Page 8-A
Ricks Recalls Edenton's Progress
(Editor’s Note: Following
is the text of remarks made
by Councilman James P.
Ricks, Jr., at Tuesday’s
meeting of Eden ton Town
Council.)
It is wisely written that he
who ignores the lessons of
the past is doomed to make
the same mistakes again.
So, before we vote on the
momentous issue before us
tonight, let us pause a
moment and put some of
this past in the proper
context.
To me, Edenton’s old past
is prior to August 2, 1952,
because I became a resident
on that date. We all know
about Edenton’s historic
past of long ago. But what
was Edenton to this pair of
eyes in 1952? Here is what I
saw.
The waterfront was not
pretty. Not at all. The
Penelope Barker House had
just been moved from its
original location downtown
to the county dock, to sit
beside an old barn-like
structure on the end of the
dock housing the Railway
Express Agency and
operated by Mr. Willis.
Across the street was the
Edenton Police
Department, housed in a
building which was the
remnants of the old power
plant where the town
generated its own
electricity. The tall brick
chimney was still there. On
the corner stood an elevated
water tank which was a
good platform for taking
photographs, especially of
the Cupola House, because
its view was blocked by the
presence of a very large
building housing the W.D.
Holmes Wholesale Grocery.
Behind the Police
Department of the Camp
Paper Company barges
loaded pulpwood and wood
was stored in piles around
the area. Next to it was the
old Edenton Bay Packing
Company building and its
waterfront neighbor, J.H.
Conger Oil Company. A row
of building structures out to
Water Street served many
purposes. Across the street
a brick building, formerly
the Double-Cola Bottling
Company, stood empty. 1
believe it was used for
storage by Ralph Parrish
when he operated his
The Edenton-Chowan
Board Os Education
will hold it’s regular
monthly meeting at
8 P. M. on Tuesday,
June 6 in the third
floor conference room
of the Chowan County
Office Building
In time for Graduation...
Ross - Riddick Jeu&lenujb^!^
215 S. BROAD STREET
EPENTON, N. C 17932 ( V
- business on Broad Street.
The waterfront itself
teemed with “old fish
stakes’’ making boating
hazardous as well as being
an eyesore. When pulled up
by Waff Brothers, they
came up in sizes of small
trees to phone pole size.
East of the Police
Department on the water by
the Steel Bridge was an old
warehouse used by Byrum
Implement and Tractor
Company.
There was a tavern
downtown in the business
district frequented by
Marines because Edenton
was a military base town.
Even made-over chicken
coop 6 rented well because
housing was scarce. The
economy was flourishing.
The ABC store was in the
corner of the Habit Building
and the Lion’s Club met
upstairs. The Confederate
Monument stood facing the
Courthouse. The City Hall
was in a building behind the
Cupola House and was
shared by the Fire
Department. Leroy Haskett
was Mayor and Bug Ward
was Town Clerk.
The downtown sidewalks
were a mess of broken,
sloping cement with many
patches. Further out Broad
Street across from the Boy
Scout Log Cabin was Bill
Harris’s service station and
grocery. Next to it was the
Freezer Locker building.
The Armory was the sole
occupant of its corner. The
Triangle restaurant and
service station was operated
by Mr. Lynn Byrum and the
Edenton Jaycees met
upstairs. Unit B of the
Chowan Hospital was the
Chowan Hospital, and Unit
C housed nurses. The
Edenton Medical Center
stood alone on its corner.
Across from George
Chevrolet Company was
Joe’s Drive-In and behind it
was Warner Evans’ cotton
gin. Back in the far corner
was Mr. E.L. Hollowell’s
veneer mill. W.D. Townson
used a building for making
pallets. Behind George
Chevrolet Company was
Bear’s Mill extending to
Walker School. Across the
tracks was Blades Lumber
Company. The Drive-In
Theatre was on 17 North
behind E.J. Boyce’s store.
On it South the city
limits stopped at Silbert’s
Creek which chains Liza’s
Bottom. The town trash
dump was across the creek
from the Beaver Hill
Cemetery and burned and
smoked most of the time.
Mrs. Boswell’s Restaurant
was out of town. The M.G.
Brown Lumber Company
occupied most of Albania.
The boat [Her now used by
Councilman Burroughs was
the old log pound ditch
where rafted logs were
floated to the mill. Queen
Anne’s Place was a mess of
abandoned and decaying
sawmill. Had not this area
been developed, three
present Councilmen would
not have their lovely homes
on a beautiful waterfront.
Westover Heights, just
beyond the Edenton Fish
Hatchery, had its own water
and sewer system system
operated by the town. Its
raw sewerage flowed into
Pembroke Creek just as the
town’s sewerage flowed into
Edenton Bay.
Scott Harrell’s Edenton
Tractor and Implement
Company was adjacent to a
swampy ditch leading out to
the creek.
Downtown, the space left
by the Penelope Barker
house was the scene of
construction of a new
building. Behind it in
that unpaved area behind
the Hotel Joseph Hewes
stood a large building that
housed the Byrum
Implement and Truck
Company.
On the other side of Broad
Street was the Bus Station
adjacent to Mr. Kehayes’
Restaurant. Three service
stations garced the corner of
Broad and Queen Streets.
Cheapside hosted McKay
Washington’s Laundromat
along with Halsey Feed and
Seed and Joe Vail’s Art
Shop.
On North Oakum Street
behind the new high school
stood the tall building of
Spedic Peanut Company
which burned in a
spectacular fire.
Edenton had no Chamber
of Commerce. It didn’t need
one. Then things began to
change. Plans for a master
jet base gave way to the
announcement of the base
closing. An economic
disaster. Good people got
together and farmed a
Chamber of Commerce to
attract new industry. Funds
were raised to build
fiberglass swimming pools
in the old W.D. Holmes
building on Broad Street. It
failed. Then the good people
of Edenton were again to put
up the money to buy an
industrial park on 17 North
and furnish it with lights,
water and sewer just on
hopes. They did. Other
things happened one behind
the other. They haven’t
stopped happening to this
day. The latest change by
this Council allowed J.H.
Conger to move its
operation from the
waterfront to Northside.
THE CHOWAN HERALD
We nave two new
communities in Chowan
County, Arrowhead and
Cape Colony. Urban
renewal grants are even
now in process of bettering
living conditions on Oakum
Street and another project
application has been
filed. Support is finally
growing to allow a sidewalk
out West Queen Street past
Boswell's to Albania. Public
housing projects with decent
housing have replaced
many of the pitiful hovels
that served as residences.
The old base property is our
new Industrial Park. Local
people have been able to
find jobs without leavingng
the county. Our finest and
most expensive
investments, our young
people, can find work and
not leave the community, as
they were doing when I
came here, except those
whose whose fathers had
business they could inherit.
Edenton today was built,
as the Jaycees say, by free
men through free
enterpirse.. Good,
hardworking, honest, decent
men who had the betterment
of their community as an
equal goal to their own self
betterment. If you don’t
believe it, just look around
you. I submit that that same
spirit is just as active as it
ever was. Historic and
Progressive Edenton is not
just a slogan on the sign at
the city limits. Historic
Edenton has never been
presented with more
grandeur or respect. The
world has changed and
Edenton has changed with
it, all for the better. Edenton
is alive and well, vibrant
and active and eager and
ready to go. Don’t kill that
spirit.
A negative vote on this
issue tonight will mean that
all the planning of good men
over the years will have
gone down the drain. Their
efforts in the future would
not be needed. We would
have no further need for a
Chamber of Commerce. The
spirit of progress will be
dead and the sign at the city
limits will read simply
“Historic Edenton.’’
J.P. Ricks, Jr.
30 May 1978
Mrs. Chappell Taken In Death
Mrs. Mary Byrum
Chappell, 95, 500 West
Grubb Street, Hertford, died
Sunday morning in the
Albemarle Hospital
following an extended
illness. A native of Chowan
County she was the widow of
Riddick Chappell.
She was a member of the
Hertford Baptist Church
and the Eastern Star.
Surviving are one
daughter, Mrs. Ellen C.
Morris of Hertford; three
sons; Marvin Chappell of
Charlotte,; William R.
Chappell of San Francisco,
Farmers
A New
Long-Term Lender
The Rich Company now has a
farm mortgage division to provide
long-term financing to farmers and
agribusiness firms of northeastern
North Carolina.
We Offer:
20 - 40 Year Loans
70% Financing
Fixed Interest Rates
Prompt Service
First mortgage loans, *IOO,OOO Minimum
For more information, call
The Rich Company
Eliz. City office:
R 339-2186
fl IWfwl Washington office:
946-8021
A lk,
* inim
BACK IN SERVICE After nearly a year of silence, the dock atop Chowan County
Courthouse is back in service. Deputy Sheriff Glenn Perry is shown in the foreground. He
was responsible for getting die dock repaired.
Deputy Perry Helps Courthouse Clock Tick
Deputy Sheriff Glenn
Perry has had a most dif
ficult assignment for the
past 10 months. Through his
extensive investigation,
with assistance from a man
in Chicago, HI., he has been
able to put the case in the
“cleared” file.
When lightning struck the
clock atop Chowan County
Courthouse, in July, 1977,
the drive motor was burned
outlsince thi hu bam
there- sinoe 1797- and 'has
undergone numerous
Calif.; and G. Preston
Chappell of Dayton, Ohio;
one sister, Mrs. Henry
Goodwin of Edenton; and
two grandchildren.
Funeral services were
conducted Tuesday morning
at. 11 o’clock at the
graveside in Cedarwood
Cemetery by Rev Charles
Duling assisted by Rev.
Charles Bullard.
Pallbearers were Eldon
Winslow, George Alma
Byrum, Carroll Byrum,
Fahey Byrum, J.C. Leary,
Jr., and T. Stillman Leary.
Swindell Funeral Home
was in charge.
repairs and adjustments,
the data {date had been
removed from the motor.
Dpeuty Perry had
exhausted all his leads.
Thai at a seminar on voting
machine maintenance, the
firm had an automatic
machine on display. He
learned that the same type
motor drives a voting
machine as drives a 211-
year-old clock.
He notified Boding
Electric Company in
Jeep, Cherokee
4-WHEEL DRMNG FUM
FOR THE WHOLE FAMIY
Jeep Cherokee "S" 4-dcw
ON SALE NOW!
ONLY 1 LEFT 11 NEW-1 DRIVER ED.
__Jeep. n Cherokee
B - B
JOE HOKE KEN
VISIT THE HOME Os THE *OM* GIANT
miliMir MOTOR CORP.
jX\ HI Mr EDENTON4B2-8421
Chicago, Dl. At first the
company spokesman was
hesitant to get involved. But
after hearing Deputy
Perry’s history lesson, J.R.
Istwan agreed to tackle it.
Deputy Perry enlisted
Leslie Kirby, a local elec
trician, in making a sketch
of the mechanism. This was
sent to Bodine in Chicago
and after a few telephone
calls it was determined
what type motor was
needed.
THureday, June 1,1978
Library Dolngi
Last year’s reading
program was such a
tremendous success that we
have dedded to have
another contest this year.
The theme for this sumC
mer’s activities is “Summed
Reading Olympics.” Yes,
with a theme like that it
should be very exiciting.
The program will be
complete with bronze,
silver, and gold medals; and
also red, white, and blue
teams. The contest will June
12, but registration is right
now. If you are interested in
being a part of this sum
mer’s fun, please stop by the
library right now and sign
up- You may win a gold
medal!
$. S. Questions
By Lee Wallio
Field Representative
New brides should be sure
to have their social Security
records changed to show
their new name.
Os course a woman who
keeps her maiden name
after marriage need not
change her record.
All a woman has to do is
come into the
Seucrity office and apply for
a new card.
She should have some
evidence of her identity and
her marriage certificate.
It is important that Social
Security records show a
person’s correct name.
If earnings were reported
to the wrong name, it is
possible there could be a
problem later on.
The Elizabeth City Social
Security office is located at
111 Jordan Plaza next to
Soughgate Mall (phone 338-
2161) and is open 9:00 to 4:30
weekdays.
The (98 package came
recently and Deputy Perry
wasted no time in getting it
installed. As of Monday
morning the clock was
keeping perfect time and
striking accordingly.
Townspeople who don’t
like the noise in the middle
of the night may blame
Deputy Perry, but a part of
it should go the the man in
Chicago who picked up the
challenge. ,