T'own
opics
H. E. Beam, J. W. Allen, jr.,
and Mrs. Blanche Midigett at
tended the banquet meeting of
Group I of the North Carolina
Bankers’ Association held in the
dining hall of East Carolina Col
lege, Greenville, last Tuesday. Mr.
Beam, cashier of the Plymouth
branch of Branch Banking &
Trust Company, was named to
the executive committee cf Group
I. Fred Arthur, of Washington,
is chairman of the committee,
purpose of which is to formulate
and assign duties of various
groups during the coming year.
Plymouth Artist W. Frith Wins
low will be represented at the j
exhibition of oil portraits by j
North Carolina artists opening
Sunday at the State Art Gallery
in Raleigh. The first oil portrait
exhibition to be held at the gal
lery, it will continue throughout
the month. Various North Caro-1
lina portrait painters were in
vited to submit one painting each
for hanging during the exhibit.
The work by Mr. Winslow is en
titled, “My Daughter Ellen.”
Patrolman Cart Gilchrist was
looking hale and hearty Tuesday
afternoon when he returned with
his family from a visit to Lilling
ton, hds home town. Gilchrist had
earned an eight-day respite from
arresting speedsters and his other
duties.
Glen Davis, formerly assistant
manager of Leder Brothers De
partment Store here, recently re
signed as manager of the Leder
store at Marion, S. C. Mr. Davis
has assumed the managership of
Collins Department Store in Wal
ha.Ha, S. C., and1 was to have
moved his family to that town
yesterday.
Mrs. John Lilly resumed her
duties at the Washington County
Register of Deeds office here
Monday, following a five-month
leave of absence. Mrs. J. B.
Thomas worked as interim clerk
during Mrs. Lilly’s absence.
Several teachers and school of
ficials from this county are ex
pected to attend the meeting of
the Albemarte Schoolmasters
Club a;t Columbia High School
cafeteria Monday night of next
week, County Superintendent R.
F. Lowry reports. The meeting is
set for 6:30 o’clock.
A native of this county, the
Rev. Lewis Stycns, of Roanoke
Rapids, officiated at the funeral
Tuesday of Lewis Walker, a 30
year-olid man wiho was found
lying wounded in a mule stable
near the Halifax town. Walker
died in a Roanoke Rapids hospital
Officers learned that a 13-year
old boy had fired a .22 rifle bul
let into the abandoned stable, not
knowing that the man was lying
inside.
-*.
Grading Work Started on
Lot for New Hog Market |
Preparations for the new hog'
market here were going forward i
this week. Work has begun on
bulldozing the lot and construct- j
ion materials have been hauled
in.
J. Noah Williams, of Smithfield,
and his brother, Jacob Williams,
of Washington, made the an
nouncement last week of plans
for the market here, to be located
on the by-pa ts Highway 64, near
the new Amoco station.
Present plans call for opening
of the market Monday, March 15.
-♦
Lions To Hold "Teachers
Night" Meeting Tonight
The Plymouth Lions Club will
hold “Teachers Night” at the high
school Thursday night of this
week, beginning at 7 o’clock, it is
announced.
President Hubert Ange is urg
ing a good attendance and prom
ises that a most interesting pro
gram has been arranged for the
evening.
Report Asby Girl
Showing Progress
Joanne Asby, eight-year old
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Floyd
W. Asby, of Plymouth, is report
ed in good condition following
surgery at a Norfolk, Va., hos
pital for a shotgun wound in the
left shoulder.
The lit.tle girl was wounded last
Saturday when a shotgun in the
hands of her 11-year-old brother
was accidentally discharged.
The .girl was placed in an auto
mobile which sped her on a police
escorted journey to Norfolk in
''an hour and a quarter. The dis
tance is about 100 miles.
Ernest Whitley, a friend of the
family and an ambulance driver,
drove the little girl and her par
ents to the Virginia city, behind
an escort of North Carolina and
Virginia State Police. Norfolk
Police met the car as it entered
the city.
The father of the girl com
mented that it was “quite a ride.”
The Roanoke Beacon
****** and Washington County News ******
A home newspaper dedicated jjj
to the service of Washington jjj
ill County and its 13,000 people. |||
ESTABLISHED 1889
VOLUME LXV—NUMBER 9 Plymouth’, Washington County, North Carolina, Thursday, March 4, 1954
County Clubs To Observe 4-H Week
Washington County club mem
bers will join the more than two
million members throughout the
United States in observance of
National 4-H Club Week, March
6-14, Mrs. Frances M. Darden and
W. H. Pruden, county club super
visors, have announced.
Ten guideposits of club activity
were listed as follows:
1. Developing talents for great
er usefulness; 2. joining with
friends -for work, fun, fellowship;
3. learning to live in a changing
world; 4. choosing a way to earn
a living; 5. producing food and
fiber for home and market; 6.
creating better homes for better
living; 7. conserving nature’s re
sources for security and happi
ness; 8. building health for a
strong America; 9. sharing re
sponsibilities for community im
provement; and 10. serving as
citizens in maintaining world
peace.
Parents of club members have
a special invitation to attend
recreation meetings planned as
follows to celebrate the national
club week:
Tuesday night, March 9, Roper
High School auditorium; Wednes
day night, March 10, Creswell
High School auditorium; Thurs
day night, March 11, Agriculture
Building, Plymouth.
I CANDIDATES FOR COUNTY REPRESENTATIVES j
1 -—---•
Dr. J. M. Phelps, Creswell physician and surgeon, and E. O.
Arnold, merchant and farmer of the Pea Ridge section, announced
last week for the office of Washington County representative to
the General Assembly. Mr. Arnold served as representative in
the 1949 legislature, while Dr. Phelps is making his first attempt
to secure an elective office.
Pritchett Announces
Candidacy for Board
i New Supply of |
| Town Tags Here!
Town Clerk W. A. Roebuck
stated Monday that an addition
al supply of town license plates
had arrived and it is urged that
all motorists living within the
city limits who have not yet
purchased 1954 tags do so at
once.
The clerk stated that to his
knowledge quite a few motor
ists had not purchased new tags
and he warned that the penal
ties provided by law would be
invoked if they fail to display
new plates.
Greensboro Nan To Preach
At Revival Services Here
-«
The Rev. D. D. Holt, of Greens
boro, will be the guest preacher
in a series of revival services at
the Plymufh Methodist Church,
May 2-9. Mr. Holt is executive Di
rector of the Methodist College
Foundation of North Carolina. He
is a member of the North Carolina
Annual Conference. He complet
ed a six-year pastorate at Trinity
Methodist Church, Durham, be
fore going to Greensboro two
years ago.
Rounding Out 12 Years
Service as Commissioned
Will Be Opposed by Doug
las W. Davenport
The pace of Washington Coun
ty local poltiris {(lowed down a
bit this week, with only one can
didate announcing, in contrast
with last week when three per
sons announced for county offices.
Harry W. Pritchett, Creswell
hardware merchant and member
of the board of county commis
sioners for tihe past 12 years, an
nounced Monday that he would
be a candidate to succeed himself,
subject to action of the Democra
tic primary on May 29.
Mr. Pritchett’s announcement
assured a contest for the office
of county commissioner from
Scuppernong Township, as Doug
las W. Davenport, farmer of the
Lake Phelps section, announced
:• thn' office last week. Mr.
Pritchett was first elected to the
board of commissioners in 1942
and is rounding out 12 years of
service there. This iis the first
time he has ever had any oppo
sition for the office.
A successful hardware mer
j chant in Creswell, Mr. Pritchett
also has been active in civic, re
ligious and political affairs of
! Scuppernong Township for many
See PRITCHETT, Page 12
I OPENS SWIMMING SEASON IN ALBEMARLE SOUND |
i- - "-1
Calvin Matheny (center, above), a Duke University student
from Bluefield, W. Va., really proved that the Mountaineers are
a liardv lot bv taking: a dip in Albemarle Sound at the beach near
here on Sunday, February 21. Flanked here by Joe McCrary (left)
of White Sulphur-Springy, W. Va., and John Porter, of Jackson
ville. Fla., all three are Duke students and pledges of Sig^na Nu
fraternity. As part of their fraternity initiation, one of the three
had to go swimming in Albemarle Sound and bring back a picture
to prove it. They “odd-manned,” with Matheny losing and taking
his dunkin on the cold, cloudy Sunday morning. His teeth were
still chattering when this photo was made in front of the Albe
marle Beach Casino a few moments later.—Polaroid 1-Minute
staff photo.
New Bus Service
In Section Takes
Effect This Week
Revised Time-Tables and
New Through Service An
nounced by Trailways
System
-*
Carolina Trailways, which took
over the operations of Norfolk
Southern Bus System on March 1,
has announced, revised time
tables and new thru services
which became effective on that
date. This announcement was
made by W. G. Humphrey, traf
fic manager of Carolina Trail
ways, of Raleigh.
There are to be five daily bus
departures for Norfolk each day
from cities and communities that
lie on route US 17 south of Eliza
beth City—such as Washington,
Williamsiton, Windsor, Edenton
and Hertford. There will be 6
daily trips between Elizabeth
City and Norfolk, 4 of them via
Camden, Sligo and Moyock, and
two of them via South Mills.
Another thru bus to Philadel
phia and New York, via Norfolk
and the eastern shore route, has
been added from US 17 points.
The first thru bus service between
Wilmington and New York over
Norfolk - Southern routes was
started in December, Humphrey
points out, and the additional
thnu bus is part of the further
expansion of this type service in
this area.
Humphrey also announced, ef
fective March 1, a thru bus serv
ice between Columbia, Plymouth
and Raleigh via Williamston and
Rocky Mount. Heretofore all bus
passengers for central North Car
olina points had to change
coaches at Williamston.
See BUS SERVICE, Page 7
-4
Services Held for
Claude E. Jones
-«
Funeral services were held
Tuesday afternoon at 2:30 o’clock
at Horner’s Funeral Chapel for
Claude E. Jones, 69. The Rev.
C. N. Barnette, minister of the
First Christian Church here, of
ficiated. Burial was in Windley
Cemetery.
Mr. Jones was suddenly Strick
en ill and died at the Washington
County Hospital Sunday. He was
a native of Pitt County but had
made his home here for the past
17 years, coming here from
Greenville.
He. was the son of the late Wil
liam A. and Margaret Ward Jones
and was bom April 8, 1884.
Mr. Jones operated a wholesale
confectionery business here. He
was formerly a watchman at the
Plymouth plant of North Caro
lina Pulp Company. He was a
Free Will Baptist.
Surviving besides his widow,
Mrs. Louise Pelle Jones, are four
daughters, Mrs. George Jackson,
Mrs. Joseph B. Duck and Mrs.
Herman J. Powers, all of Norfolk,
Va., and Mrs. J. Malcom Joyner,
of Portsmouth, Va.; a son, Claude
E. Jones, jr., of Plymouth; two
sisters, Mrs. Herman Worthington
and Mrs. Anna Jones, both of
Greenville; two brothers, J. E.
Jones, of Winterville, and Ernest
Jones, of Gnmesland; and five
grandchildren.
-4
Milk Commission Extends
Regulations To County
The State Milk Commission
has extended marketing regula
tions to Washington County.
The county was listed along
with 21 other eastern counties in
"Milkshed No. 9,” Tuesday of this
week. Others in the group in
cluded the nearby counties of
Bertie, Martin, Beaufort, Hyde,
Tyrrell and Chowan.
The commission acted after re
quests from dairy industry offic
ials in the affected areas to ex
tend producer price regulations
and other controls with which the
commifsion was empowered by
the 1953 Legislature.
There are very few dairies in
the county but some of the local
milk production is sold to larger
dairy concerns.
Education Board
Approves Hiring
2 New Teachers
Miss Lena Kite Teaching
Speech Therapy at Plym
outh; Fill Vacancy by
Resignation at Creswell
Applications of two new teach
er's were approved by the county
education board at its regular
monthly meeting here Monday.
One of the teachers has already
assumed her duties while the oth
er will begin work next Monday.
Plymouth school was awarded a
special education teacher (over
and above regular teacher allot
ment). She is Miss Lena E. Kite,
of Vanceboro, who is teaching
npiech therapy. She is a gradu
at'd of East Carolina College,
Grteenville. Miss Kite is making
her home with Mrs. L. R. Swain,
on Washington Street.
Miss Elizabeth Ann Duke, who
attended Greensboro College and
holds a BS degree from East Car
olina College, will replace Miss
Alma Rose Plaitkin, resigned, as
second grade teacher in the Cres
well school. Miss Duke will as
sume her duties next Monday.
County School Superintendent
R. F. Lowry Tepoted to the board
on the status of the obsolete
school property ordered sold.
The property consists of Morat
tock, Brooks, Macedonia and
Sound Side schools not now being
used since the consolidation of
Negro high schools at Roper and
of elementary schools at Plym
outh and Creswell.
The separate properties have
been bid off and subsequently
the bids upset or raised several
timer. At the last sale, held last
Saturday, the following were
high bids:
Brooks School, Mrs. Mabel E.
Griffin, $1,110.00; Macedonia
School, A. M. Kochelis, $2,600.00;
Sound Side School, Otis Norman,
$1,467.50 (successful bid at sale
January 30, and not subsequent
ly raised); Monattock School, Bd
w-P'-i* Owens, IW75.00 (Mir,
cesmul bid “January 30, not Sub
sequently raised).
Successful bids on the Brooks
and Macedonia properties may be
raised" during a ten-day period
ending March 9. If they are not
raised, it is expected that the
board will approve sale of the
several properties as bid off.
All members of the board were
present, for the meeting, held in
the offices of the county superin
tendent at tihe courthouse. L. E.
Hassell, of Roper, is chairman of
the board and other members are
J. Whitford Swain, of Roper, J.
W. Nonmain and Mrs. K. S. Trow
bridige, of Plymouth, and P. B.
Belamga, of Creswell.
Tax Deputy Here This Week
To Assist Filing Returns
-*—
E. R. Froneberger, of Willinm
stun, deputy tax collector with
the North Carolina Department of
Revenue, was here Wednesday to
assist taxpayers in filing state in
come tax returns.
Mr. Froneberger will also be
here today (Thursday) and Fri
day to assist filers. He may be
found in the courtroom on the
second floor of the county court
house on Adams Street. Filing
deadline is Monday, March 15.
A single person with an income
of $1,000 per year or more, or a
married person with income of
$2,000 or moire, is required by
state larw to file.
SCENE TO BE REPEATED HERE NEXT WEEK
The above photo was made during a recent visit of the Red
Cross bloodmobilc unit to the Veterans Club here. The scene will
be repeated Wednesday of next week when the bloodmoblle re
turns for its regular quarterly visit to the county. The quota has
been set at 150 pints and every effort is being made to assure
success in meeting it. Blood donor hours have been announced
as 11 a. m. to 5 p. m.—Polaroid 1-Minute staff photo.
Fate Blood Program
Hinges on Response
To Bloodmobile Visit
-♦- -f
Local Blood Bank Leaders
Declare County Faces
Loss of Program Unless
Besponse Improves
Washington County will face
loss of its blood program unless
more response is shown than on
the last visit of the Red Cross
bloodmobi'le unit, local blood bank
leaders have declared.
At the fourth quarterly visit to
the county of the blood mobile
unit from the Tidewater Regional
Blood Center, Norfolk, Va., Fri
day, Decemlber 11, 1953, only 106
pints of blood were secured. The
quota was 150 pints.
A minimum of 150 pints of (
blood: will be sought here Wed-1
nenriw o< next w' ek when the
jKnivC'm?1m :l aAiri>‘. quarterly
visit of 1954 to Plymouth and
Washington County.
The bloodimobile will set up for
operations at the Veterans Build
ing near t’he Washington County
Hospital and donors will be re
ceived between the hours of 11
a. m. and 5 p. m., it has been an
nounced.
The visit is again being spon
sored jointly by the local VFW
and American Legion posts.
Attention has been called to
the continued urgent need for
whole blood and blood plasma for
See BLOODMOBILE, Page 12
j Siren Signals
j Set To Sound
Roper Fire Commissioner
Aubrey Dixon wishes to call
attention of Roper citizens to a
practice session to be held by
the Roper Fire Department
Tuesday night of next week.
From 7:30 to 8:3ft o'clock the
firemen will be practicing sig
nals for the various zones, and
no one should be alarmed.
In the future, the siren will
be sounded one long blast at
7:30 each Tuesday night to
mark opening of the firemen’s
regular weekly meeting. Citi
zens are asked to keep this In
mind.
i FOR COMMISSIONER |
--—•
Douglas W. Davenport, farm- |
er of the Lake Phelps section,
is a candidate for county com
missioner from Scuppernong
Township. His announcement
last week was followed Mon
day h.v a statement from Harry
W. Pritchett, Creswell hard
ware man and county commis
sioner for the past 12 years,
stating that he was a candidate
for rcelection.—Weaver Studio
photo.
Band Concert Here Tuesday
Enthusiastically Received
The annual Plymouth High
School band concert Tuesday
night was reported a big success,
with the first performance at 7:30
playing to a capacity audience.
The second performance at 9
o’clock was also well attended,
it was reported.
Mrs. Shirley Crutchfield, of
Roanoke Rapids, was featured in
regular baton, flash baton and
fire baton acts and was well re
ceived. The boys’ glee club also
“went over big,” it was said.
The band performed many out
standing numbers and the pro
gram as a whole was enthusiasti
cally received.
The performances were under
the direction of Edward Taylor,
band instructor.
STUDENTS LEARN BY DOING IN PROPER USE OF THE TELEPHONE
Lvnda Harrell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. ».. narrcll, and Joe Hardison, son of Mr. and Mrs.
W S Hardison get practice in the use of the t'lephone in making both local and long-distance
cails as M E. Turner, local Carolina Telephone and Telegraph Company representative, and Prin
cipal J S Fleming look on. The scene is the stag.1 of the high school auditorium where the phones
were recently installed through courtesy of the telephone company. Students in all grades (1-12)
participated in the training program which lasted for several days.—Polaroid 1-Minute staff photo.
Commissioners in
Routine Session
Here on Monday
-4
Board Rejects Bids on We*
nona Lands; Vote In
crease in ADC and OAA
Grants; Hear Reports
Several matters of a minor
nature were transacted at rou
tine monthly session of the Wash
ington County Board of Commis
sioners here Monday.
The meeting, in the commis
sioners’ room on the first floor
of the courthouse, opened at 11
a. m. with all members of the
body present as follows:
Frank L. Brinkley, chairman,
and Commissioner A. R. Latham,
both of Plymouth: Commissioner
J. C. Knowles, of Roper: Com
missioner H. W. Pritchett, at
Creswell; and) Commissioner H.
Davenport, ot bKrnnersvnie.
The commissioners rejected
rids on certain parcels of county
'and in, the Wenema section, and
scheduled a special meeting for
Monday, March 15, at 10:30 a. m.
Eor the purpose of hearing any
offers that anyone may wish to
make on all of or part of the pro
perty. The lots are specified in
an advertisement appearing in
this issue of The Beacon.
The board voted to increase by
10 per cent the county welfare
board grant to ADC (aid to de
pendent children) and by five per
rent the OAA (old, age assistance)
grant.
Mrs. H. L. Harris, of Creswell,
and' Mrs. J. E. Davenport, of Mac
keys, were appointed to two year
terms on the county library
boaTd.
The commissioners invited the
county board of education mem
bers to accompany them on a visit
to the schools of the county on
Monday, April 5, the regular
monthly meeting date.
A road petition was heard, ap
proved and forwarded to the
highway department requesting
that the State Highway and Pub
lic Works Commission take over
and maintain a one-half mile
stretch of road in 3ki-,rersville
Township. The road1 runs from
the Holley Neck Road to the Hol
ton and Snell farms.
A list of 39 jurors was drawn
to serve during the April term
of Superior Court here. Judge
Chester Morris, Currituck Coun
ty, is scheduled to preside over
the court.
Routine reports were submitted
by County Agent W. H. Pruden
and County Tax Collector E. J.
Spruill. Mr. Pruden reported on
work done during the month of
February by h.is department, and
Mr. Spruill reported the sum of
$12,624.45 collected by his office
during the past month.
-*
Five Stills Seized in
County Raids Last Week
Five whiskey stills, up to 100
gallons in capacity, fell to raid
ing officers in the Skinnersville
section last Thursday, Sheriff J,
K. Reid reports.
Participating in the raids were
Robert Sawyer, of Roper, and
Jack Gaskill, federal Alcoholic
Tax Unit officer from Elizabeth
City.
No one was caught at any of
the stills but a considerable
quantity of mash and equipment
was confiscated.
The bootleggers have been
catching it hot and heavy in the
county lately, the sheriff stated.
-4
Library Board To Meet
Tuesday at Courthouse
The Washington County Libra
ry Board will meet next Tues
day at 3:30 p. m. at the court
house. Mrs. J. R. Campbell will
preside.
--
Job Underway on
Clinic Addition
Work on construction of an ad
dition to the Plymouth Clinic is
now well underway, under the
supervision of Contractor Robert
L. Tetterton, of Plymouth.
The foundation and first floor
of an overall 23 foot, eight einch
by 26 foot, six inch structure have
been laid and standing timbers
are now going up.
The addition is being erected
to provide space needed since Dr.
Mohn's return and occupancy of
dental offices in the clinic, and
will provide for an x-ray room,
dressing room, fluoroscopic room,
secretary’s office, utility room
and bedroom.
Tiie addition will also provide
more room needed for tonsil pat
ents during the summer.
The annex will be of matching
brick veneer construction.
mm