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An Independent Weekly Newspaper . » . Seventy-Eighth Year of Continuous Publication
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VOLUME LXXVIII— NO. 38
BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROUNA, THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 1966
10 CENTS PER COPY
24 PAGES—3 SECTIONS
Members of the Design and Location, Committee, and others
interested in entrance signs to Boone talk over a location sit
uated on the property of Mayor Wade E. Brown. They are
(1-r): Mrs. Vivian Reynolds, Mrs. Constance Stallings, Herman
W. Wilcox, Dr. Lee Reynolds, Mayor Brown and Fred Mc
Neal. (Staff photo)
“Daniel Boone Country” Is
Theme Of New Entrance Signs
Town Of 8,000?
-'Boone’s growth in the decade o( 1950-1060 hasteon"
considered remarkable, expanding from 2,978 in 1950
to 8,686 in 1960, according to census figures.
However, it took more than Boone’s growth to offset
the loss of the County’s population, which embraces the
municipalities of Boone and Blowing Rock. In 1950,
there were 18,342 listed in Watauga; in 1960, only
17,529, for a loss of 813. Boone’s gain in the decade
was 713.
Some optimistic estimates as to the Town’s current
population go as high as 8,000, not counting.the college’s
student population of some 4,000.
However, in July of 1964, Engineer Richard H.
Moore of Asheboro—who has been hired to oversee
Boone’s water and sewer project—estimated the popula
tions of three areas, which were officially annexed last
July, to be: Perkinsville—1,500 acres north and east of
Boone, 1,070 persons; Blowing Rock Road—670 acres
roughly south and east of Town, 345 persons; Poplar
Hill—400 acres plus, east and south on Highway 105,
385 persons.
Annexation added an estimated 1,800 persons to
Boone’s Population.
Weed Growers
Retain Program
The following tabulation
shows the results of the hurley
acreage - poundage referendum
held on March 10 by commun
ities in Watauga County. The
first figure in each case is for,
the second against:
Beaver Dam—24, 202; Brushy
Fork—41, 40; Cove Creek—135,
107; Laurel Creek—47, 106;
Meat Camp—85, 16; New River
—34, 8; North Fork—23, 14;
Shawneehaw — 40, 5; Stony
Fork—17, 0; Watauga—38, 43;
Absentee Ballots—11, 7; Chal
lenged Ballots—32, 5,
Totals are: 538 for; 559
against.
The present acreage program
will remain in effect since the
referendum did not carry by
the required majority for the
entire burley belt. Notices have
already been mailed to farmers
showing a 15 per cent decrease
in allotments for all farms ex
cept those protected by the
minimum provisions.
Farmers having questions
about their allotments for 1966
should contact the Watauga
County ASCS Office.
The Boone Entrance Sign
Committee, in session at noon
Thursday at the Daniel Boone
Hotel, approved study material
submitted by the design and
location committee and auth
orized the design-location group
to contract with Clyde F.
Smith of Spruce Pine to con
struct four entrance signs to
be mounted on native stone
bases.
Smith had proposed that the
signs be made of clear heart
redwood, that lettering be cut
into the surface of the boards
and painted off-white or in a
color scheme blending with
stone used in the foundations.
Lettering, as approved, reads:
Boone, North Carolina, Daniel
Boone Country, Elev. — 3333.
The four lines of wording are
proportional in size, with Boone
being the largest.
Twenty persons, representing
gardening, civic and historical
organizations were on hand for
a meeting Feb. 9, at which time
the Boone Sign Committee was
selected. Fourteen persons were
able to attend Thursday’s meet
ing. On hand for the first meet
ing of the design-location group
(Mrs. Vivian Reynolds, David
Spainhour, Jim Sawyer, Her
man Wilcox, Fred McNeal and
Rachel Rivers) were Smith and
Ted Pease, who is with the
Park Service.
Pease said redwood has been
an excellent material for Park
way signs, and endorsed the
use of Elk stone, which has
many colorations, for the
foundations.
Smith said each sign would
cost $35, and gave estimates
with various lines of words left
off. Originally, he said assembly
of each sign, ready for installa
tion in the bases would cast $10
extra. Later he offered to as
semble the signs without charg
ing the additional $10.
The committee agreed that a
great portion of the cost will
be in the rock foundations. Fin
(Continued on page six)
Deep Gap Post Office To
Be Dedicated Next Sunday
The new Post Office at Deep
Gap wilt be dedicated at 3 p.
m on March 20, with ceremon
ies beginning at Parkway
School and proceeding later to
the . new facility. Guest speak
ers include Congressman James
*,*. Broyhill, O. H. Martin,
;• Deputy Regional Director!, and
a Mayor Made E. Brown of
Postmaster W. F. Beshears
explained that the new quart
ers is part of the Post Office
Department's lease construc
tion program under which in
vestment financing is nsed to
obtain needed facilities that re
main under private ownership,
pay local taxes and are leased
to the Federal Government
- to the are*
his gone up,” the Postmaster
noted. "For example, 10 years
ago revenue was $1,851.40 com
pared with $3,352.87 today."
When Deep Gap Post Office was
established in 1801, its receipts
/an only about $25 a year.
1 JSeshears said the Deep Gap
Post Office is leased to the
Post Office Department, thus
(eosttnoed on page six) J
ORVILLE H. FOSTER
Foster Files
Again For
Court Clerk
Orville H. Foster has filed
as a candidate for the office of
Clerk of Superior Court, on the
Republican ticket subject to the
May primary.
He is serving his fourth year
as Clerk of Court. He is mar
ried, has two children and re
sides in Vilas.
Many Fires
Reported
In Month
Several hundreds of dollars
property loss was incurred in
fires in Boone and Watauga
County in a four-week period.
Volunteer Fireman Phil
Vance reported that $3,500
damage was done to three
pianos being hauled in a pick
up which caught fire in Vilas
on Feb. 14. On Feb. 22, $150
to $200 damage was done to the
old Agriculture Building, now
vacant, which stands behind
the former Appalachian High
School.
Minor damage wax done to
the home of Nero Anderson in
Junaluska Heights on March
9 and a grass fire on the pro
perty of O. K. Richardson at
Bamboo was put out on March
11.
The Boone Fire Department
also answered a call to Boyd
Miller’s chicken house in Deep
Gap about 6 a. m. Friday morn
ing. The blaze was controlled
by the Deep Gap Department
Saturday afternoon, City Hall
(continued on page six)
Busy Day At Hospital
Six Are Injured
' ■.it,-':
Crash On 421 West
2-Car Collision
Occurs Monday
Near Vilas
Six persons were injured,
some seriously in a crash on
Highway 421, three miles west
of Boone Monday.
Investigating Patrolman W.
G. Teem said the wreck occur
ed about 11:15 a. m. when a
1959 Chevrolet pickup truck,
owned and operated by Ted
Reece Jr., 55, of Sugar Grove
pulled into the path of a 1960
Cadillac driven by a Kingsport,
Tenn., woman.
Teem said the truck was
traveling west when it came up
behind a car stopped to make
a left turn. Reece was unable
to stop, the Patrolman said, and
swung left to avoid hitting the
stopped automobile. The truck
slammed head on into a 1960
Cadillac, owned and operated
by Mrs. Betsy Edwards Exum.
44, of High Ridge Road, King
port.
Traveling with Reece were
his wife, Velma, his 14-year-old
son, Dale, and Mrs. Dora Dug
ger, Reece’s mother-in-law, age
62, Teems said.
Teem listed Charlene Bar
tholomew, age 44, of No. 2,
Longview Lane, Kingsport, as
|a passenger in Mrs. Exjum’a
car.
As of Tuesday, two witnesses
had not been interviewed and
Patrolman Teem said a charge
will be made upon completion
of his investigation.
The Watauga Rescue Unit
ambulance assisted Reins-Stur
divant in transporting the in
jured to Watauga Hospital.
A Hospital spokesman said
Mrs. Exum suffered a fracture
and lacerations and was trans
ported to Kingsport for further
treatment Monday afternoon.
Mrs. Bartholomew sustained a
fracture and contusions and
was released after treatment.
Ted Reece was released after
treatment of contusions; Mrs.
Reece sustained contusions and
was admitted to the Hospital;
their son, Dale, suffered lacera
tions and abrasions and was
released.
Mrs. Dugger was treated for
contusion and abrasions and
sent home.
Emergency Cases
Congest Hospital
Watauga Hospital was buz
zing Monday between 11 a. m.
and 3:30 p. m.
Mrs. Virginia Groce, admin
istrator, said four fractures
were set over the period, and
all victims of the morning
wreck were x-rayed, examined
and treated.
Other emergency cases added
to the rush, and Mrs. Groce
said the full staff of nurses was
(Continued on page six)
Floyd Tester
Given Bail In
Fatal Shooting
Floyd Tester of Sugar
Grove, who was last week ar
rested in connection with the
shooting of William McKinley
Presnell, was released Monday
afternoon on (10,000 bond on
the authority of the solicitor.
Sheriff Dallas Cheek said
a hearing has not yet been
set.
Tester, uncle by marriage
of the deceased, was arrested
the morning of Saturday,
March S, after Mr. Presnell
was found dead in an automo
bile in front of the Cove Creek
Two Tennessee women were injured in this
1960 Cadillac West of Boone Monday. The
bottom picture shows a 1959 Chevrolet
pickup owned by Ted Reece Jr. of Sugar
Grove. (Staff photos)
Holshouser Named
N. C. GOP Chairman
James Holshouser, Watauga
County Representative in the
State Legislature, was elected
Chairman of the State Republi
can party at the State Conven
tion in Charlotte Saturday.
At 31, Holshouser may be
the youngest man ever to
head the G. O. P. in the
State.
W. A. Armfield of Forsyth
County received strong sup
port from outgoing Chairman
James Gardner of Rocky Mount,
and from the most conservative
elements of the party in East
ern Carolina, but the Watauga
man won 1,634 to 1,339, with
the support of western delega
tions and a large segment of
the Piedmont.
Minority Leader
Chairman Holshouser, a
son of Mr. and Mrs. J. E.
Holshouser of Boone, gradu
ated from Appalachian High
School in 1952 and received a
BS degree in history at David
son College in 1956. He got
his law degree at the Univer
sity of North Carolina in
1960, and entered law prac
tice in Boone with his father,
a former District Attorney
for the Middle Federal dis
trict of North Caroling.
In 1965 during his' second
term in the House, he was elect
ed minority leader. He is a
member of the Boone Presby
terian Church, and the Boone
Junior Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Holshouser is married to
the former Miss Patricia Hol
lingsworth, and they and their
two-year-old daughter, Ginny,
live on Westbrook SL in Boone.
Other Officers
Other officers elected were:
vic+chairmaB, Mrs. A. E. Yer
byla of Lenoir; secretary, Dor
othy Presser of Mecklenburg;
assistant secretary, James
Johnson of Sampson; treasurer,
Russell Barringer of Durham,
and general counsel, Ken Tho
mas of Hickory.
Congressman H. H. (Bo)
Callaway of west-central Geor
gia’s 3rd District was the key
note speaker for the conven
tion.
Callaway said the U. S. was
in great danger today because
“its philosophy and basic values
seem to be slipping away more
this year than in any other.”
He cited as danger signals a
rising crime rate, a vague
policy on Southeast Asia, and
inflation.
JAMES HOLSHOUSER
“There is a whole new
attitude that the world owes
us a living . . . that those
who produce must support
those who don’t produce.”
He accused the Johnson ad
ministration of pulling budget
ing tricks—“trying to prove
we’re solvent when we are not”
Callaway said he supported
the U. S. position in South
Vietnam, but criticized what he
termed a lack of support for
the fighting men there.
(Continued on page six)
Dimes Drive Ends;
$2,602 Contributed l
The 1966 March of Dimes
drive in Watauga is being
brought to a close and is con
sidered to be the most success
ful since the days of polio. An
increase of $869.11 over the
1965 campaign was noted. This
increase is contributed to pub
lic education, George C. Tho
mas, chairman, stated.
An audit of the 1966 March
of Dimes shows the total of
$2,602.50 thus far with more
mailers expected. There is ap
proximately $68 from schools
which will be added to the total
thus far.
Thomas stated that there had {
been splended co-operation with }
all who were called upon to ?
help in this year’s campaign
and that the people of Watauga }
County were due hearty thanks ;
for their generous response to '
the call to help.
He also commented that j
thanks is due a number of peo- ;
pie who not only gave of their
money, but gave freely of their
Um tor help make this cam