Population
Greater Kings Mountain 10,320
City Limits ■>- 8,008
This figure ter Greater Kings Mountain I* derived from
the 1955 King* Mountain city directory census. The city
limits figure Is tram the United States census ot i960.
Pages
Today
VOL 72 No. 38
Established 1889
Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, September 28, 1961
Seventy-Second Year
PRICE TEN CENTS
SAW CORNERSTONE LAID, OPENED _'The
five member'? of El Bethel Methodist church
pictured hold the distinction of seeing the lay
ing of the church cornerstone in 1912 and also
its opening on Sunday. They are. left to right,
W. Avory Harmon, P. Key Harmon, J. T. Bar
ber, Mrs. Frank Goforth and H. W. Gamble.
(Photo by Wayne L. Ware, Jr.)
HE-ELECTED D. B. Blalock.
Dixon community farmer, has
been re-elected chairman of the
Cleveland County ASC committee.
ASC Re-elects
D. B. Blalock
ID. B. Blalock, Dixon commun
ity farmer, was re-elected chair
man of the Cleveland County Ag
ricultural Stabilization and Con
servation committee at the annu
al county convention last Thurs
day.
Re-elected, along with Chair
man Blalock, were Charles J.
Hamrick, vice-chairman; Camie
Brackett, regular member; Odus
(Royster, first alternate; and H.
O. (Tolby) Williams, second alter
nate.
Delegates from ten of the 11
community committees were pre
sent for the convention.
(Ralph Harrill is ASC secretary.
Hambright Reunion
Set For Oct. 8th
The annual reunion of descen
dants of Colonel Frederick
Hamlbright will be held on Oc
tober 8th.
Members of the elan will ga
ther at Shiloh Presbyterian
ehurch in Grover at 1 p. m. for
picnic, dinner.
Eugene Roberts, of Kings
Mountain, is president of the
clan.
Charlotte Observer
Is Raising Prices
The Charlotte Observer will
announce Thursday morning
increases in the price of the pa
per, tooth home-delivered and at
n/jOjfistands, their circulation
intatives have 'been in
formed.
Weekly home-delivered price
Will be 50 cents, including Nor
th Carolina sales tax, and the
monthly home-delivered price
will be $2.20, including North
Carolina sales tax.
Newsstands price will toe sev
en cents daily
The newsstand price of the
Sunday edition will remain the
same, 21 cents including North'
Carolina sales tax.
Average daily circulation of
the Charlotte Observer, most
circulated daily newspaper in
the Kings Mountain area, was
1245 in Kings Mountain and
Grover for tire year ending
March 31. Average Sunday edi
tion circulation for the same
period was 1447 in King's Moun
tain and Grover. The figures
aare (totalled in the Observer’s
annual audit by the Audit Bu
reau of Circulations, of which
the Kings Mountain Herald is
a member.
The increases are effective
Sunday.
El Bethel Church
Opens Cornerstone
Contents Fail
To Reveal Date
Of Organization
By MARTIN HARMON
*s El Bethel IMethodist church
129 or 149 years old?
The wrnerstoi# 'of'the brick’
church built in 1912 was opened
Sunday in the hope that a church
history known 'to have been writ
ten by the 1912 pastor, Rev. Mark
B. Clegg, would be among the
contents. It wasn’t.
(Mrs. Grady W. King, a member
off the church, relates that folk
lore, based on Mrs. Rachel Har
mon’s memoirs, also not found,
gives the organization of the
church at 1812, the members
meeting in arbors in good wea
ther and otherwise in homes of
members.
About 1832 the first church, a
log structure, was built, to be
succeeded in 1859 by a frame
•building, predecessor to the pres
ent structure built in 1912.
Efforts to check deeds of the
era have aiSo proved fruitless.
Lincdln County officials say
that all records of the Lincoln
area which formed a part of
Cleveland County on its organi
zation in 1840 were sent to Shel
I (by. (But Cleveland County affici
! a Is know nothing of these rec
| ords.
'Among the approximately 75
present for the opening of the
(cornerstone Sunday were five
i members present for the laying
ceremonies. They are Mirs. W. F.
'Goforth, W. Avory Harmon, P.
K. Harmon, J. T. Barber and H.
W. Gamble.
'Burgin Falls, son of C. iB. Falls,
one of the masons helping to
build El Bethel, gave his services
(Continued On Page Ten)
SPEAKER _; Rev. M. O. Owens,
Jr.. Gastopia minister, will ad
dress members of the Kings
Mountain Kiwanis club Thurs
day night.
Kiwanis Club
To Heat Gwens
The Rev. M. O. Owens, Jr., pas
tor of East Baptist church, Gas
tonia, will address members of
the Kings Mountain Kiwanis
club Thursday night
Rev. Mr Owens, a native of
Aiken, S. C., will sipeak on a pro
gram arranged by John L. Mc
Gill.
Mr. Owens has traveled widely
in the course of his denomina
tional work, including Cuba, Eu
rope, the Near East,and Alaska.
He is a graduate of Furman uni
versity and the Southern Baptist
Theological seminary. He has
previously served pastorates in
Myrtle Beach, S. C.., Polmc-tte,
Fia., Marion and Lenoir.
The club meets at the Woman’s
Club at 6:45.
Annual Cleveland Fair, Memorial
To Dr. Dorton, Will Open Tuesday
Cleveland County fairgrounds
rre being preened for the October
3 opening of the 38th annual
Cleveland County Fair with J.
Sib Dor ton, Jr. masterminding
the colorful! event which will me
moralize his late father.
Memorial services for the late
J. S. “Doc” Dorton, co-ordinator
and manager of the fair since its
beginning until his April 17 dea
th, will be held at the fair
grounds Tuesday at 10:00 a. m.
Anyone wishing to attend the
service will be admitted to the
ground without charge. Follow-j
ing the rites, a motorcade will
go to Sunset Cemetery to place
a wreath on the late fair-man
ager’s gtrave.
A memorial booth, depicting
Mr. Dorton’s 65 busy years, is be
ing prepared and booklets, “In
Memoriam”, are available.
On hand for the opening day
if the fair will be the Ghost
Town Troupe from Maggie Vall
ey who will perform without
charge on the midway at 1:00 p.
m. and again in the grandstand
at 3:30 p. m. They will enact a
real live shoot-out.
Grandstand shows will be
produced nightly by GAC Hamid,
Inc., back to the Cleveland Coun
ty Fair for .the first time in three
years. Included in the Hamid
show are the Manhattan Rock
et tes, the Ebony Brothers, Joyce
and her Parisian Cuties, the Two
Liares, a talented xylophone
ma rim bisit, two juggling and
balance skill artists and a host
of others.
Joie Chitwood’s thrill shows
will be seen Wednesday after-1
noon and at Saturday night’s
late show, while Jack Kochman’s1
Hurricane Hell Drivers will be
spotted in late shows Wednesday,
and Friday nights.
The Indianapolis type races of
Sam Nunds will be held Satur
day afternoon.
The James E. Strate’s mile-long
midway will be back for the five
day event.
Student days at the fair will
be Tuesday and Friday, with
students admitted free on passes
to the grounds.
Redheads will be admitted free
ito the fair Thursday.
Kings Mountain city schools
will be among participants in Hie
school exhibits, this year’s entry
under the supervision of Grover
School, James Scruggs heading
the committee.
Mrs. Rush Hamrick, Jr., pub
licity manager of the fair, noted
a press party will be held Tues
day at 6:00 p. m.
Rise* Resigning
City Tax Office i
On October 31 “ j
M. H. Biser, city tax supervisor, j
:ax collector and building in
spector since April 1960, plans to
resign effective October 31.
He said he has accepted private
employment with a local firm
Dut is not yet at liberty to an
nounce its identity.
Mr. Biser, for many years as
sociated with Ware & Sons, suc
reeded J. W. Webster in the city
position, for which he has been
paid $350 per month.
Mr. Biser said he had informed
Comm. Ben H. Bridges of his
plans and would address a let
ter to the mayor and board of
commissioners in the near future. |
He also said he had informed j
Comm. Bridges he would proffer
off-hour aid to his successor,
should it be needed.
Mr. Biser commented, “I have,
enjoyed my work with the cityj
but frankly prefer private em
ployment.”
Comm. Bridges said he was
very regretful to learn of Mr.
Biser’s decision. He added, “He
has done an excellent job in a
very difficult position.”
Jones Flays
Communism
“The ultimate Communist goal
is complete world domination.
It’s a fight we must wlin, if the
free world is to survive,” Wood
row W. Jones, former 11th dis
trict United States Congressman
told members of the Kings (Moun
tain Lions club Tuesday night.
Mr. Jones, a Rutherfordton at
torney, reviewed the history of
Communism from its beginnings
with the writings of Karl Marx
and Joe Engels, which became
the Communist Manifesto of
184a
Mr. Jones advised all citizens
to read the document to learn
the true Communist aims, which
described as not only a political,
but economics and religious the
The conception of Marx-Eng
els, he continued, was that civili
zation advances only through a
continuous struggle between
those who own the means of pro
duction and the working class.
(He said these Communist the
orists recommend subversion of
all organizations, to toe followed
toy open revolt.
Reviewing history, he noted
that it was 191? (before the Com
munists were successful, with
wlhdt he termed not more than
25,000 Russian Communists tak
ing advantage of Russian Worid
War 1 defeats and poverty at
home to take over the govern
ment.
Today, he warned, Communism
is a threat to all mankind, with
Communist dictatorship domina
ting 800 millions of the world’s
citizens.
Mir. Jones, former North Caro
lina Democratic chairman, spoke
on a program arranged by J.
Wilson Crawford.
(Charles Wloodward, organist at
St. Matthew’s Lutheran church,
and Jack Hauser, superintendent
of Waco Sportswear, Ina, were
welcomed as members toy W. K.
Mauney, Jr., past president.
White Cane Sale
To Be Conducted
The annual White Cane sale
for the North Carolina Associa
tion for the Blind will be conduc
ted here on Saturday and also on
October 7,
(A group of school girls will sell
the familiar white canes in the
business section, under sponsor
ship of the Kings Mountain Lions
club.
Members of the Lions club
committee on the project are
•Harry Jaynes, chairman, Sam
Weir and Ben T. Goforth.
The association provides aid to
the blind, alleviates sight prob
lems at the needy, conducts
glaucoma clinics, and sponsors
eye banks.
H. G. Clayton
Nazarene Pastor
Rev. H. G. Clayton, of Colum
bia, S. C., moves to Kings Moun
tain this week to assume the du
ties of pastor of Firs* Church of
the Nazarene. \
He Will deliver his first ser
mon here on Sunday.
Rev. Clayton, a North Carolina
native, has served churches at
Kannapolis, Miller’s Creek, Gib
sonville, and Charlotte.
He attended People’s Bible col
lege (now John Wesley college*,
Greensboro.
Mrs. Clayton is the former Be
thel Keneriey, of Landia. The
Claytons have two children, Mrs.
•Daniel X Patterson, Parts Island,
S. C , and Jack Charles Clayton,
a high sdrioc,’. student..
Mrs. Davis Requests Hearing
On School Transfer Bid Denial
IN GRADUATE SCHOOL_Miss
Anita McGinnis has won educa
tional grants lor further study in
child welfare. She is a student
at the University of Tennessee.
Anita McGinnis
Wins Scholarship
Miss Anita McGinnis, daugh
ter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul McGin
nis, has been awarded educa
tional grants far graduate study
and has enrolled at the Univer
sity of Tennessee at Knoxville.
Miss McGinnis, who has been
employed for the past two years
by the Catawba County Depart
ment of Public Welfare, will
study toward a master’s degree
in child welfare. < ,
Her $2000 educational grant is
frona tiie North Carolina State
Board of Public Welfare and
$1000 Qdmes from the Memorial
Foundation of Newton-Conover
Rotary club.
Miss McGinnis will be a grad
uate student for two years. She
is a graduate of Lenoir Rhyne
College.
WBT Schedules
Battle Drama
Radio Station WBT will re
broadcast next Wednesday night
on its Project 60 series a drama
tization of the '.Battle Of Kings
Mountain and events connected
with the battle, f
The dramatisation was written
by Ed H. Smith, of Kings Moun
tain, and was first broadcast last
year.
•Hour of thte broadcast is 8 to 9
p. rrt
The broadcast will precede by
three days the 181st anniversary
of the battle, fought October 7,
1780, and credited with turning
the tide of war in favor of the
colonies.
Among voices to be heard in
the broadcast are those of Mr.
Smith, and J. W. (Buck) Timber
lake, husband of the former Bet
ty Lee Neisler.
Gratioit Speaker
At Park Sunday
Dr. Paul Gratioit, professor of
history at Limestone college, will
speak at Kings Mountain Na
| tional Military Park amphithe
ater Sunday afternoon at 3:30,
i in services commemorating the
! 181st anniversary of .the Battle of
; Kings Mountain.
Mrs. James Chester is general
! chairman of this year’s event.
Ben Moomaw, park superinten
1 dent, said the public is Invited
| and suggested persons attending
the seivices utilize the park faci
lities for picnic lunch.
Invitations to attend are being
mailed to 60 governors, Senators,
and Congressmen.
Carol Gotei
Is Semi-Finalist
Carol Jean Goter, Kings Moun
tain high school student and
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. R.
Goter, was among seven Cleve
land County Students and ap
proximate!] y 10,000 high school
seniors throughout the country!
named semi-finalists in the 19- i
61-62 merit program.
Miss Goter was given recogni-j
tdon for high achievement hi the
initial ‘itage of the seventh an !
nual competition In the National!
Merit Scholarship Qualifying!
Test of educational development
given in more than 15,000 schools i
last March.
The semi-finalists group is
composed oi the highest scoring
(Continued On Page Ten) i
School Stadium
Plans Requested
Stadium Study
Group Meets;
Moss Chairman
The stadium study committee
Weld its first meeting Monday,
elected John H. (Moss chairman,
and verted to ask the board of'
education Whether it intends to
include building of a stadium in
its plans for a new high school,
plant.
Other members of the commit
tee are City Commissioner J. E.
(Zip) Rhea and School Trustee
H\ O. (Toby) Williams.
Chairman Moss wrote Fred W.
Plonk, chairmarf of the board of
education, “This is to report to
you that the Stadium Committee
—appointed by Mayor Kelly Dix
on and the Kings Mountain City
Board of Commissioners — held
| a meeting Monday, September
29th, to study the present Stadi
um facilities, its future needs and
the feasibility of improving the
Stadium in its present location.
“The Committee is composed
of the following — John H. Moss,
Chairman, Otto Williams, and J.
E. Rhea. After full study and con
sideration the Board reached the
following conclusion: ’
“Does the Kings Mountain city
board of education expect to in
clude in the upcoming bond elec
tion Budget for the erection of
the Kings Mountain District Con
solidated High School specific
funds for the erection of an all-1
purpose City Stadium? Before
making a recommendation, the
Committee felt that R should
have information from the School
Board as to its intentions regard
ing an all purpose City Stadium,
and particularly so as regards
the taxpayer’s viewpoint.’’
Chairman Moss noted that the
stadium committee Was scheduled
another meeting for October 16th
and asked an answer from the
board of education at an early
date.
Chairman (Moss told the 'Herald
that his committee feels the park
ing facilities at City Stadium are
completely Inadequate and added,
“It is the committee’s desire to
see the establishment of an all
purpose permanent stadium, one
available for use by all responsi
ble businesses, industries, organ
izations and individuals, as well
as the schools.’’
'He noted that the study com
mittee is anxious to get the views
of all interested citizens and ur
ged them to write the committee
their ideas on two principal
questions: 1) improving the pre
<Continued On Page Ten)
CHAIRMAN_John H. Moss.
president of the Western Caro
lina League, has been named
chairman of the three-member
stadium study committee.
United Fund
Drive To Start
The ifchird annual United Fund
Drive will be officially underway
Monday, according to a state
ment Wednesday afternoon by
Fund Chao-iman B. W. Gillespie.
The fund goal this year is $16,
446.
Mr. Gillespie reported a solici
tation committee for Kings
Mountain industries and busin
esses was appointed last week
end and the committee will be
hard at work October- 2 through
November 1.
Committee members include
Dob Maner, Joe Neisler, Jr., John
Warlick, R. O. SouithweM, Glee
E. Bridges, W. S. Fulton, Jr., F.
R. McCurdy, J. T. McGinnis, Tho
mas Tate, Oliie Harris, Sr., Otis
Falls, Jr., Palmer Huffstetler,
Harry Page, Bill Brown, and Gra
dy Howard.
Herbert Garmon, pastor of Cen
tral Methodist Church, will con
duct solicitation of Ministerial
Association members.
Dr. Kenneth McGill will soliot
members of the Kings Mountain
medical profession. J. C. Bridges
will handle solicitation of Kings
Mountain teachers.
Mr. Gillesme TC'-'-fed ♦*«/»'•»
will be no door-to-door solicita
tion in residential areas, work
ing on the premise that most
(Continued On Page TenJ
Ground-Breaking Service Sunday
For New Boyce Memorial ABP Plant
Ground-breaking service, pre
paratory ito construction of a new
edifice, will be held by Boyce
Memorial ARP Church Sunday at
3:00 p. m. at the future site of
the new plant on Edgemont
Drive.'
The ceremony will culminate
some ten years of fund-raising
and planning by Boyce Memorial
church members.
A special building fund was
started in 1951 wiith John L. Mc
Gill as chairman. The committee
set a collection goal of $5,000 per
year for use in the construction
of a new church plant.
The new church site, a 4.7 acre
tract, was purchased for $14,000
in April, 1959. Plans were for e
rection of a new plant in 1963.
The plan was accelerated when
the church property at the corner
of E. King street and piedmont
Avenue was purchased by the
Roman Catholic church.
The building program will be
carried out in two segments: 11 '
construction of an educational
building and fellowship hall and
2) final completion of the church
with the erection of a sanctu
ary.
Bids for the construction of the
educational building and fellow- j
ship hall are due in the office of
J. L. Beam, Jr., Cherryville archi- j
tedt, by 2:30 p. m. Friday. The
church bufkling committee ten-1
tatively plans to review the bids
and award contracts Saturday,1
according to I. G. Patterson,
chairman.
Bids are invited on four con- j
tracts, general, plumbing, heait-!
ing, and electrical. An alternate
is involved in the heating con
tract for air-conditioning of the1
fellowship hall.
Architects’ plans are in the
hands of both the Associated
General Contractors of the Caro
linas and the F. W. Dodge Plans
room.
Exterior architectural style of
the church plant will be modified
Georgian-colonial. Interior plans
call for a fellowship hall, 17
classrooms, a kitchen, lobby, pas
tor’s Study, church office, and a
combination session - library
room.
Bidders will 'be required to
post a five percent hid bond, and
successful bidders will be requir
ed to post a 100 percent perfor-1
mancc bond. Bidders will also be
asked to indicate amount of com
pletion time required.
The bids asked will cover con
struction of the initial phase of
the long-term building program.
Members of the executive buil
ding committee in addition to
Ohaarmsrfi Patterson include John
L. tMcGHi, N. P. McGill, Sr., W.
S. F'ulton, Jr., (Menaell Phifer, ;
and B. D. Rattemee.
The ohupch is currently hold- i
ing service* at West school.
Board Hearing
Set Tentatively
Tuesday Night
By MARTIN HARMON
Mrs. Mable Jackson Davis, mo
ther of two high school children,
denied (transfer from Compact to
Central high school, has made
formal request for hearing on her
application to the Kings Moun
tain board of education.
Superintendent B. N. Barnes,
ox officio secretary to the board
of education, said he received a
registered letter requesting the
hearing from Mrs. Davis Satur
day, well within the five-day
deadline following her receipt of
the board’s formal notification of
denial. -
Meantime, Supt. Barnes said
Wednesday, efforts are being
made to sehodulle the hearing for
his office on Tuesday night at
7:30.
Whether the tentative hearing
plans jell will depend both on a
bility of board members to at
tend and on Mrs. Davis' ability
to attend. Again, formal notifi
cation by registered mail is re
quired by law.
Mrs. Davis’ hearing request is
another step in the procedures
set forth in the North Carolina
school pupil assignment law,
more familiarly known as the
Pearsall Ptian, adopted by a spec
ial session of the General A seem -
bly in the summer of 1957.
Mrs. Davis made formal re
quest for transfer of her high
school children, Leroy Jiastin
Davis, a sophomore, and Lein
Inez Davis, a senior, as legally
required within ten days of pu b -
11 cation of the Kings Mountain
pupil assignment resolution.
The board of education, at
its September 18th meeting, de
nied the request by a vote of 4
0, with Dr. P. G. Padgett abstain
ing. (The Herald mistakenly re
ported last week a 5-0 vote of de
nial]).
Mrs. Davis contends Compart
school is over-crowded, objects
to the fart her children have to
be transported to the ’'country”
to school when they live in the
ciity, and says her children don’t
like riding the bus to school. She
further charges the board of edu
cation assignment plan is based
on race, rather than convenience.
The board action denying the
application for transfer declares
the assignment, plan was adopt
ed for the-orderly and efficient
operation of the district scnools.
Mrs. Davis, widow of Arthur
Davis, late employee of Superior
Stone Company, is the first
Kings Mountain Negro citizen to
seek admission of Negro pupils
to all-white Kings Mountain
high school.
Board To Talk
With Architects -
The board of education hopes
to schedule a special meeting for
October 5 to interview architects
interested in the proposed Kings
Mountain high school commiss
ion, Superintendent B. N. Barn
es said Wednesday.
The board agreed informally
at its September 18th meeting to
proceed with all possible speed
toward the building of a new
high school plant and ail so
greed that early retention, of the
architect would be beneficial,
both in speeding the project and
in selection of suitable sites.
Meantime, J. R. Davis, attor
ney for the board of education,
said he has written the New
York bond attorney firm, Mitch
ell, Pershing, Shetteriy and Mit
chell, requesting clearance for
the school construction bond is
sue election.
Mr. Davis said he has re-ask
ed a question posed previously
to the bond attorney firm, re
tained several months ago, on
the contention by attorneys for
dissidents to the area school con
solidation, /that their taking a
voluntary non suit last Novem
ber would permit their re-enter
ing within 12 months suit to in
validate the merger.
To date, the board of education
has only one potential high
school plant site under option, lit
is a tract of -about 73 acres on
Phifer Road and includes both
Phifer and Neisler property. This
option, at 5500 per acre, expires
December 22.
Patentiaj.. ct^st of a new high
school plant 'Cwould obviously
vary according to size of plan.
However, during the elec
(Continued On Page Ten)