At Old Raeford Prep School
(
House Once 2 Institute Homes For Boys
The old house on West Donald
son Avenue was moved the past
couple of weeks in two sections,
and that was only proper.
It will be converted into a
clubhouse for the Deer Track
Racquet Club being developed
seven miles south of Raeford.
The house was built around the
turn of the century as two separate
bungalows for living quarters for
boarding boy students at Raeford
Institute.
The bungalows were among four
rooming places for boys and were
built on the institute's grounds.
The institute was established in
1895 as a college preparatory and
elementary school, since nothing
was in the community at the time
but one-room school houses.
The institute's campus covered
most of the land bounded by West
Donaldson and West Edin
borough avenues. South Magnolia
Street and North Main Street,
except for strips owned by Raeford
Presbyterian and First Baptist
churches along the Magnolia Street
and Donaldson Avenue borders
respectively. Campus Avenue
didn't exist then, and the origin of
its name is obvious, since it runs
through what was about the middle
of the institute campus. The in
stitute taught boys and girls, and
everybody wore uniforms, in
cluding principal and teachers. The
girls from outside the community
were housed in a building that also
contained the institute dining
room, parlor and two bedrooms on
the ground floor, and dormitories
for girls, the latter quarters on the
second floor of the two-story build
ing.
The college prep part of the
school was a five-year high school,
equivalent to a modern high school
but something more.
The institute was turned over to
the Hoke County school system in
1911 after Hoke County was
formed officially, and it became a
public school.
Among its living former students
is Robert Gatlin, now a retired civil
engineer and still active, partly as
the National Weather Service's
Raeford observer.
While the institute was serving
boys and girls, people from near
and far sent their youngsters to the
institute. Some families even built
homes and moved to Raeford to
send their children to the institute.
Some of the homes in the vicinity of
the old campus were built by people
who moved here for that reason.
After the institute went into the
county school system, and F.E.
Walker bought the lot and the two
cottages. Then he combined the
two to form the single house.
Subsequently he sold the house to
Bob Lewis, who, in turn sold it to
Dr. Robert Leddy Murray, and for
many years it was known as the
Murray House. Dr. Murray prac
ticed medicine in the community
from 1925, about the time he
bought the house, till 1965, when
he retired and moved to Graham.
He was a native of Summerville,
S.C., but was a graduate of
Graham High School. Dr. Murray
died at 85 last March 20 in an
Alamance County nursing home
(Graham is the county seat of
Alamance). His wife, Madge, is
still living in Graham. Their son.
Robert Louis Murray, also is a
physician, living in Roanoke, Va.
The late Dr. Murray's brother,
Marion, is a minister, living in
High Point. The doctor also left
four grandchildren.
From Dr. Murray, another
doctor, Riley Jordan, bought the
old house, since its lot adjoined Dr.
Jordan's medical office complex,
which lies between Campus and
Donaldson avenues.
First Baptist Church bought the
property from Dr. Jordan, and
Stephen Phillips, head and owner
of the Racquet Club project,
bought it from the church when the
church decided to have the house
removed to provide more parking
space in connection with the
church's new sanctuary, which is
under construction.
Incidentally the Aberdeen and
Rockfish Railroad, built primarily
for the wood products business
nourishing at the time in this area,
came in time to help the institute.
Students rode the train to school.
The tuition at the institute cost
primary students SI.50 a month,
intermediates S2, and ranged for
the high school students from S3
per month for the first year to $4.50
per month for the fifth.
Board, furnished room, and
wood (for fuel) cost the resident
students 510 per month. Besides
this, each student was charged 25
cents per month for the repair
fund.
The teacherage was the Hamp
ton House, which was taken down
some time ago to provide the site
for Open Arms Rest Home.
What was once the institute
campus now contains City Hall, the
Heritage Federal Savings & Loan
(formerly Raeford Savings &
Loan), the building opposite the
public parking lot on West Edin
borough, and the telephone com
pany building on North Main
Street.
The students and staff of Raeford Institute one school year. Note that The year this picture was taken is not known,
everybody, including teachers and principal, wore uniforms at the institute.
Main building, Raeford Institute.
Art class under way at Raeford Institute. The teacher is Miss Vista Dudley.
Retired School Personnel
Hold First Meeting Sept. 15
The Hoke County Retired School
Personnel will meet on Wednesday
September 15 at 10:30 a.m. at the
Hoke County Library.
There will be refreshments
served at this opening meeting of
the year.
The organization will meet the
third Wednesday of October. No
vember. March, April and May at
the library.
Doris Nance Studio
Grand Opening - Celebrating 25th
Anniversary and New Location
FREE Gift Certificate for one Color Portrait by Jim Nance
For each family who registers . . . limited number . . .
Come In Early.
* Daily Door Prizes - A leather double picture frame
FREE to the first 10 families registering Thursday,
Friday, Saturday (Must be 18 years of age to register)
* Drawing for 12 Door Prizes
Grand Prize - 16x20 oil portrait painted by Doris Nance.
1st Place Prize 16x20 Natural Color Portrait by Jim Nance
2nd Place Prize, 1 ? 24x30 Gold Ornamental Frame
3 - 3rd Place Prizes, 1 - 20x24 Wood Frame
3 - 4th Place Prizes, 1 - 11x14 Wood Frame
3 - 5th Place Prizes, 1 - 8x10 Wood Frame
Grand Opening Hours
Thursday 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Ribbon Cutting will be 12:00 Noon
Friday 10 a.m. - 9 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Drawing at 1:00 p.m. for Door Prizes
Come in and help us celebrate our 25th
Anniversary and New Location.
DORIS NANCE
Weddings ? Portraits
? Families ? Children
? Couples ? Pets
? Special Occasions
? Restorations
? Environmental
? Commercial
C
oris
T
ance
Stua/7c>
414 N. ChiiSTNUT ST.
LUMBERTON, N.C.
'Your Hometown Photographer Since 1957'
JIM NANCE
JIMMY McKELLAR
CLARA PREVATTE
Open 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Mondajj-Friday
Open Sat. 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
BATS IN THE BELFRY " McCain Correctional Institute guard Allen
Morrison, [center] spent some of his time off last week helping local
exterminators Jimmy [right] and John [left] Conoly get the bats out of the
Raeford Presbyterian Church. Morrison used his rapelling and rock
climbing skills to place the bat poison around the eves of the church.
woolen coats or in bag* of sweaters for winter storage.
Helps prevent moth damage and adds a nice spicy fragrance.
? /It
Rmv.
323-1114
Box Office Open
Noon4 p.m. Deity
Bordeaux Dinner Theatre
lord?UK Motor Inn
VMage ft Owen Drtvee ? FayattovHIa
Wed. thru Sun. Evenings
See A
Wonderful Puppet Show In.
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