https://johnsonvilleschistory.org/files/original/cae83a652a0149614fb0d2b15e616e14.pdf 96af9c33476d74bcb30e5d8ae6558f59 PDF Text Text -4-C -SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1967 :·:· .~• · ]!(1.1fl'l1l'L' ~flLuuht\) ~tllHl t~''fr!: ~ . ··~" ; ,) ~)"C/>~<0/'0)·,) ,;,~,. ... .. . •• •.. ., , ,,. y ._ , ~ . .. ~ .• ~ .. ( · , :· t .... ,\ . ~..< .:' :~:, :,: .· • ... .. . •. ··I :,.,..- '.1 • . • . . . .. . . , : .. :.• : .. ~ : : ·,, · :.• . . ,,, SPOTLIGHT When Micbigan GO\'. Geot•gc Homney paid a visit last week lo Williamsburg and F!oren<!e counties, he was intert!s!cd in loss of employment in rural :weas and fin<l ing ways to re· lllacc it. .' JOHNSONVILLE He missed a bet when hP. didn't vi~it the Hemingway and Johnsonville areas. There, he would have found ,\s IO\I'llS go in Lhc Pee l)ee, Hemingll';ly is <1 young to1~n. a rural <trea that produced Around the turn o[ !he century William Capers Henungway, jobs by the hundreds in r~· , a large landowner who planted hundreds of acres of tobac~:o cent years to replace jobs t' and whD had several tenants anrl sharecroptlers, established lost wben mechanization of . four general stores in the Hemingway l!icinity, largely to .· farms hit full swing after :·· serve the people ll'ho worked his land. World War H. ;, 'file first store was located on Black Mingo Cre!!k. Olhcrs In the early 1950s, the towns were buili al Rome, Oll;:md auu Lambert. It was Lambert ... of lesg than 1.000 faced t11e . thal became Hemingway, n<Jrned in memory of Hemingway .. prospecl of withering on tile vine as dozens in the South· :. following his death in J91:i. e:~st have done as farm em· Among the .early businesses in the village were Fred ll. ploymenl dwindled. Huggins Hardware, J. F. DuRant Grocery. Oliver Brothers But a big 1D54 announce.. Liw:stock, W. D. Harmon General Merchandise, Eaddy..Creel ment started the change. That ; Brothers Merchandise and Millineiy. was when Wellman Combing : The Lown early developed as a thl'iving tobacc(} m:.~rkct . · Co. sald it would build a new wi1ich largely act'Oimted for the establishment o£ two banks ::: plant on the Lynches River which in 1949 merged Into the AnderS(Ill State Bank. ·· outside Johnsonville. :· . Follo\ving Hemingway's death, his Uiree sons - J . Ell, Since then, the area has : Waller C. and George S... · Rgrced to Ia)• off a site for a ,,. added Warm:r Brothers aL ; ·town with areas designated Ior businesses <mli homes. They !:· Hemingway, a lingerie rnak~; dunated land for churches and schools. :::; er; Electromotive at Hem· "' .. i.ngway, all electronics capa· ··.: Hemingway was chartered June 22, 1!114, Lhc year that n :·! citor maker; DuBois Dyeing ; : new brick ~chool was buill on Soutn Main Slrcel. 'i'he l•·irst f·~ Co., at JohnsonvHle, a wool. :. 1\1cth<Jdt'st Church \•1as built in 1916 and Fil'st Baplisl Church ,.:.· en ~yn lh · f lf!Il; ' . e t·1c. d.y~tng ln· . : in 1921. :.; ternational Narrow Fabrics in ~ Carolina Power and Light Co. brought clcctrir.al power to ; : HemlngiYa)', maker of elcas; : the town in 193(). Main Street was paved in 19J8 and munici· :,:i. . tic webbing nnd narrow tapes; Atlantic Foods, Inc. in Hem· :-' p<1l water w~s inslalled in 1939. !.he same year Johnson ;! lngway. processor and pack! : Memorial Hospital was built by Dr. Allen H. Johnson. ager of eggs; and .lolmson;.: . •, . . :.; ville Manufacturing Co., a ; · Dr. •Johnson also founded the Pee Dee lclephone CL>. Ill.-: ,Johnsonville garmcnl firm that ! Hemingway in 1947 which was sold to General Telephone Co. ,: makes women's dune<Jrf\Cs and ~ · last year. Since then the telephone company has ~loved into : i slacks. L a new building and announced plans for a $143,000 improve-. ~ Florence County Rep. Odell ;· m~nts program, largely for updating switching equipment.:~~ Veu!.crs, a former Jobnson, , . ville mayor, said that industrial expansion enabled John· "' Johnsonville's early history is somewl1at obscure. Little is :; sunvillc (o kcL'!' its economy : available in the way of a writt~n history. . . going and to expand employ- * ;· * * * * * owns rea mpac n By TIIOM ANDERSON ~lorning News State Editor HEMINGWAY. .' ··- 1970 census,'' Venters said. It Hemmgway firms bave a "tre- Hemingway and locating Du· grew from 350 in 1950 to mendous list of applications'' Bois Dyeing Co. at Johnson· that indicate there ls room for ville. nearly 900 in 1960. . . more. Wal~r and transporta· DuBois locateiJ across the J. P. Askins Jr., :m officer lion were llsted as important. road from Weltman in 1963 o! the Hemingway Industrial Besides a good wtderground with the aid of an SBA loan. Corporation ;~n industry-boost· water supply, the Lynches :md Since that time, they have exing organization, said, "We Pee Dee Rivers arc near Hnd pani:led their plant by some Seaboard Coast Line railr{}ad have to kind of slow down servil-e and truck!lnes give 20,000 square feet to the originand absorb the companles we good freight service, Askins al 27,000 square feet. Employm~nt now is near 100. l!ave rlght now, but that will said. . The Hemingway industrial not take too long." Then, he Askins pointed out anolh1Jr park was a 2(}.acre tract just said, there should be more companies and more employ- factor !hal Romney would across Se11board Coast Line have found interesting. A com· tracks from the busineSs area ment in the area's future. binatioo of local initiative r:nd they. hoped to use for indusVenters and Askins listed federal funds "have been the try. Now, it is fiUed. with three !actors they feel make the backbone of Hemingway ;Jrea small plants, Electromotive area attractive to industry. development." which employs about 100, InA basic attitude on tt>.e part Small l3usiness Administra- !.cma~ional Narrow Fabrics of the people stands near the tion loans have been a factor · with about 50 jobs and a likebead of the list, they said. other factors are a good ~>up­ in locating plants that filled lihood of adding a second shirt, ply or labor. Askins said the a 20-acre industrial pL!rk in ~md 1\tlantic Foods, Inc. All ment some despite farm cutbacks. "In fact, between l9!'<11l and 1960 Johnsonville was Florence County's fastest-growing town and may be ag:lin in the Hemingway Industry Day Friday HEi\llNGWA Y - A series o£ ribbon - cuttiug ceremonies set fGr Frldoy will draw a host of .digrai~ries for a day-long celebratioa of itS recent Industrial success. IJ,IClud~ iJt the. series of ceremonies will be deilica, tions of industrial planls located b~rc since 1960 and ~cremonies formany opr.nmg other businesSl!s. .Having ceremonies wlll be War~er Rrol:IH!rs Co., tru Molive Maouracturing Co., and International Nar~ row F a b r i c s, industrial firms . Also 'h :nolog flfrmul openings wiU JJe C<Jaclt· mao's Inn, the to\m's new motel and rcst;~urant, Genenll Telepboue Co., Hem. mgway Production Credit, Anderson State Bank and Jlemiugway Broadcasting Co. To join local ofrihials in the ceremonies will be Gov. Robart E. McNair, Sens. Strom Thurmnnrl and Ernest. 1<'. Hollings, Rep. JGhn L McMillan and State Development Board Director J. D. Llttle. Otber state officials and Sm:ill Business Administwtiort officials will take part. The 9th Air Force Band ftnm .Shaw 1\ir Fori:e Base wiU Qpen the day with a 10 a.m. concert, and tile series of dcdir.alions will :;tart at 11 a.m. At noon a barbecue at Rig Four Wurebuuse will feature the day. .. J .. ' • .. .. . .~ ... . • .. . .. . • ... . .. ... . . ' ; •.. • '. .. Hemingway Mayor Dons Many Hats In the .1920s, Johnsonville was a bustling community with ·.; stores lining Broadway. the main stree~ and three or fou1·:;. lol:Jacco ware\1ouses holding auctions. II saving:; and loan : ;~~sociations and wholesale grocery firm were among the · : town's busint-ss establishments. ..''<. '· 1 "' . • .. . -... .. ..... ~ ;.·- ..... ·• . . , . • .. , _ One of the most serious fires occutred in 1931. A. news- ·; ~ · paper clipping in the Florence County Public Library quoting ' i i D. B. Ha7.elden, a merchant, relalcs that the fire struck in . ; the dr.ad of night and the on!y tt>jng left 1vas t1¥o stores. :': Haselden is quoted as saying nobody was in a hun·\! to '. . rebuild and thal a de<.:ade PiiSSed before rebuilding really ·.: Look hold. · :i ' The <trrival of Well.man Combing Co. in a major inclust1·y :1 for a connnumty winch l1as been geared !1> an agriculture\ ·:l illld lwub~r ct:unomy, launched Johnsonville on a new era . ·::.; (Siaft P J.olo b7 So11D7 SmiUo) SANDRA POSTON, MISS H EMI~GWAY HIGH SCHOOL Before Swimming Pool ct Hemingwoy's Coachman's Inn .. . .. . .. ' ' , . ... .. . . . • • .. ' ) ' .· · :: · .. .... .. .. •. • -' I • • '. . . ·. ' . • ' I • ' .' ..: - .. .: . . ... .. ..: . . . . ..' .. ... ... . . . . I ~... ' ' •• I ' ' 'H • -' . .. . '. .. • .. . ' " ' 'I • • ' • . ...... -:... ' .··.. .: .,.... .. . .. . ...·. ·.: ; ; ' 0' \ .. •. ": .. • . .. • ' ...o '... .. ·;;. ~ .. .. .. .. .. • : •.. •...· !:. .. <,:'J.. • '· .. . Johnsonville Vividly Shows Impact of Major Industry . JOH!\SO~VILLE - 1' h i s small lower Florence County town (population 88~ llS couni· ed in the 1960 census) illustrates vividly the impact th<tt a major industry can have on a small community. ·.. .. . .. .... . HEMTJ\'GWAY - Hemingway Mayor Durward Lewis wears m<~ny hats. Besides being the top elected offici~! jn the town government, he is sales supervllior of the Hemingway tobacco market and heads the Hemingway Industrial Corp., a Ieg~l body form· ed in l~Gl to spur industrial development. 1:Je earns a living as an accountant. The addition of Lbree new industries during the past two years has sparked new economic vitality whlch is being felt by downtown businesses, according to Lewjs, The arrival of new inrinstry and Lbe continued efforts of . town leaders to secure more ~ .. .. that one as .we did tbe other one," he said. INDUSTRY PUSH .. . • •• • • • • • • . •• ' " ; : '', !'f::.'j )'~'1'+'-'*:W"" ':":" ' '- '' . ,., ... . : ·· ...... ~ , ... !.'<'"''} ~· • . .. ; • ;.·· .... ·~· .... -·· . . . .• . • .• ...... . . . .. ' . . ~~'~ ..."'·· :....... ~.. =-;}~ -.. ; •.~ ~ ..:.· ~ "''; : ; ~.;. ! :·~ ~J ~: I .I 1 after the wartime boo~t or the middle 19·10s to JohnsQnv!lle ocsiness activ lty, there W?.~ a recession which only the arrival of Wellman and other industries reversed. Jollllsonvillc is on the brink Wellman Cambing Ct!., a of undertaking a major sewerwool-processing firm, lnealcd age ami water improvP.ments hr.re in 1954 and now employs program. A petition is being some 1,200 persons, mainly ci~c:ula!ed calling for an decmen. Since then a number of Lion which will :111thorize the other plants have located here, town cmmcil to borrow suffieach divcrsiEying and hnost- cit-nt funds to renovate Lhe municip:1l water system and ing the · economy. inslall a sewerage sysli!m. But the principal ii(Jost lo Preliminary engineering the economy has been the and ground work for . financWellmnn pl:ml providing jobs ing the project has been done, for hundreds . .of men who <tceording to M~yor DeLance would have gone elsewhere Lu Poston. The town fathct·s are seek work hnd i!. not been for asking authorizatirm to sp~nd the Wellman plant. up to $1:i0,000 for improveThe vi~u1.d signs of the lm· ments in the w a t e r system pact of industry on .Johnson- nnd up to $74,000 for installville is n10rc evident around ing a sewer system. the town's perimeter whc1·c . The town expects to fin::mcf! hundreds of new home~ lo a major portion o[ the prohouse plant workers llavc gram with fednral grants and bC"Cn builL to bo1·row the remainder . lt is al~ evident to down· which will be 11<1id oH with lawn merchants, acr.ording to 11tility rcv9nucs over a 20.. Rich<Jrd hus np- year pc1·iod. . . Pro:;~cr. \vho . cra~cu a uepanmcn~ :store 1m .Iohnsonviiie's main sired . ":". · -- .!. .. . .. JllUttuw,tty, WINDOW SHOT AT WELLMAN COUNTRY CLUB FRAMES GOLHKS ANi) COU RSt. ~ey Art Johnsonville Councilman Richfl rd Pr osser, Left, and Club Pro Leonerd Drake ' .~ Lilt: . u ·J;uiJ Widening and resurfacing the main street in Hemingway ltas c~Jrne along with remodel· ing of several. of the stores. There are few vacant buildings, and new store buildings have sprung up oo the end of town. "J hope we do as well with J. P. ASKINS JR., RIGHT, VIEWS MACHINERY Cortez Owens, Supervisor ot I ntemotionoJ Narrow Fabrics The !own whieh began to dcvel{)p around lhe 1l1rn o[ the , . 1:enlnry ur shortly afterwards was named either fo1· Billy:·: Johnson, a blacksmith in the area in the lale 1800s, or for his ;'1 parents. :; - Venters said Johnsonville business has weathered the de~ cline in fann jobs and ex· panded. He added .Some tjrpes of establishments are still needed there and would make money. lndustnal Corp. is obtaining ;l 42-acre tract Lo which the town will run water and sewer li.Ms. ·. . ville depository since Wellman has become the Johnsonville ~:~te Bank, and Andersnn Bank in Hemingway ~<IS undergone expansion that puts it JlQW in a sleek, modern office on Main Street. And l~e sald the Hemingway ' ~ The business cornmunlty has felt the results. The Johnson- He said walLing lists for jobs and young people getting ne3r joining the labor ma!'ket assure a supply of labor. • . . plants locating in the vicinity of the towns since 1961, most with SBA help, have added about 000 jobs. As the towns absorb their new industry, Askins .:;aid more jobs are in the future. L..---------...1 ·. Askins said in addition . Meanwhile, Hemingway has seen a new radio station go on the air and a $2 million expansioll of tcl~plrone facilities by the General Telephone Co. since it has taken over the old Pee Dee Telephone Co. The firm set·v~ both towl.IS as well as Pamplico. . . .. The lown. however, has heen plagued wi!h numbei'S of fires . which took a heavy toll in the business area each time they : : struck. The mayor says serious fires have :;truck the down-',. town etrea probably a half dozen t imes and .iri the days:~ when slon~ buildings were wood, the fires spread rapidly.' ·; . Wellman employs about 1,~ 200 people nQW in prOduction or wool tops and blends. Plans call for a shopping center to rise on the edge of Johnsonville soon. Atlantic Foods, Inc., Elec· :Mayor DeLance Poston says the land on which the town ~·. stnnds w:1s originally owned by S. W. Poston, the fa !.her of a !ormer mayor and a di~Lant relative of the present mayor. have. located in tiNl past three years. ~ireci since the enrly 1930s. . .' Prosser, also :t member of the town council rcc~ lis that WiliCil i iOI¥:5 ci.C'1\ii>~ a·,,;; il<icl\~ or Seaboard Coastline Rnilroad has a number of unoccuplcd. buildings. Work begun, hOW• . I . ever. on widening .Lhree blocks of East Broadway to the in· teJ'lietlion of Highway 51. Sidewaiks, curbs. and. gutters will be Installed along the widened portion of tbe street. JohnsonviUe'~ active volunl~!r fire denartment is building a lire station near the center of town to house a fire truck bought last year and other fire-fighting gear. The department headed by vollnl· !.ccr chief Irby Stone has raised funds to coru;Lrucl the station through donations and a series of fund - raising projects. Utilizing the petition method, .Johnsonvllle's town council h<l:> extended tJle town limits three ti:rncs recently bringing in about 30 houses and adging about 100 tCI Lhc town's population. . Odell Vcnl.crs, a member ol Floreuc~'s County Delegatio.n to. t~e state House of Rep· rr.scnt<ttivcs and a merchant in J ohnsonvil!e, predicts that !he census in 1970 slJOw a substantial increase in the will town's population. 'PujnUn~ . iil;·,y ··~ t.b t:ic Hlim~Jtr tf , Uri\.:iiLi;g:;, lit: ~UJ~, .~ ~ti ;; popula!lon should reach 1,200, an estimate 11e considers con- servative. has brought with it a cha!· lenge to tbe town and its government. The ehallenge i~ to provide water and sewerage facilities adequate to serve uew industries and its climb· ing population, a cosily undertaking for a town witb a population of 951, according to the 196~ census. The pupulation is somewhat higher now, however. •• . I DURWARD LEWIS Hemingway Mayor outsicle. 'rhP. town is counting on receiving $211,550 in federal funds for the project and the remf:lining ~325,000 will be borrowed from the Farmers Horne Administration and repaid with utiliLy revenues. The challenge of providing utility improvements of this scope i.s formidable for a town the si~:c of Hemingway, Lewis observeS. But town leaders realize this is the sort of lhing that has to he done to attract In t9fi2, when Wamer Broth- industry which will in turn ers came as the town's first foslcr prosperity in o the r manufacturing plAnt, the town areas of LlJe commuoity econ~ omy, he says. ~;pent $32,000 to extend water and sewer lines to serve t11c Hemingway, li!<:e ather Pee plant. During the past hvo Dee towns which in the past years, $.'1,000 has been spent have heen trade centers of an agricultural eeonomy, must io cxlcnd uti Iity lines to a diversity its economy by new Electro Motive plant and bringing in new industry or $3,500 t1> extend lines to the dry up, Lewls observes. Jnternettiunal Narro1v Fabrics Hemingway is a one stop· plant: !iglrt town which bas no park· The next big item of bllsi- mg meters and angle park~ ness for the town government ing. There is u.sually adequate is a water and sewer expan- parking ex:cept during peak sion prograni which wi!l cosl shopping periods. The town, in excess of $~~ million. It neve.r~eless has gone into an will include :~ new sewerage am bit1ous off.street parJo:ing treatment facility, a 400,000 program. Five off.street Ita gallcn elevated water tank have l>cen developed ;l n d five m()re are plaiUled which and a new well. will provlde over 200 parking Tlte expansion will Increase spaces. by more than six times !.he Two years ~~go, sidewalks, ready water supply. of . the town. It is needed mainly to curbs and gutterS were .lnSIDll~ raise fire protection capabili· cd on the two 1<ey st.rootstics, accordu1g to tile mayor. Main Street from the raitroad trJc.':s r.n the w~st side of ~·. •t•: • A. ...... ···'1'• ..•.• .•. ·- ._ -·............... ..--,., ...=-- -. .. r...,. . . . ... J ...... ,...- .... ,..-· · · · · ~ ·. gram will make water and s!!Wcr services avaiiabie io i'lil dwellings in town and some I t!'.-: ::~"o l;; ·.~! t.-: :.-:-:. ..... .•. t,..........~ ~!-::'); ........ ......... . ...,.1"" ....... f ....p·: n the east and on eight blocks oi Broad Street, foe principal strf:et cri>sslng Main. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource News Articles Subject The topic of the resource Newspaper and magazine articles. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Industry Impact Great for Small Towns - 1967 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 10-1-1967 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Florence Morning News