Pigeon Roost News
Says Christmas Marked End School
In Old Days; Had Spelling Matches
BY HARVEY J. MILLER
Rt. 1, Relief, N. C. 28769
When I was a youngster the
closing term of public school
was just a few days before
Christmas day. But back then
there never was over six
months of school and on the
last day of school which was
always on Friday they just had
an entertainment which was
mostly a spelling match and
singing of songs.
All the children parents was
invited to be present at the
closing day of school especi
ally in the afternoon period
when they had the spelling
matches. If I remember cor
rectly now all the different
classes spelled together but
the lower grades was given
easier words to spell but some
times there was a laugh going
among the crowd all over the
house when just a small stu
dent would spell down some
one that was grown. I think
they was all given three trys
at a word and the word had to
be spelled with the right mean
ing. The teacher would be the
one who would give out the
words.
The teacher would treat the
children on the closing school
term day with a little poke of
mixed candy. But for a few
years before t h e country
schools went out of business
Miss. Lydia Hoilman of Alta
pass played Santa Claus by
sending every child that the
teacher sent her their name a
Christmas present. She sure
did send good Christmas pres
ents as I have a reason to
know for I got two presents be
fore I quit going to school.
The country school where I
attended was heated with woo l
fuel. There was always some
local man appointed to get the
winters wood supply and he
was paid by the county. Back
in those days that I am writ
ing about winter weather gen
erally set in during the middle
of October. November and De
cember was when we really
had the big snows and when
the snow wa? deep if you got
there at 10 O’clock you
wouldn't be marked up tardy.
An old-timer recently told
The Pleasure Is Mutual
Paul Carter Hawkins and his new puppy, Snowflake, are delighted
to make each other’s acquaintance. Four-year-old Paul, national
poster child for Muscular Dystrophy Associations of America, was
given the Samoyed pup after he had w ished for a dog on a television
show'. This month the youngster spearheads the March Against
Muscular Dystrophy, which annually raises funds for MDAA-spon
sored scientific research into neuromuscular disorders and for vital
services to patients and their families.
wish you joy ... in laughter and good
cheer . . . joy in gifts and glad surprises
. . . joy in friends and family . . . joy at
Christmas, with all its deep meaning.
May the true old-fashioned joys of the
season come to you . . . and linger long.
McGuire’s Beauty Salon
Ala McGuire — Clyde Kilby
Dorothy Combs — Rita Hennessee
- T Susan McGuire —Jean Craig
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me here that back in his school
going days it wasen’t such a
hard matter it seemed to make
a school teacher. If you made
it through the graded schools
and only went to a high school
or I believe he called it a
training school one term you
could get a certificate to teach
school. He said there was
some pretty good school teach
ers back in those days if they
didn’t go to school so long.
The men teachers would tra
vel on afoot several miles home
each day to and from their
school teaching place. But the
women teachers about all of
them boarded in the commun
ity where they teached.
There was two school houses
for several years on Pigeon
Roost which was called the
upper and lower schools. I
am going to give the names of
some of these teachers that
taught school on Pigeon Roost
but I will not try to give the
names in rotation as they may
be a difference of 15 years in
the times they teached.
So here is the names of
some of the teachers who
taught at one of these two
schools and some of them
taught at both schools. Joe
Griffith taught terms at both
school places. His son M. L.
taught at lower school. Hold
en L. Edwards taught at both
schools. Howard Harrell
taught at upper school. Also
here is the names of several
more who taught at upper
school. Berdie Lee Wilkie of
Spruce Pine, Mary Baily of Bee
Branch section (Yancey Coun
ty) Estelle Greene of Bakers
ville, the late Ethel Barnett,
Estelle Byrd Buchanan who
now lives in Bakersville, John
r
R. Gouge of Bailey Settlement,
Jesse Street now of Johnson
City. The late Ed Barnett
taught at both schools and
Cling Ensor of McKinney
Branch section (Yancey Coun
ty.) Bertha Hoilman of Bak
ersville. Park Byrd, who is
now mayor of a town in Ky.
The late Oscar Bradshaw.
There is only one name of a
teacher that we have given
that I know who is still teach
ing school and that is Holden
L. Edwards who lives near Re
lief and he is 8th grade teach
er at Tipton Hill school.
Bobby Gene Edwards of
Byrd Creek section of Pigeon
Roost has been appointed dep
uty sheriff by Sheriff Moffitt
of Mitchell County.
The way the tobacco is be
ing taken at this writing so
fast it appears that practically
all the tobacco growed in this
section will be sold before the
markets close for the Christ
mas season.
A few of the farmers tobacco
was marked wet but it appears
that they all seemed well pleas
ed with the price they received
for it this season.
One farmer reported that he
received 75 Cents per pound
for three baskets of his to
bacco which is certainly a good
price as the farmer said it.
Richard Arwood of Brum
metts Creek section reported
that he had the misfortune
Saturday to run over his two
Beagle hounds with his car
when they jumped under his
car in the road at his home fe
fore he could get stopped and
he killed his dog named
Brownie and hurt the other
dog named Zeke. But he will
get well Arwood reported.
each and every one of our friendt,
we send our most cordial wishes for a
holiday season abounding in blessings,
with genuine appreciation for our pleas
ant relations throughout the past year.
TRAILWAY CLEANERS
and
TRAIL WAY LAUNDRY
E. King St. Boone, N. C.
Broyhill Industries
Slate New Expansion
Lenoir, N. C. — Broyhill
Furniture Industries is pre
paring to launch the second
phase of a major expansion
project at Lenoir Chair Com
pany No. 4.
A 200,000-square-foot plant
will be constructed for the
manufacture of chip core, a
particle board used for the
core of laminated plywood.
Keith Suddreth, Broyhill’s
chief engineer, also reported
that construction of a ware
house addition is nearing com
pletion at Chair No. 4.
Total cost of the chip core
plant and warehouse is ap
proximately $750,000. It is
estimated that these addition
al facilities will enable Broy
hill to increase employment
at Chair No. 4 by some 50
persons over a period of sev
eral months.
The chip core plant, Broy
hill’s fourth such operation, is
expected to be completed by
March 1967.
The extrusion method will
be used for the manufacture
of chip core, and auxiliary
equipment will be designed
and installed by Broyhill’s
engineering staff. Chip core
is made up of particles of
hardwood or softwood which
are bonded together by adhe
sives.
The warehouse, which con
tains a completely enclosed
railroad loading area, has
100,000 square feet of floor
space and triples the capacity
for storage of case goods
manufactured at Chair No. 4.
Being put into use on a gradu
al basis, the warehouse will
be completed in early Janu
ary. _
Thant Ke-Elected
U Thant has been elected to
serve a new five-year term as
UN secretary-general by sec
ret ballot. The 57-year-old Bur
mese diplomat received a
standing ovation as he took his
seat behind the podium.
Stamey’s Drive-In
AND CARRY OUT
E. King Street Boone, N. C.
'Sfilie Sptwt
o| CHRISTMAS
To love one another as a brother... to
IS- have good will among men ... to bring peace to
every heart this is the Spirit of Christmas. We pray that it
will enter your home at this Holy season giving to you and
your loved ones the greatest happiness.
It is with genuine appreciation of your friendship
and patronage that we extend this heartfelt good wish.
REINS-STURDIVANT
FUNERAL HOME
East King Street
Boone, N. C.