The News-Herald, Friday, July 2,1993
Raleigh Baker boosts town, sells lots
Ahoskie grew from railroad, mill town to thriving city
By Centennial Committee
What was Ahoskie like 100 years
ago? What kinds of businesses did
it have? What kind of homes?
Here are some of the answers.
By late 1898, Ahoskie has be
come the railroad center of the area,
and a half-dozen or so merchants
were doing business.
However, the first major com
mercial development of the town
took place in the years immediately
after the town's incorporation.
The Mitchells cut up a portion of
their farm into lots and streets and
sold off the two blocks adjacent to
the west side of the railroad between
Church and North streets. Soon
small frame stores went up on
North Railroad Street facing the de
pot.
In 1900, the Atlantic Coast Line
Railroad was formed by a consolida
tion of several smaller rail lines,
including the Norfolk and Carolina,
and dominated rail transportation in
the Coastal Plain.
Rail transportation, which be
came one of the major factors in
Ahoskie's founding and develop
ment, was available to what became
the town of Ahoskie by accident.
In 1885, when the first logging
trains passed through the area, there
was no Ahoskie. There was only a
Baptist church. Dr. Jesse H.
Mitchell's house, the Hayes house
and probably a few other white and
Negro families in the immediate
area.
A logging siding and loading sta
tions were built near the St. Johns
Road (now Church Street) crossing,
and one or two commissaries to
supply the loggers were started.
Tlie town's first recognized store
had its beginnings at this time and
was operated by J.P. Freeman and
J.D. Riddick under the name of
Riddick and Freeman.
Although there had been a cotton
gin and sawmill on the Luke Mc-
Glohon place earlier, the first large-
scale mill was erected in 1888
across Church Street from the Bap
tist church.
J.C. "Cad" Jenkins sold timber
rights on the Jenkins plantation to
Wright Powell, a Powellsville
sawmill operator, bringing in out
side capital to develop Ahoskie’s
first industry.
Later in ^e year, the mill boiler
blew, destroying the mill, killing
the foreman and injuring Powell.
The firm of Cockey and Powell
began operating in the fall of 1888,
with the commissary at the corner
of Church and Catherine Creek
Road being the third in the expand
ing mercantile firm's lineup.
Other early businesses in
Ahoskie at the time were Freeman
and Riddick on Church Street; Gar
rett, Downs and Harrell on Main
Street; and J.A. Copeland's post of
fice and store on Main Street.
The post office was in a small
frame building at the southeast cor
ner of what became Main and Rail
road streets, the site of the current
Ahoskie Centennial Museum.
In 1892, Copeland moved his
family into a three-story house
built for him by J.R. Garrett on the
north side of the 100 block of East
Main Street.
After a big fire on March 16,
1901, which destroyed the entire
block of North Railroad Street be
tween Main and North streets,
Fletcher Powell built the town’s
first brick store on his site near the
middle of the block.
The two-story building was later
purchased by J.R. Garrett, who, in
1926, included the building into the
three-story Garrett Hotel.
The second brick store was built
in 1905 for W.B. Newsome at the
southeast corner of Main and
Catherine streets. The second floor
of the two-story building, known as
Newsome’s Hall, served the town
for a number of years as its public
meeting place.
Besides the growth in retail
stores, other businesses in the early
1900’s were sawmills, cotton gins,
ice plant, laundry, and many sta
bles.
Traveling salesmen, or "drum
mers," came to town on trains,
putting up here for a week at a
time, making daily trips to smaller
community stores by horse and
buggy.
Thus the livery business became
a flourishing trade in Ahoskie, and
all of the livery owners operated
"horse jitney" lines as one of their
services.
During this period, blacksmith
shops, coachmaking shops and
wcK^working places also did thriv
ing business, because they were es
sential to the horsc-and-buggy days.
The second disastrous fire oc
curred in the business district on
Feb. 23, 1906, burning all of the
buildings on the south side of the
100 block of West Main Street.
In the early 1900's, Ahoskie be
came a loading and shipping point
for peanuts from Hertford and Bertie
counties.
Tobacco market
Tobacco had just entered the pic
ture but growing was mainly con
fined to the southeastern part of the
county, making Ahoskie the logical
location for a local tobacco market.
Late in 1906 money was raised to
promote a local tobacco market and
buy a lot for a warehouse. The deed
to the lot on the northeast comer of
Main and Lloyd streets was given
to J.W. Harrison and K.H. Watson
of Wilson, who built "The Hub"
warehouse and had the first tobacco
marketing season in 1907.
The warehouse closed in 1910
and was re-opened in 1915, with
tobacco marketing continuing to be
an important part of the economy
to the present time.
By the end of the first decade of
the 20lh century, Ahoskie had ar
rived as a town, the largest in Hert
ford County and the marketing and
railroad center for the surrounding
territory.
The town’s enterprise and spirit
were reflected by the way its citi
zens started a tobacco market, built
markets for locally produced cotton
and peanuts and supported public
education through voluntary sub
scriptions to a local tax levy.
Baker promotes growth
Raleigh James Baker moved from
Harrellsville to Ahoskie in 1906
and became one of its greatest
boosters, erecting a sign near the
depot proclaiming "Ahoskie — the
Coming Town Between the two
Business leaders
Ahoskie business leaders gather in 1948 for a photograph. They
were (front row, from left) J.C. Evans, Hunter Sharp Jr., Charles
Pierce and Milton Flythe; and (back row, from left) Robert Rowe,
Rufus Mitchell, Claxton Early, Bob Carter, Arthur Green, W.H.
North and Gerock streets. There
were 140 lots offered for sale at the
auction in July, 1910, the last to be
held in Ahoskie.
Baker bought the lot on the
southwest comer of Main and Rail
road streets and built a two-story
brick building. It had a double
storefront on Main Street, and
Baker had his real estate and insur
ance office on the second floor. The
post office leased the east side of
the first floor beginning in 1912.
From 1909 through 1912, much
of the business district developed
with new one-story buildings re
placed earlier frame buildings that
were tom down or leveled by fires.
J.T. Parker built a store next to
Baker's building, and J.W. Powell
built between Baker's store and the
Hotel Comfort, leaving a narrow al
ley for the hotel windows.
In 1910, Dr. Jesse H. Mitchell
(See BUSINESS, Page 20A)
Basnighi Sr., Dan Miller and an unidentified man. If you know
his name and the organizations they represent, drop by or mail a
card to 'The News-Herald' office. (Photo courtesy of Carolyn
Mitchell)
Rivers."
Baker actively promoted the
town's development and helped the
westward movement of residential
business property with his intense
real estate operations.
His first major project was a
1909 auction of residential lots in
Donovan Heights, about 700 yards
west of the new school site and
north of St. Johns Road (North
Street). The new streets were named
for members of his family —
Baker, Raleigh, Ruth, Talmage and
Pembroke.
A general holiday was declared in
Ahoskie, and the auction was ac
companied with a brass band and
drew "one of the largest crowds
Ahoskie ever entertained," it was
reported. Even school was let out,
and the children scrambled for dimes
pitched into the crowd by the auc
tion company.
Baker continued this promotion
of development with the slogan
"keep your eyes on Ahoskie. Watch
her grow. Buy lots in the coming
town between the two rivers.”
Ahoskie property owners contin
ued to make land available for de
velopment, and Baker bought a tract
of land from Ernest and Nina Hayes
in 1910 for another real estate auc
tion sale.
This tract, named Hayselton, in
cluded the area from die railroad
west to McGlohon Stfeet, between
/T
1923-1993
We are proud to be a part of Ahoskie's
Business Community for 70 years
N.S. GODWIN
& SONS, INC.
WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTORS
^^^^SOOKRallroa^t. Ahoskie^_(919)_332-3161__^
BBS is veru pleased lo extend our eonj^-atulations
Ahoskie 100th Birthday
Foreign and Domestic Parts
All Parts in stock. Complete garage
-For- service for repair of your
. ^ vehicle. Need brake work?
v-dlo Come see us for an estimate.
Kiwanis Si.
AHOSKIE
332-3181
Congratulations, Neighbors!
The Village of Cofield is a fledg
ling in Hertford County, being
incorporated in 1969. It is with
honor that we congratulate
Ahoskie on its 100th birthday as
we continue to achieve the com
mon goal of bettering the lives of
all citizens.
Town Council Members
Julia M. Whitaker, Mayor
George J. Mitchell
Horace R. Spivey
Hermea Pugh, Sr.
Herbert Smith, Sr.
Willie M. Williams
Village of Cofield
(919) 358-8611
Some Things Change...
But You Can Always Depend
on Us for Service!
We are proud to have served Ahoskie and the surrounding area since the days
prior to World War II. There have been many changes through the years and
we have grown with the times. Long known for our office supply division,
Blanchard Business Systems was added in 1981 making us one of the leaders
in the field of computers.
Our reputation for service continues. In addition to sales, we supply the
support and service you expect. If you have special requirements, our
experienced staff will work with you from selecting a desk, planning an entire
office or developing a computer program to fit your needs.
Whether for business, school or personal use, we can help. Call today and see
what service really means!
• Computers • Office Supplies • Sharp Copiers
• New and Used Office Furniture
...Tt^re tfie ‘Empfiasis is On Service
BLANCHARD
^ BUSINESS SYSTEMS
A Division of Blanchard Office Supply
Memorial Drive Ahoskie (919)332-4001