North Carolina Newspapers

HISTORICAL SKETCH OF LAUJUNBUEG Laurinburg was named for the Mc Laurin family, tradition ascribing the honor sometimes to one member and sometimes to another of the older people of that name. At any rate that family owned about fifty percent of the lands in the immediate com munity, and comprised fully fifty per cent of the wealth and intelligence of the immediate community in early days. The name was written with an 'h' on the end, Laurinburgh, and was to be pronounced as if spelled Lau- rinboro, as Edinburgh in Scotland is BY MAXCY L. JOHN. like a ditch, but to my mind evidently not a ditch, because I could see no banks as evidence of any excavation. In after years, needs for more yard facilities required the railroad to 'blind' this ditch, which it did by put ting in a brick culvert, about the year 1880. Unfortunately the brick were laid on and in the old ditch bottom, which raised the water passage sev eral inches, by making the floor of the drain higher than the bottom of the old ditch. This is apparent to this day, and has given no end of trouble pronounced. The postoffice was named , in draining this valuable section of first, L-a-u-r-i-n-b-u-r-g-h, but the last letter was left off years ago. The town and community has been too busy making history to record it. To compile a history of the town from available sources would be a task too large for the writer, as h'is personal knowledge runs back only to about 1878. Some sketches seem interest ing and to give them to the public may bring out other incidents and data that may enable some one in the future to write a true history. Some of the statements following may be inaccurate. If so, please hand in a true account, so that at least that much may be preserved. Of course it would be impossible to write a full history and deal only with that period since legal incorporation. The spirit and history of Laurinburg is much older than its corporate existence. How old, it seems no one can tell with exactness, so far as I have inter viewed its older citizens. The community comprising Laurin burg's present territory was settled within the decade following the adop tion of the constitution of the United States and the formation of Richmond County, which events both occurred in 1789. From the number and size of the land entries and the names in which they were made, it is a fair assumption that we escaped the de pressing influence of the large land speculator, accustomed to enter land by the fifty and sixty thousand acres the time, as most of the entries are in lots ranging from fifty to five or six hundred acres. Many entries be ing made in successive years by those already holding lands, would indicate that the enterers had made a settle ment and as soon thereafter as was possible, added to the original hold ings. From the names of the enter ers it is a fair inference that settle ment was made by overflow of pop ulation from the banks of the Cape Fear and of the Pee Dee, as the pre vailing names of each section appear among the names of those first set tling hero. The "Lumberton Road" appears soon in land records, indicating that "there was a road to Lumberton, and, as we know the other end points al most directly to Rockingham, and was the established road to Rocking ham until very recently, it would in dicate that this road (now for the! most part Church street) was opened about this time. This road crossed Shoe Heel Creek at Rocky Ford. The writer has been unable to find any tradition of a time when there was a ford at this crossing. Certainly it would require very high wheeled Vehicles to 'ford' there. The fact that the road from Rocky Ford to Barnes Bridge appears in land deeds along about this date as "The New Road," Would indicate that the Fayetteville and Bennettsville road was newer than the road from Lumberton to Rockingham or Cheraw(?). As of all roads of those days, this road hit the high places, and got along in the low places as best it could. This put it from the Quakenbush School, via the old public school lot, thence to the old Roper residence, go ing directly towards it and facing it squarely, then turning and following the ridge to the Presbyterian church (as now located) and thence west. One who travels over this now well drained and improved road, is apt to town. The Laurinburg section was not the commercial center in early days. All old roads lead to Laurel Hill church, where the mail stage coach from New York to New Orleans passed, and was accustomed to feed the horses at noon day. From this point, roads radiated to every section, some of which have become almost unused in part, such changes having come about in travel routes. At Laurel Hill church tradition says there were several stores, and the land records would bear this out, as there were a number of lots owned there by different people, the size of the lots indicating that they could be held only for mercantile or similar purposes. The blacksmith shop which was more than likely the first 'centre' for Laurinburg, has passed, without leav ing any tradition that I can find; but the first store has left more than a tradition. It stood here to the rear of the public (old) school lot, until burned a few years ago. It was known as "The Old Store" long, long ago. There were several occupants, but the first merchant whose activities I have been able to locate therein, was James R. McLaurin. He conduct ed a general store, and sold and bart ered whatever the community wanted. It was a Department Store, but did not know it, after the custom of the day was a jumble of every kind, even including, as was usual in practically every grocery store, the sale of whis ky. There was no federal regulation in those days. Any person who want ed whisky could get it by purchase at his grocer's, or he could make it to his heart's content, and when retailed it was measured in old fashioned large tumblers, at ten cents! Beer drinking in Germany was never more common, I dare say, than was whisky drinking in this community at that time, and it was just as respectable to sell it as to sell anything else, provided one did not let his premises become a place for brawls. In jthis case the owner was abstemious himself, and refused to sell to those who would .make rough house. Mr. McLaurin was a highly respected citizen, and whatever his religious alliances then, he was to my own knowledge in later life a devoted church member and an honored man in the community. Mr. McLaurin was followed in the mercantile business by Mclntyre and Middleton, who did business 'in the same building. Mr. Mclntyre was D. C. Mclntyre, the father of Mr. D. D. Mclntyre, who was postmaster here in President Cleveland's second ad ministration. It may be of interest to note that Mr. Mclntyre owned the valuable lands later owned by Walter DeB. McEachin, and was such an ar dent pro-slavery advocate that he de clined to remain where slavery was to be abolished, and before the war left this country for Brazil, xwhere he lived to see it abolished there. Mr. T. T. Covington, a native of upper Richmond County, having served several years as register of deeds, came down here and purchased valuable farming lands near town and built a store here (on Main street) oc cupying the lot now occupied by Ep stein's store and the barber shop of Mr. Cowan. The house was a plain boarded up house with wide boards, stripped up and down. It was set would most politely inform the cus tomer that it was past his explana tion why the p-ods had not come, but he was expecting them in on every train. It seems that Mr. McCallum pros pered, for in 1863 he bought that valuable property known as The Mc Callum lands for the sum of $800, taking deed July 3, 1863. It would also seem from that deed that the store owned by McCallum had been owned by John A. and Neill A. Cur rie, prior to McCallum's purchase thereof. The first evidence of an intelligent attempt to proscribe' a town seems to be recorded in a deed from Col. J. C. McLaurin, wherein on Dec. 30, 1862, he conveyed to B. W. & W. L. Berry for $14,637.50 practically all the lands between the McCallum lands, Main street, and out to the boundaries of what was afterwards the Roper farm. This deed is registered in Book Y, at pages 208, etc., and in it is a reserva tion for Main street in the following words: "Excepting a street to be left open, beginning at the corner of the warehouse and runs south 21 1-2 west 24 chains (1584 ft.) to a stake; thence north 68 1-2 west 66 feet; thence north 21 1-2 east to said rail road; thence to the beginning." There was previous reference in the deed to the Wilmington, Charlotte and Ruth erf ordton Railroad, now the Seaboard Air Line, hence 'said railroad', and the warehouse'was the freight depot then just east of Main street. During the Civil war the railroad moved its shops here to get away from danger of seizure by federal armies besieging Fort Fisher near Wilmington. A deed from J. C. Mc Laurin to Robert H. Cowan, Presi dent W. C. & R. R. R. Jan. 23, 1867, for that portion of land occupied by the crate factory now, would indicate that they "did not decide to locate per manently here and expand, until about that date. The shops were located here under stress and fear, for tem porary purpose, and there was, from the first, the insistant danger of im mediate removal, which hovered over this town until 1894, when the final decision took the shops away. Dur ing all these years the fear of dis aster should the shops move, was so apparent that even those who were able to build largely and permanent ly, refused to do so; or, as one of our citizens put it when his contractor told him he was planning a home he did not want, the owner sayy' Build it so that if the shops G3 j my business should be so c?$iC V Wfc-i which was finally successful about 1904. During the Civil war the manage ment of' the railroad system was transferred to Laurinburg, and one of the principal officers remodeled Laurinburg High School building into a residence and lived in it. The of fices of the manager and president were removed shortly after the war, to Wilmington again. The firm of Bizzell and Roper was composed of Col. J. T. Roper and A. F. Bizzell, which operated on a large scale shortly after the close of the wrar. It extended its credits so wide- clared to be inoperative) for an elec tion to ,be held on the subject, sayir.g that fif the majority of the votes should be. cast against the licensed sale, they would join in the enforce ment of the law. The 'drys' accepted the challenge, withdrew opposition to holding the election, and the County Commissioners of Richmond County ordered a special election. It was fought hard by both sides, the 'drys' winning by a small but clear major ity. The 'wets', true to promise, ac cepted the result and quit fighting the prohibition law, and from that day there has never been an open contest over the question, so far as relates to the town. was another partnership , The sciool was a success from the The hrst church established in the operating shortly after the civil war, start, and enjoyed the perfect confi- j town limits was the Presbyterian, an nn1 dminco-fiill-. T J 4-"U ! 1 1 1 1 J. 1 ?1.4. T Will T- uence arm loyai support ui me com- together to see Capt. Everett ,and whatever they would agree upon would be ratified by him and perhaps a .school could be opened here. The project was a success, and Mr. Smith opened and taught school here two years, the second year moving to the old Laurinburg High School building, then cut up into main rooms and a number of smaller apartments. Smith gave up the school at the end of that year, and the place was advertising for a teacher or teachers. Prof. W. G. Quakenbush visited the town early in the summer, and finally decided to try his lot here, and opened school, ly that they soon went into bank- 1879, in the old High School building ruptcy, and liquidated. McCaskill & ; with Mr. H. W. Malloy, assistant. McLean was another partnership ' The school was a success from the wonder why it is not straighter; but i parallel with the street, the eaves on if the location is studied, it will be seen that without any but natural drainage, the road is necessarily de termined as located, save that since draining the depression back of, and east of the Main street stores, this road was changed and run from near the old public school lot parallel with the railroad being church street. The pond east of the Main street stores used to hold from three to four feet of water, and on occasion rise to six or more; but in the early fifties Colo nel John C. McLaurin, with slave labor, during idle time from the crops, dug a ditch from this pond through the hill separating it from Black Branch, and Leith's Creek, passing under where is now the Sea board Air Line freight platform. It was dug about eighteen feet deep at its deepest point, and remained open for a number of years. The Caro lina Central Railroad after locating its repair shops here, removed the banks of this ditch and used the earth to fill in its grounds, and as a small boy it was the greatest wonder to me that this kind of water-stream could exist without swamp, through high banks almost perpendicular, so much one side dripping in the street. Mr, Covington's farming interest demand ing all of his time, he gave up the store business to his son-in-law, Capt. L. T. Everett, who formed a partner ship with his brothers later, involv ing at one time or another besides Capt. Lawrence T. Everett, Capt. W. I., Everett, Mr. J. C. Everett and Mr. John Everett. Later the business re quired larger quarters and they bought the lot now owned by Mr. J. F. McNair, and built there, where they enjoyed an unusual prosperity for a number of years. In the meantime, James L. McCal lum came up from Wilmington and bought two stores under one roof where the First National Bank is now, and he conducted in the corner the most unique drug store probably ever conducted in North Carolina. He was a man of great affability, who would not break into any. interesting conver sation to make a sale, and seemed to feel that his whole duty was done when he told suffering humanity that he had ordered the drugs demanded by them, and was not the. least con fused if the customer came every day for several weeks to enquire. He shall have to go too, I willjrlose as little as possible in selling out." (That home has been remodeled and is one of the most attractive in town today.) This indicates what an in cubus the presence of the shops was, with the insistant threat of removal. When the shops left in 1894, prop erty values slumped, and low cotton added to the depression, until im proved property could be bought at hardly more than the raw material would cost to construct the buildings thereon. But this was only tempo rary. The prophets of disaster were soon turned into prophets of hope, and workers for the future. New indus tries sprung up until our pay roll soon ar outstripped what it was, with the railroad shops here, and now there is also a dividend return from these en terprises that finds its way into the pockets of our people, and prosperity is more than an hundred fold what it was from all industrial sources prior to the removal of the railroad shops. The railroad which is now a part of the Seaboard Air Line was chart ered as the Wilmington, Charlotte & Rutherfordton R. R., and secured large subscriptions from private par ties, counties, towns and townships along its line. Quite a number of brightly lithographed bonds and cer tificates of stock found their way into the hands of our people, but the road was run for the benefit of the promo ters and not for the good of the pub lic or the stockholders, and those cer tificates and bonds became worthless. Later the name was changed to Caro lina Central Railroad, and the debt and stock of the old organization thus separated from the property. The first depot was a log structure built shortly before the civil war on the north side of the track just on the east of Main street. It was bumoH setting hre to the wooden store build ing of Bizzell and Roper located where is now the old Bizzell hotel or Hall, the colored hotel of the town at pres ent. The depot was rebuilt on the south side of the track, just across the track from the old location, and remained there for some while, when it was also burned. The next build ing was at what is now known as the Old Depot, and still stands, 400 yards west of Main street, used as a private warehouse. This location was select ed because of the need for more room for the shops, and to get such a men ace as to fire out of the shop yards The town never liked the location and as soon as the shops were moved agitation began t secure return of the depot to a site near Main street, and successfully until the death of Mr. McLean. It was composed of Rod McCaskill and James Dickson McLean. Mr. McCaskill conducted the business some years, but finally liquidated without leaving much sur plus.' James and McRae were suc cessful merchants from 1885 to about 1891 when they dissolved, Mr. Rod McCaskill going into farming exten sively and Mr. A. L. James into banking. McMillan & Robbins suc ceeding them, both of whom are now dead. Mr. R. E. Lee opened here near the same period and also Mr. R. D. Phillips, who after a long career retired from the mercantile field and each is extensively engaged in farm ing. There were a number of smaller concerns located here and doing a more or less successful business, dur ing the period, including the two Mc Kays, Messrs. M. G. McKay and A. McKay, Anderson & Rockwell, David McAlister, and Will Cameron, and others, not to mention any that are now in business to speak for them selves. SCHOOLS. Early in the fifties Dr. John Malloy and others purchased lands for the Laurinburg High School, and there was built the old High School Build ing, consisting of one main hall 35 feet square, with a smaller hall 25 feet square on each end, connecting by rolling or folding doors so that the whole floor space could be opened into one auditorium. Here were held the celebrations, at School Commence ment and in honor of events such as the completion of the railroad to town, political speechmaking not in the interest of a political party, etc., and was also used for preaching. One of the participants has often told me of a brilliant assembly there on the occasion of a railroad celebration, when there was speech making much of the day and a big ball at night, With old time dancing all night. She Vas unable to tell what' was the char acter of the celebration whether to get the people to put their hard earned money into the road, or to celebrate success in financing it, or in building it to this point, but as it was opened about that time, it must have been held to celebrate the completion of the road to this place. 1 The participant said she was just budding into womanhood at the time. When she told me, in later life, she j always took great pains to say that the dancing of that day was not the glide waltz common at the time she spoke, but the square dance, the Vir ginia reel and the stately minuet, wherein personal contact was of the finger tips only. This school had a steward's hall, now the residence occupied by Mr. A. M. Fairly, with a set of dormitories of four rooms (two stories) just to the rear and a little to the west of the Fairly residence. This latter was moved east and modeled into a residence by adding a kitchin and a hall and perhaps a room A catalogue recently found and published else where in this issue shows that in 1854 this was a prosperous school for that day. It seems to have been in debt, as usual with such enterprises, and before 1863 it had been sold to one A. P. Gage, who was from the north, and was principal of the school for some time. He lived until recent years, and was a teacher of note, and author of text books, one of which is Gage's Physics, which has been in use in many of our southern schools. The Civil war closed the school perma nently. Later the school property was purchased by M. Cronly of Wil mington, and held by him until Mr. Quakenbush bought it about 1880, with a few weeks ownership by L. T. Everett, Esq., in the meantime. After the Civil war, there was ho school here worthy of the community for some years, and the boys of the town went four miles to Caledonia, where J. T. John and Peter McRae were financing a school of high grade for the special benefit of their own families. In the summer of 1877 was at work on the farm of my father, when a horseman rode into the field It proved to be Charles E. Smith hunt ing a school, prospecting for the school at Caledonia, which was being financed by my father and uncle. My father told Mr. Smith that that school was supplied for the coming term, but that Laurinburg ought to have a school, and for him to see Col. J. T. Roper, one of the school com munity for twenty-one years, when Prof. Quakenbush resigned, and sold his property. The tribute paid Pro fessor Quakenbush in the erection of the monument in front of the court house is said to be entirely unique, in that there is not anywhere else in the world, so far as known, a public monument, in a public place, erected by public subscription, to a private school teacher. There are monuments, or grave markers, in cemetaries, and public monuments to public school teachers; but it is said there is no monument in a public place, by pub lic subscription to a private school teacher, save this one. That this community should place such esti mate upon a teacher has been the eulogistic comment of speaker after speaker, not only in this section, but even beyond the limits of this section. Some years ago in conversation with seat mate on a train from Memphis to Little Rock, I mentioned this monu ment. It happened that I was talk ing to one of the judges of the state of Arkansas, who was on his way to a celebration of the capture of Fort Smith, where he was to make the principal address. He had me dic tate the inscriptions on the monument so that he might copy and use in his speech, saying that he had never heard of quite so fine a thing and one that so perfectly fit in with his speech pre- offshot of Laurel Hill church. Prior to the war a large frame structure was erected on its present site, the contractor being Jackson Graham, a very efficient and honest negro carp enter. His work .was well done, as any one will testify who saw the building torn down some years ago. The Methodists held services in the Presbyterian church several years, building a frame structure about 1875 on the site of their present building, which was burned in 1893, and the present structure built. The Baptists built about 1879, and was burned by lightning shortly after completion. The present structure was built a few years later. STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, DEPARTMENT OF STATE. CERTIFICATE OF DISSOLUTION. TO ALL to WHOM THESE PRES ENTS MAY COME Greeting: WHEREAS, It appears to my satis faction, by duly authenticated record of the proceedings for the voluntary dissolution thereof by the unanimous consent of all the Stockholders, de posited in my office, that the Green Pond Granite Brick Company, a cor poration of this State, whose princi pal office is situated at No. Street, in the town of Gibson. Countv of Scotland, State of North Carolina Dr W. T. Pate being the agent therein and in charge thereof, upon whom process may be served), has complied with the requirements of Chapter 21. pared for that day, and he would use Kevisal or iyU5, entitled Corpora it as the climax of his address. The inscription that most impressed him is on the south face, and I will in corporate it here so that those who may have not read it, or have for gotten it, will have it before them: "In recognition of his exalted char acter In appreciation of his ennobling in fluence on youth Erected by a people grateful for his love and service." Aft.er Professor Quakenbush, as most can well remember, Prof. F. P. Wyche successfully taught; but see ing that the graded school was com ing and must come, and after seeing the town vote it down, he went to Charlotte graded schoolwork and rented the property to some ladies who taught there until the graded school was opened in 1909. Coming to the legal and political side of the town, we know that an act of incorporation was passed by the General Assembly ratified the 12th day of February, 1877, incorporating the town. There is a tradition that it was incorporated earlier, but I have found no record thereof, and as this act provides for the justices of the peace in the township to call and con duct the first election for the town, it is a fair inference that there were no town officials that could do this, or the duty would have been placed on them. The boundaries were so vaguely set down that they were in dispute some time after the town government was inaugurated. The boundary is as fol lows in the original act: "Beginning at the center of the Carolina Central Railway, on Front street, and run ning from said point five-eights of a mile north, south, east and west, so as to form a square, with beginning point as a center." The legal con struction, with the square including the smallest amount of land that these points would permit, was inevitable, but the incorporators had not so in tended, and there was some confusion at the time over the boundaries, which were laid off both ways, finally being settled for the smaller area. Later this boundary was 'squared' out by enactment making the sides run due north and south, cutting the points named in the original charter. Later this was revised and again the sides are at an angle of 45 degrees from north and south, but the bound aries now extend much farther beyond even the second outline. Whisky was sold here " almost as freely as water until legislative enactment in 1889 closed the barrooms July 1st, 1889, by refusing license. The sentiment of the community was not strong behind this enactment and for some years it was not well en forced, the mayor and a majority of the board being anti-prohibitionists; but in 1892' a majority of the board of commissioners were 'dry' and elected M. L. John the first 'dry' mayor. The 'wets' tried by legislative amendment and otherwise to. get something done that would allow whisky to be sold according to law, and petitioned un- mittee (the others being L. T. Everett j der a law (which the Supreme court and J. T. John) and if he approved, ' in a case involving another town de- tions preliminary to the issuing of this certificate of Dissolution: NOW, THEREFORE, I, J. Bryan Grimes, Secretary of State of the State of North Carolina, do hereby certify that the said corporation did, on the 29th day of May, 1916, file in my office a duly executed and attested consent in writing to the dissolution of said corporation, executed by all the Stockholders thereof, which said consent and the record of the pro ceedings aforesaid are now on file in my said office as Provided by law. In Testimony Whereof, I have here to Set my hand and affixed my official seal, at Raleigh, this 29th dav of May, A. D. 1916. J. BRYAN GRIMES, Secretary of State. (OFFICIAL SEAL) 22-26 Ferndale Dairv Castle HayneRoad Wilmington, N. C, May 8, 1916. UNIVERSAL OIL CO. Wilmington, N. C. Gentlemen: In reply to your recent letter in regard to the success I have had feeding milk cows with your Peanut Meal, beg to advise that I have been feeding it since last September in place of Cotton Seed Meal, and it has been in every way satis factory. I find that I can feed it with out any fear of overfeeding, and I am now feeding twice as much Peanut Meal as I formerly fed of Cotton Seed Meal, with a propor tionate increase in milk. Yours truly, -i H. L. DARDEN, Proprietor Ferndale Dairy., g ANALYSIS Crude Fat Ammonia Protein Crude Fibre Carbohydrates 8.00 per cent 6 50 per cent 30 00 per cent 21 00 per cent 36, 00 per cent For sale by John E. Phillips Laurinburg:, N. C. ADMINISTRATRIX'S NOTICE". Having qualified as administratrix of the estate of R. D. Gibson, de ceased, late of the County of Scot land and State of North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the estate of said deceased to exhibit them duly verified to the undersigned at her home in William son Township, Scotland County, on or before the first day of June, 1917,. or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment. RACHEL GIBSON, Administratrix of the Estate of R. Dl- Gibson, Deceased. This the first day of June, 1916.- Wo. This it a prescription prepared especially for MALARIA or CHILLS & FEVER. Five or six dotes will break eny case, and if taken then as a tonic the Fever will not return. It acts on the liver better than Calomel and does not gripe or sicken. 25c .