This Month in Rockingham County History: May - '100 Years Ago In Rockingham County'

May 1922

Foreword by Dr. Debbie Russell - Local newspapers can provide us with many of the details of daily life in earlier decades. From the May 1922 pages of the Reidsville Review we get these glimpses of life in Rockingham County a hundred years ago.

Many developments in the early 1920s were opening up new possibilities for Rockingham County residents—in communication, travel, and entertainment. Telephones were now in more homes and businesses, with an added advantage that the numbers would have been quite easy to remember with only two or three digits: 14 for Gardner Drug Company, 183 for the DeGrotte Coca-Cola Bottling Company, or 281 for Dr. W. I. Bowman, chiropractor. 

(Above: In 1922, this Chevrolet automobile was available from the Reidsville Motor Company for $850)

New paved roads and concrete bridges were planned for several areas. The county was set to receive a million and a half dollars in federal and state funds to improve infrastructure and facilitate travel. Hard surface roads to be built included an 8-mile stretch from Reidsville to Wentworth at a cost of $266,000, a 9-mile route from Gunn’s Store to Leaksville expected to cost $310,000, and even hard surfacing the road from Madison to Mayodan, a distance of two miles, at $60,000.  Even in this era in the 1920s when North Carolina called itself the “Good Roads State,” automobiles were regularly mired in mud by a good rain. Automobiles were becoming more widely available and were advertised to local residents.

Or, for travel, folks could catch one of the many passenger trains that came through the area. Reidsville even offered a 60-room hotel—The Belvedere—where travelers might stay for one or perhaps several nights. Possibly some early aviation proponents may have even taken a ride in one of the new “aeroplanes” that came to the county, landing and taking off from the Reidsville Municipal Landing Field.

One hundred years ago, watching the new “moving pictures” was a possibility with the Grande Theatre showing the latest silent releases and sometimes even hosting live performances.

Another interesting diversion in May 1922 was a well attended “spelling bee” for adults held at Lawsonville Avenue School. Over fifty adults, including “lawyers, doctors, preachers, teachers, and men and women of all professions,” participated in the event. Admission was 25 cents.

Possibly the most anticipated activity in the area was the opening of the 1922 baseball season. Everything in Reidsville was shut down for a “three-hour holiday” on the afternoon of the opening games of the Bi-State League. The four-team League was comprised of teams from Reidsville, Schoolfield, Leaksville-Spray, and Burlington.

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At the games, patrons might have also had a refreshing Coca-Cola bottled in Reidsville at Fred DeGrotte’s company. The beverage was typically sold for 5 cents each.

Other diversions that might have been enjoyed by Rockingham County residents in 1922 were dancing lessons at a new studio or attending a Brunswick Stew, one of the most popular activities in the area.

​A century ago, as now, interest in local elections was sometimes limited and at other times quite broad. Those who wanted to vote in many local contests frequently had to re-register in the weeks before each election, so involvement in local electoral politics sometimes took quite an effort. Only 37 people voted in the 1922 city elections in Reidsville. Five councilmen were elected—Dr. M. P. Cummings, G. E. Crutchfield, N. C. Thompson, W. B. Wray, and John F. Scott. These five were to select a mayor from among their number. In Madison, voters were somewhat more engaged in May 1922, approving bonds for a water and sewer system, 210 to 84. The “progressive element” in the community was “overjoyed at the victory,” the newspaper reported.

With the 1920 suffrage amendment, women were taking on new roles in the aftermath of the world war, which was still heavy on the minds of folks in 1922. As reported in the Review, Mrs. B. Frank Mebane, member of the prominent Morehead family, continued her public service, traveling to Phoenix, Arizona, to give a talk on her war relief work in the Balkans.

Yet, some of the developments in 1922 revealed a darker side of the times. Some area residents were clearly having difficulty complying with the anti-alcohol laws that had been instituted in January of 1920. Most of the cases brought to Superior Court in Wentworth were prohibition violations. Lawbreaking, called “showing disrespect of Mr. Volstead’s laws,” in one article, was widespread as evidenced by the list of automobiles confiscated by county law enforcement. In May 1922, Sheriff A. P. Sands advertised two public auctions of automobiles seized because of transporting illegal liquor. Funds from these sales were to go to the public schools.  

Public health in 1922 Rockingham County was also very concerning. Having recently come through years of the influenza pandemic, residents were no doubt alert to warnings from health officials about potential outbreaks of other serious diseases. Rotarians in Reidsville heard from the director of state sanitoriums who urged the county to build its own sanitorium to provide treatment for victims of tuberculosis. The county had seventy-five T. B. cases in 1921. Smallpox also was a serious threat in May of 1922 when the local health officer published his warning in the newspaper: 

Perhaps the most disturbing local report in May 1922 was the notification on the front page of the Review that a one-day-old infant (already deceased) had been thrown from a train as it passed through the area. The child, wrapped in newspaper, was found about six miles south of Reidsville between Troublesome Creek and Haw River. After notifying the coroner and unable to determine any further information about the baby, local authorities brought the infant into Reidsville for burial.   

Clearly, life one hundred years ago was, like today, a mix of both positive and negative moments. The pages of the local newspaper preserve details that give us more insight into the daily lives of those who lived in Rockingham County and are a valuable source for historical research.

References
Articles and advertisements from the Reidsville Review, May 1922:
Ad for Coca-Cola Bottling Company, May 2, 1922, 2; Ads for Dr. W. I. Bowman, Grande Theatre, Derby’s Dance Academy, and Gardner Drug Company, May 5, 1922, 2, 5, 6, 8; “Rotarians Hear T.B. Specialist,” May 5, 1922, 1; “One and Half Million Dollars for Roads in Rockingham County,” May 12, 1922, 1; “Mrs. B. Frank Mebane at the Arizona Road Congress,” May 12, 1922, 3; “Special Term Court Nears End—Regular Session Next Week,” May 12, 1922, 1;  “Arrival and Departure of Trains in Reidsville,” May 12, 1922, 6; “Bi-State League,” May 5, 1922, 4, and May 12, 1922, 4; “News of Reidsville and Rockingham,” May 5, 1922, 5 and May 16, 1922, 5; Advertisement for Reidsville Motor Company, May 16, 1922, 3; “J. A. Jones Leases City’s New Hotel,” May 19, 1922, 1; “Excursion to Washington, D.C.,” May 23, 1922, 3; “Of Local Interest,” May 23, 1922, 5; “Reidsville Now Has a Landing Field,” May 26, 1922, 1; “Notice of Sale of Seized Automobiles,” May 16, 1922, 6, and May 26, 1922, 5; “Happenings in the Town and County,” May 26, 1922, 5.