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BOBESOMA
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ESTABLISHED 1B70.
Country, God mid Truttx. SINGLE COPIES 6 CENTS.
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LUMBERTON, NORTH CAROLINA, TUESDAY. MAY 10, 1004. WHOLE NO.
QCOL. XXXV, NO. 23.
"T
N
BERTON AS IT. NOW IS.
i Brie! Sketch of Its Early Organization
and the Origin ol its Name.
Co we luoorjratd la I yd 4 with
99). TOO -capital tok. Ii cfhVem
are () (J NornuDt, prtlt1rtt; H Mo
lt M Uigga,
oalng eeveral large warehoaaea (or
tora part II la ll large!
dealer in town and ouetrlboWa mora
than aur olbrr loth Ui coffer of ; loiyre, vk p'railiat
the council al government, j tu rnery and rraurer.
In IftiH Mr. W. J. Pre all embark- Lomlwrion Telephone Company waa
Id the mercantile boijea and alooe oratfulred lu I8t1 In addition to
that lima has continued to yearly In the tTtrtn in town It own erveral
reaew In volume and (row in proajirr- long dlianr line It li owned by
A Directory ol the Many Industries, Stowing the Manntactnres
Bnsiness Enterprises, Schools, Colleges, Chorches, Its Fine
Artesian Waters, Lawyers, Doctors, Dentists, Drnggists, Etc.
One hundred and aeventeen yean
ago thia month, to more exact on May
5. 1787, the plat of Surveyor Wm.
Tatnm verifying that of Jacob Rhode,
made two month earlier, wax adopted
aa the plan of the town of Lomberton,
showing the Htreeta and lot thereof
aa laid off on the land of John Willi
situate on the high bluff, known
Red Bluff overlooking Lumber river
from the eaat. Meager, indeed, iatbe
information accessible concerning tlii
period of tbe history of our county
at. no record are exant. and we
have beea unable a yet to ascertain
the date of ita incorporation. Tradl
tion, however, has it that Lumberton,
earlier known as Red Bluff, was an
Indian trading poet, where gathered
the forbears of our Croatan people on
tbe river to which they had given tbe
name Lombe which, in the Indian
tongue, means black, beoause of ita dark
waters. Thi name in time became
corrupted into Lumber, the cause
being the floating of lumber down its
stream. Its beginning, therefore, is
,cotemporaneous with that of Fay
etteville, Averasboro, Harper's Ferry
and other points throughout this sec
tion of similar origin.
Lombeton or Lmnbeiton, as it is
now called, the county seat of Robeson
county, the largest and one of the
wealthiest counties of the State, is
situattd near the centre of the oounty
on the east bank of Lumber river, on
the Seaboard" Air Line railway, sixty
seven miles west of Wilmington and
one hundred and twenty miles east of
Charlotte, and is the northern termi
nus of tbe Carolina Northern railway.
For political reasons it area is
ciroumsoribed by narrow limits, which
embrace less than a square mile of
territory so that its population is
predominantly white, and there are
less than twenty colored voters in the
town, while ita actual population is
quite twice as, great as shown by the
last census returns. Its social, moral
and religions tone are elevated. No
liquor is sold here, nor are other cor
rupting vices common, while our popu
lation is known as a church-going peo
ple. In the matterof publio improve
ments Lumberton is second to none of
its slze anywhere. It has a com
plete system of water works and 83W
erage, which render the naturally san
itary conditions of the town perfect
and makes destructive fires, such as
have visited us in the past, well nigh
impossible. Just completed is an elec
tric light plant modern in Its equip
ment, which furnishes light for the
town and for private consumption.
Its streets are well laid off, beautiful
ly shaded and are being rapidly im
proved. Bat perhaps, that of which
Lumbertoniana are proudest is the
abundant supply of artesian water,
furnished by six flowing wells and
several other wells of over one hun
dred feet in depth, which the State
chemist has pronunced absolutely pure.
This combined with the, natural
healthful ness of ti e locality make di-i eties of general
seaae and nick nee from local cause"
almost unknown, audit i a matter of
record that tbe mortuary Btatiatlca a
reported to the government from here
some years since showed so small
perceutage of deaths that tbey were
retruned for correction, but there were
no correction to oa made.
Mercantile.
Ily. II it a Urge dealer In farm eop-
pliee, carrying la addltlou the utual
Hue of general merchandise
Mrs. Faanl I'eteraon la ti e pioneer
milliner of the town. In 1887 aha
flrat began the buainea and continoed
until a few yeara a I nee. wheu Mlaa
Jceephioe Hrvece became aiaociated
with her. Tbe buaineaa la now con
d acted under tbe flriu came of Mr.
Peterson & Mlaa ltreoe. Thia la th
only firm in town handling millinery
exclusively.
The above firm conatitute tbe
large at a well a what 1 known
as tbe oldeat firm of the town. Be
tide theae are :
8. T. Freeman, groeerle. etab-
liahd 18U0.
C. H. Redmond, fancy grucerioa
and confectioneries r MablUbed 1894.
A. Wemateln, clothing and dry
rood and gent furnianlng, establish
ed 1899.
J. P. MoNeill, general merchandise,
Co.
fancy
and
(loo. ).
(Inc).
6. - gii'flt
71
Situated as Lumberton la, in the
center of one of the flneat agricultural established 1899
th it la not remark- J. H. WUbart, heavy and
able that since It first days it haa grooerciee, established 1900.
maintained a stead v and substantial Blacker Brothers, clothing
arowth as a mercantile oenter, relying furniture, established 1900.
I mm a i . e- a ..
in Mrlier timea for Its support on the McAllister naraware o.,
-la t I 1 a. V A A
.rw.nin inlnatrv Inmberlns- and narqware. eeiaouanea, iuv.
aarlonlture and in later years alaaoat The French Grocery
excluaivelv on the latter. Now. theae wholesale grooeriea, woo
m.rntll. AntemriaMi in the town. Urnrnp A raoya, general meronan-
includint: onlv those which handle geo-1 diae. eetalbisned 1901.
t m.hutiu nr nnmrlM. nanbtr Rosier & Andrews, general mer-
twentr-Bix. They are conducted in chandise, esUbilsbed 1902
...kii.hmi erMlltAhl to laro-er James J ones, groceries, ettaousnea
tnwm thin onn and bv men whose
busineaa ability makes them tbe peers
of the merchant of any town. Tbe
oldest of these firms 1b that of O. 0
Norment & C. which was establish
ed in 1883. The firm was then com
posed of Messrs B. Godwin, O, C.
Norment and T. A. Norment who suc
ceeded B. Godwin & Co. About a
year ago Mr. Godwin, who has been
actively engaged in business for thir-
tv-flve Tears, sold his interest to the
other partners who continoed it.
Since the death or Mr. T. A. Nor
meutyiMr. O. 0. Norment, the senior
member, has oontinued its manage
ment. In addition to general mer
chandise the firm handles buggies,
wagons, agricultural machinery and
burial supplies.
During the year 1884 Messrs. R. D.
Caldwell and W. W. Caryle formed a
copartnership for tbe purpose of con
ducting a general merchandise busi
ness. Both were young men of busi
ness experience, the former having
served for a number of ears as buyer
and bookkeeper for the late Jno. H.
Caldwell and the latter as salesman
under tbe late A. C. Melke. They
begun business with small capital,
which coupled with energy industry
and sound bnsiness judgment formed
the basis on which their present im
mense business was built. They
handle almost every class of wares and
merchandise Bold on this market and
their business includes a millinery
department, employing the services of
three milliners, which was added in
1899.
Mr. J. H. Caldwell, who had for
twenty-five years conducted a mer
cantile business, died in 1803 and
was suceeded by hi son, Mr. L. H.
Caldwell. With plenty of capital.
trained from childhood in tha" mer
cantile business, he has made the
prosperous establishment of his
father more prosperous, enlarged it
in every line, occupying at present
four store rooms filed with all vari
mercandise, besides
Mraara A. K Whit and A W. Mc
Lean Luintirto ImiToveait-nt Ccnupany
wm oraiilzrd lu the till of 1903
with A W. MrLrau aa prraidant and
ft. A Ed mo ud aa Mrretarr and treaa-
urtr. The original purpoae waa to
build a hotel amiable to tbe demands
of tba town, but ibis porjoe, hating
been arccn)lmh1 tbe i'tiire of it
activities will be rularfc'ed and otlirr
development will follow.
Manufacturing InJwttrlra
Theonlv lanirwr manufactory of the
town 1 tin jaw aod planing mill
owntd and operated by Mr. H. D.
William
Mer W P. and C. M Barker
constitute the rltm of Barker t Son
Thi firm oiwrat- a newly installed
brick making i lant.
Mr. T. N Uigley la alao engaged
in the manufictore of brick
Mr. C. P. Braiington own and
operatea a bottling plant. It haa
rnly been in operation a few month
but It la developing rapidly. It 1
under the managedment of Mr. L. B
iilarkrtcrn oft drink only are
handled.
Mr. T. W. Hutchinson, proprietor
of the Hutcl.tpaon Machine Shop,
owns the only extensive repair shop in
operation here.
Mr H C Freeman, the cabinet
maker, is engaged in the manufacture
of furniture, mantels, scroll and
turned work.
Mr B Edwards 1b a manufacturer of
harness and leather goods.
THE LH.IBKHION COTTON MILL5,
v.rtvi-r'.7-
T . 51
ARTESIAN WELL NO. 2.
Townsend Brothers, gent's fur
nishings and general merchandise,
established 1903.
K. M. Biggs, general merchandise,
established 1903.
P. 0, Blake, general merchandise,
established 1903.
G. W. Jones, confectioneries and
grooeries, established 1903.
A, R. Phillips, groceries, establish
ed 1903.
U. M. Edwards, bicyles, established
1903.
J. A. Branch, groceries, establish
ed 1903.
R. L. Pollard, ice and groceries,
established 1903,
W. O. Thompson, general merchan
dise, established 1904.
NORTH MAIN STREET FROM T!1E INTERSECTION OF FOURTH.
Incorporated Enterprises.
The Bank of Lumberton was incor
porated in 1897 with $20,000, of
capital stock paid in. Judge T. A.
McNeill was elected president and Mr.
B. Townsend, cashier. When
Judge McNeill was.-elected to the
bench, he resigned as president and
was succeeded by Mr. A. W. McLean
The officers at present are A. W.
Lean, president; R. D. Caldwell,
e president ; u. K. Townsend,
cashier; J. P. Stansel, assistant,
cashier; A. O. Osborne, teller.
From its organization this institution
has been most successful, has never
1oe$ a dollar on investments, and its
stock cannot be purchased.
Lumberton Cotton Mill incorporat
ed in 1900 with a capital stock of
$75,000, which has siace tteen in
creased to. $175, 000. It began busi
ness with 5,000 spindles, to which
6, 800 have since been added making
a total of 11,800 spindles. Its offi
cers are R, D. Caldwell, president;
A. V7. McLean, vice president; H. B.
Jennings, secretary and treasurer;
J. W. Eanear, superintendent
Lumberton CottoaOil and Ginning
Mr H G Webster manufactures tin
and metal goods, roofing, etc.
Mr H O Boylin handles jewelry and
conducts a repair department.
Mr W L Skipper is engaged t xclu
sively in tbe repair of watches, clocks
and jewlry.
Mr C L Hyatt, the only photo
grapher the town affords, has an ex
cellently equipped studio which is
creditable alike to himself and the
town.
The firm name I now Allen A Cattle
bury.
Live Stock Dealers
Physicians, Druggists ard Dentists.
Lumberton has four practicing
physicians and three drug stores. Dr
R M Norment, the oldest physician,
has been activelv engaged in practice
here almost continuously since the
civil war.
DrJD McMillan came here in 1876
and began the practice of his profes
sion. In 1878 he opened a drug store in
connection with his practice and has
since continued that business.
Dr H T Pope & Company began
business in 1894. The firm is com
posed of Dr H T Pope and Mr I L
Pope. V? ' 11 '
Dr R G Rozier, the youngest mem
ber of the profession, entered upon
the practice of medicine and opened a
drug store in 1001. He is alo the
manufacturer of several proprietary
medicines, which he is pushing with
increasing success.
In tais connection might also prop
erly be mentioned.
Dr W O Edmund, a licensed veteri
nary surgeon who does extensive
business in horse, hog and cattle
remedies of his own discovery and
manufacture.
Dr J D Regan began the practice
dentistry here in 1SH9 and has plf
his profession continuously since.
Dr B T Allen opened up bis
rooms mi 99 ana continued tr
ticed alone until 1904, when'
ciated with himself Dr
Fuller Brothers composed of Mer
C M and H B Fuller etabluhed
here and in Bennetttville dxteen
year ago a bora and muU butine
which 1 the largest of it kind,
probably in the two State. Tbe
management here I under the con
trol of Mr C M Fuller while that in
Bennettaville ia in the hand of Mr H
B Fuller.
Messrs W I Link haw and Frank
Gough comDoae tbe firm of W I
Linkhaw & Company, which was e
tablished in '97. Tbey are alao
engaged in tbe horse and mule busi
ness and carry, in addition in their
commodious sale room, tbe , largest
line of buggies, wagons, barnes ana
driving equipment to be found in the
town.
Mr A E White has for a number of
Tears bandied horses and-mules, and
recently has added a line of wagons,
bugiges and barnese. Those doing a
livery and feed stable business are
Messrs E D McNeill, W W Carlyle
and J T Barker.
Other Organ Izatons.
A Building & Loan Asociation wa
organized in 1901, of which Dr R M
Norment is president and Dr R T
Allen, secretary and treasurer.
A Board of Trade and Industry was
organized during tbe fall of 1908.
The officersTlected were R D Caldwell
president; Frank Gough, secretary
and treasurer. The membership of
the Board numbers most vf tbe busi
ness men of tbe town and is a strong
factor for the encouragement of deiir
able enterprises and though young haa
already been instrumental in securing
some progress in this direction.
Besides a number of private board
ing housei Lumberton has three ho
tels. Tbe oldest of these is the Co
lumbia which is under the efficient
management of Mr J A Barker. Sec
ond in point of age is the Lumberton
Hotel, which is run by Mr W J Pate.
The newest is the Waverly, a model
modern hostelry, supplied withtdesir
able comforts and conveniences. The
hospitable proprietor is Mr W A
Slocum.
In the matter of secret orders Lum
berton is not behind other towns, if
has a lodge of Masons, Knight of
Pythias. Odd Fellows, Knights of Hon
or, Junior Order of American Me
chanic and Bankers Union.
Two tobacco warehouses for the sale
of leaf tobacco are to be emnumerated
among tlie lDdaitriea, which have
contributed to the prosperity of our
Mear T F Reevea aod W M Worley.
of Athenlle, and baa been cirratrJ
only daring three aeaeont.
Lumberton haa two insurance ugtn
clea, one under tbe mnasruri.t rf
Mr (j T Wllliama and tbe other tud-r
the control of Meaars A E Whit aci
Ira B Townaend. Both are doir.
proeperou and increasing luiLe.
The -Lumberton Bar haa alwy
ranked high in ability In th- .oa..
of tbe State and the lawyers. l.n to
day compose it, furnish no eio;ti;.
it its past reputation. Ita memt'iiip
at present numbers eleven, li of
wuom are actively engagta in prac
tice. Tbey are Capt W S Normui : CI
N A McLean, Messrs A W MrL-ao
snd J G McConnick oompcsiig tr
firm of McLean, McLean A feiCor
mick; Hon Stephen Mclntvre " Vr
R C Lawrence, the firm of Mclntvre
A Lawrence ; Meurs Wade Wishait and
D P 8haw; Mr R E Lee ; Mr R B
Morrison and Mr E J Brltt.
School and Charchca.
A donation made by tbe late A O
Melke furnished tbe aucleo for rait
ing a fund for the eatablishmeat of
Rooeaou Institute, Mr B Godwin
furnished the lot and tie present
building was erected. Prof Jchn
Ducket was the first superintendent of
the school and carried on the woik
for several years until he wa nc
ceeded by the late Prof M H Ack
ermau, who served in thia .i.u.iv
for two years, when Prof O J
after wcuh
town. The oldest of thse the Lum
berton Tobacco Warehouse has been
in operation six years and is owned
by Messrs R D CaldwelL L H Cald
well and Q T Williams. The Farmers
Tobacco Warehouse is cwnni bv
Peterson took charge,
the school came under the rx-auA--ment
of Prof P S Vanu, the irefi.s
40eriotendent. So capable ha
been the present managemenr t t
an enlargement of facilities
found necessity and a cnmnodi tu
dormitory building haa been -i-..-..
to supply the demand.
Besides Robeson Institute the
Missess Rowland hare for several
yea.s patt conducted with signal ooc-
cess a private school, to which th
number of pupils admitted to attend
ance was limited.
There is no public school building
in the town, but a lot has been pur
chased, whereon a modern building
will in the near future be encted
We should overlook a most credita
ble institution, did we fail to ideation
Whitin Normal School, a se n ol fur
the colored race, conducted by Wcf D
P Allen, a nero of sterling ch n ter
and worthy ideals, who is by precept
and example lifting his peotle to
loftier purpose.
Thomfson Institute, on the out
skirts of town, is another ?hocl,'
which though younger is accomplish
ing a good work under the m.u.ige-
i m-tt of Prof W H Knuckles. .
As we said before ti.e pori-? r?
j Lumbertou are a chnrch-goiLg jwop.e.
Continued or. F:ltT Pn-"
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T ' ' c I i 'rf i"1'.'
A
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7 ; 7t
SOUTH MAIN STREET FROM THE INTERSECTION OF FOURTH.
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