* HAPPY NEW YEAR
?
PROGRESS SENTINEL
' ' ; !
VOL. XXXXVII NO S7 USPS 162-860 KENANSV1LIE, NC 28349 DECEMBER 27. 1984 12 PAGES THIS WEEK 10 CENTS PLUS TAX
Santa Visits With Preschoolers
Santa Claus arrived, with some assistance from the Kenansville Fire
Department, at the Bd-Peep Nursery in Kenansville. Dec. 19. Santa took time
..t< .ilk with e?chimlcidtuli^ttld at;; 'U t ihr?*iv-V mas #if t Ijfct before he was
^ Opens In January
escorted back to his sleigh by the fire depar ment. Santa is pictured above at
he B> -Peep Nursery as he chats with a pre .chooler. The Bo-Peep Nursery is
?p< rated b* Gail Brinson of Kenansvil!.'"
t
Cowan Museum Begins Move
The Cowan Museum closed Friday
and will reopen in early January ai
its new permanent home in the
Kelly-Farrior House next to Liberty
ft Hall in Kenansville.
The museum opened in July of
1981. Its home was the old Duplin
C'ouniv-Dorothy Wightman Library
on Seminary Street in Kenansville.
Since it opened, records show that
more than 1,000 people visit the
Cowan Museum each month- to sec
the more than 1,500 rare tools,
household furnishings and other
items, many of which are relevant to
the history of this area.
r"YVc have so many ideas about
what our forefathers did and how we
can brine those memories back."
Curator George Cowan of tnc
Cowan Museum said. "We plan to
have working examples of the
methods of doing things that our
fiTcfathers used." Included in those
plans are bee hives, a cane mill, saw
mill, grist mill, smoke house,
whiskey still, and a one-room log
house.
"We have mixed feelings about
the move," Cowan said. "If we get
the things (support features) on the
grounds like planned, it will be a
much belter place than we have now.
"Not only that, but we feel our
move will help us and Liberty Hall."
Cowan said. "Where we are now, we
are hard to find. But, when we move.
Deople can make one slop and see
both the museum and Liberty Hall."
The museum collection was a
donation to the county by its present
curators, George and lla Cowan of
Cedar Fork. The historic Kellv
Farrior House was donated by the
United Carolina Bank to Duplin-and
slated as the home of the Cowan
Museum in 1983.
The historic home was moved from
i s original site next to the Kenans
villc United Carolina Bank office
more than a year ago. Exterior and
interior renovations were completed
last week and for the first time, the
13b-ycar-old Kclly-Farrior House
was wired with electricity and
equipped with a plumbing system.
The restoration of the house was
completed to accommodate museum
artifacts and at the same time be a
historical part of the collection,
pointed out Duplin Agricultural Ex
tension Service Director Lois Britt,
who acts as county coordinator for
the Cowan Museum. The restoration
lends a special emphasis to the
interior construction using pegs and
hand-hewn support beams of car
penters more 'ban 100 years ago.
The Kelly-Farrior House was built
in 1848. The house is listed on the
National Historic Register and is one
of the earliest Greek revival style
homes built in Kenansville. The
house, originally built for John J.
Kelly, is thought to have been
' constructed by Thofnas Sheppard, a
native of Onslow County. Sheppard
is credited with construction of the
Isaac Kelly home and Liberty Hall,
both Kenansville houses listed on
the National Historic Register.
"It's not very often I have me
opportunity to tell the people of this
county what we want to do at the
Kelly-Farrior House," George
Cowan said. "1 know when it all
Comes together, everyone will be
more proud of their county and what
it has to offer.
"All the time we get people in the
museum from Duplin," Cowan
smiled, "and, I take them through ?
it lakes about an hour-and-a-half if I
talk constantly ? showing them
iicms in the collection. When we get
through most of the local visitors just
scratch their heads and say ? 'I'll be
darned, I didn't know that!'
"You know, I've been told you can
learn more here in a couple of hours
than you can at the Smithsonian in
two or three days," Cowan con
tinued. "We have the simple every
day things which teach us the basic
ways of life of our forefathers.
"And, the teaching part of the
museum is really great," Cowan
said. "There are a lot of things to be
learned from a place like this."
JSTC Winter
Quarter
Registration
Begins Jan.2
New and returning students to
James Sprunt Technical College will
register for winter quarter classes on
Wednesday, Jan. 2, in the student
lounge of the McGowen Building on
the Kenansville campus.
Registration hours are 9 - 11:30
a.m., 1:15* 3:30p.m., and 6 - 8 p.in.
Students may register for day or
evening classes at any of these
times. Tuition fees are $59 per
quarter for full-time students. Stu
dents should be prepared to pay fees
at the time of registration.
Pre-entrance testing is required of
3II ne\ii Students. The tests will be
given at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. in Room
107 of the McGowen Building.
Classes will begin on Thursday,
Jan. 3. JSTC is a member of the
North Carolina Community College
system and offers over 20 associate
degrees or diploma programs in
many different areas, plus a college
transfer program.
For more information about regis
tration or career opportunities, con
tact the Director of Admissions at
296-1341. Wallace residents may call
1 <41.free. 285-->077
^ Kelly-Farrior House Before Restoration
rti l he cracked plaster walls and scarred fireplace mantels
Ki have been renovated in the Kelly-Farrior House to
I accommodate the artifacts from the Cowan Museum.
K The Kelly-Farrior House was built in 1848 and until its
K recent innovation, the horfie had never been wii;ed for
electricity >>r two a piu.i.. ing system. The huuse was
iccupied until the 1970s and originally stood between
ihe United Carolina Bank and the North Carolina
National Bank in Kenansville. Today the historic
Ke%-Farrior House stands next to Liberty Hall.
1-40 Construction
Contracts Awarded
Among the contratts approved by
ihe stale Board of Transportation at
its monthly meeting Dec. 14, were
two affecting Duplin and Pender
counties.
The first contract calls for con
struction of a 4.9-mile section of the
1-40 Benson-to-Wilmington Freeway
in Duplin County. The project ex
tends from smith of Secondary Road
1921 to north of Secondary Road
1162, north of Wilmington.
Construction will begin in January
and is scheduled for final completion
in September 1987.
Hardaway Constructors of Wil
mington received the contract for
$5,983,855..
The second contract calls for con
struction of structures on a section of
the Benson-io-Wilmington Freeway
over Rock Fish Creek, sinitheasl of
Wallace at the Duplin-Pender
:County line.
The structures lie within the limits
of a project let to contract in
September, 1983 extending from
south of US-41 at Wallace to north of
US-117.
Barnhill Contracting Company,
Inc. of Tarboro received the contract
for $726,686. Construction will begin
in January and is scheduled for
completion in December, 1985.
1-40 Fact Sheet
Length: 91.4 miles from 1-95 at
, Benson in Johnston County to Wil
mington in New Hanover County.
, (Also goes through Pender, Duplin
and Samoson counties.)
Total Cost: $224.3 million ($22.7
million in right-of-way funds already
> authorized. Represents right of way
for the entire project.)
? Estimated Completion Date: 1991
(Before acceleration in program -
1995)
Total Miles Under Construction:
i 39.2 miles
Total Miles Under Contract: 45.1
miles (includes two contracts
awarded by the Board December 14)
Amount of Contracts to Dale:
$115.8 million (includes two con
tracts awarded bv Board December
14.)
Funding for Project in this Year's
Transportation Improvement
Program: Interstate Rehabilitation
Funds.
Funding for Project in Last Year's
Transportation Improvement
Program: Federal-aid Primary Funds
(This hieani that the project had to
compete with all other needed
primcry projects across the stale.)
Interstate Rehabilitation Funds:
Used for rehabilitation of the state's
older interstate system.
No other major project of this size
and scope has ever been built in this
sort of time frame.
_ . _ . tM
Wallace Building
Inspections Will Be
Handled By County
Building inspection in Wallace will
be conducted by the Duplin County
building inspection department
starting Jan. 1.
The County Commissioners last
week approved a request from
Wallace town administrator Robert
Hyatt for the service.
Wallace has maintained its own
building inspection program in the
past.
Brice Sanderson, chief county
building inspector, said the Wallace
resolution called for an inspector to
be in Wallace one day a week to
answer questions. At Sanderson's
request, however, that portion of the
resolution was deleted. Sanderson
said he plans to provide that service
to both Wallace and Faison, but
might not be able to maintain a
regular schedule.
Sanderson said Wallace and
Faison residents must pay long
distance rates for calls to
Kenansville. the county seat. By
having an inspector in those towns
on a regular basis, these fees could
be eliminated.
Commissioner D.J. Fussell com
mented, "It seems to me it would be
cheaper to make a phone call than to
send a high-priced man down there
all day."
In other business, W. Hillman Ray
Jr. of Mount Olive, who has con
tracted to survey the recreation area
of Limestone-Muddy Creek water
shed projects, said that instead of
paying for a bond to guarantee
completion of his work, he would do
the work and await approval by the
board before expecting payment.
Soil Conservationist Kenneth Futreal
said he would have a state engineer
inspect the job when it is completed.
In other business, the board:
? Extended the franchise of Uni
vision Cablevision until March 1985.
The company holds a franchise to
serve all of the county except
Warsaw.
The commissioners expressed un
happiness over the pace of the
installation of cable equipment. The
company should serve 85 percent of
the county, board members said.
The company says it serves 85
percent of the area.
? Reappointed Commissioner
W.J. C<*tin to the Neuse River
Council of Governments board of
directors.
? Approved the addition of two
eligibility specialist positions in the
county social services department.
The county will pay half their
salaries, or $11,414 plus half bene
fits.
? Heard County Extension
Chairman Lois Britt report on the
Cowan Museum of home and farm
artifacts. The museum closed Friday
to move to the restored Kelly-Farrior
House. It will re-open after the first
of the year, she said.
? Rc-appointed Ebern Watson
Jr. of Rose Hill and Garland King of
Wallace to the Duplin Development
Commission. It appointed John Hol
lingsworth of Warsaw to succeed
Milford Cuinn of Warsaw, who
asked not to be reappointed. Terms
are for four years.
Vandals Shatter
Bus Windshield
A water balloon thrown from a
moving car struck and broke the
windshield of a Trailways bus on
N.Q. 24 about three miles west of
Kenansvilie Sunday night, the State
Highway Patrol reported.
No one was injured. Damage to
the windshield was estimated at
about $1,000 by Trooper Billy Floyd
of Rose Hill, who investigated.
Duplin County Duputy Richard
Whitman and Kenansvilie Officer
Byron Thomas also responded to the
police call. The officers first believed
a bottle had been thrown through the
windshield. They found no traces of
a bottle but they did find fragments
of a balloon. The ?>uplin and
Kenansvilie officers re J>rted seeing
some boys with balloons earlier in
the evening.
Later Sunday night. Dennis Her
ring Brock, 16, of Route 1. Beula
ville, was charged with damage to
personal property in connection with
the incident.
The driver of the bus, Pittmas
Glenn Crumpler of Roseboro, was
wearing glasses. He said the glasses
saved him from injury to his eyes.
Fifteen passengers were on the
bus. Crumpler stopped a passing
motorist to call the Highway Patrol.
The bus was traveling west and the
car. east.
The officers said visibility was
poor on the road because of thick fog
Sunday night.