The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-09-02
T1ERE'LL BE SOME REAL
GONCS-ON IN COLUMBIA.
The Capital of The County of Tyrrell Is All
Dressed Up and Determined To Do
Some Stepping Out
BY W. o. SAUNDERS

to modest and retiring rural
county seat town. is stepping
out. Columbia is tired OF the
back seat it has occupied for a
century or more; Columbia is
about to take her place among
the peppy. progressive. aggreS-
sivc. up and coming towns of
North Carolina and she's going
to celebrate.
Columbia will stage one OF the
biggest road and bridge celebrations
ever held i'm Coastal Carolina on
Wednesday. Sept. Z. 1927. She in
vites the world to come over Route
9N to join with her on that date in
having a real picnic. Fifty corn
and milk fed pigs, dozen calves
and hundreds Of hens are being
finished for a great open air bar
hecue. Tons of appelS are being
pressed Into sweet cider. Barrels
OF Tyrrell County potatoes are be-
Ing made Into crisp. brown potato
chips. Tyrrell County housewives
will bake loads and loads of corn
pone beaten biscuit. pies. cakes and
other good things all day Monday
and Tuesday.
There will be a brass band, air
planes, parades. beauty show, speak
Ing: continual round of festivf-
ties from early morning till late
at night.
Then and Now
Back in 1850 the town commits
sioners of Columbia met in the office
of the village lawyer TO dispose or
the question of buying new wash
or for the town pump. They had
to have legal authority 10 spend Il
nickel for the washer and they had
TO debate the question where the
money was coming from.
In walked Dack Newberry anu
Wallace Tatum. We have come,
said the pair. ITO ask this honorable
board To buy Il lawn mower TO nse
on Main ST. The sidewalks are
all grown up with grass and JimSoii
, weeds. We think it would LOOK
,icer if we cut down the weeds
and moved the grass.
Tho commissioners were DUMP
founded. Two of them resigned I'm
mediately. They lowed as no"
things had come to Il pretty pass
when h pair OF. d.indies like. DacE
Eewberry and wallate} Tfthm had
gotten such high falutin notions IL
their fool heads as to think that tht
town had any money To spend 1oi
sucb fnnliShnesS. If they represent
od the sentiments of the citizens o'
tho village then DANCED if the com
missiopers wouldn't quit and le'
,bem run the town according u
their new tangled notions. And thea
did.
/ Dark Newberry and Wallace
Tatum had themselves seated IL
nIoce Of the retiring members ol
the commission and things heSa'
20 b,nnep i'm Columbia. Columbl;
didn't have Il street worthy ol th'
nome. Every respectable family IL
rho village had COW and the lam
ur cows roamcd at large over th'
tnu.u doing their stuff all over th'
streets When the cows paved hoie'
in the streets some one Wo''ld III
mn the holes with an arm t'lii %
oarr S,,ILs The streets locked llE'
com,ost heaps and everybody car
ried cow dung on their feet.
The Newberry-Tatum adhiiilStr.
,i,p in 1890 cut the weeds on Mai'
street and then proceeded 10 pahH
rrpt the town by buying Severa
tbousond bushels of oyster shells "
five cents Il bushel and putting tuen
nm the COW paths. lncloeh'aii'
they nearly started an lnsurrectio'
Inv passing an ordinance calling w
On ararv able bodied male Ill TOW
70 i've 4 certain number OF da!
I,bor 70 working the streets ail
building sidewalks. That WAS Il
1899. r;
This wear the town of COiuihoi
has spent nearly $4,000 for cemeh
,,reats sidewalks. curbs anu Sul
tors The town has its own eiectri
: u.bt nlant 1t has Il $6O,OOO hls
schoo, building. Brick building
have taken the place of most Oh IL
old wooden stores. Beautiful home
abound OIL every hand. Flowers an
sbrubbery are cultivated by III
boma owners and the cows are hel
,t home There is moving pletur
theatre showing Paramount fnS
National and Metro-Goldwyn PIT
/, lures The Caravan Knight Dru
ICo. operates modern Main sure,
soda palace with Il frigldalre SOU
: fountain. necking booths and all I'd
rest of it. -Four pretentioqs churel
o. serve the religious needs VI l"
..s ~ ,~~N "--ON