Newspapers / The News-Herald (Ahoskie, N.C.) / Aug. 17, 1939, edition 1 / Page 30
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T / i PAGE 6—SECTION B HERTFORD COUNTY HERAl.T), AHOSlCIE, N. C. 1939 HISTORICAL EDiTION Winton Was First Incorporated Town Fn Hertford County (Cont. from Page 5) History Of Hertford County School System, By Moore (Cont. from Page 4) Episcopal Church was organized about 1885, and, though small in numbers, has functioned continuously since its organization. The Baptists, being more in numbers, have been more turbulent. The Winton Baptist Church was established in 1873. In 1895, over per sonal differences, a split came in the church, a part withdrawing and founding the Chowan Baptist Church. As a sidelight on manners and customs of earlier days it is interesting to know that the de ciding vote to split the church was cast by a Negro. For several years the Chowan Church used the Academy auditorium for worship. But under an early pastor, Rev. T. G. Wood, and the support of active and consecrated members, a church was soon built and paid for, in 1902, the present Baptist Church. Here in 1900 the women or ganized one of the first W. M, .societies in the county. In 1918 the two churches re-united, becoming the Winton Baptist Church and using the Chowan building. While Winton was busy developing and growing from her ashes, she received a blow that, as a town and her future, was much more hurtful than the war treatment. In 1884, the A. C. L. Railroad began constructing its line from Norfolk to Rocky Mount. Its right-of-way would somewhat have followed the old stage coach route, Winton, St. Johns, and other points. But the person in Winton owning the land through which the railroad would go, refused to sell. This man was James A. Anderson, the last of the Anderson line in Winton. This family, who, in the early 1800’s, had vision and thrift enough to make a considerable fortune, left to this last member lands, but no vision or desire to help his tov;n, Thus'was Winton given the most severe blow it ever received. And yet we wonder, in the light of present knowledge, why the town did not make other concessions and bring fe railroad any way. Winton was more than 100 years old then; it lad been a small town, perhaps no one could imagine it ever beinr anything else. Anyway, the railroad did not come. A man named Tunis, having a mill a few miles down the river, did give land and because the railroad went by Tunis the county is helping Ahoskie- the youngest but certainly the most precocious of its children—to celebrate its birthday. And yet one wonders, if the railroad had gone through Winton. with its added advantage, the river—an advantage it certainly was until about the time of the war—just what Winton might have been. Sometime some one will write the history of our country by its rivers. The Chowan will be the starting point for a large area' of this northeastern section. From its beginning Winton was the ship ping point for a large ai'ea; from the day it built its own boats and shipped to foreign ports until the war, Winton’s waterfront was busy place. From its three wharves products were almost constantly being shipped in or out; barges and tugs with loads of lumber or rafts of logs; sailing vessels unloading oyster shells, watermelons, or fish, depending on the season. There was a huge pile of oyster shells that kept its size for years by one of the wharves, despite the fact that farmers were regularly hauling from it from all over the county to use for fertilizer. The boats equipped for passenger service were large and sur prisingly comfortable. The Nanticcke, which served two periods on the river, was the largest and nicest ever on it; she was a large side wheeler and to unsophisticated eyes of the early 1900'was a thing of beauty and a joy forever; elegant in red plush, white and gilt paint. Its saloons were large and attractive, its deck space was delightful, its .staterooms >were as large and as comfortable as those found on river boats today, and a meal in its dining-room saloon was the thrill of a young lifetime. The Keystone and Olive were also long familiar sights at the wharves. The Olive sank in a storm in 1903; the Key- .sicnc was retired after long and faithful service. The names of some of the earlier boats were: The Curlew, The Stag and The Fox; these were passenger and freight boats before the Civil War. Others short- ly after the war were, Isodc, Ella, Helen Smith, Silver Wave and 'Lota. The Nanticcke was later replaced by two new, but smaller boats, the Carolina and Virginia: Carolina running from Murfreesboro to Edonton, and the Virginia from Franklin. These boats, though small er and newer and not boasting so much red plush and gold paint, were nicely equipped and very comfortable. For years excursions were run annually by some of these boats down the river. In ^th'e 70’s and 80’s they ran excursions to Nags Head and back. In later years they went no further than Edenton. The person who has made this boat trip, from either Franklin or Murfreesboro to Edenton, in the spring of the year when the laurel is in bloom^ has had the privi iege of seeing at home a sight more beautiful than today, he may travel many miles by auto, to see. Another excursion always looked forward to by the children was the picnic, usually given at Mt. Gal lant, when Mr. Taylor would have a railing built around his largest barge, seats put in, a tug, the Lillian, attached, and the town was off for a piciiic. In the spring of 1903 there was going on in Winton something of national interest that soon laded, but remained in the memory of those growing up at that time. There was an eclipse of the sun that Avas total here. For several weeks before there was a group of scient ists here getting ready for observations; telescopes were set up on the hill at the foot of Main Street. The night that came early in the morning was impressive, but not nearly so as the glimpse those young- ^(jters had that day of another world viewed through tho,se telescopes. In 1903 the women of Winton, not wanting to be left behind in the progress going on, organized the Woman’s Social and Benevolent Society and federated with the Women’s Clubs of Nbrth Carolina. It was a delightful club with good programs, but after a few years it became- too progressive for its own good. At that time pigs were d to roam at will on the streets. The women attempted to ',em shut up. The pigs won! That is a far cry from the work /Oman’s Clubs today, but from just such beginnings have they Vio the strength they now possess. The town has recently given to the women’s organizations a lot on which to erect a community house. It was just about this time that the first automobile made its appearance in town. Its trip through the causeway on the other side of 'the river and its pull up the long, muddy hill on this side, must have been too much for the tender young thing, for just as it reached Main Street it breathed a sigh and stopped! Was ever anything better planned than that this wonderful new thing which one had heard of but never expected to see, should stop just where one could look at it all one wanted? The first auto in Winton Was owned by. Henry Taylor. It was during the early World War years that the Hertford County Fair Association was formed ,and several very good County Fairs were held at the old King Field in Winton. They were very successful from the standpoint of exhibits, but financially were not so successful. One of the last was being held on the 7th day of November, 1918, the day of the false Armistice. Another thing that was very popular during these years, and has been given a place in our national development, should be men tioned: the very excellent chautauquas that Winton and the com munity enjoyed for sevei’al years. We enjoyed a number of the large lent ones, with four or six days of vei'y worthwhile and delightful entertainment. Gradually the sponsors grew tired of the financial loss and the chautauquas lost their first glory, and their place in the cultural development of rural America had been closed. In the early 20’s the county took one of its most forward and worthwhile steps; brought Farm Agent and Home Demonstration work to the county. After a few weeks of survey by the State office. Miss Myrtle Swindell came as the home agent and for ten years did real pioneer work in this field. This work deserves a large place in the county history, but its worthwhileness and her excellent work deserve mention in Winton’s history. Very shortly after war was declared, Winton had two moments of real excitement. Almost immediately aftfer the declaration of war, a National Guard unit was sent to Tunis to guard the bridge, so mails could go through! It gave a wonderful war-like touch to see real soldiers on real duty. . : The second episode was almost over before any body knew about | it. Our beloved old Nanticcke, which had been in service in South American waters for some years, appeared from nowhere and made a rapid trip up the river, loaded, so we heard, with German ammuni tion. Just what use German ammunition could be up the Meherrin River no one has ever figured out. But the Government was suf ficiently interested to send a Revenue Cutter after her and chase her down the river. This was the Nanticoke’s swan song. Her fate after this we do not know; it is buried deep in records in Washington per haps. Shortly aftei', our new boats, the Carolina and Virginia, were taken over by the Government for coastwise trade and after the war some one forget to return them. The river has been lonely ever since. Excitement was all over after this and the war became quite real. Sixteen white boys from town were in service, many of them going overseas and seeing actual service. And for the folks at home, besides anxiety and suspense, -there were heatless days, sugarless days. Liberty Loan drives, War Savings campaigns succeeding each ether in Winton just as they did everywhere else. The first Red Cross Roll Call was attempted in May just after v/ar was declared; it was almost a failure except it did mark a begin ning. Later in the summer of 1917 the Hertford County Chapter of the American Red Cross was organized in the Court House, with Mrs. T, B. Wynn as chairman. From then until now the chapter has kept its charter active.' The next Roll Call, in 1918, gave to Winton one more of its big county days; parades, floats and speeches made a colorful' day and hundreds of dollars were raised. In 1925 the Chowan River bridge was opened. This opening day also brought throngs of people, automobiles, speeches, bands and State officials and the bridge, a monument to man’s skill, ability and advancement, marked the close of an era, for just where the bridge stands is where a man-drawn ferry- had carried people across the river for nearly 200 years. In October, 1933, the Winton Woman’s Club was organized. To date its most outstanding piece of work was the establishing of the Winton Public Library, and in October, 1935, the club won the loving cup, given to the club within the Sixteenth District doing the best piece of work within the club year. The Library is in part financed by the county now, and is, therefore, glad to furnish books to any one in the county. The year 1938 will go down in Winton’s history as the year the town water system was installed. We have made very little reference to people in this sketch, many of its citizens have been county figures and have helped to shape and mould affairs for many years. In its 170 years Winton has had some of all kinds of people, good and bad, wise and foolish, great and small. It has never made any great or startling contribution to the world; it has been just one of the thousands of little towns that has played its small part in the Epic oj^ America a.s a whole. It probably will always be just a small town, but the little town is a very cosy and friendly place in which to play one’s part in the Epic. in the same district. By this time the State had created an equalization fund amounting to $1,164,461.79. By 1927 the fund, had reached $3,250,000. It was in this year that the County Board of Education assumed the full indebtedness of the Chowan Academy, (Waters Normal Institute), for colored. The resolution adopted by the trustees of the Waters Normal Institute read as follows: Desiring to serve only the best interest of the colored youth of the -County of Hertford and the State of North Carolina in providinr IN AND AROUND WINTON NOW OPERATED BY P. G. DOWNS This building has served as merchandise headquarters for many years. for them high schools within their reach, and believing it to be wise to solicit financial aid from the County and State in the development of a project which we have fostered for years at great sacrifice—to guarantee its success and pci-manence, we, the Trustees of Waters Normal Institute, (Chowan Academy), by the authority granted us by the laws of North Carolina—See Private Acts of 1887, do hereby re solve, adopt, and order,—- That the property now held by us as Trustees of the aforesaid school, both real and personal, be transferred and deeded to the State and County aforesaid in fee simple, to be held and used by them forever as a high school for negro youth, subject to this condition that the State and County assume the debts of the Institution amounting to about four thousand dollars. Prior to this time. Waters Normal Institute bad .been one of the outstanding private schools in the State for colored children. On October 6, 1924, the school committees of Harrellsville school, white, -presented a petition to the County Board of Education for an election for bond.?, amounting to §40,000, for the -purpose of acquiring, erecting, enlarging, altering and equipping school buildings and purchasing sites in their district. On being approved by the County Board of Education, the petition was submitted to the County Board of Commissioners, which body ordered a special election to be held for this purpose. In 1925 the County Board of Education borrowed from the State of North Carolina $25,000 -for the purpose of erecting a building for the colored Hertford County Training School. In order for the colored people to secure this aid, a group of them pledged to pay annually one-twentieth of this amount. Chapter V PRESENT EDUCATIONAL CONDITIONS The total expenditures for public schools in Hertford County increased from $6,373.29 in 1900 to about $381,300.00 for the school year 1930-31. In spite of this tremendous increase in expenditures, some of the schools remain in a very poor condition. There are today a total of sixteen- white schools in the county. Nine of these schools run for a term of eight months and the other seven only run for a term of six months. Most all of the pupils in the county have access to a four-year high school, but some of the pupils who enter these schools come from the one and two-teacher schools; therefore, they ar^poorly prepared, making it almost impossible for them to compete in the high schools with those pupils who come from an eight months term where there is a teacher employed for almost every grade. Ahoskie, Harrellsville, and Murfreesiioro are the largest schools in the county, each offering a four-year high school course. These three high schools are accredited by the State Department of Education and their graduates can enter any college in the State or the State University A^thout taking an entrance examination. Como and Win- ton offer some high school work, but are not accredited. Union and Menola schools run for a term of eight months. Little can be said of (Continued on Page 7) Announcing A Book “The Ahoskie Era Of Hertford County” Material selected from this edition of The Herald^ edited and illustrated especially for permanency in book of cjuality paper and durable binding. LIMITED NUMBER TO BE PRINTED PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW Parker Brothers AHOSKIE, N. C.
The News-Herald (Ahoskie, N.C.)
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Aug. 17, 1939, edition 1
30
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