Newspapers / The News-Herald (Ahoskie, N.C.) / Jan. 1, 1959, edition 1 / Page 4
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1 PAGE —THE HEHALD, Ahoskie, H. C.—MILESTONE YEAB 1959 'Couldn't Be Done': Harrington Picked Up Pieces Four Times LEWISTON — The history of the Harrington Manufacturing C o m - pany, biggest business in Lewis ton, reads like an “it couldn’t be done’’ story, J. J. “Monk” Har rington, president, says it’s a case of bulldog determination — on the part of management, personnel alike. The late John L. Harrington, grandfather of Monk Harrington, started the whole thing in 1908, when he invented and patented a peanut picker. It was 1913 before the machine got into production, when six were built in Greenville and sold through an International Harvester dealership. In 1916, John L. Harrington moved his operation to Winston- Salem, where he introduced a dif ferent type picker called the “Hustler.” It took hustling to sell the Hustler, however, and his son, J. C. Harrington, and brother, Cecil H. Harrington traveled peanut areas in Georgia and Texas, over bad roads, to service the machines. By 1919, the Harrington operation had moved to Columbus, Ga., to get into the heart of peanut ter ritory. Another combination pea nut picker and wheat combine had also been patented by IJarrington that year. t-: But the bottom fell out in 1921, when depression hit the United States, and John L. Harrington with his son, J. C., returned • to Lewiston. Undaunted, they formed the present Harrington Manufac turing Company and changed the trade name to “Roanoke.” Things were slow, and in 1927 the founder died. The presidency was assumed by another brother, lawyer H. G. Harrington, who got more operat ing capital by selling haK-interest in the firm to T. N. and J. R. Peele of Lewiston, and C. W. and E. D. Spruill of Windsor. By 1928, things looked bright. All of the 125 pickers made that year were sold, and the firm plan ned to build 250 in 1929. But with another depression, it took the next four years to collect for machines sold in 1928—the money came in at the rate of about S15 daily, and many payments were made i n groceries and foodstuffs. In 1931, H. G. Harrington died, and his son, L. Gay Harrington be came president. It looked like the worst of the depression had eased, and plans were made to build 150 pickers—when fire completely de stroyed the uninsured, wooden fac tory building. So the Harringtons started all over, for the third time. They mov ed to a little building nearby, and introduced a stationary hay baler in 1934. Slowly they recovered their losses, and the war years aid ed economy. However, the death of L. Gay Harrington in 1944 was a blow to the company and commu nity for he was a civic leader and the town’s only lawyer. In 1945, the company was pur chased by one of its founders, J. P. Harrington, and farmer-mer chant C. B. Griffin, Sr., whose son took his place after his death in 1948. At that time, the hay baler had wider appeal than the peanut picker. Fire struck again ie 1949, when quick action by Lewiston and neighboring fire departments limit ed damage to one-fourth of the plant. In 1950, the company lost its third president. J. J. Harrington was elected to his father’s place, and with C. B. Griffin, Jr., intro duced the Roanoke Automatic Hay Baler. With the 1951 combination picker, sales increased, and in 1958, the Roanoke Combine met with great success. J. J. Harrington credits air travel with casing the company’s problems in servicing. A four - passenger plane enables key per sonnel to visit , southern n chandising centers frequently, and the firm now plans a private air strip near its factory. Three children of the original founder. J. L. Harrington, have continued their interest in the com pany’s progress. They are Mrs. J. O. Early of Lewiston, Mrs. Hanes Carter of Winston-Salem, and J. C. Harrington of Lewiston. President J. J. Harrington also credits long time employee J. M. Joyner with a valuable contribution to the firm’s success. Bryan Is Busy Oil Distribufor AHOSKIE—W. H. Bryan looks like a truck driver, , and he wouldn’t deny it. But looks are deceptive, for Bill Bryan is one of Ahoskie’s busiest fuel oil and gasoline distributors, noted for his civic activities. Bryan started in Oxford, back in 1925, driving a truck for a wholesale grocery firm. After a year at State College, he went back to the same firm as a sales man, In 1928, he started work for the Gulf Oil distributor in Hen derson as a general utility ijian— and that’s what he says he still is. During the 12 years he worked in Henderson, Bryan did a little of everything from driving a fuel oil truck to signing checks. In 1940 hd had a chance to buy the Gulf distributor franchise here, and on February 1, moved to Ahoskie. That first prewar year, he op erated with two trucks and one assistant, D. W. Harrell, who is still with him. Now the Bryan firm employs five men, and has four trucks in operation, deliver ing fuel oil, kerosene and gaso line, Back in Hendei'son, Bryan took over a troop of Boy Scouts, and he’s been a Scouter ever since. Last year, he was honored with the Silver Beaver award for 30 years of distinguished Scouting service. He is also a member of the Boy Scout Order of the Ar row, Besides Scouting, his chief ac tivity is in the Ahoskie Kiwanis Club,- which he heads this year. He has been on the board of stewards of the Ahoskie Metho dist Church since 1941, and is a Mason, He and his wife are par ents of three sons—twins. Bob, who is employed by his fatherts firm, and Bill, who is a veteri narian now in Raleigh arei Floyd, a sophomore at the Uni versity of North. Carolina. i McPherson Started Work in 19^2^^ AHOSKIE—Bottled soft drinks were still pretty much a novelty in 1923, when the Orange Crush Bottling Company began opera tions in Littleton. J, E. McPher son got in on the beginning, and purchased plants in Littleton and Elizabeth City in 1932, Partners in McPherson Bever ages, Inc., with J. E. McPherson of Elizabeth City were the late Dallas W. McPherson, Mrs. Alma Jones, and W. C. Jones, who be came president of the firm after the death of D. W. McPherson in 1950. Sam Brown is sales man ager. Original output of--the Little ton plant was about 600. cases per week, with nine employees and two trucks operating. Today there, are over 40 delivery trucks, bot tling plants at Littleton, Elizabeth City and South Hill, Va., and warehouses at Ahoskie and Em poria, Va., distributing Pepsi Cola, Nu-Grape, Orange Crush, Seven-Up. The Ahoskie warehouse began operation before 1938 from a small rented garage at the home of one of the employees. One truck,- working from the ware house, sold about 250 cases of soft drinks w-Jiich were bottled in Lit tleton. In 1938, the lease expired on the rented warehouse in Ahoskie and no renewal was available. The firm had 30 days in which to build a warehouse. A lot on Main, Street, across from Ahoskie High School, was purchased, and plans drawn for the building, In spite of hot wea-ther, the present'building was completed in 13 days and oc cupied in July, 1938, By 1950 there weVe five trucks operating out of ‘the Ahoskie warehouse, distributing about 5,000 cases of drinks per week. This figure has now climbed to over 7,000 cases weekly distribut ed. Plans have recently been an nounced to build a new ware house on Memorial Drivfe, on land purchased from W. C. Godwin. McPherson’s Littleton plant was equipped in 1956 with the most modern equipmen: which insures a complete washing- ster ilizing-bottling-inspecting opera tion, all without contact \Hth hu man hands. Freeman Mill Completely Modern AHOSKIE — The most modern sawmill equipment money can iuy—that is what O. C. Freeman of Colerain and his brother, C. J. Freeman of Rich Square have in stalled in their lumber mill in 4hoskie. ' Over $100,000 in equipment has been added during the-^ast year, says veteran lumberfti^ O. C. Freeman. In addition, ‘iFreeman Bros. Lumber Company^as built a handsome new office building near the sawmill, which they oc cupied last Thanksgiving. About seven million feet of lumber is milled each year by the Freeman Brothers plant. This in cludes both rough and finished lengths of Southern pine and hardwoods. 'The finished pine is sold locally, at retail, but the hardwoods— primarily oak and gum—go to North Carolina furniture manu facturers, as a rule. O. C. Freeman started in the lumber business as a youth, working at the Myers sawmill in Colerain, He operated a saw mill in Colerain from 1936 to 1950, when he bought the site of the old Bell sawmill in Ahoskie. The mill had burned, but Free man cleared the land and set up a new ,operation which includes a generator to provide the plant’s own electricity. Freeman was joined in the op eration by his brother, C. J. Free man, who had operated a clean ing plant in Rich Square. O. C. now handles the buying and sell ing end of the business, while C. J. is sawmill manager. There are about 35 employees at the sawmill and planing mill, in addition to loggers who work on contract to furnish timber for the mill. COUNTY (Continued from Page 1) December 18, 1759, the bill pass ed the Commons and went to the Governor’s Council. On December 19, 1759, the Governor’s Council en- dbrsed the bill and sent it to the upper house. On December 29, 1759, it became law. The new county included all the present area of Hertford, and much of Gates—all that area north and west of Bennett’s Creek, Boundary Trouble But there was difficulty in run ning the boundary between North ampton and Hertford. In 1764, the Assembly ordered the boundary between the two to be run. The main area of con cern was in the “middle border,” where tributaries of Mellerrin Riv er were used as boundary lines and there was apparently some question as to what stream was what. The act setting up the county’s boundary was altered slightly. Said the law; “the dividing line . . . shall be altered followeth, to wit: Beginning on Kirby’s Gates Men of 52ncl Regiment Fought With Lee's Legions Some men of Gates County served in the 52nd North Caro lina Confederate regiment, a unit which fought in most of the major actions of the Army of Northern Virginia. Capt, J. N. Harrell was officer in command of Company C of the regiment after its first command er, John Gatling, was named as sistant quartermaster of the regi ment. The unit fought at Gettysburg and in the Wilderness. Before joining the Army of Northern Virginia, it helped guard eastern North Carolina. The handful of Gates County men surrendered at Appomattox with the remnant of the Army of Northern Virginia. Creek, where the Dividing Line joins said Creek, running thence up the Creek to the fork thereof; then up Turkey Creek to Maple Fork; thence by direct south course, till it intersects the pres ent dividing line.” Gates Formed Gates was formed from Hert ford and Chowan in 1779, and Hert ford was stripped of its across- the-river area. The Hertford - Northampton boundary still was vague, and an act was passed as late as 1870 authorizing that the boundary be better marked. The Bertie boundary also gave some trouble. In 1877, a small portion of Bertie was allowed to be annexed—an area just east of present-day Pow- ellsville. The boundary was finally settled in 1907 by an act which described the Bertie Hertford boundary. C. N. Ricks, Jeweler, Holds Trade Record of 56 Years AHOSKIE—C. N. Ricks, at 77, holds 'the title as Ahoskie’s. oldest watchmaker and jeweler. It was 1903 when he first opened his first jewelry shop in Boykins, Va. By 1906 he had decided to learn more about the watchmaker’s trade, so he attended a Norfolk watchmak ing school for a year before re turning to business in Boykins. From Boykins, Ricks went to Franklin, Va., and then to Em poria, Va., where he owned a jewelry shop when he and Miss Lelia Parker of Murfreesboro were married in 1912, They lived in Emporia three years, then moved to Weldon, where Ricks owned a jewelry shop until 1928. The Rickses moved to Ahoskie just after street lights and water had made it a real “city.” But the streets were still mud, and Mrs. Ricks remembers the horses and buggies which used to get stuck in front of the jewelry store. C. N. Ricks Jewelers moved into the former location of the Farmers-Atlantic Bank, which had built an impressive stone building and moved three doors down Main Street. After 31 years, the Ricks store is still in the same spot. ^ In recent years, Mr. Ricks has delegated most of the watchmak ing and repair work to a trained employee, and Mrs. Ricks has had occasional help in waiting on customers. Except for some years in which she took time out to raise a niece of Mr. Ricks, Mrs. Ricks has been in the store to help her husband. The Rickses have been mem bers of the Methodist church in the three towns in which they have lived, and Mr. Ricks is now an emeritus member of the board of stewards of the Ahoskie Meth odist Church, When Farflung Godwin Business Started, RR Street Was Woods AHOSKIE — Railroad Street was mostly a forest of pine when Norman S. Godwin and his fa ther, the late Charlie S. Godwin, opened a little feed business in 1923. They built a small wooden building on a lot which had been used by loggers to load cars on the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. C. S. Godwin, descendant of a long line of Godwins in Hertford County history, had moved to the Center Grove section of Bertie County after his marriage, where he was an extensive farmer. His sons liked the soil, too, and N. S. Godwin farmed before he got the idea 'that a feed business would be profitable in fast-growing Ahoskie. P'ather and son, with two 'help ers, did well in the feed business, and soon added a line of heavy groceries, which they sold both retail and wholesale. Within a few years, N. S. Godwin moved with his family to Ahoskie, and purchased 17 lots—then thickly forested—along the North Rail road Street. These same lots have since become the scene of much activity, with some of Ahoskie’s major business firms purchasing or leasing them. C. S. Godwin and Son eventu ally became primarily a whole sale grocery firm. Tne elder Mr. Godwin, who died about five years ago at the age of 94, re mained active in the business until January, 1940, when his son purchased the father’s half-in terest. The name of the firm was then changed to N. S. Godwin and Son (younger son Norman Earl joined his father while elder son Lloyd was m Service) and to N. S. Godwin and Sons after the elder son’s return. A line of light groceries, to round out the w'holesale offering was added, and Lloyd Godwin be came manager of the wholesale operation at ijs location two blocks from the original Godwin building. N. S. Godwin continued to manage the feed and fertilizer di- -vision, now known as N. S. God win Storage Company, and Nor man Earl Godwin is now active in that operation. Both sons started their careers traveling for the wholesale operation, however. N. S. Godwin and Sons now em ploys 25 persons on the regular payroll. In recent years. N. S. Godwin has added to his other interests a distributorship for bulk and bot tled gas, an operation separate , from the other businesses. He has been actively engaged in civic enterprises, served on the Ahoskie town board for eight years, and is now acting president of the Hertford County Building and Loan A.ssociation. A member of the Baptist Church, Mr. God win has also been extremely ac tive in the Ahoskie Kiwanis Club, of which he is a past president. 1934-1959 OUR 25*^ YEAR r-- - Our Interest Has Paid Big Dividends... We rneon, of course, our interest in the people of the Roanoke-Chowan area. These people have placed confidence in our bank by depositing their money for our safe-keeping. We, in turn, have shown our confidence in their ability and spirit by investing in their enterprises. These enterprises have made the Roanoke-Chowan progress through the years. We believe in the people of this area dnd we know our interest has paid big dividends. WE JOIN IN CELEBRATING A MILESTONE IN NORTH CAROLINA HISTORY . . . Hertford County's 200th Anniversory Ti,: FARMERS BANK OF MURFREESBORO OUR NEW DRIVE-IN BANK Membe: of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
The News-Herald (Ahoskie, N.C.)
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Jan. 1, 1959, edition 1
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