Newspapers / The Kings Mountain Herald … / April 19, 2001, edition 1 / Page 3
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Pm a es a a i iy April 19, 2001 STATION From 1A At the time, Falls wondered why they would make such a ... recommendation but figured they knew best, so he did not purctiase the building. Later, though, he realized the bank did him a favor. “Within five years all of the old stations were going out of business because of leaking gas tanks that were contaminating the soil,” he said. “If it hadn't been for the bank I would have owned that property myself to- day.” The property, owned by the Cheshire family, became vacant some 10 months ago when the last tenant, Billy’s Automotive, closed up shop. The only per- son to operate a business there between Falls and Billy's, ac- cording to Falls, was Eddie Leftwich, who bought the busi- ness from Falls and ran a garage there for about a year. City Codes require vacant buildings be brought up to cur- rent codes within 90 days, and if not the city can take legal steps to demolish the building and place a lien against it. After that process was com- pleted, Murphrey became anx- ious to see the structure go be- cause he felt it gave visitors a negative impression of the city. “Structures must adhere to all the building codes,” he said. “We have passed new codes and ordinances in the last year to strength the minimum re- quirements. We've put more teeth into the codes and are putting more enforcement into them because we have a lot of pride in the city and care about its Appearance, “When buildings are left to deteriorate we'll go through the process to remove them,” he said. “We are not going to let our city move backwards. We're moving progressively forward. We're going to be moving through the procedure to get some more buildings, including houses, demolished. It doesn’t give a real good feeling about the town when you don’t clean up. We just have ton much pride to let those buildings just - stay unattended.” Falls said the building, which was constructed in 1937, could have been a landmark. AL e Sepstruction | was g od, he said. “But the top was too big for a flat roof and it always leaked. My grandfather did the brick work. It had indented mortar joints. It was dark red slick-faced brick with black mortar joints. It would have been a beautiful building to re- store if it had been sand blasted and gotten back to the black and red.” Falls recalled that his father operated a station at that inter- section from 1928 until his death. The first building stood only ten years and was replaced when the sloping terrain had to be filled in during the construc- tion of Highway 74. Falls recalled some fond memories at the location. He said the business operated 24 hours a day except during World War II, when the govern- ment prohibited businesses be- ing open for more than 12 hours. “We sold 70 Kings Mountain Herald there every week,” he said. “People would come by ‘and buy them on Wednesday . «| “night knowing that they w ere going to get one in the mail the next morning. : The Kings Mountain Herald Gene Tignor, left, and Fire Chief Frank Burns salvage 1930's light from old Otis Falls Service Station for use at the Kings Mountain Fire Museum. “We sold fruit and produce outside. Exxon used to get after us for having the driveway full of stuff like that. A year and a half after we closed people be- gan to put that stuff every- where. We were the first conve- nience store in town and didn’t . know it.” Falls said most of the older folks came by the station about every day to swap hunting and fishing tales, “and just have a good time.” Jim Leigh, who operated the Pure Oil Station across the street, and his father, Martin, had a big Bulldog that Martin would bring over for Falls’ small daughter, Linda, to pet. Mr. Harmon (Martin Sr.) lived next door and worked at Plonk's Grocery Store,” he re- called. “He would come out in the evenings when he was ieal old and buy an apple. He had a little knife, and he'd peel his ap- ple all the way around and the peel would come off in one long strand. He'd eat the apple and then eat the peeling. I could write a book about things that happened there. “We pumped a half-million gallons of gas a year when you had to hold the nozzle in your hand. For 13 years before World War II started our door was never locked. When my grand- mother died, we had two doors. We had to stack coffee jars against one and go out the oth- er one because we couldn't find the key.” For a long time, the station was the only one between Charlotte and Spartanburg that was open after midnight. “During the war you could only stay open 12 hours,” he re- called. “The Esso station down at the corner of 74 and 161 was run by Bus Oates and he got drafted. So my daddy rented it so we could have one open dur- ing the day and the other one at night.” During the early days, Falls ‘recalled that pumps had 10-gal- lon tanks on the top of them .,and gas was released by gravity. ‘Most folks bought either one, Herald Published every Thursday Periodicals postage at Kings Mountain, NC 28086 USPS 118-880 by Republic Newspapers, Inc. Postmaster, send address changes to: P. O. Box 769, Kings Mountain, NC 28086 Phone (704) 739-7496 ° Fax (704) 739-0611 Ditice: 824-1 East King Street ® Kings Mountain, NC 28086 E-mail: kmhnews@aol.com Gaston & Cleveland County Other NC Counties Outside NC Nar NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION Republic 8 Soret ‘Mike Blanton ...Publisher Gary Stewart Editor Alan Hodge ...Staff Writer : Stacy Godfrey Kale. we ....Advertising Manager Shelley Campbell................. 000. Kaietetesrmsess .Composition Manager Mail Subscription Rates Payable) in Advance. All Prices include 6% NC State Sales Tax. 1 Year 6 Months $24.25 $15.75 $25.50 $17.00 $30.00 $19.00 Newspapers, Inc. LL North Caroina Press Association two or three gallons because every time a gallon was pumped a bell would ring and the attendant had to stop the pump and start over. “Hardly anyone bought a dollar’s worth of gas,” he not- ed. Soft drinks were five cents. If you took the bottle, there was a penny deposit. Bob Grigg, who formerly worked with Coca Cola, operated a soft drink facil- ity at the present site of City Auto and Truck Parts and mar- keted two soft drinks called Bob’s Cola and Whistle Cola. AK. Walker operated Quality Sandwich Shop on Railroad Avenue, and delivered fresh sandwiches to all small stations and stores from Kings Mountain to Spartanburg. He said some of the older folks were reluctant to let him service their cars because of his young age and others, once they learned how good he was, wouldn't let anyone else do their work. He recalled working several 24-hour shifts during the winter putting snow chains on cars. Falls said he was standing be- tween the door and the cash register on December 7, 1941 when he heard about the bomb- ing of Pear] Harbor. He was 14 at the time. At age 17 he joined the Army. After the war he came right back to the station to help his father. “I guess you could say I offi- cially went to work for him in 1948 and sold the business in 1983,” he said. “But I was there from the time I was so little it was all I could do to pull the pumps down. I grew up there.” Advertising is the most effective and economical idea to help build © NC With the right kind of local newspaper advertising program, you can attract prospects right where they live, who are ready, willing and able to buy. Call us now for all the exciting details on our advertising packages! 739-7496 824-1 E. PO Box 769 Kings Mountain, A wy WO ep I Page 3A Central Methodist plans $1.5 million By GARY STEWART Editor of The Herald Although the official groundbreaking will not take place until Sunday, May 6 Central United Methodist Church began moving dirt around yes- terday morning to make way for a $1.5 million building and renovation project. The congregation plans a single story multi- purpose building which will include a gymnasi- um and modern kitchen facility as well as new administrative offices. The 11,000 square foot facility will be built north of the sanctuary on what is now the church parking lot which faces Piedmont Avenue. The parking lot is being removed and graded down to street level, but once the total project is complete the facility will accommodate more vehicles (ap- proximately 81) than it does now and will include a covered entrance on the back side of the exist- ing educational building. Building Committee Chairman Jake Dixon said temporary parking will be added on adjoining lots that the church recently purchased. The church also utilizes street parking and parking space at nearby Harris Funeral Home and Warlick and Hamrick Insurance. The church has outgrown its current fellowship and administrative space The new multi-purpose building will be utilized for sports, banquets, and other activities. The old fellowship hall, located on the lower level of the two-story church at the corner of Piedmont Avenue and Mountain Street, will be turned into storage rooms, a new choir rehearsal room and a small meeting room. The church will also install an elevator in one corner of the room. Bathrooms will also be updated to make them handicap accessible. A.A. Ramsey & Sons of Shelby is general con- tractor. The project and total cost of $1,555,830 y were recently approved at a Congregational meeting in which 72% of the people voted in favor. “This is a challenge, but you have to have faith,” said Dixon, who has been a member of the church since he moved inside the Kings Mountain city limits in 1952. “This is the first major project since the sanctu- ary was built in 1967,” he recalled. “The old sanc- tuary was torn down and a new one built on the same site.” Dixon noted that the church’s youth outreach has grown tremendously in the past several months, and hopes that the new building will renovation The church and contractor are completion date of 380 days. “The first thing we’ll do is eliniinate the park- ing lot, but there will be some parking aro ind the new facility once it’s completed,” Dixon said. “We'll build the new facility first, move into it and then renovate the present building. Once it is complete the new facility will be larger than our present facility.” An early chore that will bring a little sadness will be the removal of two huge trees - an oak and a Magnolia tree - that have stood on the site for years. “It's s something you don’t like to do, but it’s necessary,” Dixon said. “This whole new area has to come down to street level because the present church building is at street level and the parking lot is above street level.” The new building will tie into the existing facil- ity at the educational wing. The present adminis- trative offices are in that wing, but when the mul- ti-purpose building is complete they will be converted back to Sunday School rooms. About the only part of the church that won't be touched is the sanctuary, which includes a bal- cony and seats 425. “We are real excited about this project,” Dixon said. “When we had our final vote we thought it would be real close. But 72 percent approved it, and that’s good. This is the biggest undertaking we've ever done.” hooting for a Dixon said the church | unique ministry, and although he’s now retired he said he is par- ticularly impressed with the job the youth are do- ing. “We have a new youth director (Jada: + McDaniel) who just came in this year,” he noted. “They had 18 to 20 people starting off, but they're really growing. Tony Bradshaw and a bunch of them went and climbed Crowders Mountain for sunrise service Sunday We had a Bring A Friend Sunday a couple weeks ago, and the night before they had a special youth service and 75 young people attended.” The Senior Citizens “Breakfast Bunch” is anoth- er of the church’s outreach programs, and music has always been a strong point of the church. as a “Linda Dixon is ourimusic and educational di- rector, and she does a real good job,” Dixon said. “We have a Chancel Choir which is older people like myself, then she has a Child In Choir help increase participation in other programs as which practices every week ar nd sings at least well. once a month. “We're hoping this will help us grow and offer The church al Iecentlys outh more services,” Dixon said. choir and handbell choir " BRIEFS. ee | X Hot dog supper ceeds will go to help finance a Hu : £7 p.m. at 3 a mission trip. H of hip, 901 Long at Grace Methodist Barbecue ribs, chicken, baked = Creel s Mountain. ] beans, slaw, and dessert will | | yd Grace United Methodist sold for $6. Niws Messinuerd Church will have a hot dog and For more information call [he public is i Bor bake sale April 28 from 10 a.m.- Jackie Hopper at 739-7769. RGIO Into Rew. Clint. 1 2 p.m. ie Ralavic Day « | o to the Relay tor okie nih, * [ening y Gospel singing sei | The public is invited. at House of Wor ship Fund raiser slated at People’s Church The youth department of People Baptist Church will be having a fund-raising April 21 from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. All pro- your business. King St., 28086 ZOUAL HOUBNG OPPORTUNITY There will be a gospel singing Fh licnal o | IT'S FAST - IT'S EASY | (704) 735-0611 i ma a a HOFREE \ 4 SEIT Nar “I oe Pls C hice Lr . the lst Century’ | Thursday, ‘April 26 W) i 6:30 p.m. Norio presented by: Steven Baker, CLU New York Life Insurance Company Refreshments will be served. Reservations are recommended by calling 704-810-011. anor; Jouse Assisted Living 2755 Union Road i )8054 704. 810.0111 www.manor-house.com Vs
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
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April 19, 2001, edition 1
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