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Church Reunion

By Gaye Hoots

Sunday, Sept. 15, was homecoming at Advance United Methodist Church, originally established as Shady Grove Episcopal Church. It began in 1793 when the Cokesbury School was established 17 years after the Revolutionary War. This was the first Methodist-sponsored school in NC. The building still stands on the church grounds but is not used due to needed repairs. The church hopes to renovate the building when funds are available.

Sunday’s service was presided over by Rev. Chris Key who introduced the guest speaker Rev. Carsten Bryant. Our soloist was a high school student, Miss Jane Helton who had a beautiful voice. The message as I heard and distilled it was that God welcomed everyone who believed into heaven and that if God turned no one away this would be a good practice for God’s churches.

Following the service there was a meal in the fellowship hall. I treasure this as I am only back in Advance a few times a year. The food was delicious and so was the company. I do not always recognize those I have not seen recently and told Jodie Athey there was a man there who reminded me of her brother, Jim Patton. She said, “Gaye, that is Jim!”

I came in for the funeral services for Nick Poindexter’s mother and got to attend the church reunion. I also got time with family and friends, including lunch with RWG member Linda Barnette. My graduating class reunion is on the 21 and I am looking forward to our 61st gathering which the Junkers have graciously hosted for many years. This is bittersweet because we have lost many classmates. This makes the time more precious for the ones remaining.

When in Advance I catch up on medical and dental appointments and get as much time with family and friends as possible. I had lunch with Jane Carter, on another day with Nick’s sister, and later with Kendra. I got to see Faye’s sons and family and have dinner with Jaden, Tiffany, Nick, and his sister, Cass. The time with Jaden is rare due to her school schedule and even rarer is time with Tiffany. She still spends most of her time with Mia in the NICU. The good news is that Mia may be home soon. We are praying this will become a reality and preparing the house for her emergency equipment.

My timing for this trip was good because we have had rain in Oriental almost every day since I left. This week I will have lunch with Lorene Markland and Gail Frye and will be going with Janine Roberts to our class reunion. I also dropped by and took Vance Hartley a copy of my book and the library has a copy if you are interested. It contains all the articles I wrote for The Enterprise and the short stories from the books RWG published. My thanks to Marie Benge Craig for making it possible. She compiled the book and submitted it for publishing for this was beyond my skill.

September 17, 1924

By Marie Craig

In 1924, there were two newspapers in Davie County, The Davie Record for Republicans, and The Mocksville Enterprise for Democrats. They are online at the Davie County Public Library site under the History Room Webpage. It is interesting to read both and to compare.There’s always quarreling about politics, and especially in this issue. I think we’re all sick of that, so I’ll focus on other things that were in the news 100 years ago.

In the Record, there was a big ad for C.C. Sanford and Sons store for men’s warm suits for preparation for colder weather. They were on sale for $15 to $32.50.  In Fork News, a family welcomed the arrival of an eleven pound daughter.

“There are too many empty houses in Mocksville. This condition will continue until we can secure some new factories, or until the price of rents come down. Low taxes and reasonable rents will do more to build up a town than almost any other agency.”

“Mrs. Mamie B. Carter and two small daughters Marylea and Mildred, have moved to Harmony where the girls will enter Harmony Farm Life School.  [That’s why my dad’s family moved from Traphill to Harmony, about the same time, so that he and his two brothers could attend that school.]

“Charlotte, N.C.  Approximately 3,000,000 feet of lumber has been laid down on the Charlotte speedway grounds.  Another 1,000,000 feet will be delivered to the speedway site within the next ten days, making a total of 4,000,000 feet, the footage necessary for the bowl.”

“Crawford’s Drug Store:  No woman should be without a VACUUM CLEANER and a good supply of O-CEDAR POLISH and MOPS.  We have these items and can save you money.”  [A drug store selling vacuums?  Probably noisy and huge.  Had to have electricity.  Men weren’t sanctioned to operate them?]

Other advertisements were from these Davie stores: Southern Bank & Trust; J.C. Charles Cotton Gin; J.L. Holton & Sons Shoe Repairing; Kurfees & Ward Clothing Store; Mocksville Hardware Company; Davie Supply Company (buying cotton); Cooleemee Laundry & Ice Company; D.H. Hendricks & Sons Building Materials; Horn-Johnstone Company: “That good kind of flour.”; Davie Cafe; Dr. E.C. Choate, dentist; Dr. Robt. Anderson, dentist; Lester P. Martin, physician and surgeon; and B.C. Brock, attorney.

There was national news, state news, a list of Republican candidates for the election in six weeks (but no Democrat list), a full-page continuing story, and an ad where you could ride the train from Mooresville to Atlanta, round trip for $7.50.

The movies at the Princess Theater were Tuesday and Wednesday “To Have and to Hold”; Thursday and Friday “The Old Homestead”; and Saturday “On the High Seas.”  The first talking movie was “The Jazz Singer” in 1927, so these would have been silent films.

Looking at the Mocksville Enterprise for that week shows very similar articles about the election with a list of only Democrats to vote for, advertisers, and patent medicines that could cure anything.  The front page had an article that 1,409 stills were destroyed by Federal Prohibition Officers in N.C. the year before.

Advertisers not listed in the Record were M.J. Hendricks Concrete Company in Cana; Farmington Cash Store; and Baxter Byerly, M.D., Cooleemee.

Both newspapers had an article about a Fiddlers’ Convention at the new school auditorium in Cooleemee with cash prizes for the best musicians.

This edition seemed very short.  This is an article from the week before; “The new bridge across Bear Creek, at the Glasscock Ford, is now complete and ready for traffic.  The people of this community are very thankful to the board of county commissioners for the erection of this much needed bridge.

I find reading these old Davie County newspapers very interesting.  1924 was between world wars and a time for changes in transportation, entertainment, and technology.  In 1924, each letter of the newspaper would have been hand-set with lead type.  What a long procedure that would have been.  In compiling this, the typesetter would have seen the mirror image of the result and probably rotated 180 degrees.  I don’t even want to think about that as I type and correct this quickly with my computer.

Tea with Mr. B

By Julie Terry Cartner

Life in a small town creates a different dynamic than in more populated areas. With a population of 504, not only does everyone know everyone else, but people often wore more than one “hat.”  As a result, your teacher could also be your church organist, your neighbor, and a dear family friend.

So, though it might sound strange, or, in today’s world, a tad creepy, being invited to tea at my teacher, Mr. Boerum’s house was no cause for concern. Tea with Mr. B was an experience. He embraced his Anglophilic side and especially the concept of afternoon tea. Now, I often rode my bicycle by his house and sometimes stopped for a quick visit, but afternoon tea was serious business. This happened by invitation only.

On those days, we’d settle in his parlor with a pot of tea steeping under a tea cozy. While it brewed, we’d talk until the appropriate amount of time had passed. Then he’d pour a spot of cold cream into delicate china cups, followed by the piping hot brew. While the tea cooled, we’d help ourselves to crisp cucumber sandwiches, sweet apple cinnamon scones, oatmeal cookies or biscuits, and miniature fruit tarts.

While I enjoyed culinary treat for sure, my ten-year-old self was equally enchanted with the fact that in his home, Mr. B treated me like an adult, almost an equal. He’d always asked me if I’d like to pour the tea. I always declined, too afraid of spilling it and staining his white lace tablecloth. But he’d always offer, I think hoping one day I’d gain enough confidence to say yes.

Between bites of sandwiches and sips of tea, we’d converse. He wanted to know my impressions of the school, the people and the town. He asked about my former school, what was better, worse, or just different.  I didn’t realize at the time that I was the first student in a long time who had experience outside of our little town, and he was interested in my thoughts and opinions. Conversation flowed easily. I thrived in knowing he valued my insights. I learned to reciprocate by asking him questions about himself. His house was amazing, full of antiques and musical instruments, and he loved to talk about them.

In later visits, we’d discuss literature, music, and the arts. He encouraged me to grow, to seek, and to expand my horizons. He led me to understand that being well versed in many areas would make me more confident in myself.

With Mr. B, I felt valued and respected. As the youngest of four, and the daughter of two highly respected parents, I often felt invisible, but never with Mr. B. He saw me for myself. He seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say, and I think he enjoyed seeing me thrive in his company.

Often, after tea, we’d move to his piano, his harpsichord, or his spinet, and I’d listen as he played. Before long, I’d start singing along to songs from My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, or West Side Story. I don’t recall talking about singing, but I know my confidence grew as I sang with this musical genius.

Finally, as the afternoon drew to a close, we’d say our good-byes and I’d climb on my bike for the ride home, full of crumpets and tea, for sure, but also filled with the warmth that comes from a pleasant afternoon of visiting and singing.

I look back now and almost wonder if this really happened. It sounds like something out of a novel. In many ways, I had an idyllic childhood. My path to adulthood was paved by adults who nurtured me and helped me navigate around many of life’s cracks and crevices.

The gift of time. The gifts of conversation, helping children understand their value, or providing opportunities for children to see and unleash their potential: the importance of these cannot be overstated. With technology, multitudes of organized sports and other activities, and the busyness of daily life, sadly, it is easy for children to miss out on these experiences. It is our job, as adults, to make sure that doesn’t happen.