How the Jungle Gym Was Born-- Part 1: OUCH!! Stay Off Those Monkey Bars

From the November 29, 2018, Chicago Tribune by Christopher Borrelli.

You can see what is regarded as the first jungle gym in the U.S. in the backyard of the Winnetka Historical Society in Illinois, (north of Chicago).   "A monolithic, caramel-color 7-foot-tall cube of deliberately spaced sharp angles...  It looks as punishing as contemporary playground equipment is welcoming...  It's only concession to safety is the sandbox of wood chips beneath it."

Children, however, are not allowed to play on it.  But they do.

Boy, I sure remember jungle gyms, especially the one in Herman Park in Goldsboro, N.C., across from my grandparents' house.  And, yes, there were the occasional painful fall.  And, hitting the ground, as bad as that was, was further worsened by hitting bars on the way down.  A double, triple battering if you will.

Only, we called 'em monkey bars.

And, it IS the First, the VERY FIRST jungle gym.

What was that Bill Cosby used to say about playground items that he never saw adults on?

But Fun, Real Big Fun.  --Cooter

Mt. Olive Pickles-- Part 1: A Lebanese Opportunity

From the February 2017, Our State (N.C.) magazine  "Bringing It Home" Karen Sullivan.

The story of Lebanese Immigrants to North Carolina.

THE BADDOUR FAMILY, MOUNT OLIVE

Dreams of a better life caused thousands of Lebanese to leave their country between 1880 and 1920.  In North Carolina, the census counted nearly 1,400 people of Lebanese descent in 1920.

Shikrey Baddour was one of those early Lebanese immigrants, arriving in the early 1890s.  The streets were not paved with gold as he was told, but there was an abundance of opportunity.  By 1924, just nine years after he arrived in the U.S., he was already running a shirt factory in Goldsboro, N.C..

One day, on a drive through nearby Mt. Olive, he saw farms where cucumbers were rotting in the fields, he was inspired to turn this into a profit.  With the help of 36 shareholders, he started the Mt. Olive Pickle Company in 1926.

And, you can go into most any store here in the Midwest and find these pickles on the shelves today.

--RoadDog

Spanish-American War Memorial Dedicated in Goldsboro, NC-- Part 5: The Goldsboro Rifles

The Goldsboro Rifles were a company of volunteers for the Confederacy in the Civil War from the local area.  They were disbanded after Lee's surrender at Appomattox, but reestablished in the 1870s.  It was a company of soldiers and eventually T.H. Bain became their commanding officer with the rank of captain.

When war with Spain broke out in 1898, the U.S. government called for volunteers and many members of the Goldsboro Rifles answered the call.  Diseases in tropical camps claimed as many of the American troops as bullets on the battlefield.

Bain made his request to honor his fallen men in the local newspaper, but nothing ever came of it...until now.

My Great Uncle David M. Prince, whom I wrote about last week, was a member of the Goldsboro Rifles during World War I.

A Big Thanks to Logan Tillman.  --Cooter

Spanish-American War Memorial Dedicated in Goldsboro, NC-- Part 3: All Four Died of Disease

Members of the Bain family were on hand to witness the event.  T.H. Bain, the great grandson of T.H. Bain came to the event from Florida and said, "We're really extremely honored that Mr. Tillman not only honored the four men who died but honored Theodore Bain and the Bain family and we're very appreciative as well."

Great granddaughter of Captain T.H. Bain, Georgia Bain Reese, from Wilmington, N.C., was also on hand.

The four men honored on the memorial are: Pvt. Archer C. Hayes, Pvt. Newman P. Jones, Pvt. Charles R. Barnes and Pvt. Thomas R. Edwards.  Hayes and Jones died in a Florida camp and Barnes and Edwards died in Havana, Cuba.

--Cooter

Spanish-American War Memorial Dedicated in Goldsboro, NC-- Part 2: Fulfilled Their Captain's Wish 117 Years Later

"One-hundred and seventeen years ago, T.H. Bain, the captain of the Goldsboro Rifles, made a public plea for a monument to be raised in the memory of the four members of his unit who died during the Spanish-American War.

"On Saturday, that wish was finally fulfilled."

I sure would have been there had I known about it and not has a 90th birthday party for my Aunt Louise to attend.

A monument bearing their names was dedicated in the Bain family plot in Goldsboro's Willowdale Cemetery.  The project was guided by Eagle Scout candidate Logan Tillman of Troop 581.

One more reason to like the Boy Scouts.

All four members of the Goldsboro Rifles died of disease.

--Cooter

Spanish-American War Memorial Dedicated in Goldsboro, N.C.-- Part 1

From the May 8, 2016, Goldsboro (NC) News-Argus "Memorial to four men that died during the Spanish-American War dedicated" by Dennis Hall.

**  Eagle Scout candidate Logan Tillman leads project to honor Goldsboro Rifles.

**  Photograph:  Georgia Bain Reese and her brother J.D. Bain stand next to a monument erected in the memory of members of the Goldsboro Rifles who died during the Spanish-American War.

--DaCoot

World War I's Lt. David M. Prince-- Part 3: His Uniform and Helmet

The Wayne County Museum has David Prince's helmet worn by him in World War I.  The type of helmet was designed in 1917.  German troops called these helmets"salatschussel" meaning salad bowl, which they did resemble.

The logo on it is hand painted with three "Xs," standing for the 30th Division.  If the logo is rotated by turning the helmet, you can read "OH", standing for "Old Hickory," Lt. Prince's division's nickname.

There is also a military coat worn by him during his service along the Mexican border near El Paso, Texas, for six months beginning July 1916.  You can still see the outline of his sergeant's stripes on the sleeves.

--Cooter

World War I's Lt. David M. Prince-- Part 1: Officer Training and World War I

I was in the Wayne County Museum earlier this week and there is a display of a picture, uniform top coat, helmet and his Carnegie Medal.

Lt. Prince was my great uncle.

Lt. David M. Prince, Co. I, 119th Infantry.  Born in Halifax, N.C., August 7, 1896 to David and Minnie Prince.  As a child he moved to Goldsboro.

In May 1915, he joined the North Carolina National Guard and was assigned to Co. E, 2nd N.C. Infantry Regiment and made a sergeant with Lt. Zeno Hollowell.

He went to officer training at Camp Stanley near San Antonio, Texas and rejoined the regiment as a second lieutenant in Company I at Camp Servier, S.C., before deployment to France in May 1918 during World War I.

World War I's Lt. David M. Prince-- Part 2: Died Saving a Young Boy's Life

Lt. Prince returned to the United States in April 1919 and worked as a salesman for Smith Hardware in Goldsboro, N.C..

A few months later, he drowned in a flooded field near the junction of the Little and Neuse rivers near Goldsboro on July 26, 1919.  He was trying to rescue Jefferson Merritt, age 12,  Mr. Prince held the boy's head above the rampaging waters and saved him, but drowned in the process.

David Prince was posthumously awarded the Carnegie Medal for Heroism.

He is buried next to his parents at Goldsboro's Willow Dale Cemetery.

What's in a Name, How Some Goldsboro Sections Got Their Names-- Part 2

Goldsboro, North Carolina

REVILO PARK

At one point Goldsboro was booming because of its street railway system.  The Oliver Construction Company built a line to a new real estate division on the norther edge of town.

To honor the man who headed the project, the project developers named it "Revilo" which was Oliver's name backwards and added the word Park.  It is still referred to as Revilo Park.  It was supported by many of the leading men of the city and many lots were sold, though it never developed into as big of a project as thought.

GREENLEAF

Greenleaf was to have been Sandy Plains but it was found that there already was another Sandy Plains in the state and that if they wanted a post office they would have to find another name.

That was fifty years ago, before rural mail service became as good as it is today.

Congressman Green had been active in getting them a post office and they decided to name their section in his honor.  The post office was abolished in the early 1900s, but the community kept its name.

How About Cooterville?  --Cooter

What's in a Name: How Some Sections of Goldsboro Got Their Names-- Part 1

Continued from the early column post from today.  Goldsboro, North Carolina.

LITTLE WASHINGTON  Little Washington became a black settlement after the freeing of the slaves following the Civil War, and was named for the nation's capital.  Blacks of the time regarded it as the mecca of their race because Lincolns's Emancipation Proclamation originated from there when he was president.

WEBBTOWN--  Named for store owner Silas Webb who had a business there.

GEORGETOWN--  Named for Dr. George L. Kirby who owned a large amount of property.

EDMUNDSON HILL--  Named for John Edmundson, a real estate dealer who started a subdivision there.

--DsaCootHill

The Babe and Mrs. Ruth in Goldsboro, NC-- Part 2

"'We are taking back almost a car load of game in a refrigerator car out there.  Game that Babe, Bud Fisher and some of Babe's friends killed, and my duck is in the lot,' explainedMrs. Ruth in a soft southern voice.  She was born in Georgia.  "I tyhink I'll have it mounted by a taxidermist, and labeled 'killed by Mrs. George Herman Ruth at Davis, N.C. and give the date.'  Don't you think  that would be a good idea?

"I'm sure it would,' said the Babe.  'I had her in the blinds with me all day, and she held up pretty well.  It's rained ever since she got down here though, and I believe she  brought the rain with her.'

"Ruth, off a few pounds from what he was his last visit to Goldsboro, said he was going to begin indoor training in earnest when he gets back to New York.

"Goldsboro people and admirers of the Bambino  trooped in and out continuously to shake his hand.  Miss Hazel Nasekos presented Mrs. Ruth with a box of flowers."

Mrs. Ruth here was the Babe's second wife, Claire Merritt from Athens, Georgia.

So, the Babe was popular in North Carolina and bit heavier during the off season.

A Chance to Meet the Babe.  --DaCoot

The Babe and the Mrs.Ruth in Goldsboro, NC-- Part 1

From the March 30, 2014, Goldsboro (NC) News-Argus "Mighty dogs and hunters of bygone days" by Sherwood Owl Williford,

Seventy-three years ago a famous hunter passed through Goldsboro en route to his favorite hunting grounds at Camp Bryan near New Bern.  That man, of course was none other than George Herman Ruth, better known as "Babe."

The following is a 1932 News-Argus story about him and his wife, "Mrs. Babe."  The artricle was written after the hunt when they were waiting for a northbound train.

"DEMURE BRUNETTE TELLS OF BAGGING A DUCK:  Goldsboro got its first look at Mrs. George Herman Ruth Tuesday night, and liked her.  Numbers of times Goldsboro has seen the Yankee slugger himself going to and from Camp Bryan near New Bern on his annual hunting trips, but it was the first time that Mrs. Ruth had accompanied her famous husband.

"Arriving from New Bern the couple had supper at Williams Cafe, greeted scores of Ruth fans and departed for New York on the 9:45 train.  Mrs. Ruth, a demure brunette with a saucy red hat, confessed that she got only one duck in a day's hunting with her husband while the babe, whose shooting eyes are as good as his hitting eyes, was getting the limit,"

More to Come.  --Cooter

The B-52s Are Still Around-- Part 4; But One Major Oops in Goldsboro, NC

Just recently, the government had declassified news about the B-52 which fell apart near Goldsboro, NC, in 1962. It was based out of the town's Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and literally fell apart--with two hydrogen bombs. An one came within one of four fail-safe items of actually exploding.

Many of my family members live in Goldsboro, and at the time, I was living in nearby Greenville, NC.

Maybe I could have used my nuclear disaster drills to good use that day. Let's see, get under your desk, head on the floor and hands clasped behind it, butt to the window.

There is a good account of the incident on Wikipedia and a picture of one of the bombs.

That Was Close-- Cooter

Wayne County's Close Call With Nuclear Disaster-- Part 1

From a Wayne County Museum, Goldsboro, NC, pamphlet.

Not only does the building date from World War II, when it served as a USO Club for servicemen, especially from Seymour Johnson Air Base, but it has a great collection for a county museum (including a scale model of the Civil War Battle of Goldsboro Bridge) and always an interesting series of cultural events.

We saw the presentation on the Tuscarora Indians on my first Sunday in town (and written about in this blog), but also other presentations of interest.

One took place March 9th "Wayne County's Close Call With Nuclear Disaster."  Now, if that doesn't draw your attention, I don't know what will.

Ducking and Covering!  --Cooter

Mom's Life-- Part 6

AUTO DEALERSHIP

Daddy and other family members owned Wayne Tire Company on Center Street in downtown Goldsboro. In 1939, he became a Studebaker automobile dealer and set up a business on John Street. Later, he moved the business to North Wiliam Street.


WORLD WAR II

World War II began on Sunday, December 7, 1941. Mother, Daddy and I were getting ready to put up Christmas decorations when we heard. We were in the Music Room when we heard President Franklin Roosevelt speak over the radio that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and that the Unitedtates was at war!

I remember ration books, buying stamps and war bonds and having scrap drives.


A Lot of Experiences.

Mom's Life-- Part 4

Goldsboro High School is about a half a block from home, so I came home for lunch.

Some of my friends growing up:

Mary Rachel and Elizabeth Johnson who lived next door.
Jean Jenkins
Mimi Weil (had horses)
Elizabeth Handley (had horses)
Sarah Dewey Hunt
Ann Smithdeal
Elwina Miller
Jo Jackson
Gilda Dann


THE BEACH

Summers, our family would go to the beach: Morehead, Carolina, etc., where we would rent a cottage. in 1942, we had a downstairs apartment with Uncle Bush and Aunt Julia Nash on the Northern Extension of Carolina Beach.

In 1946, Mother and Daddy bought a cottage on the Southern Extension of the beach. It was oceanfront and the wreck of the Civil War blockade-runner Beauregard was on the sandbar in front of it.

More to Come.

Mom's Life-- Part 3

I had a lot of cousins at Grantham--Daddy was one of 11 children. They would come for visits there and at Goldsboro.

My Aunt Julia and Uncle Bush Nash had three sons. They lived near Prince Street, named for my grandfather. We had fun playing, but they moved to different places and I would visit them. Rod, David and Jimmy were around for Christmas, also.


SCHOOL DAYS

My school days were happy ones at Walnut Street School.

Grade and teacher.

Grade 1-- Miss Kornegay
Grade 2-- Miss Freeman
Grade 3-- Miss Cooper


AT WILLIAM STREET SCHOOL

Grade 4-- Miss Faison
Grade 5-- Miss Rudisill (she got married)
Frade 6-- Miss Owen
Grade 7-- Miss Judd and Mrs. Twiford
Grade 8--


GOLDSBORO HIGH SCHOOL

Grade 9-- Miss Eliza Cox (she had taught Daddy)
Grade 10-- Miss Jones-Bidogy
Grade 11-- Miss Janie Ipock (Math 3 years), Clifton Britton (drama)
Grade 12-- Senorita Brooks (Spanish)

C.W. Twiford was principal.

More to Come.

Goldsboro, NC's Herman Park-- Part 2

The Herman for whom the park was named, was Herman Weil, the first of a famous family of merchants in the city. He arrived in the US from Germany at age 16 in 1858, and after a short time in Baltimore, came to Goldsboro. Herman was one of the first to join up for the Confederacy in Goldsboro at the onset of the Civil War, joining Captain J.B. Whitaker's company of Goldsboro volunteers, despite his very limited knowledge of English.

After the war, he was joined by his brothers Henry and Solomonand started H. Weil & Brothers store. As merchants, they soon became quite rich.

In the 1930s through to 1941, there was even a zoo in the park, featuring bears, monkeys, birds and other animals. Mom remembers the zoo very well as she was a young girl back in that time frame.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!! --Cooter

Goldsboro, NC's Herman Park-- Part 1

Yesterday, my brother Bob, his wife Judy and I took their sheltie Gracie for a walk around Herman Park here in Goldsboro, located right across Jackson Street from their home and my mother's.

This is the biggest and prettiest parks in the city.

It was donated by the town's biggest merchants, Solomon and Henry Weil back in 1890 in honor of their brother Herman Weil, hence the name and features ten lighted tennis courts, three picnic shelters, a turn-of-the century park house, a large children's playground, a fountain/goldfish pool and a famous statue.

I can't forget to mention, a miniature train as well (even though the sign on Ash Street shows the direction to the "Minature Train").

In 1916, the Herman Weil family presented the city and park with a statue called "Goddess of Youth" which was placed in the middle of the fish pond. By 2001, it had deteriorated to the point that it needed to be replaced and $50,000 was raised by local businesses and people, including my mom, at it was replaced. The original is now in the Wayne County Historical Museum in the old World War II USO building.

Tomorrow, I will tell about my family and the park.

Quite a History. --Cooter