•': ‘ X'* |
THE ZEBULON RECORD
VOLUME 38. NUMBER 8. ZEBULON. N. C.. FEBRUARY 21. 1063
Wendell's Hotel Riggsbee
Closes; Era Ends in Town
Another era died in January
when the Rigsbee Hotel in Wen
dell closed its doors to the tran
sients needing lodging.
For 38 years the 25-room hotel
was operated by Mr. and Mrs. W.
S. Rigsbee. Mrs. Rigsbee died in
1956 and Mr. Rigsbee continued to
operate it until last month.
The Rigsbees took over the hotel
in January of 1925, and it was a
haven for the many tourists who
came to Wendell. It was home
for the many tobacconists during
the selling seasons. When the
“drummers” came to town to show
their wares to the merchants, they
spent their days and nights in the
hotel.
There were school teachers,
quarry people when the quarry
was in operation, and other per
sons who stopped in the town after
a rail trip before the station was
closed for passenger traffic.
"There was never a dull mo
ment,” Mrs. R. R. Thompson,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Rigsbee,
said. “If the walls could talk
there would be some interesting
tales.”
Mrs. Rigsbee was an excellent
cook, planning well-balanced and
delicious food for the boarders. It
was always served family style,
with a bounteous plenty for the
hungry stomachs of quarry labor
ers or the hard-wc ving school
teachers.
Her pleasant disposition was a
| quality, too, which kept the
tradesman coming back to the ho
tel when he was in town. How
i ever, if she didn’t think things
were going just right, she would
give a derelict roomer his walking
papers.
“I remember one morning when
Mama kicked out a group of men
who had been drinking and had
been boisterous during the night.
Mama would not tolerate drink
ing,” Mrs. Thompson said.
Mrs. Rigsbee was an industrious
woman, “and generous to a fault,”
her daughter remembers. During
the depression years, her home
1 was a haven for many of the un
| derprivileged. She would not
j turn them away, feeding them
I and lodging them if they needed
i it.
Before Mr. and Mrs. Rigsbee
| took over the hotel it was operated
j by Mrs. W. E. Morris. Mr. and
! Mrs. Rigsbee, however, were re
! ceiving boarders before they be
j came the owners of the hotel. They
came to Wendell in 1914.
j Elsie Horton and Wilson Sion
| Rigsbee were married October 20,
i 1901. They met while working in
: Durham.
“Mama was an independent
' woman,” Mrs. Thompson said.
! “When she wanted to do something
she did it.”
Mr. Rigsbee, now 84-years-old,
is a retired painter and wallpaper
(Continued on Page 7)
Elsie and Wilson Rigosbee. Owners
\
Flue Cured Tobacco Growers
Association Growing Rapidly
It was a cool, rainy Saturday in
late November when six tobacco
! farmers, Walter Dean, Titus Pain
j ter, Walter Painter, Russell Tay
lor, Joe Todd and Willard White \
met to discuss their favorite top- j
ic, tobacco.
Their discussion centered a
round problems that face the
grower of flue cured tobacco and
the total industry. The discussion
revealed that many problems ex
ist, problems that must be solved
if the business of growing tobac
co is to make satisfactory gains in
the future.
The men talked of problems
with all phases of tobacco produc
tion, marketing and consumption,
both domestic and foreign.
After much discussion the ques
tion was asked: How can tobacco
growers solves or help solve these
problems? This question was dis
cussed from all angles, but there
appeared to be no easy answer.
Finally, the idea of a tobacco
growers solve or help solves these
into the discussion. The group
weighed this idea of such an or
ganization, and the more they
thought about it and talked a
bout it, the better they liked the
idea.
That cool, rainy Saturday after
noon a decision was reached. An
organization would be formed and
its primary objective would be to
promote the welfare of the tobacco
farmer and the business of tobac
co production. The organization
would be run by tobacco farmers
in absence of conflicting interests.
The Flue Cured Tobacco Grow
ers Association, Inc., has six pur
poses. 1) to promote the welfare
of the tobacco farmer and the gen
eral business of tobacco produc
tion; 2) to promote efficient pro
duction, curing, grading, packing,
handling, storing, processing and
marketing of tobacco and to secure
and distribute to its members in
formation and trends relative to
the operation and management of
the tobacco business;
3) to promote research work
for the purpose of discovering and
developing better methods of pro
duction, handling, storing, pro
cessing, marketing and disease
control; 4) to promote the use of
tobacco through public relations,
lobby, advertising, service work,
(Continued on Page 7)
Insecticide Finn
Proxy to Speak
Myron J. Maxwell, president of
Maxwell Insecticide Co. of Ra
leigh and Cary, will address the
Adult Farmer Class, C. V. Tart,
Wakelon School agriculture teach
er, has announced.
Maxwell, who will meet with
the group Monday, February 25,
at 7:30 p.m., will speak on soil
fumigation, soil insects and weed
control.
The meeting will be held in the
agriculture department and the
public is invited.
| P. 0. Holiday
j Zebulon Post Office will be clos
I ed all day Friday, February 22, in
! observance of Washington’s birth
! day, Postmaster Ruby Dawson has
announced. There will be no rural
delivery or window service; how
ever, special delivery and perish
| able mail will be handled as
> usual.
Haliburton Yancey holds “Diamond Joe,” his beagle which has
become a certified field champion. Joe has competed in field trials
in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Yancey’s four-year
old son Stan is holding some of Joe’s championship Tibbons.
Beagle Dog Making Name
For Himself and His Owner
“Yancey’s Diamond Joe,” a two
year-old beagle owned by Halli
burton Yancey, is making a name
for himself.
Yancey’s dog, a certified field
champion, has won in field trials
throughout North Carolina, South
Carolina and Virginia. His latest
win was Sunday at the West Ridge
Beagle Club in Rocky Mount.
“Diamond Joe” was a winner in
Greensboro where he competed
with 42 dogs; in Ronda, S. C.,
where he ran against 22 dogs; in
Marion, S. C., against 37 dogs, in
Spartanburg, S. C., against 59
dogs; and Kinston, against 66 dogs.
In order to qualify for the field
trials, a dog must be throughbred
and registered and measure no
more than 13 inches. Measure
ments are taken over the should
ers of the dog, and “Diamond
Joe’s” are 12% inches.
In the trials a dog has a brace
, mate. These bracemates are paired
off after a drawing is made. There
are four places in every trial.
Yancey said the rules are very
strict and must be abided by very
carefully.
“Diamond Joe’s” sire was
“Diamond Jim,” a 26-time win
ner of Inman, S. C. His mother
was Phillip’s Salley. Joe has a
solid black blanket with a rich tan
and white running gear.
There are li/e judges at each
field trial, Yancey said.
Yancey said beagling is quite
popular throughout the country.
It has been a hobby with him for
about eight years, he said. He is
currently serving as vice presi
dent of the West Ridge Beagle
Clu/b in Rocky Mount.
“Diamond Joe,” the only dog in
this vicinity which holds field
championship trials, had LaMar
Laney of Maiden as his profession
al handler.
Increased Growth Causes Zebulon
Brownie Scout Troop to Divide
The membership of the Brownie
Scout Troop has become so en
larged that it must be divided in
to two groups, Mrs. Preston Smith,
leader, has said.
The present membership is 28
and Mrs. Smith said more girls
are asking to join the troop.
Mrs. Smith said the division of
the troop will take place Saturday.
The second and third graders will
meet from 1:30 to 3 o’clock and
the fourth graders will meet from
3:30 to 5 o’clock.
The leader said the division of
the troop is necessary in order to
accomplish the best work.
Mrs. Smith and the troop mem
bers express their thanks to the
parents, relatives, friends and
the people of Zebulon and the sur
rounding communities for helping
make the cookie sale so success
ful.
Members of the troop are Lou
Bunn, Kathy Carlyle, Cheryl
Chapman, Elliene Chapman, Toni
Duke, Deborah Edwards, Linda
Gay, Darlene Jenkins, Cathy
Johnson, Debbie Jones, Fannie
Lou Jones, Beth Liles, Betsy Olive,
Nancy Olive, Candace Perry, Nan
cy Turlington, Annette Smith,
Harriett Williams, Nancy Wall, Di
ane Carroll, Bonnie Pearce, Melis
sa Beck, Amelia Bryant, Nonna
Helen Screws, Paula Hewitt, Mi
chele Thomas and Joan Hopkins.