THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Volume 35, No. 18
USPS 428-080
Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, May 3, 1979
15 CENTS
V oices Heard
On High Rates
By JACK GROVE
Virginia Electric Power
Co. (Vepco) is under at
tack from several fronts
in Northeastern North
Carolina. The object of
these assaults is the com
pany's rate structure.
The town of Hertford
buys power wholesale
^j-om Vepco and retails it
to residents using its own
electrical distribution
system. Albemarle
E.M.C. also gets its
power wholesale from
Vepco and distributes it
to customers in the
county.
The North Carolina
Utilities Commission has
just completed a series of
public hearings on a re
quest by Vepco for a
retail rate increase.
These hearings were held
at Elizabeth City,
Ahoskie, Williamston and
Roanoke Rapids.
The commission is in
vestigating the higher
rates charged by Vepco
in contrast to Duke
Power and Carolina
Power and Light
(CP&L).
At the Ahoskie hearing,
Operation Overcharge
spokesman Joe M.
Parker said Vepco is
charging the highest
rates of any major power
company operating in
North Carolina and is
returning the smallest
return to its stockholders.
Volunteer Day
Scheduled
Stuart Anderson, vice
president (or operations
of Don Juan Manufactur
ing Co. will speak at
Hertford's Annual
Volunteer Day festivities.
Volunteer Day ac
tivities begin at 9 a.m. on
the Court House Green
on Saturday, May 5. The
Rescue Squad will begin
Asking blood pressure
headings at that time.
Ceremonies begin at 2
p.m. honoring local
volunteers for their many
hours of work in the
community. Ice cold
lemonade will be served
and entertainment pro
vided by the school band
and a square dance
group.
The square dance
group will perform at 3
p.m. They are the "Har
bor Lites" a group form
ed at Snug Harbor.
The Hertford Fire
Department will have a
static display for its part
in the activities. The
display will include a
portable civil defense
unit and demonstrations
will be given.
Squad Plans
Public Event
Perquimans County
Rescue Squad will hold
its annual Blood Pressure
Day on the Court House
Square May 5. This coin
cides with the town's an
nual Volunteer Day and
the service is provided
free by volunteers of the
squad. Blood pressure
readings will be taken
beginning at 9 a.m.
At the monthly meeting
Monday, Squad Captain
Seymore Chappell an
nounced that Squad
directors will ask for an
increase in its annual
budget to $18,000 from
$16,000.
The call number used
by the late George
Peckham will be retired
out of respect for his
memory.
Captain Chappell also
pointed out the necessity
for adding on a garage
for another ambulance
and more storage space.
Operation Overcharge
has filed a Petition of In
tervention with the
Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission
(FERA) in Washington,
D.C. The petition opposes
Vepco on a wholesale
rate increase of 19.86 per
cent it has requested
which would be charged
to municipal electric
systems, including
Hertford.
Area residents may
remember signing peti
tions concerning Vepco
increases. The petitions
were circulated last sum
mer by Operation Over
charge with the coopera
tion of chambers of com
merce of this region.
Electricities of North
Carolina is another group
fighting Vepco's rate in
crease requests. North
Carolina Municipal
Power Agency Number
Two is one of three such
agencies of Electricities.
Each agency is composed
of a group of "electric
cities" municipalities that
own and operate their
own electric distribution
systems.
Agency Number Two
members include Hert
ford, Edenton, Elizabeth
City, Ayden, Belhaven,
Enfield, Greenville,
Hamilton, Hobgood, Oak
City, RobersonviUe,
Scotland Neck, Tarboro,
Washington, Windsor and
Winterville. All are serv
ed by Vepco.
David R. Taylor, chair
man of Agency Number
Two, announced that the
Agency has met with CP
St L to explore the
possibility of having CP
& L supply all or part of
the electric power needs
of the Agency's member
cities.
Taylor, town manager
of Tarboro, cited
widespread and continu
ing dissatisfaction with
the higher rates charged
by Vepco. He said, "the
Agency is exploring
several alternate power
supply sources, one of
which is service from, or
a joint ownership ar
rangement with, Carolina
Power and Light.
CONTRACT DELIVERED - Mayor
Bill Cox hands the contract for struc
tural repairs to the Senior Citizens
Center to Donald Riddick, contractor.
The recently acquired building will be
completely renovated and open for use
A mifaif <?iH? m sometime in late
"miner or early (all. Looking on are,
from left: JCaren Bunch, ARPDC Ag
ing Secretary; Dottie George, ARPDC
office supervisor; Pam Whitley,
ARPDC Grants Coordinator; Joe
Novell, County Commissioner; Billy
Wooten, Hertford Recreation Dept.;
and Rebecca Rhodes, ARPDC Aging
Program Administrator.
Skinner Home To Be Open During Tour
Skinner Home Tour Set
When Perquimans
County plays host to par
ticipants in the Museum
of the Albemarle Tour of
notable houses on May
23, one of the places to
be shown is the house
known as the James L.
Skinner house located on
Old Neck Rd. near Cove
Grove.
Coming
Events
THURSDAY, MAY 3
Alcoholics Anonymous
will meet 8 p.m. in the
Hertford United
Methodist Church.
American Legion Aux.
Hertford Lions Club.
American Legion 8
p.m.
SATURDAY, MAY 5
Perquimans County
Volunteer Day 2p.m.
Perq. Co. Horse and
Pony Club Show 6 p.m.
SUNDAY, MAY 6
Holiday Island Civic
League meets at 10 a.m.
at Club House.
Fire Station Dedication
3 p.m. Hertford Fire
Station.
MONDAY, MAY 7
Bethel Fire Dept.
Perq. Co. Bd. of
Comm. A.M.
Winfall Town Council 7
p.m.
Perq. Co. Bd.
Education.
Hertford Town Council.
TUESDAY, MAY 8
Perq. Masonic Lodge
No. 106 will meet 8 p.m.
at Lodge Hall.
Meridan Lodge No. 18
will meet 8 p.m. at
Lodge Hall.
Perq. Co. Horse and
Pony Club.
Hertford Rotary Club
6:30 p.m.
Dedication
Scheduled
The Hertford Fire Sta
tion will be dedicated on
Sunday afternoon at 3:00.
After an introduction
by Mayor Cox, Chief
Charles Skinner will
welcome visitors. FoDow
ing the program,
refreshments will be
served. AH are invited to
attend.
Like many of the older
homes, it is difficult to
say with certainty who
its builder was. Raymond
Winslow, Jr., Perquimans
historian, is of the opi
nion that it was built by
William Fletcher, who
was lost at sea.
Fletcher was engaged
in the shipping trade with
the West Indies as were
m^ny of the plantation
owners in the Old Neck
and Durant's Neck sec
tion of the county. An in
teresting provision in his
will called for the eman
cipation of his slaves,
long before it was
mandatory.
Benjamin Smith Skin
ner, builder of Cove
Grove, also to be seen on
the tour, bought the pro
perty for his son, James
Leigh Skinner whose
mother was Elizabeth
Leigh, a daughter of Col.
James Leigh of Land's
End in Durant's Neck.
The Fletcher-Skinner
house has always been
regarded as one of the
finest homes of its period
in North Carolina. It is
pictured in Ernest
Pickering's "The Homes
of America" and he says
it was built about 1800.
Drucilla Haley, architec
tural historian, says that
"it is a very fine house
with many distinctive
Federal period features."
The stairway has
distinctive Federal
brackets with a banding
of reeded moulding. Also
of that period are the
wainscoting in the hall
and parlor. The
downstairs room to the
left of the entrance has a
beautiful mantel with
sunburst motif and
reeding. The baseboard
in this room is
marblelized.
Plantation buildings
still standing are a brick
dairy, a smoke house
with beaded weather
board siding, and a
massive barn with pintle
hinges and spade motif.
The house is owned by
the heirs of Thomas Nix
on, but is occupied by
Mrs. George Caddy who
has lived there for
thirtyseven years. Living
with her are her son-in
law and daughter, Mr.
and Mrs. George Baker,
hosts for the tour.
Title I
Activity
Studied
The Perquimans Coun
ty ASEA District Title I
and Migrant Math Coun
cil met Wednesday, April
25 to discuss the Title I
activities for the 1979-80
school year.
Morris Kornegay
discussed the budget re
quirements for Title I
and outlined several pro
posed changes in the pro
gram operation.
Attending parents and
agency representatives
were asked for their sug
gestions for program in
provement and discussed
alternative methods for
identification of students
needing compensatroy
education.
Mr. Pete McNair,
Regional Director of the
Migrant Seasonal Farm
workers Association and
Mrs. Oressa Moore, Field
Representative of the
Association were
recognized as guests and
Mr. McNair outlined the
services available
through the Migrant
Seasonal Farmworkers
Association which is now
providing full-time
employment for a Math
Aide at Perquimans
Union School.
The parents voted to
tour the ESEA and
Migrant Labs in the four
schools on May 8.
Any interested parent
desiring to accompany
the lab visits, please
meet at Hertford Gram
mar School at 9 a.m. on
May 8. The group will
visit three labs at Hert
ford Grammar School,
two labs at Perquimans
High School, two labs at
Perquimans Central
school and two labs at
Perquimans Union
School.
TURNS OVER REINS ? Outgoing Perquimans
Jaycees president, Archie Miller congratulates new
president, Thomas L. Riddick.
NEW JAYCETTES PRESIDENT - New Jaycettes
president, Jeannie Umphlett receives a corsage
from outgoing president, Sandra Hudson.
Jaycees, Jaycettes Pick Officers
The Perquimans Coun
ty Jaycees and Jaycettes
joined together on April
26 at Angler's Cove for
the 1979-80 Installation
Banquet.
Those who received
awards were as follows:
Presidential Award of
Honor Ray Winslow;
Director of the Year Den
nis Hare; Project of the
Year Bike-A-Thon, Co
Chairmen Ray Winslow
and Tommy Riddick;
Spoke of thenYear, Greg
Biggs; and Spark of the
Year Douglas Umphlett.
Jaycettes who received
awards were as follows:
Rookie of the Year Son
nie Hurdle; Jaycette of
the Year Betty Hare;
Committe Chairman of
the Year Daisy Lane;
Presidential Award of
Honor Jeannie Umphlett.
New officers were also
installed; they are:
Jaycettes Chairman of
the Board, Sandra Hud
son; President, Jeannie
Umphlett; Internal Vice
President, Patsy Miller;
External Vice President,
Daisy Lane; State Direc
tor, Betty Hare; Record
ing Secretary, Rose Rid
dick; Corresponding
Secretary, Diane
Copeland; Treasurer,
Diane Stallings and
Historian, Lynn Mat
thews.
Jaycee officers are:
Chairman of the Board,
Archie Miller; President,
Tommy Riddick; Ad
ministrative Vice Presi
dent, Edward Byrum; In
ternal Vice President,
Ray Winslow; External
Vice President, Parker
Ne^bern; State Director,
Bobby Harrell; Record
ing Secretary, Greg
Biggs; Corresponding
Secretary, Richard
Copeland and Treasurer,
Dennis Hare.