THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY
Volume 61, No.22
Hertford, Perquimans County, N.C., Thursday, May 28,1992
35 Cents
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Pirates, Lady Pirates
earn berths in state playoffs;
finish 4th in conference: Page e ?
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Perspectives:
Missing family links are
problem in American society f
Bits ’N Pieces: Page 4
Briefs
Williamsburg trip
The Perquimans County Rec
reation Department/Senior Cen
ter is sponsoring a trip to the
Williamsburg Pottery and Outlet
Mall on Friday, June 12. The
bus will leave the Center at 8
a.m. Arrival time home should
be around 7 p.m. Cost is $13.50
per person, which includes
transportation only. Payment
must be received by Friday.
June 5. For more information or
to register, call the Center at
426-5404.
-AARP course offered
The Perquimans Senior Cen
ter has joined with the American
Association of Retired Persons
(AARP) to offer a 55 ALIVE/MA
TURE DRIVING course. AARP
developed the eight-hour class
room refresher course to help
[drivers 50 years of age or older
improve their skills and prevent
[traffic accidents.
[ Volunteer instructors re
cruited and trained by AARP
conduct the course, which is
presented through a combina
tion of slide presentations and
group discussion.
The course will be held
[Tuesday. June 2 and Wednes
day, June 3 from 10 a.m.-12
noon and 1-3 p.m. at the Senior
Center. The fee is $8.
For further information or to
register for the course, call the
Center at 426-5404.
Cancer fundraiser
The Perquimans County Unit
of the American Cancer Society
will be canvassing the town and
county beginning May 25-June
7. A national telethon will be
held June 1 and 2.
Support group to meet
The Alzheimer's Disease
Support Group will meet Thurs
day, May 28 at 7:30 p.m. at
Winslow Memorial Home Inc. in
Elizabeth City. All interested
persons may attend.
Skeet shoot set
A skeet shoot to benefit the
Perquimans Middle School
shooting teams will be held Sat
urday, June 6 at the Jimmy
Hunter farm from 10a.m.-4 p.m.
Proceeds will help send the team
to national competition in New
Mexico. Cost is $10 per round.
Bring your own shells. Conces
sions available on site.
Hunter safety
There will be a hunter safety
course on June 16, 17 and 19
from 6:30-10:30 p.m. at the Per
quimans Cooperative Extension
Center. To sign up for the fre
course, contact Wildlife Officer
Raymond May at 426-4998.
Car wash slated
The Perquimans County Jay
ceies will hold a car wash on
Saturday, June 13 beginning at
9 a.m. at the Perquimans
County Farm Bureau office on
Church Street.
NOW OPEN
CONTINUOUSLY
. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Monday, Wednesday
Thursday and Friday
Tuesday
8 a.m. ■ 11 a.m,
THE PERQUIMANS
WEEKLY
119 W. Grubb St
426-5728
Newbold-White needs volunteers
By TRACY E. GERLACH and
SUSAN HARRIS
Advance Publications
It seems that Perquimans
County residents aren’t too in
terested in archeological digs
judging from the lack of volun
teers Newbold-White House site
director Steve Allen has for his
annual search for buried clues
to life on the site.
Allen said he usually drums
up one volunteer each year to
help recover 17th century arti
facts at Newbold-White, North
Carolina's oldest house.
“1 haven’t had too many
people volunteer for archeology
worK." said the site's only full
time employee. “I could use up
wards of 20 fvolunteersl if thev
were available.”
As it stands. Allen alone ex
cavates. screens, maps, photo
graphs and performs all other
work necessary to uncover
what could be vital clues to life
in the heyday of the Newbold
White house. One pair of hands
and one back make the process
long and tedious.
The excavations are
planned on sites where histori
ans believe former buildings
once sat. Past finds have in
cluded smoking pipe stems,
German stoneware and bottle
and window glass. These trea
sures have been catalogued and
charted. Each new find could,
yield further information about
the site and its inhabitants over
the years. With some assis
tance, Allen feels that more ar
tifacts could be uncovered more
quickly to continue to fill in
pieces of the site's hitory.
Allen has always been some
what of a history buff, and hav
ing so few people share his
r
First he maps (above), then Steve Allen digs (below) before
sifting through the dirt at a Newbold-White House excavation
site. Allen said he needs more people to help unearth clues
to life in Perquimans during the 17th century.
enthusiasm for unearthing
pieces of history baffles him.
"Maybe the generation com
ing up now isn’t interested in
history the way a lot of people
in my generation aren’t inter
Photo by Beth Finney
Thank you
■
The Bootstrap Acting Company recognized during the spring production, “The Senator
Qerl Camay for her assistance and support Wore Pantyhose.”
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■■ ■-.
Electoral committee considers second plan
By TRACY E. QERLACH and
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Advance Publications
Four years after the NAACP questioned the
county's electoral system and took their com
plaints to an attorney, there is still no new sys
tem In Perquimans. 1
A biracial study committee was commissioned
soon after Durwood Reed was appointed to fill the
unexpired term of W.W. “Welly’* White, causing a
controversy because two black candidates had
been overlooked by county commissioners.
The committee worked diligently to come up
with a more racially equitable plan that would
satisfy the NAACP, fall under U.S. Justice Depart
ment guidelines and not create havoc with voting
procedures. A plan was approved tty the commit
tee and the board of county commissioners which
railed for seven-member boards of commissioners
and education and kept the at-large voting sys
tem. Two of the members would be elected from
one predominantly black district. The state legls
lature gave Its okay, but the Justice Department
rejected the proposal.
A compromise plan has been submitted to the
Democratic and Republican parties for their offi
cial positions before being sent to the school
board and board of county commissioners for a
vote. The new plan calls for an Increase In seats
on the two boards from five to six.
The Democrats maintain there is no hurry to
approve the plan, according to a spokesperson,
while the Republicans said they have not received
a copy for review.
Since the electoral study committee was orga
nized. a black candidate has been elected to both
the board of education and the board of county
commissioners. Both black candidates faced
white opponents in the races.
Walter Leigh defeated Tlldon Whitehurst for
the board of education seat representing the New
Hope towmship. Shirley Yates was one of two can
didates elected from a field of three to represent
the second county commissioners district.
T. ■ ¥
Photo by Beth Finney
Newbold-White House site director Steve Allen shows off
some findings of the archeaological dig in process at the his
toric complex.
ested in history," Allen hypoth
esized.
Whatever the reason, Allen
continues to hope that someone
who shares his enthusiasm will
come along to step up the work
in progress.
The week at a glance
By TRACY E. GERLACH
The Daily Advance___
Planning the future
A 60-member strategic planning group for Perquimans County
has met three times to formulate ideas for the county's future.
Plans for the county 25 years from now could include a public
dock and historic village, or a museum honoring baseball great and
Hertford resident Catfish Hunter. The last meeting will be held
June 4.
Recycling program eyed
Perquimans County Schools may implement a system-wide re
cycling program next year, according to Superintendent Randall L.
Henion. A recent scare over the Town of Hertford’s decision to dis
continue garbage pickup for two of the schools prompted the move
toward recycling.
Change of heart
The Hertford Town Council is expected to reverse its decision
to discontinue commercial garbage pickup at the its next meeting.
Instead the board will consider a fee schedule charging $10 per
dumpster load or $10 a month for smaller businesses. Mayor John
G. Beers said. Board members met with local business owners con
cerned about garbage pickup last week and agreed to overturn
their earlier decision.
Domino effect
J.D. Brickhouse, financial advisor for Tyrrell County, assured
members of the Albemarle Commission last week that all counties
in the Albemarle region would benefit from a multi-million dollar
project underway in Columbia.
The Tyrrell County town is developing a national wildlife inter
pretive center, expected to draw students and tourists to the area.
Several other nature and commercial development projects are
built into the five-year plan.
Albemarle Commission to help small businesses
The Albemarle Commission voted Thursday to establish a
$400,000 revolving loan fund for small businesses unable to qual
ify for Small Business Administration loans. The loan fund was
started using some commission money and matching dollars from
the federal government.
Eligible counties — which include, Perquimans. Pasquotank.
Gates. Tyrrell and Hyde — were chosen based on unemployment
rates and per capita income.
The commission also approved funding for a new mapping
system to assist all ten counties in the commission’s service area.
No merger
Wlnfall Councilman Bert Hayes suggested merging the towns
of Winfall and Hertford to the county’s strategic planning commis
sion. but the idea received little discussion, he said. Mayors from
both towns doubt the idea will ever come to pass.
Revitalization continues
Applications for grants to revitalize storefronts in Hertford’s
downtown are still being received by Revitalization Committee
Chairman John Christensen. Efforts are continuing three years af
ter the program started. Six storefronts have been completed. Oth
ers have committed to making improvements.