December 31, 2007

Out of our Past

Compiled by Bill Moose

Twenty-five years ago: Record & Landmark, Dec. 31, 1982-Jan. 6, 1983.

“Coach Bill Ellis’ Statesville Greyhounds won their third consecutive WSIC-Iredell County Holiday Basketball Tournament holding on to edge the North Iredell Raiders, 49-48, despite only three field goals in the second half. The Greyhounds recorded their sixth champion-ship with other titles in 1970, 1972, 1976 and the last three years.” (12/31/82)

Down In Iredell: “Predictions for 1983. Now, to the Playhouse Theater. It is no surprise to our readers that we predict it will come down in 1983 to be replaced by a new Wachovia Bank building.” (1/1/83)

“Paul Swanson, 79, is one attorney who still makes house calls — complete with his of-fice. Swanson has practiced law 11 of the 52 years he has been in practice from the back of his Volkswagen van. He used to park on Davie Ave. at the edge of the property now occupied by Northwestern Bank, but has now moved to the driveway of his Eagle Mills home.” (1/3/83)

Photo: “Mayor John Kurfees accepts a check from Mac Lackey, Jr., of the Historic Ire-dell Foundation. Lackey presented the check for $15,570 to the city in payment for the property where the Lownestein-Henkel house was moved. The Historic Iredell Foundation joined with the Historic Preservation Fund of North Carolina to buy and relocate the structure.” (1/4/83)

“Iredell County commissioners heard a report on the First Responder Program proposed by the Iredell County rescue Squad, indicating that they would like to see the new plan for faster emergency assistance put into practice as soon as details are worked out. Joe Troutman, chair-man of the commissioners said the program should be an asset to the county.” (1/5/83)

Photo: “Northwestern Bank, for the 25th year, has made its annual gift Wednesday to Mitchell College Foundation in continuing support of the local educational institution. W.H. (Bill) Lee, chairman of the bank’s Statesville board of directors, is shown presenting the check to R.D. Grier, chairman of the Mitchell College Foundation.” (1/6/83)

Fifty years ago: Record & Landmark, Dec. 31, 1957-Jan. 6, 1958.

“A big New Year’s Eve square dance will be held tonight at 8:30 o’clock at the Grace Park Recreation Center. The dance, sponsored by the center’s Iredell Promenaders Square Dance Club, will feature music by the Love Valley Wranglers. The regular Thursday night square dance will also be held this week at the center featuring John Crawford’s Tune Twisters.” (12/31/57)

“Southern Bell Telephone Company reported today that $24 million was spent during 1957 on its state-wide construction program to meet the telephone needs of North Carolina’s expanding economy. Evidence of Statesville’s continued growth is reflected in the city’s gain of 476 telephones in 1957.” (1/1/58)

“The New Year’s Day hospitality, extended by Mr. and Mrs. C.V. Henkel, Jr., to their friends Wednesday afternoon and evening at their Turnersburg home was typical of much of the festivity which marked the holiday, which ended the Christmas season and began the brand-new 1958.” (1/2/58)

“Naval Aviation Cadet Walter B. Patterson has just taken his first stride toward winning his Navy ’Wings of Gold.’ Cadet Patterson recently flew his first solo flight, in the T-34 Mentor, while undergoing primary flight training at the Naval Auxiliary Air station, Saufley Field Pensa-cola, Fla.” (1/3/58)

“There’s only one label for Celeste Henkel’s Cinderella girls team: Really Explosive. Coach Billy ’Keyhole’ Jones crew pulled perhaps the biggest upset in recent years when they reversed the table on undefeated Troutman in a IDAA skirmish at Celeste Henkel last night, 43-37.” (1/4/58)

Photo: “The final load of display cases from Ramsey’s Department Store was moved out this morning and construction crews moved in to begin remodeling the building which will house the new F.W. Woolworth Company in Statesville. The partition between the Ramsey store and Miller-Jones Shoe Company will be knocked out and a 50-foot addition built to the rear of the existing building to make way for the new store.” (1/6/58)

Seventy-five years ago: Statesville Record, Jan. 3 and 6, 1933.

“James C. Gray assumed the management of the Vance Hotel Sunday morning. The partition between the present lobby and the dining room will be moved to provide more room for the registry desk and to increase the lobby space. Three private telephone booths will be installed and a special lounge for ladies will be comfortably equipped in the Center street front section of the lobby.” (1/3/33)

“Work has been underway for the past week in installing steam heating facilities in the county-owned building known as Lawyer’s Row, situated to the rear of the court house, which is soon to be occupied by county offices. The work is being done by Duncan-Parlier company, and Mr. J.F. Duncan states that the job will be completed within the next few days.” (1/3/33)

“This issue of The Record is somewhat abbreviated largely because of the epidemic of influenza that has struck Statesville.” (1/3/33)

“The Statesville Public Schools resumed work Wednesday morning following the holiday vacation, with every teacher reporting and with a 97 per cent attendance of the pupils of the en-tire system present. An epidemic of colds and influenza, led Superintendent R.M. Gray to believe that a greater per cent would be absent, and he was very much pleased with the fine attendance.” (1/6/33)

“Ira D. Hefner has purchased the café on West Broad street known as the Atlanta Hot Lunch, from L.P. Shoemaker. Anderson Nash will operate the café for Mr. Hefner, and will take charge within the next few days.” (1/6/33)

Eavesdropper: “Bill Perry (he signs his name W.C. Perry) confesses that a sample plug of chewing tobacco which L. Ash once gave him caused him to change his brand and he has since used on of the Ash brands exclusively. And somebody else recently told us that after taking a hefty quid of one of the local products he has chewed nothing else. Well, it’s just such as that as has kept Lou Ash and his plant ’plugging along.’” (1/6/33)

One hundred years ago: Landmark, Dec. 31, 1907 and Jan. 3, 1908.

“The electric power which we were all so rejoiced to get is like other things, subject to interruptions. One day last week it was cut off for an hour or two because some person or per-sons, with malice aforethought, had broken a lot of insulators along the line. And the new street lamps were hardly put up in Statesville until three of the globes were broken. The people who thus maliciously damage property deserve a term on the county roads.” (12/31/1907)

“For some time the building of a bridge across the Catawba river has been agitated by the citizens of Mooresville and the Enterprise says it is now an assured fact that the bridge is to be built. Mr. James W. Brown is at the head of the movement. The bridge will be erected at the big hill on Dr. Ramsey’s place between Robinson and Cornelius’ ferries. The Enterprise says it is the purpose to get the county commissioners to allow the chain gang to macadamize the road from Mooresville to the river.” (12/31/1907)

Editorial: “Fireworks at Christmas. It is a Southern custom to celebrate Christmas by making a noise and for many years the explosion of firecrackers was the chief feature of the celebration in the towns. But by and by cannon crackers and other explosives dangerous to life and property, came into use. Pieces of pipe loaded with powder and dynamite have been ex-ploded in Statesville and property damaged many dollars. If complaint is made in behalf of the nervous or sick people the complaint is laughed into scorn. The Christmas just passed crackers were exploded in the street in Statesville in front of a hospital of sick people in utter disregard for the result of the shock to any of the sick. Some years ago Statesville not only shut down on fire-works but prohibited their sale. Notwithstanding almost every year an effort is made to secure a suspension of the ordinance — always on the plea. ’Let the boys have some fun.’ If it is proper to suspend laws to ’let the boys have some fun’ why not go whole hog? Why not let people do whatever they want to do, regardless of the rights of others or the general welfare?” (1/3/1908)

One hundred twenty-five years ago: Landmark, Jan. 5, 1883.

“Mrs. Elizabeth N. Grant, principal of Simonton Female College, died this morning at 6 o’clock. The sad event was not unexpected, as Mrs. Grant had been declining rapidly for several months. Her death is sincerely deplored. It is not too much to say that to this community it is a calamity. The funeral exercises will take place to-morrow.“

‘“Our last issue announced that the exercises at Simonton Female College would close at the end of the present session, week after next. It has since been determined to keep up a day school there — at least until the expiration of the present lease upon the property, next summer — under the supervision of Miss Margaret Mitchell.“

“The county commissioners at their meeting last Monday agreed to purchase a safe each for the offices of the clerk of Superior Court and register of deeds. They weigh 9,000 lbs. apiece, cost $650 each, and are to be delivered here and put into the court house for this figure.“

“People are limping around the streets and going around with their arms in slings. By these things do we know that the skating rink is again in operation.”