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SECTION B
Thursday, September 1,1977
Mirror-Herald Living Today
To Gospel Music Sounds
They’re Serving Steaks In Dallas Jail
Ihe old Jail In Dallas Is rocking
with music these days, gospel
music, and the new owners
praise the Lord for giving them
the building In answer to prayer.
For 129 years, the old jail,
which used to be the Gaston
County Jail before the county
seat was moved to Gastonia In
1911, has been a landmark of
Dallas and many stories from
old-timers In the area recount
how a scaffold was constructed
In the back yard and a resident
soitenced to the hangman’s
noose for murder but was
granted a new trial and went to
prison. Another tells how the
prisoners tore up some sheets
and came climbing down the
outside wall from their cell
blocks on the third floor only to
be met on the lower level by the
Deputy’s wife who marched
them aU back Inside.
The Jail has new stories of Its
own now, and the present
owners, Peggy Jean and Harold
Springfield, have put new life
Into Its walls, opening a steak
house featuring entertainment In
the form of gospel singers from
area churches.
Peggy Springfield Is sure "the
Lord had a hand In our being
able to buy this building.’’ She
said a friend had told them the
Jail, owned by North Gaston
teacher Steve Hansel, was up for
sale. "We had exactly the rlg^t
downpayment,’’ recalled Peggy,
so she and her husband relocated
their buBlnees and moved In.
Another "blessing”, said
Peggy, was fact that former
owner, Emil 'Traenkner and Mrs.
’Traenkner, had given the Jail a
facelift, sandblasting the ex
terior and doing major
renovations In red and black to
the Interior. Bobbl Traenkner
had used part of the Jail at one
time for a tack and leather shop
and another part to put up
historical displays centering on
the Jail and Dallas.
Mrs. Springfield has added
some of her own decor, utilizing
red kerosene lamps, red
tablecloths, red hanging lamps
and black antique pieces to
enhance the four dining rooms
which seat approximately 185
guests. ’The original black cell
doors, the original bars on the
windows which look out over
’Trade Street, and the old Jail
theme give a unique and quaint
flavor plus the addition of gospel
music by entertainers who
perform on Friday and Saturday
evenings before a piano on the
third floor, or cell block. In a big
dining room festive In red and
black.
Harold Springfield Is a
ministerial student at Frultland
Baptist Institute In Hendersrai-
vUle who got In the chef business
by doing some "moonlighting’’
for a Gaston steak house and
Story &
Photos By
LIB
STEWART
working In a supermarket. He
and his wife have worked In the
food business for 19 years,
moving to Gaston County from
Spartanburg, S. C. They are
active In Mt. Beulah Baptist
Church. Their 22-year-old
daughter, Diane (Mrs. Jeff)
Costner, Is a part-time waitress
In their new business.
Mrs. Springfield said that the
Calvary Crusaders, Bates
Sisters and Eternal Life ’Trio
have been featured entertainers
and that other local church
groups will be Invited to sing as a
personal testimony.
Peggy pointed out that she and
her husband are operating a
family-type steakhouse, with no
brown-bagging permitted. “Wo
love the Lord and know that
Christian people like to taka
their families out for suf^r and
would enjoy a facility of this
kind.’’
Said Mrs. Springfield, “wa
preyed about this move a long
time and feel that the Lord gave
us this building, opening the
doors for us as an Instrument for
His will In this community."
Natives In the Dallas com
munity take great pride In their
ancestry and a number of these
can be traced back to the dates
their ancestors left Europe for
the New World.
Other present landmarks
Include the quaint, historic
Courthouse, built In 1848 and
renovated after It was razed by
fire In Dec. 1874; Hoffman
Hotel, circa. 1852; Matthews
Hotel, circa 1849; Rhyne
Building, circa 1850; Setzer
General Store, circa 1870;
Smyre-Pasour Home, circa 1850;
WUson Spargo (Webb) home,
circa 1890.
Dallas was the county seat of
Gastm from the date of Its
separation from Lincoln, Dec.
21, 1846, to 1911, when through
the vote of the electorate of the
county In 1909, the seat of
government was moved to
Gastbnla. It derives Its name
from Honorable George M.
Dallas of Philadelphia, who was
the President of the United
States In 1844. The Act of the
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OLD GASTON COUNTY JAIL — The old Gaston County Jail In
Dallas Is a Gaston County landmark. Built In 1848, the Jail Is now
rocking with music by gospel singers who entertain for patrons of a
steak house which has recently opened.
Assembly, In creating Gaston,
provided that Its county seat be
established within a given
distance from Long Creek
Baptist Church, and this
church, apart from Its age, will
forever have an additional tie to
the pioneer history of the county.
Much cf the early history of
Dallas centers about a few
landmarks, like the old Jail, a
few family names, a few lawyers
and doctors, a tew celebrated
law suits and many Court Weeks,
fresh still In the minds of old-
timers who like to reminisce.
It sits up there In Dallas — Its
barred windows looking out over
main street as they have for
many years, but now the Jail Is
empty no longer, filled not with
prisoners but with happy people
enjoying good food and gospel
music which rings out loud and
clear.
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BEHIND BARS - Peggy Springfield stands
behind the bars of an original Jail coll which the
new owners are featuring In the decor of the
newly-decorated steak house In Dallas.
NEW OWNERS — Harold and Peggy Springfield feel that their
new business venture is an answer to prayer. Harold donned a chef’s
hat and stands with his wife on the spiral staircase leading to one of
the four dining rooms which are decorated In black and red.