PAGE 6—SECTION I HCTITPORD COUNTY HERALD- AHOSFJE, N. C. 193) HISTORICAL EDITION i i llistory Of The Early life In The Town Of Alioskie, N. C. (Continvwd from page 1) tlirv detail the successiv'e,steps in ibe physical grotYth of the .Ahoskie posioflice; and ihcy are a pan of the running account of an iinponant period in the record of the jDOstoffice, -u’hich, 10 a remarkable degree here as elsewhere, reflected the devel- ojmicnt of the toivn in other respects, Mrs. Stanley tv'rites further: The town was increasing in growth rapidly and was badly in need of a hotel, especially in the business section, as the only one in town was a combination hotel and boarding house operated by Mr, Robert Holloman, on Church Street. Several citizens approached my father about building a hotel on the site left vacant by the fire. The Bank of Ahoskie then being organized, offered assistance, so my father decided to build. Thus came into being Ahoskie’s first exclusive commercial hotel. It was built of brick and concrete, 48 by 80 feet, containing on the first floor a store room with postoffice in the rear on one side; and lobbv, small wash room, dining room, and kitchen on the other. Ther^ were twelve bedrooms upstairs; and regardless of the fact that lighting was with oil lamps and there were no waterworks and sewage facilities, it was considered quite a modern hotel for so small a town. It was named Hotel Comfort . . . The furniture was purchased from J. R. Garrett and he was quite pleased over what was then a large purchase. My father ran the hotel for a while, and then leased it to Mr. Holloman. The new postoffice in the rear of the store had about fifty lock boxes, including other equipment which was all new and quite up to date, and fully adequate for the accommodations of the patrons of that day. To complete ihe record of locations and change.s in the Aho.skie postoffice, the next move from this Bazemore brick building was to the corner of South Railroad and Main streets, in ihe i)nilding belonging at that time to R. J. Baker; and Irom therg, the oliice was moved to its present location, tvltere 11 is to remain only long enough for the settling of a price ilispute between the otviievs and the United States Government lor jmrehase of tlie corner lot on Somii Mitchell and Main Streets, and the construction thereon of the town’s first gov ernment-owned postoffice, at a cost approximating ,'i56o,ooo. ■J'lui.s. exactly r,o years after the establishment of the office in Ahoskie. the government ceases to be a renter and prepares to build and cquij) its own home. By late 1898, which winds up tlie period of the first real c.siate development and migration to the new incorporation, iuisincss building lots were selling as high as .'$1.00 to .Si.50 a loot front, and residential jh'operty at considerably less; • Mioskie iiad become the railroad center of the surrounding country; the new .school building at North and McCilohon •streets had taken the place of the one and two-room, single- story affair's used until tlien in neighborhood locations in and ;i round to^vn; a small hand of Methodists had begun pariodic worship upstairs-over ilie store at corner of Catherine and .Main streets, while the Rev. |. K. Fant was rhe Baptist pa,sLor and ilie netv parsonage on Catherine Creek road was under construction; a half-dozen or so merchants -were doing busi- ne.ss, profiting from the recent breaking up of the “Big Store” ojicrated by Cockey R: Powell; there were at least two horse and imile sales stables, operated by Dr. Mitchell and E. L. Hayes. Unlike most historical sketches, the record of Ahoskie then and even until this day Avas not at all bound up and based arpou-political considerations. In fact, during the first years of its life, little or no thought Avas given to politics except in a general Avay. It had none of its OAvn, as the area Avithin the settlement Avas divided betAveen tAVO toAvnships, Avith political headquarters of each removed 7 and 9 miles, respectively. On ilie south side of the Winton road that ran through the tOAvn jAolitics headed up at St. Johns, as that territory belonged in Si. Johns loAvnship; and on the north side of the road voters Avetit to W'inton to cast ihcir ballots and to get the lowdoAvn (.'11 things political. 'I'here Avcve other things to do around Ahoskie; and because there Avas a lack of: interest in and control over county iiolitics to divert their minds from the business of building a toAvn, it is easier lor those Avho study their lives, habits, and interests to judge tiie real and essential character of the people, since, after all, there are other things that have a more important place in the development of any |)Cople or group of society than mere political considerations. lA’cn as late as 1906 there Avas no Ahoskie tOAvnship and .Aho,skie's population of 500 or 600 had to go to St. Johns and \Finton over unimproved roads and by sIoav travel to do their voring. One early settler of that day Avho took his politics seriously then as he does today says of his experience: “I rode a bicycle to Winton. 10 miles aAvay, that year to vote, Avhile my neighbor just across the street drove a mule to Sr. Johns, 8 miles, to cast his ballot there.” It Avas during this year, hoAvever, that Aho.skie received its first recognition in county goverument; but it can hardly be said that it Avas through the importance or influence of the little toAvn. since it Avas Dr. J. H. Mitchell Avho Avas reAvarded with a place upon the county board of commissioners. As a |)olitical maneuver folloAving the days of the Populist Party and the era that accompanied it, the board Avas increased from six to eight members, and Dr. Mitchell, a Democrat, Avas appointed to represent St. Johns toAvnship. his residence being on the south side of the road. Thus ends the first lo years of Ahoskie’s history, a period tliai holds feAv recollections for the present day population, and for Avhich hitherto tliere has been no recorded liistory. If the complete record of the toAvn Avere to be given in this ncAvspaper account, many more pages of typed and printed matter Avould be required, and subsequent ciiapters Avould run something like this: The Coming of “The Big Mill.” Tires Desh'oy, Man Rebuilds A Belter Toivn. Schools Come and So Do Onarrels. Second Retail Estate Boom. Ahoskie Stef)s Out Ahead. Ahoskie Is Tagged “The Metropolis.” World War Days in Ahoskie. Municipal Improvement Bug Bites. “Bigger and Better” Campaigns. Ahoskie Has The Grab-all Fever. A Bank Fails; A Depression Folloios. Ahoskie Recovers, and Consolidates Its Gains. Ahoskie, The Hub of the Roanoke-Chowan. The End MORTICIAN Mr. Horton, the son of the late George W. and Elizabeth Overton Horton, is a life-long resident of Hertford County, and who has suc cessfully ^^perated an undertaking establishment in Ahoskie for many years. He also operates a general repair shop. THIS IS HOTEL COMFORT. AHOSKIE Erected by A. G. Bazemore in the first decade of this century, it was the town’s first brick hotel, and the first to have been operated in the business district of the town. Until it was built, the Holloman House on Church Street was the hostelry. Mr. Holloman leased this brick hotel from owner Bazemore. It is now serving as dental and insurance offices and for 'the “M” System store. 1930 CENSUS FIGURES FOR NORTH CAROLINA COUNTIES 1930 1920 Gain Alamance 42,136 32,718 9,416 Alexander - 12,982 - 12,212 770 Alleghany 7,185 7,403 218 Anson 29,496 28,334 1,162 Ashe .. 21,019 21,001 18 Avery 11,805 10,335 1,470 Beaufort 35,025 31,024 4,001 Bertie 25,849 23,993 1,856 Bladen 22,385 19,761 2,624 Brunswick 15,792 14,876 916 Buncombe 97,899 64,148 33,751 Burke 30,174 23,297 6,977 Cabarrus 44,225 33,735 10,490 Caldwell 26,536 19,984 6,552 Camden 5,461 5,382 79 Carteret 16,876 15,334 1,542 Caswell 18,213 15,759 2,454 Catawba 43,991 33,839 10,152 Chatham 24,179 23,814 365 Cherokee 16,160 15,242 914 Chowan 11,282 10,649 633 Clay . 5,436 4,646 790 Cleveland 52,305 34,272 18,033 Columbus 37,739 30,124 7,615 Craven 30,621 29,048 1,573 Cumberland 45,202 35,064 10,138 Currituck 6,687 7,263 565 Dare 5,123 5,115 8 Davidson 46,549 35,201 11,348 Davie 14,386 13,578 808 Duplin 35,110 30,223 4,887 Durham 67,199 42,219 24,980 Edgecombe - 47,896 37,995 9,901 Forsyth 111,695 77,269 34,426 Franklin - 29,464 26,667 2,797 Gaston 78,049 51,242 26,807 Gates 10,551 10,537 14 Graham 5,841 4,872 969 Granville 28,721 26,846 1,875 Greene - 18,657 16,212 2,445 Guilford 132,989 79,272 53,717 Halifax 53,301 43,766 9,535 Harnett 38,019 28,313 9,706 Haywood 28,462 23,496 4,966 Henderson - 23,388 18,248 5,14C Hertford 17,649 16,294 1,355 Hoke 14,242 11,722 2,52( Hyde 8,529 8,3&8 141 Iredell 46,673 37,956 8,717 Jackson 17,477 13,396 4,081 Johnston 56,608 48,998 7,610 Jones 10,432 9,912 520 Lee ... 17,000 13,400 2,60( Lenoir 35,682 29,555 6,127 Lincol) 22,823 17,862 4,96] •McDowell 20,482 16,763 3,711 Macon .13,670 12,887 881 Madison 20,304 20,083 22: Martin 23,388 20,828 2,560 Mecklenburg 127,955 80,695 47,260 Mitchell — 13,958 11,278 2,68( Montgomery 16,217 14,607 1,610 Moore 26,414 21,388 5,026 Nash 52,778 41,061 11,717 New Hanover 42,747 40,620 2,127 Northampton 26,960 23,lS4 3,775 Onslov 15,312 14,703 60 Orange 21,168 17,895 3,271 Pamlico - 9,300 9,060 24( Pasquotank 19,136 17,670 1,266 Pendei 15,686 14,788 89} Perquimans i 10,668 11,137 —265 Person 22,042 18,973 3,061 Pitt ... 54,416 45,569 8,847 Polk 10,205 8,832 1,471 Randolph 36,641 30,856 5,785 Richmond ft 34,008 25,567 8,44: Robeson 66,678 54,674 12,00( Rockingham 51,073 44,149 6,92-: Rowan •56,066 44,062 12,00^ Rutherford 40,449 .31,426 9,021 Sampson 40,201 36,002 4,191 Scotland 20,176 15,600 4,576 Stanly 30,062 27,429 2,631 Stokes 22,290 20,575 1,615 Sprry 39,749 32,464 7,285 Swain - 11,567 13,244 —1,657 Transylvania 9,591 9,303 28} Tyrrell 5,164 4,849 315 Union 40,926 36,029 4,897 Vance 27,294 22,799 4,495 Wake 94,464 75,155 19,301 Warren 23,364 21,593 1,871 Washington 11,603 11,429 174 Wautauka 15,155 13,477 1,67} Wayne 53,153 43,460 9,692 Wilkes 36,162 32,644 3,51} Wilson 44,912 36,813 8,09£ Yadkin ...:. 18,010 16,391 1,61S Yancey - 14,408 15,093 —685 Totals .,'3,165,146 2,559,123 606,023 THE HISTORY OF MURFREESBORO 4 BAPTIST W. M. U. AVas Organized in 1889 A LTHOUGH there are no written records of the early proceedings of the Murfreesboro, Woman’s Missionary Union, through the kindnes of Miss Eunice McDowell, sister of Mrs. Day, the organizer, the following history of this W. M. U. has been revealed. The little group of nine, who were the charter members of this noble work, have passed into the great beyond, but their work liveth. These are: Mrs. D. A. Day, president; Miss Anna Eldridge, later Mrs. Barnacastle; Mrs. Rockie Deloatch, Mrs. Lucy Freeman, Mrs. Dora Wood, Mrs. Ellen Carter, Miss ' Scilla Williamson, and Mrs. Ellen Sumner, The work here was organized in 1889, the year after the W, M. U. work was really begun by the women of the State, but it was not accepted then by the Baptist State Convention; the pastors were very much opposed to it, and at that time it was considered rather improper for a lady to speak in public, and of course Mrs. Day’s mother, Mrs. McDowell, did not approve of it. When, however, the group of women met in Mrs, Day’s home, her mother would always join the group. All of the funds which were received through this W. M. U. were used strictly for missions, so these ladies formed a Dorcas Society, and they did service for people. In this way they paid the sum of $1,- 300.00 for a parsonage, the place now owned by Mrs. S. C. 'Vann. About fifteen years ago, Mrs. E. B. Vaughan was the very capable president, until Cupid stepped in, and as to the custom, the organiza tion lost her. She is now Mrs. J. L. Josey of Scotland Neck. For two years after this Mrs. George Undeinvood filled the presidency. She gave it up on account of her school work. Ten years ago Mrs. Ola A. Chitty was elected as president and has been serving ever since. Mrs. Chitty has made a capable officer. The W. M, U., under her leadership, has been functioning quite efficiently. Four years ago Dr. Bunn came to take charge of the church, and Mrs. Bunn, Mrs. George Underwood, Mrs. C. M. Forehand and Mrs. Ola Chitty were appointed as a committee to divide the W, M. U. into circles, of which there are four. The Ladies’ Aid Society was merged into the W. M. U. It is all now included in these four circle.s. Each, circle has a leader, and the president meets with each group. The W. M. U. fosters all the other organizations and has been standard for three years. The society last year gave $600,00 to missions including Chowan College, and within the last four years, has paid .the debt on the par sonage, Mrs. Ella Pearce has been untiring in her efforts to raise this sum and de.serves much credit. Mrs. C. E. Boyette '(the mother of the pi’esident of W. M. U.) is the oldest member. She has been in failing health for some time. Her name should be mentioned as one of our most loyal members. Mrs. M. E. Wiggins, who passed away several years ago, was ever zealous and loyal. Under the leadership of Mrs. Chitty and the splendid pastor’s wife, the Ruth McDowell Day W. M. U. has fulfilled the desire of the •ganizer, in whose memory the following poem is dedicated: As we celebrate this golden anniversary Our hearts with fervor glow: To know that God has cast our lot Where living waters flow. She is gone from our midst. To one who began this noble work; Yet her great spirit hovers near. And bids us ne’er a duty shirk. It was her joy in life to find, At every turning of the road, Some loving deed of any kind To cheer a heart-sick soul with their heavy load. In my mind’s eye I see her. Treading softly down the aisle, Her gentle manner each one did stir. And too, her beaming smile. In memory of this blessed one Who served her Master well, And ne’er did think her task was done Until His message she did tell. We pledge anew to do your best, To proclaim His word with greater zest; And when our work on earth is o’er May we enter into eternal rest. AHOSKIE’S OLDEST RETAIL STORE DEALING IN GENERAL MERCHANDISE A Dependable Store, Carrying A Complete Line of Staple Merchandise of Finest Quality for the Home and Farm. SINCE 1903 UNTIL 1939 HOGGARD AND STOKES C. C. HOGGARD H. W. STOKES AHOSKIE, NORTH CAROLINA Through All The Changes Of 36 Years J. A. Horton Picture intended for this space— Horton’s Funeral Home—^^will be found on Page 6 of regular news section of this issue. Engraving was received too late for printing in this section. A dependable servant of the public—earn ing the friendship and confidence of the people of this territory through service well rendered. Funeral Service : Embalming |«C ■'TT” Modern Funeral Home : Lady Attendant : Ambulance Service Plione 143-W Alioskie, N. C. [n time of sorrow, it is the sympathetic understanding and helpful service that can be given only by proven friends that the bereaved ones need. Through thirty-six years of serving the peo ple of this territory, in time of sorrow and as a public servant to the living, J. A. Horton is known as a dependable friend who will understand and will handle with sympathetic understanding all the details of dignified funeral and burial service. This understanding of the problems of those who look here extends to the matter of cost, and the charges for complete funeral service, with the best of modern facilities, will be found moderate and reasonable.