February 04, 2008

Out of our Past

Compiled by Bill Moose

Twenty-five years ago: Record & Landmark, Feb. 4-10, 1983
“J.A. Howell, a former agriculture teacher at South Iredell High School, was among recipients of meritorious awards presented to retiring and cooperative teachers of agriculture. Howell, after completing more than 30 years as a teacher retired in June 1982. His Iredell County teaching experiences began in 1952 at Unity High School.” (2/4/83)

“If records are a true indication of the favored teams, then two upsets were registered during Western Piedmont Conference action here Friday night. With no seconds remaining on the clock, the Mooresville boys got a perfect pass from Jimmy Popp and a lay-up by Darrin Howard to top the Statesville boys, 49-47, in the nightcap after the Lady Greyhounds had over-come a halftime de3ficit to post a 45-39 win in the opener of the two in bill.” (2/5/83)

“Despite a reported three to five inch accumulation of snow Saturday night and Sunday morning in Iredell and Alexander counties, state highway officials reported no major problems. Both the Mooresville and Statesville City School systems operated on the regular schedule today. The Iredell County schools were closed today because of some problems with roads in the north-ern end of the county.” (2/7/83)

“Members of the city staff presented several reports to the Statesville City Council last night, including a study of the possible annexation of Museum Road-Beverly Heights area. After discussing the matter, council authorized a survey of the area with the intent to annex it, which is the first step in the staff timetable for the proposed annexation.” (2/8/83)

“Hilary Greenberg, director of the Main Street program in Statesville, and Rick Gregory, owner of Gregory’s Jewelers, have been working together on a project for a façade improvement to the building occupied by the business at 122 W. Broad St. Greenberg noted Gregory is the fist merchant to make improvements under the auspices of the downtown revitalization program.” (2//9/83)

“The Stearns Building, a long-time Statesville landmark, will be demolished within the next two weeks. The property was purchased some time ago by Wachovia Bank and Trust Co. Local, state and federal historic groups made an effort to save the structure. The Stearns Building housed the well-known Playhouse Theater, in addition to six stories of office space.” (2/10/83)

Fifty years ago: Record & Landmark, Feb. 4-10, 1958
“Scotts High School band is planning a series of concerts to be given in schools of Iredell County. The band, which was heard by some 4,000 elementary students last year in a similar concert series, will perform mostly for the local high schools. The 70-piece band is under the direction of J.P. Litchos.” (2/4/58)

“Troutman’s sextette was cold offensively and could do nothing to stop lanky Norgen Wilhelm, Cool Springs’ one-girl scoring machine. Had it not been for Troutman’s little Sue Smith, the Springers would have run Troutman right off the floor in the second and third peri-ods.” [The score was 57-37, Wilhelm scoring 40 and Smith 19.] (2/5/58)

“Oriental culture is different, yes — ‘Quite different from our own’ but it’s the comforts of home that Americans miss, says Major Martha Mills, of the Women’s Army Corps who in her nearly 15 years in the service has been around the world. After her leave in Statesville, she will go to a new station at Ft. Huachuca in Arizona.” (2/6/58)

“Statesville’s industrial family welcomed a new member today with the announcement that the new firm of Playworld Toys, Inc., will begin operations February 15. The new company will engage in the manufacture of educational toys of wood for children of pre-school age.” (2/7/58)

“Plans for an east Statesville junior high school were finally approved last night by members of the city school board. This school is expected to relieve the congestion at D. Matt Thompson Junior high school and take the seventh grades out of the various elementary schools where they have been placed for the past two years due to lack of space at the junior high school.” (2/8/58)

“A traveling salesman for a wholesale grocery and a former bank employee from Tennessee thought that the city of Statesville needed a bank. Funds were raised, plans were made and on February 10, 1898, Merchants & Farmers Bank opened for business. J.A. Knox and F.B. Bunch were the two men who made their dream come true.” (2/10/58)

Seventy-five years ago: Statesville Record, Feb. 7 and 10, 1933
“The Iredell County Board of Education in monthly session Monday heard the request of Monticello school patrons for additional rooms to relieve the overcrowded conditions in their school, and approved the project. The funds to provide the additional rooms is to be met from the local district fund.” (2/7/33)

“Manage A.F. Sams announces that the Crescent Theatre will be closed the first four days of each week, for the present. The Crescent will be open Fridays and Saturdays with the usual splendid film program at popular prices. Mr. Sams states that this curtailment will be only temporary, and that the full daily schedule will be resumed as soon as business justifies. No change in the Playhouse schedule will be made.” (2/7/33)

Mooresville: “Most everybody is reading the papers more right now than I have ever noticed, and I have been an observer of this for over a half a century. Almost every man, woman or child you meet are heard to remark, ‘Say have you seen the paper.’ This is mentioned because it was predicted that the Radios would put Newspapers out of business.” (2/7/33)

“Mayor E.R. Rankin has been advised by J.D. Cochran, Sr., that he will not offer for re-election to the post of superintendent of city water and light department after his present terms expires. Mr. Cochran has been connected with the city government for the past 44 years. Appointed superintendent of the city light department in 1899, he was later made superintendent of the water department, and in 1917 the gas department. In 1925 milk inspection was placed under his supervision.” (2/10/33)

“For a long, long time Statesville High boys have made vain pilgrimages to Barium Springs to win a football game from the orphans. In desperation they took their sisters with them Tuesday night for the basketball contest, and the lassies, bless their hearts, came back home with the game tucked in their belt. The Statesville boys lost to Barium as was expected (never mind the score) but the girls won their game to the tune of 38 to 26.” (2/10/33)

One hundred years ago: Landmark, Feb. 4 and 7, 1908
“Statesville and vicinity have suffered about the severest spell of weather for the past three days that has been known for a few years. Friday afternoon snow fell heavily for a time, followed by sleet, all told covering the ground to a depth of about two inches; and to add to the discomfort Saturday night, Sunday and Sunday night the weather was by far the coldest of the winter. The mercury Sunday morning was about 12 and yesterday morning it was as low as eight, dropping from 10 to 8 between 6 and 7 o’clock.” (2/4/1908)

“Mr. C.C. Hook, a well-known architect of Charlotte, spent Saturday here with Messrs. L.C. Wagner, R.V. Brawley and W.W. Cooper, preparing plans for a business block to be erected on the vacant property owned by these gentlemen on Center street, between the St. Charles Hotel and the Federal building. A one story building containing four store rooms will be erected. Work will begin at soon as the weather permits.” (2/4/1908)

“The influenza — lagrippe, or ’grip,’ as it is commonly called — is very prevalent in this section of North Carolina now and Statesville has its full share of cases. Lagrippe is bad enough of itself, but pneumonia is worse, and there are many cases of pneumonia in Statesville and vicinity. The lagrippe is an importation which first made its appearance in this country some 20 years ago. For a long time many people regarded it as only a bad cold. But those who have en-countered a genuine case of lagrippe long ago abandoned the idea. They found it something more than a bad cold.” (2/7/1908)

“The folks who have wood for sale during such a severe spell of weather as that through which we have passed, naturally put a few notches in the price, for hauling is a job.” (2/7/1908)

“Misses McIntosh and Flynn, the nurses who are to have charge of Billingsley hospital, are installed at the hospital but the institution is not yet ready to receive patients. The weather has been so bad and the doctors who are to manage the institution so bushy that the furnishings have not been installed.” (2/7/1908)