May 12, 2008

Out of our Past

Twenty-five years ago: Record & Landmark, May 12-18, 1983
“The West Iredell Warriors scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning and never trailed Wednesday en route to an 11-4 win over the Mooresville Blue Devils. Allen Riddle paired hits for West Iredell with Mark Coffey, Bobby Deal, Mark Deal, Ben Waugh and Randy Martin adding one each. Johnny Meadows and Scott Swing had hits for Mooresville.” (5/12/83)

“Dr. Richard A. Boyd of Statesville recently was installed as 1983-84 president of the Medical Alumni Association of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Boyd specializes in obstetrics and gynecology is a member of the Statesville Medical Group.” (5/13/83)

“When the television mini-series ‘Chiefs’ airs some time next year on CBS, Statesville residents should pay particular attention to any scenes in the doctor’s office. Why? Because members of the art department of the production came to Statesville Thursday and borrowed the doctor’s office equipment once belonging to Dr. Lonnie M. Little and now a part of the Arts and Science Museum’s permanent collection.” (5/14/83)

Photos: “A service of dedication was held Sunday for the King’s Grant retirement community. The community building was dedicated in memory of the late Louis Bowles and in honor of his wife, Mrs. Eugenia Bowles in recognition of the Bowles’ gift of the land for the retirement community. (5/16/83)

“Mrs. L.S. (Bill) Gilliam, Jr., today announced the sale of the major interest of Nicholson Funeral Home to Joseph Harold (Joe) Troutman, III, of Statesville. Mrs. Gilliam said she chose to sell the interest to someone that embodied the same ideals as her father and the owners before him. Nicholson Funeral Home was established in Statesville in 1878 by J.W. White. It was the first funeral home in Statesville.” (5/18/83)

Fifty years ago: Record & Landmark, May 12-17, 1958
“Iredell County Democrats heard a rousing party address and passed a resolution lauding the late Senator W. Kerr Scott for his service to the party and state in a harmonious convention Saturday afternoon at the courthouse. John F. Long was re-elected chairman of the Democratic Executive Committee at a meeting following the convention.” (5/12/58)

“Scotts’ Larry Ellenburg hurled his third no-hitter yesterday afternoon as he blanked Celeste Henkel. Ellenburg earlier in the season handed Troutman its lone defeat in a no-hitter, and blanked Harmony in the other entry into baseball’s hall of fame. The Scotts’ righthander had a perfect game until the final inning. Bren Elliott was aboard on an error.” (5/13/58)

“‘The yarn used to manufacture more than half of the country’s automobile floor carpeting is made in Iredell County,’ reported Senator C.V. Henkel in a brief talk before the Statesville Rotary Club. Henkel explained some of the history and current operations of the Henkel Mill in Turnersburg before taking the local Rotarians on a tour of the plant.” (5/14/58)

“Iredell County Board of Health yesterday passed an ordinance requiring polio vaccinations for all children prior to entering the first grade of any school in the county. The ordinance will become effective June 1, 1958.” (5/15/58)

“A bang-up suspense melodrama dealing with the modern aspects of the billion-dollar whiskey war between moonshiners and revenooers, ‘Thunder Road’ was filmed on location in the environs of Asheville, North Carolina. In one scene several bags of Statesville Flour Mills bran are clearly shown as Robert Mitchum walks through the woods to the area of his father’s still.” (5/17/58)

Seventy-five years ago: Statesville Record, May 12 and 16, 1933
“Only six Confederate veterans, Messrs. J.W. Vickery, J.P. Collins, A.D. Troutman, W.A. Winecoff, W.E. White, and J.S. Lucas, joined in the Memorial Day observance here Wednesday. One by one the men who wore the gray are dropping out of the already thin line, and only a few are left in Iredell county. Several were not physically able to attend the services in their honor here Wednesday.” (5/12/33)

Eavesdropper: “Norman Schiff has urged us to sponsor a change in the city sanitary regulation whereby the trucks would drive up to the resident’s back door to gather the refuse, rather than let the garbage pail stand beside the street to be overturned by foraging dogs. It might be argued that the municipal economy program might not permit time necessary for such a back door canvass, and we’ve been wondering if it might not be cheaper just to kill all the dogs.” (5/12/33)

Troutman, Route 1: “Mr. Reid Winecoff has purchased a new car.” (5/12/33)

“We are authorized to announce that through the interest of a local game-lover a suit of clothes will be presented to the Iredell county boy who kills the largest number of hawks, owls and crows before December 1, 1933. The heads are to be turned over to the present game warden or his successor, and when the count is totaled, the boy or man having the largest number of heads to his credit will receive a jam-up good suit of clothes.” (5/16/33)

“Miss Beatrice Sherrill was declared the winner in the district biscuit making contest. The district embraces nine counties. Miss Sherrill, who is a member of Celeste Henkel 4-H Club, was awarded a scholarship in the State short course in Raleigh this summer.” (5/16/33)

“The Olin baseball team traveled to Frazier’s Store Saturday, May 13, and defeated them in a one-sided baseball game, the score being 15 to 5. Hellard of Olin secured four hits off Riddles and made four runs, while Riddles starred for Frazier’s, getting two hits off Gatton, one triple and one single, and one run.” (5/16/33)

One hundred years ago: Landmark, May 12 and 15, 1908
“Work on Broad Street Methodist church is progressing nicely. The brick work will be finished this week and the roof is ready for the slate, which will go on at once. This will complete the outside work and the interior will be put in shape as rapidly as possible.” (5/12/1908)

“Saturday afternoon at 4 o’clock about 30 members of the Iredell Blues were drilled on the college campus by Capt. J.E. Deitz, and as is the custom each year a gold medal was offered for the best drilling by a single member. First Sergeant Morrison, who won the medal last year, won again Saturday. Mr. J.C. Rayle won the second prize, a handsome necktie.” (5/12/1908)

“The ball game at Taylorsville between a team of Alexander boys and the ‘Anti-Prohibition team’ of Statesville resulted in a victory for the Statesville boys by a score of 10 to 6. The game was interesting and hard fought, and at its close there came near being a contest of a different sort. The teams became reconciled, however, without ‘coming to blows.’” (5/12/1908)

“The directors of the Merchants and Farmers’ Bank held a meeting a few days ago to transact routine business. The reports of the new bank’s business were very gratifying to the directors, the institution having made a much better showing than was expected during the dull season in which it began its business.” (5/15/1908)

“The May cool spell seems to have ended but the wind has left the ground pretty dry. Rain is needed. Some farmers found it necessary to replant cotton, the cold killing the young plants and in some instances the seed didn’t germinate.” (5/15/1908)

“The closing exercises of the colored graded school took place at the colored Methodist church on Center street Monday and Tuesday evenings.” (5/15/1908)

One hundred twenty-five years ago: Landmark, May 18, 1883
“There is something to encourage the hope that we will yet have a telegraph office in town. Mr. W.J. Coite has offered the Western Union Telegraph Company an office in his bank, rent free, if they will run their line from the depot up town, and a lineman of the company was here a few days ago and measured the distance from the bank to the depot.”

“Messrs. Miller, Laurence & Co. have received, and yesterday put up, one of the McCormick reapers and binders, which cuts the wheat, binds it and throws the bundle aside. It can be operated by one man, with three horses for the power. They expect to sell three of these machines to Iredell farmers this season.”

“Posts and chains are being put up on either side of the walks in the court house yard to protect the grass which has been sadly trodden down and crossed with walks. A very proper move.”
‘The cool spell in May.’ It is too early to shoot the flannel.”