Page 16 -The Chronicle, Saturday, Febmaiy 24,1979
.-’ft/
A family livina in France has the last name^
A shot from across the lake at the dance pavilion of the Robinhood Park
and (right) here’s one for the what happened department — George
Booie, manager of the park.
George Booie
Picturesque People From Days Past
You no doubt have dis
covered that the history of
this locale is studded with
some very unique charac
ters worth learning of and
remembering. Select any
one and you will find a
contribution in the shadows
of his or her life.
Take Lee A. Smith who
was a barber with white
patronage. He owned a
place just north of the
Salem Square, across the
street from the Old Belo
Home. His place was built
ion the site of an Old Salem
structure. The Old Salem
Restoration Corporation
bought Mr. Smith’s dwel
ling and rebuilt the histori
cal building.
Mrs. Lillian Smith relates
that Mr. Smith, her father-
in-law, was the developer
and owner of the Reyno
Park, an amusement park
that offered swimming for
the adults and rides for the
children. The park, ac
cording to Mrs. Lillian
Smith, was located in the
Happy Hill section.
If you like music, then
you would have enjoyed the
pleasing sounds of Oscar
Hairston, known to his
peers as ‘ ‘ Hossy Boy”. His
group of accompanists were
musicians from their very
soul. The instruments
played by the troubadors
consist of a bazooka, a
washboard, a Spanish gui
tar, a mandolin, and a bass
fiddle.
The group played to the
tanners, during the tobacco
season, at the warehouses.
They were regulars at the
Zinzendorf and Robert E.
Lee Hotels. They had an
audience where ever the)
performed. When they
rehearsed at Mr.
Hairston’s home, the yard
and sidewalks were lined
with adults and children.
Can you imagine five
grocery stores being con
centrated within a two
block area. T here was Mrs.
Florence ales on the cor
ner of Johns ai and Second
Streets, the southeast cor
ner, and Jerry Ba ber who
occupied the southwest
corner of the same streets'.
John H. Ponnell who opera
ted in the next block just
west of Johnson Street, in
the five hundred block to be
exact, and Royal Puryear
operated in the six hundred
block of Second Street some
years after occupying the
building of John H. Pannell
Grocery. Above the
Pannell store roomed two
old gentlemen who were
recognized as notables of
the neighborhood.
One was Bill Barr who
did nothing in particular
that was evident of his
existence and Ed Marshall
who can be remembered foi
the saving of baseball
players and Mack Sennett
Girls’ pictures taken from
Piedmont cigarette packs.
The fifth store was
operated by a white mer
chant, but the competition
was never so great that no
one made a profit. The
blacks tried to effect a co-op
but, they were not suc
cessful. Will Turner was
another Black merchant
who kept a well stocked
store as all the a-fore-
mentioned.
To diversify, we have
Porter Smith who operated
a blacksmith shop on Third
Streed under the Norfolk
and Western Railroad
Park Begun By
Philanthropist
Robinhood Park was
completed and opened
the sunjmer of 1937.
Th^pa^k was developed
by Aladine Robinson,
owner of Howard-
Robinson Funeral
Home. The park facili
ties covered 17 acres.
There was a dance paviK
lion projecting over a
take that was used for
boating. Later the lake
developed into a good
fishing spot. There was
also hiking trails, picnic
areas, camping grounds
and an area set aside for
baseball.
Hundreds of local
youth benefited from the
summer camp activities.
Underprivileged youth
were sent to YMCA
Camp Aladine Robinson
by civic groups that
promoted benefit pro
jects for that purpose.
Union picnics, several
churches uniting to hold
their annual outings,
brought thousands of lo
vers of the outdoors to
Robinhood Park from as
far away as Danville,
Virginia. The park gave
employment to students
and others.
Aladine Robinson was
a philanthropist and ci
vic leader; having faith
in Black youth. He
helped many Blacks of
this community by secu
ring their educational
loans. His pattern of
supporting education is
continued today by his
widow, Mrs. Birdie G.
Robinson, a retired
teacher of Winston-
Salem and Forsyth
County School System.
See Page 14
bridge east and in the
shadow of the Nissen Wa
gon Works building. There
was George Harris and his
candy store in a building on
the northeast corner of
Sixth and Depot Streets.
Depot is now Patterson
Ave. Mr. Harris was noted
for his taffy which was of
the best quality. The
school children frequented
his candy store before and
after hours at the Depot
Street School.
If you can remember the
Easter Monday dancing at
the Rose Garden, located in
the Bruce Building, you are
dated. Cunningham, Cam
Bitting, Hooks Royal and
other musicians such as
Hampton Haith, Waddell
Johnson, James Young,
George Hill, Schuler,
Cromwell’s Broadcasters,
Blue Simpson and many
others; rendered the
rhythm for most of the gala
affairs.
Mebane Intermediate
School that is to be de
molished soon, bears the
name of the first Black
woman to serve as principal
in the city of Winston-
Salem. Mrs. Lillie M.
Mebane, according to her
son, John M. Mebane,
retired, U.S. Army, of Fay
etteville, N.C. completed
the training at Slater Indus
trial Academy on the 4th of
May, 1897 and on May 22,
1901 she received a diplo
ma from Slater Industrial
Normal. Both certificates
were signed by S.G.
Atkins.
Mrs. Mebane did her
practice teaching in the
bevel sided structure that
once stood at Bruce and
Wallace Streets. Mrs.
Mebane, upon completing
her practice teaching, came
back to instruct in the
practice teaching school of
which S.G. Atkins was the
principal. This school was
a public county school.
In 1908 William Henry
Mebane and Miss Lillie
McClester Hayes were
married at the St. Paul
Episcopal Methodist
Church at Seventh and
Chestnut Streets. The
Mebanes were the first to
be married in the church
since its completion. In the
early twenties, Mrs.
Mebane was made princi
pal of Columbia Heights
Primary School. She was a
dedicated pioneer in the
field of education and was
active in the community
and her church. Mrs.
Mebane became ill in 1931
and did not recover;
passing in January of 1932.
Through the efforts of Jack
Atkins, the school was
named for her in 1953,
honoring her for her worthy
contributions.
-George Boole
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Harold Brown
Meet Harold Brown of Hanes Knitwear, another member of the HANES
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responsibility and decision-making more than adequately prepared him
for his present job with the HANES TEAM. Harold is manager of
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Harold’s job is important. He collects information on Hanes Knitwear’s
six manufacturing plants here in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Harold collects
and analyzes information such as how much the plants produce and what
it costs to produce it. He also helps make sure that the policies of each
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