats. Burial was in the Coats City Cemetery. His children who survived him were Mrs. Goldie (?) Powell, Mrs. Hilda Tyndall, Mrs. Louise Rossman, Mrs. Lois Ennis, Winfred Messer, Buddy Messer and Billy Messer. Mrs. Flonnie Truelove, and Willie Messer were his siblings.
Question-did he have another son? Was Larry Messer a son or grandson or no relation at all to Mr. Dallas?
I do know that Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Williams had announced the forthcoming marriage of their daughter, Denise Williams, to Jerry Wayne Weaver, Jr. The bride-elect was a 1986 graduate of Triton High School. Jerry, Jr. was an Airman 1st Class in the U.S. Army.
The CACC recognized the Coats T-Mart as the Business Focus of the Week. Barbara Jackson Smith was acting manager who was pictured with President Ann Jones and Dottie Tyndall of the Coats Chamber (Daily Record Feb. 1, 1988). Don’t you wish they had shared a bit of history about the Coats T-Mart?
The name Byrd has always been a prominent one in the Coats and Barclaysville area. Think about John McKay Byrd, Fred Byrd, Bennie Byrd, Newton Byrd , Graham or Teddy Byrd to name only a few. In this edition of the Daliy Record of February 2, 1988, it was printed that W. Mack Byrd, 73, had died at Good Hope Hospital. The Coats man was buried in the Coats City Cemetery after Dr. Mark White conducted the services in the Rose and Graham Funeral Home. Two children- Bernie Mack and Retha Faye Byrd survived him. His sister Ellie Byrd also survived him.
Mr. and Mrs. Claude E. Baker, Sr., of Erwin, announced the engagement of their granddaughter, Teresa (Terry) Faye Baker, to Joey Travis Johnson, son of Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Johnson, Jr. of Coats. Terry was a 1986 graduate of Triton, was attending JCC and was employed with Judy’s day Care in Erwin. Joey was the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Jonah C. Johnson, Sr. and the late Mr. and Mrs. Ben H. Barbour of Benson. Joey was a 1986 graduate of Triton and a graduate of JCC. Joey was self employed. First Baptist Church in Erwin was to be the site of the Feb. 27th wedding (Daily Record Feb. 2. 1988). Terry now owns the Dragonfly in Coats.
Mrs. Lillian Stewart Lassiter, 86, of Golden Years Nursing Home in Falcon had died. She was a Coats native and was the daughter of the late William J. Mack Stewart and Lillian Ogburn Stewart. She was the widow of the W. Kirk Lassiter. Services were held by Rev. Warren Bock at the Rose and Graham Funeral Home in Coats. Several nephews and nieces survived her. One was Mack Reid Hudson who later donated her Lassiter cotton gin to the Coats Cotton Museum.
Mack Reid Hudson’s wife Juanita was a descendant of Willie Ennis from near Hodges Crossroads near Dunn. Wonder if she was a relative of Mrs. Ila Ennis, 83, who died on Feb. 4, 1988.
I do know that Tommy Williford, the former CACC Man of the Year, presented to J.D. Norris the similar honor at the CACC Banquet. J.D. was born in 1911 and attended the Oakdale School. He had several work experiences such as working in a grocery and dry-goods stores, selling insurance in 1939 and selling and auctioneering real estate in 1945. He partnered with Herbert L. Johnson in 1952. He was active and instrumental in the establishment of the Coats United Methodist Church. J.D. was involved with the Coats Jr. Order and the Region “M” Council of Government.
Some additional information about J.D. is that he was very involved in town affairs when Vic Lee was Mayor of Coats in 1949. Vic Lee resigned after building a house outside of Coats city limits. Mayor Charlie Turlington had served for about 25 years on the town board as either a councilman or mayor when he was challenged by Vic Lee, a council member and merchant.
In 1949, there were 600 registered voters of which 500 were expected to vote for ten men who were seeking offices in Coats. J.D was a candidate listed as an insurance agent. Carlos Dixon was a veterans farm instructor. Two current members were seeking reelection were Haywood Roberts and L.M. Johnson. Both men had been reelected for 2 terms beginning in 1946. M.A. Coats was not seeking re-election. The new candidates for town councilmen were Edward Denning, T.O. Beasley, Gene Stewart, O.K. Keene, J. Nassie Dorman, and R.E. Parrish- all well known businessmen.
J.D. had promised if he was elected that he would improve sidewalks, install streetlights and oppose selling beer in town. Carlos Dixon promised to work with civic-minded groups, build sidewalks to the school and churches and have machines to improve the Main Street of Coats (Was Main Street dirt at this time and did the town no longer move a streetlight from one block to another at the request of some council members?)
The third candidate-Vic Lee- promised sidewalks and street improvements if revenue was available and he promised concrete plans for general improvement of sanitation and water facilities. Remember at this time most of the residents in Coats drank water from open wells located in some cases very close to the outhouse on either their property or that of their neighbor.
While all this promising was covered in the Dunn Dispatch April 29, 1949 edition, other news was that the Dunn firemen were called to Coats to help Coats firemen extinguish a fire at the lumber plant of Benner and Robertson. The fire was confined to the boiler room. Eleven men came to Coats on a MACK truck and several thousand dollars worth of damage was reported with only half being covered with insurance. Outside of Coats, Melvin Turlington built the new building at Prospect Church.
The next week, W.E. Nichols was sworn in to the Harnett County Board of Education. A big bond vote was being pushed for $200 million for road paving and repair and $25 million for school construction and repair.
What was the outcome of the town elections? Mayor C.J. Turlington had redrawn from the Coats Mayor’s race. David Victor “Vic” Lee, a 36 year-old businessman, was elected to what was one of the liveliest campaigns to that date in Coats. Lee had lived in Coats since an early age and was co-owner of Pope’s Department Store on South Main Street, Coats. Lee was a boiler inspector for the Durham and Southern Railroad for nine and one half years. He became associated with Thad Pope in the Pope’s Department Store and later became part owner and manager. Lee’ family was originally from Johnston County and his father was Harry Lee who served as rural mail carrier prior to his retirement (Dunn Dispatch May 11, 1949).
Who were the other council seat winners? Haywood Roberts, T. Owen Beasley, O.K. Keene, and L.G. “Luke” Barefoot were elected. It would be November when the councilmen would announce that a $4,100 motor and grader made the streets in the best shape ever-AND the announcement came that Coats would get two stop lights-one at the intersection of Main Street and McKinley and the other at the intersection of NC55 and the new Buies Creek-Benson Road (Dunn Dispatch Nov.7, 1949).-Yes, prior to this improvement, one had to travel on the Delma Grimes Road to get to Benson.
With all that good news coming out of Coats –better news was coming out of Dunn in that some citizens were willing to pay to have their streets paved and Angier citizens were contemplating doing the same. By the way, the Grove voters did vote for the huge school and road bond issues.
We enjoyed lots of activity last Thursday and wish to thank Susan and Ron Jenkins for remembering their friend Joe Tart with a memorial to the Coats Museum.