Index
Books, ‘’-B; Church Calendar, 3-B;
Classified Ads, 10-15-C; Editorials, 1-B;
Entertainment, 4-6-C; Obituaries, 9-A;
Pinehurst News, 1-3^; Social News,
2-6-A; Sports, 10-12-A.
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Spotlight
The Spotlight this week is on a couple of
world travelers who chose the
SandhiUs.-Page 4-A.
Vol. 57, Number 22
48 Pages
Southern Pines, North Carolina Wednesday, March 30, 1977
48 Pages
Price 15 Cents
Water Bond I^ue Beaten By 3 To 1 Mai^in
Schools Drop Busing Plan
Now And Near Future
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HYLAND HILLS VISTAS — One of the most beautiful
views in the Sandhills is that from the Hyland Hills
golf course at Southern Pines. Here golfers play on the
weekend with the pine-studdied rolling hills as a
backdrop.—(Photo by Glenn M. Sides).
Measure For Foxfire Incorporation
Also Calls For Beer-Wine Election
The bill to incorporate Foxfire
as a Village was introduced on
Thursday by Rep. T. Qaude
Auman in the N.C. General
Assembly and was referred to
the Committee on Local
Government.
Under the proposed bill, for
which no opposition has been
reported, Foxfire would have a
council-mayor form of govern
ment, with power to levy
property taxes for the fiscal year
1977-78 and afterwards.
The bill also authorizes an
election in Foxfire in the sale of
malt beverages and unfortified
wme.
Other provisions of the biU call
for elections on a non-partisan
basis and by a plurality. There
would be a five^eihber council
serving four-year staggered
terms, with the members ofThe
council to choose one as mayor.
There is also a provision for a
recall election for elected of
ficials upon petition of 25 percent
of those who voted in the last
Village election.
Under the measure the
following would serve Foxfire
Village as council members until
the 1977 election: Robert M.
Cooper, George Anderson, Ralph
Olmstead, Katie McWilliams and
Joseph N. Donovan.
In respect to the beer-wine
election Foxfire Golf and
Country Club cannot now legally
sell beer and wine because
Moore is a “dry” county.
A bill simUar to that by Rep.
Auman has been introduced in
the State Senate by Senator
Charles Vickery.
Music Festival
THE
PILOT LIGHT
The annual Picquet Music
Festival, sponsored by the
Kiwanis Qub of the Sandhills and
involving choral and band groups
from Moore County high schools,
will be held Friday night at
Pinecrest gymnasium.
A meeting of the Kiwanis Qub
will precede the festival at 6:30
p.m. in the cafeteria, with the
music program to begin at 8 p.m.
One of the highlights of the
event will be the presentation of
the Junior Builders Cup by the
Kiwanis Club to the outstanding
young man or woman from the
county’s three high schools. The
public is invited.
DEADLINE - April 1 has been
set as the deadline for the in
troduction of all local bills in the
1977 General Assembly.
One of the bills from Moore
County which will just meet the
deadline will be one which will
prohibit all trapping in the'
county as well as the sale of
trapped animal pelts.
The county administrator’s
office said that a bill on trapping
had been sent to Rep. T. Clyde
Auman in Raleigh. Auman said
on Monday that he had not seen
the requested bill but he did plan
to intr^uce one. Whether the bill
in its final form will contain a
blanket prohibition on trapping
remains uncertain, however, as
the county commissioners have
received requests for some
modifications which would
permit limited trapping.
AUMAN - Rep. Auman this
week predicted that the 1977
Legislature will probably ad
journ between June 15 and July 4.
As he sees things now, the
Legislature could finish up its
work by July 1.
There was a report in Raleigh
this week that anticipated
revenues for the current fiscal
year may fall short by $35
million. The revenue picture
could prolong the legislative
session.
WALK - Dave McKnight of
Fayetteville, a Democratic
candidate for the U. S. Senate in
1978, wiU begin a six-month
campaign walk at Manteo
(Continued on Page 16A)
Carter Election Brings
New Focus On Baptists
BY CRAIG LAMB
Over fifty people gathered
Saturday evening at the Sheraton
Inn to hear Dr. James L.
Sullivan, president of the
Southern Baptist Convention,
speak at a dinner in his honor.
Of special interest in his in
formal talk, which covered some
of the past struggles of the
Southern Baptists dating back
over 200 years, and the prospects
for the future for the 12 million
member organization, was
Sullivan’s own experiences with
the media before and since the
election of President Jimmy
Carter, a Southern Baptist.
Sullivan said calls from all
parts of the country have been
steady since last June when he
took office as the president of the
Convention, with questions
concerning all phases of the
Southern Baptist denomination -
what it is, what it stands for and
what opinions they hold.
Sullivan even had one call from
a lady journalist from New
England who asked frankly if
Southern Baptists handled
snakes.
He said he was determined
throughout the election not to be
political, although the media
often took his conunents that
way. For instance, when he was
questioned about the con
troversial Playboy interview
that Carter agreed to do,
(Continued on Page 16A)
Plans for changing attendance
area lines for Moore County
elementary schools, which had
been under consideration for the
coming year, have been tabled
for now and will not be im
plemented next year or at any
time in the foreseeable future,
Supt. Robert E. Lee told the
Moore County Board of
Education Tuesday night.
He said the plans have not been
abandoned and will continue to
be studied, along with some other
options, but for the present, the
conunittee working with the plan
had found the complications to be
too great.
The plan presented at the
Fete-uary meeting, was one by
which “buslines would become
boundary lines” of attendance
areas in order to utilize the
various buildings and
classrooms in the fullest manner,
with the shifting of children from
‘Moonies’
Reported
In Area
It has been reported that a
young man, claiming to be a
missionary of the Unification
Church, made a request at the
town office in Aberdeen for a
permit to solicit for funds or sell
items to raise funds for the
church.
The Unification Church is
under the leadership of the Rev.
Sun Myung Moon. Members oL
the church are presently
involved in a legal battle in
California with parents who
claim their children were
brainwashed into becoming
followers of the cult, popularly
known as “Moonies.”
Aberdeen Town Clerk Curtis
Mclnnis said a man came into
the police station Tuesday
requesting the permit, and was
brought to the town office by
Chief Jerome Whipple. The man
attempted to fill out the form
required to receive such a
permit, but apparently did not
have all the information
required. He told Mclnnis he
would send the form into his
home office and come back at
another time. Mclnnis said he
(Continued on Page 16A)
Town Exhibit
An exhibit of drawings and
maps in connection with the
“downtown revitalization” study
by students from N.C. State
University is being set up at
Southern National Bank.
The public is invited to
examine the exhibit and write
out comments and criticisms on
Thursday and Friday, and also
on Saturday when the drawings
will be displayed at the Town
HaU.
A second workshop for the
public will be held at the Town
HaU on Saturday, with School of
Design teachers and students on
hand.
1800s-There Was Gold In Moore County Hills
BY PATSY TUCKER
Prior to the discovery of gold in
California in 1848 North Carolina
was the leading gold producing
state.
The total amount of the
precious metal mined in North
Carolina has been estimated at
about $24,000,000 and there are at
least 350 localities in the state
which have been worked for gold
at one time or another.
The first authentic discovery
of gold in North Carolina oc
curred at the Reed mine in
Cabarrus County, in 1799 and it is
said to be the first gold mine in
the United States. Upon the
discovery of this mine “gold
fever” spread rapidly and as
early as 1929 the ^ate was
producing more than $100,000 a
year.
As the gold rush began in other
parts of the state it began in
Moore Ck)unty. The first gold was
found in Dry HoUow in upper
Moore County. This is the
present location of the Standard
Mineral Company which
operates a talc mine. The date of
the discovery is not clear but
thought to be around 1835.
The story is told that around
this time a man by the name of
Ashley Parrish Uved near Dry
HoUow and one day found a large
piece of gold for which he was
paid $500. When he got home with
his money, his wife was busy
spinning. He said, “put away
your spinning wheel. We are rich
and we’U never have to work
anymore.” The outcome of this
statement is a mystery except
that he died in the county home.
It is impossible to guess the
power gold has over men. The
force that causes them to dig in
search of the precious metal
appears to make people do any
number of unUkely things. In the
case of gold in Moore County, it
did open up a new world for a
number of people as it made
work available. It was exciting
and different and brought
famiUes to stay in sections of the
county permanently. It was a
new industry and the “quest for
riches” took over.
These mines were found in
various places throughout Upper
Moore County. Some of the old
holes and caverns dug during the
“Gold Rush” are stiU avaUable if
you are adventuresome enough
to go looking. '
In operation were the Cagle
Gold Mine, Brown Gold Mine,
Bums Gold Mine, Elora Gold
Mine, J.R. McNeill Gold Mine,
Sewell Gold Mine and Shields
and McNeill Gold Mine.
Other listings show the
following mines: Bell, Cameron,
aegg-Wright, Dry Hollow and
Jenkins; Grampus; Hancock and
Jackson; Laurel Hill; Maudy;
Monroe; Ritter; Red Hill and
Richardson.
In the June 1,1890 edition of the
Sanford “Express” it was stated
that Thomas Alva Edison of
Orange, New Jersey came to
visit a friend, W.G. Carter, of
Carter’s Mills and came to
Moore County where he took
option on certain gold mining
interests. The option was for
1,000 acres of land belonging to
John R. Ritter and others. His
plans were to form a syndicate of
English gentlemen to begin work
on the land. The land is located
on the South bank of Deep River.
Whether he ever invested in any
of the mining concerns is not
known.
The Cagle Gold Mine, so called
because it was on land owned by
John Cagle, was in operation
long before the (3vil War. It was
the oldest and was worked by
different companies at different
times. A conununity built up and
was named Cagle Gold Mine
Neighborhood. Then renamed
Gold Regions, Mechanics Hill,
Elise, Hemp and finally Robbins.
The last gold mine worked in
the county closed it’s operations
in 1919.
An interesting note-in 1837 a
German gentleman by the name
of Bechler began a private mint.
His exact location is not known,
but it apperars to be in Mon
tgomery County somewhere. It
(Continued on Page 16A)
one area to another as appeared
feasible.
Working with spot maps, and
trying to determine where all the
children lived in relation to the
available space gave rise to
more bus-rOuting puzzles than
could be solved at this time.
The board made no motion or
recommendation on the matter.
In other business, the board -
with the statutory responsibility
of nominating a member of the
Sandhils Community College
Board of trustees every eight
years, renominated Jere
McKeithen of Aberdeen for a
second eight-year term.
McKeithen is a former member
and chairman of the Board of
Education. His current term on
the college board, to which he
was appointed in 1969, will expire
June 30.
The board voted to accept the
$250 bid of Lee Rorie for an old
school site adjacent to the Rorie
(Continued on Page 16A)
February Retail Sales
Continue High In Moore
Despite cold weather and
adverse conditions for the
Sandhills resort area retail sales
continued high in Moore County
in February.
Total retail sales amounted to
$11,382,696 for the month, with
$266,044.68 collected in state
sales tax and $95,355.60 in local
sales tax.
Retail sales, with state and
local sales taxes collected, in
neighboring counties were as
follows:
Hoke, $2,507,598, $54,130.79
state and $19,790.23 local; Lee,
$12,549,970 in sales, $265,952.32
state and $77,564.74 in local
taxes; Montgomery, $4,915,711 in
sales, $102,745.21 state and
$28,718.02 local; Richmond,
$9,254,454 in sales, $216,837.89
state and $91,777.29 local sales
tax; Scotland, $10,446,058 in sales
and $166,655.73 in state salds tax
collected.
Meanwhile, Secretary Mark G.
Lynch of the l^ate Department of
Revenue reported this week that
state sales tax collections in
(Continued on Page 16A)
Dedication Of Church
Is Scheduled On May 1
A Dedication Service for the
new $400,000 Baptist Church of
Southern Pines at New York
Avenue and May Street will be
held May 1, at 3 p.m.
“The sanctuary, as designed,
is an expression of the Baptist
worship with a focal altar and
raised baptistry area naturally
lighted from a clerestory
above,” says Architect Tom
Hayes, of Hayes-Howell and
Associates of Southern Pines,
who designed the new building.
The sanctuary seats 330, and
included in the contemporary
architure structure are a
fellowship hall and kitchen.
General contractor is Johnson
Brothers (instruction Co. of
Southern Pines.
The building culminates the
plans of several years, according
to the Rev. John D. Stone, pastor
of the church. Dr. Raymond
Stone has been chairman of die
building committe.
A Committee appointed by The
Church Ciuncil is working on the
contents of the special Worship
Service for the dedication, and
they have recommended the 3
p.m. tune to allow members of
other churches to attend.
Moore County voters over
whelmingly defeated the $12
million water bond issue on
Tuesday.
Only 30 percent of registered
voters went to the polls, but the
results were 1,464 for the county
wide water system and 4,503
against.
It was a better than three-to-
one majority in opposition to the
proposal which had the
unanimous support of the county
commissioners and all of the
major municipal governing
bodies.
Statements were issued this
morning by leaders for and
against the water plan-the
proponents saying a regional
system should still be pursued
and the opponents saying the
vote showed that the county was
against further growth.
The bond issue failed in 20 out
of the county’s 21 precincts with
only Eureka approving, 237 to
170. This precinct contains the
Villiage of Whispering Pines, one
of several conununities which
would be joined to the initial
phase of the water system which
the bonds would have been used
to construct.
However, in Pinehurst, the
county’s largest precinct, and in
all four precincts of the Southern
Pines community - comprising
the two fast-growing com
munities where the need for
improved, expanded water
facilities is becoming acute-the
vote said NO.
It was the same in the two
Aberdeen precincts, where the
future of the growing business
and industrial areas could hinge
on more water and better
pressure. In Vass and Robbins,
where water systems would be
expanded to serve many more
people than are now being ser
ved, the margin against the
measure was also great.
The message was loud and
clear in the county-seat precincts
of East and West (Carthage,
which would not benefit from the
initial phase but would be
included in later development of
the water system.
Even the absentee ballots went
against it.
The whole tally of precincts,
with “yes” vote given first and
“no” second, is as follows:
East Aberdeen, 47, 89; West
Aberdeen, 101, 301; Bensalem,
13, 419; Cameron, 12, 272; East
(Continued on Page 16A)
It Shouldn’t Happen To a Dog
But Some Trapping Justified
BY EDITH FALLS
During the months of January
and Felx'uary a dozen or more
Moore County pets were caught
by steel leg-traps.
My beautiful, somewhat
German shepherd. Coco, was one
of them. She disappeared on the
cold night of Saturday, February
5th. Since the trapper observed
the Sabbath by not checking his
traps, it was not until late
Monday when she limped home,
caked with the swamp mud in
which she had lain writhing for 48
hours.
The veterinarian made every
effort to restore the circulation in
the injured toes. But on Marqh
18th, forty-two days of pain later,
one of them was amputated.
Trapping shouldn’t happen to a
dog. There are circumstances,
however, when the trapping of
wild animals by humane
methods is justified. It may even
be ecologically sound in order to
preserve the species.
Over-population is one of those
circumstances. “Animals that
are crowded begin to act like
people,” Bill Hoff, Director of the
Noiih Carolina 2^ological Park
near Asheboro, said in a recent
interview.
“When they must compete for
territory they become
aggressive and irritable; there is
(Continued on Page 16A)
Randolph
Pittsboro •
Chatham
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Moore
Map shows location of gold deposits in 1896.