The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-04-12
.LUSTY YOUNG TOWN
farmviIIe and its Splendid
Tributary Country,
Rapid Growth of the Place Since the Building
From Tarboro Of the Eastern Carolina
Railway.
(Staff Correspondence

L
the fall of 1879, 1 made a trip through
this section of Pitt county on buggy.
was on nv way from Tarboro to Green
Vile. At that time Farmville was little
more than a cross roads place with about
two stores. a good deal of the more fer
tile lands in a high state of cultivation
were covered with timber, and portion
Of Farmville was covered with woods.
This is my first trip here since that time,
and though | had heard of much improve
ment, | was not prepared to see such d
nourishing little village with popula-
tion of about 500 souls | know of no
finer location in Eastern or Central
North Carolina for building up a PROCESS
sive town.
The Eastern Carolina Railroad was
completed from Tarboro here about two
years ago, a distance of 20 miles, and
for a new road is one of the best | ever
rode over Mr. Henry c. Brfdgers, of
Tarboro. is the president, and as / am
informed. owner of the road. He first
began by constructing a tram road out
from Tarboro for the purpose of supplying
the mills of Tarboro with wood, and then
decided to build a railroad to this place;
and from what l hear about the financial
success up to this time, | am certain he
does not regret his venture.
From Tarboro to Farmville the road
has opened up fine farming section and
hauled out thousands of feet of fine tim
Der, both for the Roanoke Lumber Com
pany at Norfolk and the Eureka Lumber
Company at Washington, ~ G. The
stations along the route are Davistown,
Pinetops, Macklosficld, Teddy, Fountain
and Farmville; at each l noticed among
other evidences of thrift new buildings
going up.
Farmville is in the western part of the
county, fourteen miles from Greenville,
and eleven miles from Snow HILL county
seat of Greene. The business of the
town consists of from to 10 general
stores one drug and two millinery; two
saloons.
The Primitive Baptists, Episcopalans
and Disciples have church buildings.
The Methodists have bought a lot
and are preparing to build. There
is good school building OF
which Professor Stokes is the princi-
pal. This is a private school, we'll at
tended The public school taught about
five months in the year.
Among the store buildings here there
are three conveniently arranged, large
brick buildings that would do credit to
any town. r. L. Davis & Brothers, the
Oldest merchants in the place, erected the
first: then T. l.. e. W. L. Turnage, and
w. M. Lang, completed his last fall just
in time to put in a fall stock. These
stores all carry as full a line of assorted
goods as are to be seen in any store.
Messrs. w. C. Askew, NJ. T.. Horton e
Brother Speight & Co., Harris & Co.,
carry a good line of dry goods and gro
ceries. Mr.. ]. S. Sims has a grocery; DR..
C. B. Walton owns the drug store; DIR.
d. S. Morrill, and DR.. G. G. Joyner have
their offices and carry line of drugs
for their practice. Miss Mollie Leggett
runs one millinery and Miss Meta Hardy
the other Messrs. Burnett and Baker
are the saloon men. Among the manufac-
turing enterprises is the tobacco truck
factory of r. L. Davis & Brothers; w. g.
Little, superintendent. These trucks are
used to convey the tobacco leaves from
the fields to the barn. They sell for Ell
per set, three trucks to the set
The buggy, cart and wagon factory is
owned by Messrs. r. l.. Davis e. Brother
and T. w. Whitehurst, and though not
very large factory, turns out first class,
strong work
R. L. Davis e Brothers own an up-to-
date cotton gin and grist mill. 1t is one
of these improved rapid firing gins where
the cotton is drawn from the wagon by
air through big funnel on one side of
the gin house and within 25 minutes, the
farmer drives on the opposite side and
receives his bale tightly packed ready
for market.
There are no finer bright tobacco lands
to be seen in Eastern Carolina than these
around Farmville, and the yield is from
500 to 1900 pounds per acre. While to-
bacco and cotton are the principal money
crops OF this section, there are a good
deal of corn, oats hay, peas. potatoes
and other smaller crops raised.
The swamp lands close to Farmville
are covered with such timber as ash
gum and poplar, and it seem to me that
almost any kind of factory that needs
such timber could be located here.
should also think that a cotton seed oil
mill and a cotton factory or knitting
mill would pay well
The business men here are very much
interested in the project to build a rail-
road from Raleigh via Wilson. through
this section to Washington. They cal
culate that one million dollars would
build and equip the road for bust
ness. The distance would be about 100
miles, and it would certainly traverse as
fine a section of the eastern portion of
the State with flattering prospects of flu
ture development, as there is in this sec
ton.
There are also reports that Mr.. Bridgers
may extend the road to Snow Hill at
no distant date. This would be a good
move for Snow HILL and | believe also
for the Eastern and Carolina.
The News and Observer continues TO
grow in favor and subscriptions among
these good people, true and tried Demo-
Gratis.
While in Farmville I have been COM
fortably and pleasantly entertained at tho
Hotel Horton, of which Mr.. NJ T. Horton
is owner and proprietor. He is assisted
by his good wife
Mr. b. S. Smith runs the livery stable
here and takes you over the country be-
hind gUod teams and in comfortable We
hcles.
Through the kindness Of Messrs. Davis,
Lang and Askew, l have enjoyed riding
around this fertile country behind as