Minutes of the Friends of the Geer Cemetery 06/13/2005

In attendance were: Mr. R.K Bryant, Jr. (Chair), Mrs. Carrie McNair (Research Chair), Jessica T. Eustice (secretary)

[I got permission to record but my tape recorder was not working…my fault JTE]

Geer Cemetery Sign:
We need to contact Mr. McLaughlin ­ the Geer Cemetery Sign ­ the corner of Lawson and Fayetteville where new building is going up ­ the curving sign: concave­convex bow. The Geer sign could have a brick topping. We could ask gardeners if they want to use Lawson and Concord by the old Hillside

History Projects Identified:
Contact info given to Jessica for Jean Bouldon Malloy, whose mother worked at NC Mutual.
Mrs. Carrie McNair thought of her collection of Whetstone Magazines (published by NC Mutual Life). She mentioned that some of the magazines had water damage and had been lost. She lent the surviving part of her Whetstone Collection to Jessica.
[Thank you Mrs. McNair…Already this resource has provided little known information about the Jamestown Colony for another of Jessica’s research projects.]

Informal Discussion:
[I tried to capture “key” words in the discussion which could be brought up later when a recording device was working. I tried to reconstruct the conversation by inserting some words in brackets. There are mistakes … ]

RKB has a directory of Durham officials 1911-1912

[I brought some Durham History books with me, and we were looking at picture of William Anderson Amey on p. 65 in Stagville: Kin and Community by George W. McDaniel updated by Kathryn L. Staley (1977, 1997 Historic Stagville Foundation)]

Mrs. McNair said that Mr. Amey buried Mrs. McNair’s husband.

If we want to produce the…[more discussion missed in my notes]

Durham College was on Pine Street [name was changed to?] Fayetteville Street…[something about] building a college…

[Again, I am trying to write as fast as I can…probably missed connections and important key words in this discussion, but the following is what I did get on paper]

Kelly Bryant remembers a riot in 1943 in Hayti… noise… horns blowing… soldiers from Butner…there was rationing of whiskey and food… Buster McDougal ... soldiers attacking white people… RKB was by Elm Street Downtown… Police cadre came from Butner…. Mayor W.G. Brogden, Engineer Blackwell …

Music, Food, Elvira’s Blue Tavern [run by?] Ms. Lilly Allen (she belonged to the St__ck family) … RKB’s sister taught her in Greenville…she had potato pie and apple pie, meats and vegetables, and the best tea…she had a secret recipe for the tea…you move up…you had to call her to tell her [if you were coming to eat there]
[something about Senior Care off Ben Franklin Parkway…Carver Geriatric something…is she there now?]

The Green Candle [another restaurant?]
Lucy Graham was at Church
Riley Gilmore
1960 Dr. Charles Shepard
Green Barbee
RD Duncan Tilley
Window in Mt. Vernon Baptist Church given by Duncan… The Bottom, by St. Mark’s…there was an Incinerator by Heritage Square…Rocky Creek Stream…city limits at Martha Street… [There was a} Cow Pasture…Mr. Meadows had cows and pigs [in 1964?, near where Shepard Middle School is now]…Mutual Heights was way out [in the country back then?] Nash…Dunn County Fair, Nebo and Hope Streets, Cecil Streets…Mrs. Nora Atwater [was a] school teacher… Mrs. Mattie Alston’s cousin Mr. Emmit Edgar had horses where the new School of Education Building is…

Dollie Nowell…lived where Cameron Village is…on Wade Avenue [where it] curves… [Someone used to?] buy her some breakfast chops ­ pork chops--

The Violet Park Cemetery (Canvassed by Mrs. Carrie McNair) is located where the present St. Titus Church is now. [When St. Titus was built they used] a backhoe or something and scooped all the remains [out]. A Professor from NCCU told Mrs. McNair that he was going to have a memorial placed where the old Violet Park Cemetery was…but the stone says “Wolf Den.” The name “Wolf Den” refers to a cave in the bottom where a homeless man (nicknamed Dog Daddy) lived in the cave with the dogs he built a cave down in the bottom…

There was a Mr. Leathers who trimmed his grass with scissors…He used to tell jokes. [If he saw a] banana peel he would say: “I see a sign of an early fall.” And“Money is the root of all evil, but I am not worried about roots.”

Umstead Street between Fayetteville and Roxboro…the city can fix it up or tear it down…

Mr. Bradsher trustee of our Church … Lyon Park and Spaulding … adopted son Isaac …walked through glass sliding door that was clear …

Mt. Vernon is in the curve … Barbee Road …Carpenter-Fletcher Road … grading…he lives in the Triangle…

Mr. Charles Stanback … his brother in Hillsborough … I.P. Stanback district manager for…

Judge Stanback now … Valedictorian … “you can tell the character of a man by what he does with his leisure time…

Robert L. Poole was RKB’s grandfather… RKB came to Durham to stay with his Aunt Robena who lived at 501 St. Joseph Street … [RKB smiling and laughing as he says] “She whipped me the whole summer.” She got a brand new 1927 Pontiac Oakland car … [She used it once] …ride to Rocky Mount 35 mph. She got mad and kept the car in the garage [after that] When RKB was a boy he used to go in the garage and play that he was driving it. She died when RKB was 13 yrs. old. Miss Mary Geer lived at 112 Pettigrew 1911 ­ 1912

Pigmeat Markham was on the Ed Sullivan Show…

Professor Frank Husband [had daughters] Amy and Sallie Husband… Amy lived on East Pettigrew near Lyon Street … David …Katie … [and Viney?] 4th grade lesson … 503 Red Oak Avenue … Madge Holman Harry taught music… Sallie Husband [born 1832-d.1905]… Tucker was her cousin’s name … her granddaddy was a preacher …

… house behind Red Oak… Nash Street…Fayetteville between Nash and Burlington… Curve brown shingled siding house moved from somewhere …Nebo …up to Nash…there’s a park there too …

Mertha Harris lived near the corner

Nash Street 1712 (there is no such number) in the paper … for a fight

Mary Mangum was RKB’s Cousin …

Homer Evans keeps building and building on his house … keeps building rooms… built a tower … bought Nash House on Roosevelt Street … road between Nash and ….

Mrs. Nora McCla__(?)… Edna Mason … down steps to lower apartment … Andre Vann could not …

RKB presents a copy of the White Rock Directory …[we look at all the familiar names]

Joan Peltier called Ms. McNair [and Pyne?] ­ met at Henderson Towers) to get a grant ­ got director … got another director … Design Students from NCSU… Senior Health Center … trying to put together Presidents of Senior Center Clubs … the students designed a kitchen and everything … they’re getting started with the Senior Center … a new bunch came on … and they got rid of the Doctor’s office … finally they got the Senior Center … they were going to have a deal with this group of black men … cab drivers … [It was going to be an] intergenerational setting … what’s in the plan now?

One County Commissioner wants to tie it in with the downtown trail… [provide] a sidewalk with an even pavement … no more money … 3/10 of a mile around building … walk behind the … one of our meetings man rep. Senior center … walk over Rigsbee have the Y … she works across …

Ammons has given the deadline Everyone calls Carlton …

Daughter 56 years old … interpretive dance group … annual performance at King’s Park.

[I apologize again for the incomplete nature of these notes. Hopefully others can help fill in the blanks.]

Minutes very humbly submitted by Jessica T. Eustice, Secretary