January 07, 2008
Out of our Past
Compiled by Bill Moose
Twenty-five years ago: Record & Landmark, Jan. 7-13, 1983.
“The Statesville Historic District Commission approved a request for a certificate of appropriateness for work to be done on the Lowenstein-Henkel House. Pressly and architect for the project, Charles K. (Chuck) Goode, presented the plans. Goode told the commission that the schedule of work is tentatively set from early to mid-February to July.” (1/7/83)
“Dr. Lonnie M. Little, who retired Dec. 17 after practicing medicine in Statesville for 58 years, will be honored at a Sunday afternoon reception at the Arts and Sciences Museum, marking the opening of an exhibit assembled from his office furnishings and medical instruments. The collection of instruments, books and furnishings used by Dr. Little are being donated to the permanent collection of the museum.” (1/8/83)
Photo: “South Iredell High School boys’ basketball Coach Gary Sherrill recorded his 200th victory as the Viking head coach on Saturday night with a non-conference win over Davie County. Sherrill is in his 17th season and is the only coach the Vikings have ever had.” (1/10/83)
“The Mooresville school board reaffirmed its desire Monday to work with Mitchell Community College and its programs in the community. It was suggested in the November board meeting that the lab should be relocated to the old gym on Academy St. Last night, the board voted to enter negotiations with Mitchell to sell the old gym to the college.” (1/11/83)
“The Planning and Zoning Board of the City of Statesville voted last night to recommend to City Council approval of the ’Downtown Statesville Development Area’ resolution and the boundary of the area. The area selected includes two blocks of Center and Broad Sts. on either side of the square.” (1/12/83)
“The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, Inc., of Winston-Salem has approved a $5,000 grant to Iredell County for purchase of equipment for the Chestnut Grove Community Center. Alvin L. Morrison, who approached the county commissioners in November on behalf of the Chestnut Grove Community Center, stated at that time that immediate attention to the physical facilities was needed in order to preserve the building.” (1/13/83)
Fifty years ago: Record & Landmark, Jan. 7-13, 1958.
“Sheet ice formed during the night on many Iredell county roads, resulting in a rash of traffic accidents, largely without serious personal injury although there were some narrow escapes. Worst sections of the road were on US 64 west of Statesville and on US 115 and 21. School buses were still operating.” (1/7/58)
“Allen Jones, who operates Jones Fish Camps, announced today that he is building a modern restaurant at the intersection of the 64 by-pass and 64-A. The place will be called Jones Seafood and Steak House. Jones said he will install a microwave cooking range which will be the first such cooking equipment to be installed in North Carolina.” (1/8/58)
“Iredell citizens continued to shiver today and for good reason: the mercury went down to a low of five degrees at 6:40 this morning. Official weather records show that the mercury dropped to a low of two degrees in February, 1936, and went down to two degrees below zero in January, 1940.” (1/9/58)
Morningside’s Golden Tigers over Concord 21-20: “The Tiger lassies had to come from behind with a field goal and a free throw in the final minute of the game played on the Morningside gym. Tiger scoring was shared equally between Dories Greene, Bertha Nesbit and Catherine Brown, while Patsy Turman, Emma Watts and Carolyn Wasson turned in top defensive play.” (1/10/58)
“W.O. Bell of route 1, Statesville, was elected president of the Iredell County Farm Bureau at the annual meeting Friday night in the Merchants and Farmers Bank. John Patterson of Mooresville was elected vice president and Charles Rickert of route 5, Statesville was elected secretary-treasurer.” (1/11/58)
“The installation of new roll-away bleacher seating is being completed at Central High School. Total cost of the installation will be $2,692.50 of which the local community is paying one-half. The remainder of the cost is being borne by the county.” (1/13/58)
Seventy-five years ago: Statesville Record, Jan. 10 and 13, 1933.
“Already noted for the fine quality of its products, particularly its cakes, the Piedmont Baking Company is now able to render even better service to its patrons since the installation of a modern cake oven at its plant on South Center street. While heated with coke, the actual baking is done with an ingenious arrangement of pipes which conduct the heat from the fire-box to the baking compartment.” (1/10/33)
“State Senator E.M. Land was home from Raleigh over the weekend and states that the legislature is getting down to business. It is his opinion that the members are in no mood to play politics with misery and predicts that legislation will be enacted solely on its merits.” (1/10/33)
“Mr. Jones of the Central community reports that the Central school has been burning wood for heating the school building. This school community furnishes a good example of what may be done in the way of furnishing labor for those who need it in the various communities.” (1/10/33)
“Manager J.W. Johnston has created a distinctive show window at the Nash Furniture company with the use of a suite of Statesville-made bedroom furniture of modernistic design. The bedroom suite is of Oriental walnut and was made by the Imperial Furniture company of this city.” (1/13/33)
Eavesdropper: “County officials and their clerks have had their beauty ’struck.’ Photographers have been through the courthouse making pictures of each office and its occupants. You should have seen the expressions of solemnity and dignity which adorned the countenances of the victims, some of whom had to be persuaded to watch the ’birdie.’ (Roy Plott served as the ’birdie.’)” (1/13/33)
Statesville route 2: “The children are all back in school again. The roads are very bad in some places. For the first time in this community the road scrapes ran all day Sunday. It looks now like we’re going to have some more rough weather.” (1/13/33)
One hundred years ago: Landmark, Jan. 7 and 10, 1908.
“The trouble with the electric current of the Southern Power Company, which resulted in darkness in Statesville Wednesday and Thursday nights, was the falling of a tree across the line near Great Falls, S.C. The power for this part of the country originates at Great Falls but when the trouble occurred search was made from this end of the line, hence the delay in finding the cause.” (1/7/1908)
“Three or four parties were summoned before the mayor yesterday for failure to muzzle their bulldogs in accordance with a city ordinance requiring all bulldogs and other vicious dogs which are allowed on the streets to be muzzled on and after January 1st. In each case the dog owner was given 24 hours to comply with the ordinance.” (1/7/1908)
“During the year 1907 there were 289 days on which no rain fell between daylight and dark. Mr. W.W. White, of Statesville has kept the record of wet and dry days for a number of years. The largest number of dry days in any one year since Mr. White began keeping the record, was 292.” (1/17/1908)
“On a site near the depot where the old Statesville Flour Mill burned January 16, 1907, at a property loss of $75,000 now stands the new $100,000 plant of the Statesville Flour Mill. The new plant, which is the largest in the State and one of the largest in the South, is equipped with the most modern and up-to-date machinery and can turn out the best meal and flour it is possible to produce from corn and wheat.” (1/10/1908)
“Civil Engineer R.L. Greenlee and his draftsman, Mr. J.W. Trumpy, completed work on the plans, maps, profiles, estimates of cost, etc., of the Statesville Air Line railroad yesterday morning. The preliminary survey of the road was begun at Statesville on August 10 was completed at Mt. Airy, a distance of 64 miles, November 9th. Yesterday afternoon at a meeting of the directors of the Statesville Air Line Railroad Co. was held in Mr. Greenlee’s office in the Loan & Trust building and the plans and estimates were submitted and explained to the board. They are very complete and very satisfactory to the board.” (1/0/1908)
One hundred twenty-five years ago: Landmark, Jan. 12, 1883.
“The funeral exercises over the remains of Mrs. E.N. Grant, late principal of Simonton Female College, were held at the college last Saturday afternoon, and though brief were very solemn. The skies were black and rain poured down in torrents, and the condition without lent impressiveness to the scene within. The exercises were held by Rev. Dr. W.A. Wood, in the hall on the second floor, and the hall and doors were draped in mourning, while the pupils appeared with badges of mourning upon their arms. A chant, by Mrs. Fannie Morrow, concluded the exercises at the college and a long procession took up its line of march, in the beating rain, to the cemetery, where the remains were committed to the earth.“
“The rain of the early part of the week, was succeeded, Tuesday, by a heavy snow-fall. Notwithstanding the ground was warm and wet it laid to the depth of several inches, and the cold weather which has succeeded it gives promise that it will be with us for a good while.”
