Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 191?-19??, 1914-12-10

/ ought to say that these gentlemen,
Mr.. Rose and Mr.. Kennedy came from
the township of the contractors who
built the original structure that stood
upon this site; and it is a good town
ship to come frOm-named Grantham,
after one of your Oldest families,
among the first settlers of this coun-
try.
Now, on this occasion so fraught
with pleasant memories, so ~consecrat-
ed as I have said by the purest patriot
ism and the benediction of the minis
tiers of God, and in an age when we
have made more progress than in any
past era of our history, I regard it
appropriate that On this the one hum
dred and thirty-fourth anniversary of
Wayne county, to refer briefly to the
history of the county from it's estab-
lishment in 1878 by virtue of an act
of the General Assembly held at Hall
fax during the administration of Rich
ard Caswell, the first Governor of the
State of North Carolina.
About the time the county seat was
moved to Goldsboro, Miss Indiana
Wells, afterwards Mrs. J. B. Whitaker.
conducted the first school, and was
succeeded after her marriage by Miss
Emily Webb.
The old Academy, which used to
stand at the head of John Street and
which is now the property of w. Fl
Goodwin, was used by John and Will
liam Robinson, as a school for boys
on the lower floor, and by Miss Webb
as a school for girls on the upper.
The Methodist Church, now belong
ing to the Primitive Baptist denomi-
nation, was built about 1853, and the
Presbyterian and Episcopal Churches,
about 1857, and the Baptist Church
later.
A hotel was built on the corner now
occupied by the lennon Hotel and
operated by James Griswold.
During the '7Os the towns of Mount
Olive and Nahunta, now Fremont,
were established, and have since
grown into prosperous and thriving
towns, among the most progressive in
the State. The name Nahunta was
changed to Fremont in honor of Col.
S. L. Fremont, for many years con-
nected with the old Wilmington &
Weldon Railroad Company.
I believe 1 neglected to state that
J Goldsboro was named after a civil en-
gineer in the employment of the Will
mington & Weldon Railroad Company.
Later the towns of Dudley, Pike
, vile, Eureka, came into existence, the
old town of White Hall on the Neuse
having preceded them by many years,
and now known as Seven Springs.
1t would be interesting to compare
the conditions under which our peo-
pie live at this day with the condi-
lions that existed at the time the
Court House just removed was com
pleted. We hear much said about the
palatial homes of the old-time planter
and slave-owner, but the fact is that
the average man to-day lives in a bet
ter home than they enjoyed. There
are thousands of homes in Wayne
county that are more comfortable, bet
ter furnished and have more of the
luxuries of life than were known to
even the most prosperous of u citi-
zens in that day. Their owners are
more intelligent, have higher ideals,
and lead better lives.
Among the citizens of Wayne who
have been greatly honored in the past
are Jesse Slocomb, the son of Ezekiel
Slocumb, who after serving as clerk
of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Ses-
sions, was elected to Congress from
this District, and served from 1918 to
1928. He died in Washington and was
buried in the Congressional Cemetery.
William H. Washington, who served
in Congress from 1841 to 1S43. 1t
is sometimes claimed that when he
was e to Congress he was a resi-
dent of Craven, but the authorities
differ on this point. Thomas Rufin,
an attorney at this bar prior to 1850,
who served in Congress from 1853 to
1861 inclusive, was a gallant colonel
in the Confederate army, and died of
wounds received in battle; Curtis II.
Brogden, after whose family one OF
our fine townships was named, after
having served the county repeatedly as
a member of the House of Representa-
tives served for many years as Comp
troller of the State, is Lieutenant Gov
ernor and pon the death of Governor
Caldwell, as Governor. He was elect
ed to Congress in 1877, and afterwards
served in the State Senate.
The district has again honOred us
in the election of our countyman,
, George E. Hood, a member of this
bar, who has served as County Treas.
urer, Mayor of the City of GoldsborC
and as a representative in the House
from Wayne.
And Benjamin F. Aycock, who serv
ed as State Senator at the sessions OF
1889, 1891, 1898, 1901 and 1907, and
as a member of the Corporation Com:
: mission of the State.
In 1880 there had not been much
Improvement in farming, though TWEEN
ty-five to thirty thousand bales OF cot
ton were marketed in Goldsboro. Since
then improved methods have been in
troduced and have resulted in the
; production of larger crops of corn
tobacco and cotton, and there has
grown up the great industry of trucl
raising in one of the finest sections
around the prosperous and progressive
town of Mount Olive, which has added
to the wealth of the citizens of tina
| portion of our county.
Prior to 1880 there were but two
manufacturing establishments IL
l Wayne, w. F. Kornegay & Company
. Machine Works and the Planning Mi
of w. H. Underhill.
In 1881 J. H. Strauss & Co. built thu
Rice Mill and operated it. It has since
become the Carolina Rice Mills. II
1882, the Goldsboro Oil Mills wer'