North Carolina Newspapers

PAGE 4—THi MEfl&D, Ahoskie, N. C—MILESTONE YEAR 1959 •ui / *■ ' A'lT t -V- Railroad Street, focus of young Ahoskie's bustling business district Jung elm border beginning to shade Church Street, residential thoroughfare Historic First Methodist Church Building in Ahoskie, 1904 Search for KnowWdge ITHACA, N. Y.-^U^D—When Cornell UniversitJ^ ^feised its tuition fee from''$10 tb‘'?25 a semester about 75 years ago, en rollments went down by nearly one half. Tuition at Cornell will be $1,250 this fall, but there is no sign of any drop-off in the num ber of students seeking admis sion. A Fair Proportion TOLEDO, Ill, — (UPI) —Signs posted at the city limits here read: “Welcome to Toledo—Popu-. lation 1,000—989 Happy Souls— 11 Soreheads.” Merit Pay for Teachers CHICAGO — (UPI) — Most school administrators now favor a merit pay system for teachers, according to the magazine “The Nation’s Schools.” A large num ber of the administrators said they had only come around to this point of view in the past two years. Bingo MONTEZUMA, N Y.—(UPI)— A referendum on whether bingo should be legal for charitable groups in Montezuma resulted in a vote of 54 to 0 in favor. The famed Scythe Tree near Waterloo, N. Y., is a unique me morial to a young soldier of the Civil War. When the boy left for the front he hung his scythe in the crotch of a Balm of Gilead poplar and asked that it be left there until he returned. He never did. The growing tree enveloped the scythe’s blade, and today only six inches of it show. Ahoskie Photographs Three historic photographs of early Ahoskie scenes show the look of the town in the bustling days of the early 20th century, when it was growing to become the Roanoke-Chowan's largest community. These photos were used in pro ducing postcards, which were then coming into vogue. The orig inals of the pictures in this series are owned by Mrs. Robert Cham- blee of Ahoskie. Exact date of the pictures is unknown. They were taken some time in the period of the First World War. The Baptist Church (at right), now the Presbyterian, was still the focus of the com munity. Main and Church streets had been laid off. Railroad Street was actually the heart of the business district, development of the lower end of Main was be ginning. The Methodist Church stood on the corner of Main and McGlohon streets. It had been built in 1904, a few years after the church had been established and held its first services in the former Masonic Hall. The hall had stood at the corner of North and McGlohon, whore the home of the late Dr. Jesse Mitchell now stands. A few years later, it was to serve as the first high school building lor the new town. No streets were paved in this ■period and the town had few automobiles. Church Street was becoming the town’s residential thorough fare, and the giant elm border that is its present-day pride was beginning to provide shade to the wide, at times dusty, boulevard. The photograph was taken at the corner of present-day Church and Rhuc streets, looking west ward toward the railroad. In 1890, there were two Episcopal churches in Hertford County, listed in the N. C. Business Directory. St. Barnabas’ Church is located at Murfreesboro, and St. John’s is listed as Winton. Hertford County in 1890 Saloons Were Open, River Was Busy in Year of Hope A transitional decade in Hertford County history was the 1890-1900 period. The county was recovering from the long period of de pression after the Civil War. A new generation of leader ship was taking over, and the look was to the future. The picture of Hertford County in 1890, at the be ginning of this important period, is taken from a busi ness directory published that^year in Raleigh. A copy of the directory is in the library of the Bertie Coun ty Clerk of Court. It was a period celebrated as the “Gay Nineties.” It was a period when Hertford County had saloons, and when the Chowan River was a busy center of fishing activity. It was the days of the beginning of Negro edu cation in the county, and a day when railroads were beginning to end the long time isolation of the coun ty’s people. It was 1890, a milestone year in Hertford County life. Anetta, Lotto and Winton, Too Ever heard of Annetta, Lotta and Riddicksville? No, the first two aren’t girls you should have known—^they’re towns in Hertford County, listed in the 1890 North Carolina Business Directory. A check with the directory, now in the Bertie County court house files, shows how times change, for Annetta and Lotta, along with Riddicksville, have passed into history. According to the 1890 book, Hertford County totaled 340 square miles, with a population of 11,843. There were 5,121 white residents, and 6,722 colored. Staples are listed as cotton, corn, peanuts and fish. “Being near the Norfolk market, trucking might be profitable,” the directory also opines. Fruits listed as products are apples, peaches, scuppernong grapes, pears, melons, and the small fruits. The town of Ahoskie wasn’t even a post office, according to this book. In fact, there’s only one mention of Ahoskie, given as the residence of James l^ew- som, physician. A list of post offices and their population shows: Annetta, no population given* Bethlehem, 40; Como, 40; Harrells- ville, 200; Lotta (Maney’s Neck township) no population given; Mapleton, 40; Menola, no popula tion given; Murfreesboro, 1500; Riddicksville, 100; Saint John, 75; Tunis, no population given* Union, 97; Winton, 600. The 1890 Business Scene Blacksmith, Wright, Distillers Blacksmithing and wheei- wrighting was the most important business in Hertford County in 1890, judging from the occupa tions listed in the N, C. Business Directory that year. The follow ing firms were listed as “black smiths and wheelwrights”: L, A. McGlaughon, Winton; M. A. Proc tor and Co., Union; Ira Odom, Bethlehem; G. D. Payne, Mills Joyner, G. W. Hines and E. C. Worrell and Co., all at Murfrees boro; W. B, Alexander, Bethle hem; J. T. Lowe, Winton; and H, B. Vann, Winton. William Core and Co. at “Tuim- er” is listed as the only boat builder in the courvty, and Las siter Bros, at Union did the only coopering. “Building and contractors” were George HaiTis, Tony South- all and W, R. Warren, ail of Mur freesboro and W. D. Deans, J. H, Harrell and L. C. Lawrence op erated cotton gins at Murfrees boro and Matthews and Mitchell had one at Winton. Winton was apparently the seat of the county “spirits,” for there were four distilleries there, op erated by R. S. Hoggard, Clifton Brett, Eli Williamson and J. B. Hare. G. W. Grimes was proprie tor of the county’s only furniture Schools—Growing List There was an adundance of schools, both private and public, in the Hertford County of 69 years ago. Acconding to the N. C. Business Directory of 1890, the county had 29 white public schools and 27 colored public schools. At Winton, the Rev. C. S. Brown was principal of the Negro acad emy. Miss Lula Mitchell also had a primary school there, and there was another primary school with Mr. Garriss as principal. The Brownsville Academy at Menola was also active, with Mrs. S. R. Brown as principal, and Miss Lola Stanly and Miss Eva Farmers . . . A listing of farmers occupies the largest portion of Hertford County’s record in the N. C. Busi ness Directory of 1890. Among the post offices are some long since gone, such as Annetta, Beth lehem, Lotta, Riddicksville, and Rosaka. According to the directory, J. J. Horton was the only farmer at Rosako, and J. D. Gatling was the farmer at Woodland. Other farmers listed were at Aulander, Como, Harrellsville, Mapleton, Menola, Murfreesboro, Powells- ville, Union, St. John, and Win ton. The discrepancy in the accuracy of the listings is shown in the fact that Woodland is in North ampton County, while Aulander and Powellsville are in Bertie. . Apparently the directory crew listed all farmers who lived in Hertford, but gave their post offices as addresses. Top Hotels . . . Hotels and boarding houses oc cupied an important place in the life of Hertford County in 1890. According to the N. C. Business Directory for that year, the follow ing places and their operators were given: Excelsior House. Murfreesboro, J. L. Harrell; Jordan House, Win ton, Jordan & Parker; Madlin House, Union, Henry Madlin; and Spencer House, Murfreesboro. C. W. Spencer. Two colored restaurants in Win ton were also listed, with Nannie Turner and Zilpha Beckwith as proprietors.' Ten Doctors . .. Ten physicians were serving Hertford County in 1890. Ac cording to the N. C. Business Directory, they were: A. H. As- kins, Harrellsville; T. J. Burbage-. Como; S. S. Daniel',’ Winton; J. T. Eldridge, W. G. Freeman and John W. Haggard, all of Mur freesboro; J. H. Mitchell, Union; James Newsom, Ahoskie; W. H. Searles, Union; and J. T. Shu- brkk, 'Winton. Chitty as assistants. The Chowan Baptist Female Institute at Mur freesboro had J. B. Brewer as director. D. Borciift also directed an academy at Union, and J. H. Picot was principal of the Buckhorn Academy at Como. W. C. Parker was principal of a male high school at Mapleton, and Percy Rowe was principal of the Mur freesboro Male Academy. Mrs. E. V. Carter taught a primary school at Murfreesboro, and Q. C. Wil liams conducted a primary school at Harrellsville. Home Schools Two “home schools” are listed, with Miss Webb as teacher of the one at Union, and Miss Parker as teacher at Como. A private‘school was operated by Miss Laura Car- roll at Riddicksville. E. E, Par ham was director of the Wesleyan Female Institute at Murfreesboro, a Methodist college. An advertisement in the direc tory lists the curriculum at the Wesleyan Female Institute as of fering courses in French. German, Latin, English, and a diploma in music. For nine months, tuition and board was $200. store, at Murfreesboro. L. W. Rolfe of Murfreesboro sold sad dles and harness, R. Evans of Murfreesboro owned a tannery, D. A. Owens of Winton sold to bacco and Brown, Jessup and Co. operated a wood factory at Me nola. Seine fishing was also an im portant business, with six “seine fisheries” listed. These were op erated, says the directory, by: Ty- ron Spires, Como; St. Leon Scull, and 'Williams and Co., both at Harrellsville; Roswell Bridgers, Mapleton; Shaw, Jordan and Parker and A. C, Vann and Co., both at Winton, Courthouse Men of 1890 Hertford County officers listed in the 1890 Business Directory in cluded T. D. Boon, clerk of Supe rior Court; J. N. Harrell, chairman of the board of county commis sioners, with S. M. Aumack, S. D. Winborne, J- P- Freeman, and A. L. Parker; John Hare, coroner; W. L. Daniel, register of deeds; J. S. Mitchell, sheriff and treas urer; J. H. Blount, solicitor for First District; B. B. Winborne, county solicitor; John W. Jones, standard- keeper; J. W. Jessups, surveyor: George Cowper, superintendent of public schools; George R. Brett, J. M. Wynne, R. P. Thomas, county board of education. D. A. Barnes was chief justice of the Inferior Court at Winton, with H. C. Madra and G. W. Bev erly as associate justices. Town officers included: Mur freesboro—G. D. Parker, mayor; B. B. Winborne, A. P. Hines, J. A. Carter, E. C. Worrell, L. C. Law rence, commissioners; Harrells ville—E. D. Scull, mayor; Winton— P. B. Picot, mayor. Hertford County in 1890 was served by two newspapers. John W. Hicks is listed in the N. C. Business Directory of that year as “ed. and prop.” of the Index at Murfreesboro. The Rev. C. S. Brown, Negro educator of Win ton, was editor of a semimonthly, religious and educational publica tion, the Baptist Pilot. There were eight lawyers in Hertford County in 1890, according to the N. C. Business Directory. Murfreesboro had four — D. A. Barnes, E. L. C. Ward, R. W. Win borne and B. B. Winborne, who authored his “History of Hertford County” in 1906. Three practiced at Winton—George Cowper, who was also superintendent of public schools; P. B. Picot, mayor of Winton; and John E. Vann. Mark Majette of Como was also an attorney. 1890 Winton, M'boro Winton’s busy early history is shown in the trade listings in the 1890 N. C. Business Directory, now in the Bertie County Court house at Windsor. Dr. S. S. Dan iels, physician, also served as postmaster and manager of the Western Union telegraph office. J. A. Northcott was assistant postmaster. Shipping was an important function through Winton’s access to the Chowan River. T. H. Ded- man was agent for the Albemarle Steam Navigation Company and Matthews and Brother were agents for the steamer “Mary Roberts.” The J. C. Early Co. operated a saloon, John W. Faison was the county’s only listed insurance agent and 'William Hollowman was proprietor of a second saloon. R. A. Green, colored, was the shoemaker and Henry Purdy, colored, was the barber. J. T. Lowe was a combination grocery- man - cabinetmaker - undertaker, and Mrs. M. F. Odom the town milliner. Murfreesboro offered all the re finements of good living in 1890, as evidenced by the trade listings in the N. C. Business Directory of that year. For the ladies, M. B. Chappell was a baker and confec tioner, G. W. Grimes offered fur niture and photos and Mrs. M. S. Lewis was the milliner. E, L. C. Ward and Co,, wore the only bankers listed in the county and J. T. Weed bore the distinc tion of being “merchant tailor.” W. B. Day sold stoves, Lawrence and Co, were druggists and W. B. Spencer dealt in books and sta tionery. Spencer- also doubled as postmaster and telegraph opera tor. In the retail line, there were three grocers—D. A. Day, J. R. Hall and Brothers and E. F. Rice and Co. Rice’s emporium is listed as “grocery and saloon,” which no doubt drew customers for both reasons. Mary T. Roberts how ever, ranks alone as the only saloon-keeper listed. E. L. Jones was the barber and A P. Hines the undertaker. R. Evans sold stoves and tin. At nearby Mapleton, J. H. Parker served as the combination gro- ceryman-saloon keeper.