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.