TUB ONLY POLITZER PRIZE WINNING WEEKLY NEWSPAPER IN THE UNITED STATES Weaflnr— Your cues· mm good mm lie 7< *7tdtutc "205 VOLUME VIII, NUMBER Μ "ΓΑΒΡΑ CITY — THE TO W Ν WITH A CITY FUTURE TABOR CITY. N. C. WEDNESDAY. MARCH 31, 1954 tZM A YEAR Sc A COTY labor Uty Community Soliciting Funds To Purchase Historic 700 Acre Lake For Park And Fishing Resort jocal Jaycees Promoting Project; 'itizenry Invited To Buy Stock Rallying behind a movement to bring greater recreational facili es to Tabor City than ever before in history, local citizenry last •eek began talking up the purchase of the "mill pond" here and of s transformation into a fishing haven and community park. The movement began when Mayor W. Horace Carter and G. L. lorman secured a 30 day option on the 700 acre pond from J. L. Dodd, resent owner of the property on t The movement was then set in lotion to form a corporation of ! many local citizens as possible ho will actually own and oper :e the lake and other property i a recreational center. Before ie end of last week, hundreds bf ;ople had been seen and rapidly ven details of the proposal. Application for a charter of in >rporation was made this week the North Carolina Secretary of late. The charter was applied r under the name of "Tabor ity Recreation Commission, In irporated." Stockholders at the oment of application ware listed ί Joe E. Coleman, Dorman and arter. The application specified that ie corporation was being formed t buy, sell and develop the real state in the mill pond area and > promote the property as a cent r of recreation for peoples thro ghout the Tabor City area. The entire movement is design i solely to bring about greater >cal entertainment and recrea on and no personal gain motive as been expressed by any of the idividuals involved in the nego ations thus far. If plans are completed to pur chase the pond, it will be gov erned by ^ board of directors made np of 1« stockholders and. at the moment, plans are being formulated to make vast im provements to the area so that it would be a highly desirable fishing, swimming, boating and picnicing area. Property owners around all sides of the huge lake have been contacted in the last few days by local citizens. In every in stances these property owners have expressed enthusiasm in the project and have said open ly that they would cooperate fully in the movement. Several have said that they would pur chase stock and townspeople who have been directing the project have expressed the hope that several of these property owners would buy some stock and that they would serve actively on the corporation's board of directors. ι no i at)or City Junior" Chamb r of Commerce heartily endorsed lie project at its meeting last rida.v night and voted to raise 2000 on the required funds. A ommittee was named to contact otential stockholders in the area. Although no official action is on aper to date, promoters of the roject have stated that no more lian five shares will be sold to ny one person. They have em hasized that the corporation is Peking to have a great number of mall stockholders rather than a [•w large ones. Plans call for selling stock at lie rate of $100 a share and this ,'ould also entitle the purchaser r> free fishing privileges for a pecified number of years. Boats /ould be made available at the ond to be rented to any persons esiring to fish. Other tentative plans call for nmediate major reconstruction η the dam and spillway. If the cal is closed, engineering assist nce will be sought to advise the est possible, practical solution j the problem of fortifying the am and eradicating that as a azzard. Efforts will begin Immediate ly to secure adequate fish from the N. C. Wildlife authorities with which I· properly stock the arc·. Some fish are already In the pond but It was drained last year and moot persons be Here Η essential that Η he throughly nitwttd aa soon aa Immediate steps are also plan ed to make a wide area at the Western end of the dam into a lean and respectable swimming ool for children. Later efforts re expected to be made toward iroviding adequate swimming fa ilitles for all ages nearer the pUlway. Other long range plans call for fraction of a boat dock and pier it some aa j*I unspecified 1 oca Ion near the dam. is a part of the overall property that runs to highway 701, is ex pected to be leveled, drained and seeded before the summer is over. Also planned is a clearing out of the undergrowth in the wooded area between the highway and the dam on the West side of the race from the spillway. Shaded and well drained areas are expected to be made into pic nic grounds with tables, benches and furnaces available to the gen eral public at no cost. The general appearance of the area and improvements to the road leading to the pond, are ex pected to be made as soon as the deal is officially closed. The option on the property was secured Monday. March 22. How ever, in an effort to make it com pletely legal and binding, Billy Dorman carried Mr. Dodd to Blad en county on Wednesday where Mrs. Dodd also signed the option. It is now in force until April 20, and the property can be purchased during this time by the local citi zens' group for $2000 down and $1000 a year for the next eight years. In addition to this original money that will have to be raised to complete the purchase, several thousand dollars will have to be raised for the immediate necess ary improvements. Over the years, the group hopes that con- · tinued improvements will be made, and that it will grow into not only a widely used recreation al center but that eventually re sidential areas will spring up around the huge lake. "There's always this to consider, also, "Mayor Carter said. "In the distant future, let's say 100 years from now, it may be impossible to provide an adequate water sup ply to the town of Tabor City with deep wells. We have some problem in this respect now. This lake might be a God-send when huge quantities of water are need ed in the future and the general public has a civic responsibility to develop this area. Our children deserve better recreational facili ties. and this is our only local alternative. It's either develop this, or keep right on having to go out of town for entertainment." vA... η ι.. a ncn vcvciupiuciu In Pond Project This week Dodd agreed to sell the pond to the corporation for $8700 cash and every effort will be exerted to raise this amount and thus affect a huge saving on the purchase. Organizers of the fund raising effort have expressed the hope that 150 shares can be sold. This would make it possible for the pond to be paid for in cash and in full and set aside enough addi tional capital to carryout a great deal of the improvement work scheduled to be done. All persons interested in look ing over the pond before deciding to buy stock or not will have the opportunity April 11 and 18 when motor boats will be available at the lake to escort prospective stockholders on a tour of the property. With several people selling stock. Η WM hnp—sltle »I press time to know exactly how many share· had been aaM to date. However. It waa a certainty that at least 03 aharea were soM. Of this amount, SZ90· had boon paid In eaah and checks, and IMM waa on haad In the font of signed personal note·. A meeting of stockholders who have paid for their shares will bo held within a few days to elect the corporation's original offlem. Officers art expected to bo elected on an annual basis by the stock holders at a special called mooting each year. James W. Roberta of Now York City spent a few day· hero recent ly with Mr. and Mrs. Jesee Saltan. He also vtaHod Mr. aftA Mrs. Lo brCMkkMt • v-H ΐ-ψί'ίIk Bryant Elected Civitan President Harry Bryant was elected presi dent of the local Civitan Club (or the 1954-1955 term at Monday night's meeting ot the City Cafe. Other officers elected for the coming year were James Brice, vice-president, and Wallace Soles, secretary. Bryant will sücceed J. C .Bell, Jr. as head of the club while Soles replaces Arthur Prince as secre tary. Members accepted the proposal that they sponsor a local girl In the Strawberry Festival beauty contest slated for next month in Chadbourn. Names will be sub mitted at the next meeting and the contestant selected will be notifi ed before the entrance deadline on April 16. The annual Civitan Minstrel Show is slated to be reeled off on Tuesday, April 15 at the school auditorium. Practice sessions are being held under the direction of Bob Hodges, director of the Co lumbus County Band. This year's show will also include a Woman less Wedding under the directior of Mrs. R. P. Counts and Mrs Kate Rogers. President Boll announced th< cast for the show and members ol the various committees for th( production. Ben L. Nesmith, III, will hav< the lead in the Minstrel Show while endman named were Phi Hughes, Doc Dameron, Cecil Mer cer, Frank McGougan, and Davi< Kelly. Wallace Soles and Ed Wrigh head the publicity committe« while Bill Oakley and Winstor Gore are in charge of the stag« property department. J. C. Bell, Jr. acccpted respon· sibility for arranging the program Dave Simon and Wallace Solo: will be in charge of the door com mittee. Ernest Herbert Hickman Succumbs To Heart Attack On Sundav £rnest Herbert Hickman, 61, prominent retired merchant and farmer, died in the Conway hospi tal early Sunday morning. He had been in declining health for a long period and suffered several heart attacks. He was admitted to the hospital Saturday for observation and suf fered the fatal attack at 5:00 Sun day morning. Mr. Hickman was the son of the late Sam Porter Hickman and Mary Frink Hickman of Horry County. He was a member at the Tabor Masonic Lodge, number 563. the Scottish Rites Body of Wil mington and Sudan Temple, New Bern. He was a member of the Mount Tabor Baptist Church and a veteran of World War 1. Mr. Hickman was a Tabor City merchant for a number of years engaging in the grocery business and several years ago moved to Howard where he established a general merchandise store with his sons. He also had extensive farming interests. Surviving arc his wife Mrs.. Zula Floyd Hickman; three sons, ι Edwin, Bill and Ben of Howard; one daughter, Mrs. R. T. Boyd οι I Lor is; three sisters, Mrs. Bel Blanton of Nichols, Mrs. Mac« Shelley of Green Sea and Mrs Inez iipivey of Taoor City; a pi two grand children. The funeral was held from th< residence in Howard with Masonii rites Monday afternoon at 3:00 Rev. P.. ?. Gan*t, his pastor ,offi elated and* interment followed ii the Myrtle Green cemetery. The Tabor City business cstab lishments closed for the funera services. Active pallbearers were T.. S Parham, Horace Roberts, J. S Rogers, Jack Strickland, Ken Prince, J. M. McGougan. S. Τ Rogers, and W. A. Williams. Honorary pallbearers include« Johnny Clemons, Rudolph Todd Lester Fowler, Gordon Fowler. Β A. Garrell, B. L. Nesmith, Jr., R C. Coleman, J. M. Soles, R. R Rogers, Jr., D. W. Hardee, Lewi: Gore, EM Prince, Albert Schild, W W. Woody, E. C. Sanders, Rober Soles. Wallace üoles. C. D. Gar roll. Dr. R. C. Harrelson, Jr.. Di Ross M. Williamson, Sam Hick man. Neodum Causey, J. F?. Pr'.^cc Ε. E. Prince, Β. K. Stabler, Le Atricklan.i ano Rev. i.ric Uciskir ί Pre-School Clinic Set April 12, 13 Parents of chilrirtn w- ο .·.ill L. ' six years oid b-i~re October 15' · are requcjtod ίο br.'ijj tue c.iii- i dren »p the Bo^kool Clinio , which fects anile,:y'ij Kiondny aiu . ι Tuesday, April 12 and 13. {! mi- jvui s elinic will be held Γ at the local school on those iu ο ! ι days and will begin at 8:30 a. m.! i C. H. Pinner, principal of the, local school, said the groups would I be taken alp.sabeticaily tnis year | ands throughout the state," urged ι Eddings in voicing hi· apprecia Jon for the aid given him by < hese groups. Kirkpatrick was one of the flrsl ι n«n contacted by Eddlnga when I ι survey of the land from a dove- 1 opmont atandpolilt was In order. · Kirkpatrick auragrtd «ho land I η the absence of Eddings but was ι d vaiting for him when he arrived ι fc it the Savanna. "I though you had tome good ρ and here," said Mr. Kirkpatrick ' i η a tone of voice that seemed to , i ell the complete story. t Eddings swallowed once or ;i wice then recovered from his de- ! c ectcd frame of mind to mumble, | Well, we thought so too." I c "Well, ii Is not only good land , η bat It exceeds my expectation*," s chuckled Kirkpatrick μ he real- I lied how Eddings had taken hin t Initial remark. r Kirkpatrick's final remarks vere, "With proper drainage the 1 and will grow truck without apy llfflculty." t That was the go-ahead signal c or Eddings. In short order the c tearing of 70 acres, the first part t if clearance for the eventual t wilding of four farms, was under- j ray. Within three pionths the 70 f teres had been cleared aad thrw ι rrlgatton pound· du« Pl« th« bo« iscir.g of the land with 13-foot n oft discs. Two weeks later IS acres of t eimancnt pasture were sowed c ι fescue, orchard grass and Lad- fc το Clover. This was in addition 5 12 acres of oats sowed immedi tely after thi discing of the clear d land. Other events highlighting the peration was the planting of an ere of strawberries, building a ix - room cinder block tenant ouse, construction of a tobacco arn and fencing in 12 acres of egistered Duroc hogs. present plans call for raising r 50 hogs per year. λ Progress has been rapid in get- c Ing the farm developed for pro- | luctlon this year. During the ι arly part of January a tobacco I ed was put in and Eddings stated < hat he hoped to have a crop this ι ear. The allotment for the first arm was three and one-half i ere*. ι (continued on ftgt 5) 1 OLD SAVANNAH GETS NEW LOOK — This in part of the new loo'c given to the Old Savannah, located between Tabor City and Loris, 8. C., by Tally Eddings who gave up hie private business to venture in'o farming, lie had never had a day'« experience in farming; yet, hi» book knowledge and assistance from agriculture agents in Horry County made it possible for him to transform a wilderness into beautiful farm land. On the left can be seen part of the 7# acres cleared during the past seven months. The photo on the right shows one of the right shown one of the three irrigation ponds built within the cleared land.