The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-01
BladenboroPresent Strong
Impression o. Real Progress
BY HI. A. STALLINGS

BLADENBORO. Oct. -
Here is a town in Bladen county
that gives you an unmistakable
impression of progresswenesws,
Take the school. 1t is either the
largest or the second largest ru-
raj school in North Carolina. 1t
has a home economics cottage,
1t has a vocational agricultural
department. 1t has a work shop.
1t was the first school in the
state to qualify for CT. train
ing courses and it's courses now
are used as a guide by many
North Carolina and southern
schools. 1t has more than 1900
pupils. 1t has more than forty
teachers. 1t has one of the most
beautiful campuses in the state.
1t is an exceptional school per-
forming an outstanding job.
You find in Bladenboro a
newly completed modern NOV
ing picture theater that would
be a credit to towns ten times
it's size The owner is W. G.
Russell. In addition you have a
new office building owned by
DR.. S. S. Hutchinson, a new de-
partment store owned by J. B.
Vaught, a new general store
owned by D E. Freeman, two
new stores owned by w. B.
Dowless and a large number OF
attractive new dwellings.
Anyone experienced in COM
munity building knows tn e
value of accessibility. In the
matter of paved highways
Bladenboro has paved inlets
from Wilmington, Lumberton,
Dublin, Fayetteville, Elizabeth
town., Whiteville, Chadbourn,
Evergreen and Clarkton. 1t is
pavedly easy to get to Baden
boro. These paved inlets are
profitable, commercial feeders.
In this day of a deplorable
shortage of professional practi-
TONERS, Bladenboro has two
physicians and a dentist. That
is tremendously significant.
Bladenboro has a large, pros
pering cotton mill owned and
operated by the Bridgers fam
lily.
The Rotary club, L. A. Bridg-
er, president, and the Civitan
club, Ed Lewis, president, are
uniting to secure for the town
its first fire truck, which al
ready has been ordered. The
Civitan club is less than a year
old and this is it's first large
activity. The Rotary club is ten
years of age and it sponsored
the Boy Scout troop has con-
tributed additional books to the
school library each year, and
has sponsored each year the
Christmas lights for the streets.
incidentally Bladenboro has a
reputation over a wide area for
the beauty of the Christmas
lighting for the private homes.
We met B. o. Ward, chair
man of the Bladenboro. Red
Cross chapter. Its quota last
year was $3.50 and more than
that was raised. During the war
the quota went as high as $5,-
$50 and that was raised. 1t is
an efficient chapter and great
in service.
H. j. White, a member of
the Bladen county Board of
Commissioners, lives in Baden
boro. He is one of the leaders
in building up livestock produc-
ton. He now has a herd of rs
purebred Polled Herefords. Wig
orously he is fighting any one
crop situation and he is winning
out for diversification.
You find an airport and fly
ing school in Bladenboro. You
find many paved streets. You
find beautiful residences. Above
all you meet. leaders, confident
leaders, at work all the time
for a finer community in which
to live, in which to do business
and in which to rear the
younger generation. 1t is a com
munity that is moving forward