AWARD WINNER In I960 and 1967 the Democrat won 10 State Press Assn, awards lor General Excellence, Excellence in Typography, Local News, Advertis ing, Columns and Photographs. WATAUGA DEMOCRAT An Independent Weekly Newspaper . . . Seventy-Ninth Year of Continuous Publication nn March 14 March IS March 16 March 17 March 18 March 19 March 20 BOONS WKA’ HI Lo kawAMlSBls 79 48 .06 MM 69 53 61 41 53 24 tr. 86 24 39 25 60 24 37 11 tr. 66 21 43 12 97 22 50 30 50 32 Snow given to netnet half-teen. VOLUME LXXIX— NO. 38 BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 1967 10 CENTS PER COPY 20 PAGES—2 SECTIONS PLANNED MOVE OF SCHOOLHOUSB—The old Shulls Mills Crater Marsh and Luther Oliver, both of the college maintenance School is shown as it stood four years ago before being moved department. Arrangements to have the building taken down and to the Horn in the West grounds. Shown planning the moving restored as a museum were made by Allen and the late Barnard task are Q-r) Bob Allen, director of Public Affairs, ASTC; Dougherty. Destruction Of Pioneer School On Horn Land May Involve Arson Foul-play is suspected in the fiery destruction of one of the state’s oldest school buildings, the Shull’s Mill School, which was reduced to ashes Tuesday of last week on the grounds of “Horn in the West” here. Horn Manager Herman W. Wilcox said an oil can, smelling kerosene, was found under % log near the reconstructed building Thursday morning, fingerprints were on the can, and local officials are con ducting a thorough investigation with the aid of the State Bureau of Investigation. Erected in 1884, the one room structure originally stood on property now owned by Hound Ears Golf & Ski Club. In 1963, it was taken down and restor ed as a museum adjacent to the Daniel Boone Theater. By a quirk of fate, the woods were damp enough to keep the vigorous blaze from spreading to other buildings on the grounds and neighboring residences. Boone volunteer firemen at first contained the fire by pumping from the trucks, although hoses later were hooked into a hydrant several hundred yards away, and the flames that took away a memorial to pioneer educa tors failed to consume the pro perties of Boone’s pioneer-days drama. DR. DOUGHERTY Dr. B. B. Dougherty, who figures prominently in this re gion’s history, was the first teacher at the Shulls Mill School. Watauga residents erected the structure, donating white pine lumber and labor. It has four windows, a door and a fireplace. Furnishings were a chair and table for the teacher, and benches for the students, who could attain a fourth-grade education there. They brought boxes from home to use as desks. Most of the students walked between two and four miles to attend the four-month term (Sept.-Dee.) and studied pen manship, oratory, history, grammar, spelling, geography and arithmetic. Dr. Dougherty, paid $27 per month for teaching 85 students, was to become co-founder and president of Appalachian State Teachers College shortly after the turn of the century. Years later, when a larger school was built, the old build ing was given to J. C. Shull who donated the land upon which it was erected. The structure was later purchased by J. A. Woody who used it as a barn for many years. After being reconstructed on the Horn in the West grounds, the building was restored to the 1884 vintage with furniture, benches and books. Grover Robbins of Blowing Rock purchased the property a few years ago and donated the building to Appalachian State Teachers College which, in turn, joined with the Southern Appalachian Historical Associ ation to move it to Boone. The late Dr. Dougherty was only 18 years old when he began teaching in the old school in 1888. His students, who came from 31 homes in the nearby area, included Cadis, Julet, Joe, BUI, Calb, Wes, Henry Char lie, Ettie, Ernest and Lee Cof fey; Cora, Lillie, Walter, Lena and Sara Shull; Cling, Jule, Sary, Jones, Virgil, Sherman, Margaret, Lisie, Zeb and Mary Calloway; Curtis, Walter, Julie and Holton Cook; Eltie, John, Birt, Mary Ruby, Roeyand J. L. Hartley; Will, Tom, Joe and (continued on page nine) 299 BUSINESSES ARE LISTED Two-Thirds Of Watauga’s Firms Employ 3 Or Less According to Government fi gures, just released, the spirit of individual enterprise still shines brightly in Watauga County. A constant stream of local residents, with the urge to get into business for themselves, take the plunge each year. In order to be on their own they give up their jobs and put their money, time and effort into new ventures. Some of them go into re tail businesses of various sorts. Others set up service estab lishments or other undertak ings. The hazards are great and they know it. The mortality among new businesses in high, with a large proportion of them falling by the wayside in the first five years. They hope, however, to be among the suc cessful ones. The figures on the local busi ness population are contained in reports prepared by the Cen sus Bureau with the assistance of the Social Security Admini stration, which supplied data on employment, payrolls and the like. They show that in Watauga County, there are some 299 business establishments cur rently in being. Of this total, 183 have 3 employees or less, 65 have from 4 to 7 employees and 35 have from 8 to 19. The rest are larger. As an indication of the dura bility of small businesses in the face erf the mergers, con A fireman surveys the area as flames finish off the Shidl’s Mill School. (Staff Photo) solidations and giantism that they have to cope with these days, no less than 95 percent of the local enterprises have fewer than 20 employees each. The proportion is greater than in most parts of the United States, where only 90 percent are in that catagory. In the State of North Carolina, there are 89 percent. The reports show that Wa tauga County's business firms (continued on page nine) Watauga County Hospital Gets Duke Funds Appropriations of $578,655 to assist Carolina hospitals in financing services to the needy sick were announced Thursday by Trustees of the Duke En dowment. These funds are in addition to contributions of $907,963 to 141 hospitals and $588,056 to 43 child-caring institutions in February and bring to $2,044, 674 the amount given this year to help these institutions meet their operating costs. Hospitals received $1,486,618 of the total. Thomas L. Perkins, Chair man of the Trustees, explained that appropriations to hospitals were based on $1 a day for each day of free care in the fiscal year which ended Sept. 30,1966. Payments to child-caring in stitutions were approximately 80 cents a day for each day of free care of orphans and half orphans in the fiscal year. Watauga County Hospital re ceived $2,206 as against $2, 157 appropriated in last year. Official Makes Report Delay In Construction Courthouse Explained Design Change Said To Be “Our Of Reach” BY RACHEL RIVERS By a margin of 145 votes, 3,332 Wataugans approved a $450,000 courthouse bond is sue concurrent with moving a Democratic slate of County Commissioners into office in November's general election. Questions have arisen as to when the structure will be put under construction and citizens interested in changed the archi tecture from modern to tra ditional are immediately con cerned. Commissioner Glenn Hodges this week explained cer tain “bottle necks’* which are being worked on. “The design presented in the Democrat before the election is the only design that has been furnished,” he said. “The de signers were asked if an al ternate plan was prepared and they answered no. “They also stated that a change in plans now would cost the County about $75,000 more than was originally stated, as none of the present blueprints would be of any value.” MINUS $19,200 Records show that before the new Commissioners took office, $18,000 was paid to the archi tects and a contract between the former Commissioners and the architects designates that an additional $4,500 be paid them whether or not the courthouse is built according to plans they supplied. Additionally, $1,200 was paid out in lawyer’s fees. A minimum of one year will be required to build a court house, and asked whether prob lems would arise during this period, Hodges listed that— A place must be found in which to hold court. Office space must be lo cated. Vaults must be found to house the records from the offices of the Clerk of Court and the Register of Deeds. And “Since the bond issue was for $450,000, every pos sible way to save money must be found. When the bonds are issued, the first item of busi ness will be to restore the money already drawn from the General Fund back to the Gen eral Fund. “This will leave $430,000 of bond money to spend on a court house,” he noted. All phases of the courthouse are being studied, and as quick ly as decisions are reached, Hodges said the people will be notified. The Commissioners reported they had hoped to negotiate for a two-acre site on Depot Street, but the ballot presented to the voters specified that the courts house must be built on the present site. The size of the approved courthouse—built on the site of the present courthouse— would eliminate parking space now on the northwest side. At present, it appears that a modification of the modern de sign will be out of the County’s financial reach. Beautification Banquet Draws 300 Sears Foundation Representative W. W. Tatgenhorst (right) was surrounded by admirers after his delightful speech Tuesday of last week at Holiday Inn. Here he talks with Dr. and Mrs. J. C. Yoder. Boone’s Mayor Wade E. Brown (left) introduced the community beautification and improvement expert to a crowd of nearly 300 persons, representing dozens of civic or ganizations. Chamber of Commerce Director Stanley Harris Sr., who was ticket chairman for the banquet meeting, said $24 was left over when the banquet was paid for and this was deposited in a beautification fund. Tatgenhorst was here all day Tuesday, addressing Watauga High School students that morning, and civic leaders at noon before touring the region. Local leaders plan a meeting for next week to discuss an improvement plan. (Staff photo) BREMCO Service To Be Cut If Financing Bill Fails BY RACHEL RIVERS If Blue Ridge Electric Mem bership Corporation fails to get its rural electric supplemental financing bill thro ugh Congress, its capacity for “complete ser vice" throughout its territory may be severly limited. Speaking for BREMCO's Boone office, Neil Faries says one of the service advantages co-op systems can offer cus Woman Hired On Police Dept. A woman policeman was hir ed by the Boone Police De partment and her appointment was confirmed by the Town Board of Aldermen at their regular monthly meeting Thursday night. Mrs. Esther Parsons will be doing day duty and her work will include reading parking meters and directing traffic at the Boone Elementary School. She begins work April 1. The Board discussed pur chase of a garbage truck, but no action was taken. The traffic light at King and Hillside Streets will be moved to the intersection of King Street and State Farm Road. This action was taken because of the traffic problem, especially in the mornings and afternoons when workers are trying to get to and from their jobs and are unable to get in or out of State Farm Road because of King Street traffic. The light will be moved soon. tomers is extension of lines to remote points without charge for actual costs. The organization is calling on its customers to support the bill by writing Senators Sam J. Ervin Jr. and B. Everett Jordan and Congressman James T. Broyhill in Washington, D. C. The bill will set up loan funds—much like those pro vided farmers when Federal Land Banks were established— and from such funds, the co op could obtain loans necessary to carry on operations. LARGEST TAXPAYER In Watauga, as in other moun tain counties, Blue Ridge Elec tric is the only source of power. New River Light & Power Com pany in Boone purchases power from the co-op. Faries says a $2-$3 million investment is being studied for the County. He explained to a meeting of Watauga Developers, Inc., and Watauga Citizens, Inc., last Gty Election Officers Named Judges and a registrar for the coming town election were ap pointed Monday night during a special meeting of the Town of Boone councilmen. The meet ing was called especially for making these appointments, Mrs. Jewel Mast will serve as registrar, and judges will be James Stanley and Ralph Greene. The election will be held in June. week that BREMCO needs a local voice in favor of the bill, since stiff resistence will (continued on page nine) Offices To Gose Monday County and town offices will close Monday in observance of Easter and most stores called by the Chamber otf Commerce in Boone reported they also will close. The County Health Center also plans the vacation obser vance, and according to Dr. Mary Michal, director, will be gin summer hours of 8 a, m, to 5 p. m„ with the office closed from noon to 1 p. m. for lunch, effective April 3. Community Sunrise Service To Be At Greenway Church The annual Community Sun rise Service will begin at 6:30 a. ip. Sunday morning at the Greenway Baptist Church and will be sponsored by the Wa tauga County Ministerial As sociation. Special music will be render ed by a choir of vocalists from surrounding churches. The Rev. Maurice Cooper, pastor of Perkinsville Baptist Church, will direct. Rehearsal will be gin at 6 a. m. in the Choir Room. Coffee and do-nuts will be served beginning at 6 a. m., after benediction in the fellow ship hall. The program will begin in the church sanctuary and be concluded on the cfiurch lawn. The Rev. E. S. Morgan erf the Oak Grove Church will de liver the Easter message. Others on the program will be the Rev. F. W. Dowd Ban gle, Deerfield Methodist; the Rev. Richard Crowder, Boone Methodist; and the Rev. J. K. Parker, pastor of Boone Pres byterian Church. The choir will sing the call to worship, “Low in the Grave He Lay” followed by the con gregational hymn, “All Hail the Power of Jesus Name”. The anthem will be “Man of Sorrows, What a Name** and the choir hymn, “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today**, will be sung just before the congregation assembles on the church lawn for hymn and bene diction. FULLER HORTON Promoted At La. WE Plant A native of Sugar Grove, Sam uel Fuller Horton, has been promoted to chief erf plant and factory engineering for Western Electric's Shreveport, La.# plant. Horton is the son of Mr. and Mrs. S. F. Horton and a grad uate of N. C. State University at Raleigh. Until August, 1965, he was plant engineer in a North Carolina branch where he was employed in 1956. In July, 1965, he was promoted to senior plant engineer. Horton is a Mason and serves the Arrowhead District, Boy Scouts of America, as chairman of organization and extension. He and his wife, Peggy, reside at 1870 Sw Brookwood Dr. with their four sons.

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