William Henry Hicks

William Henry Hicks

The photograph above is of Henry Hicks (left) and Arnold Rogers (right) at the celebration held to honor Henry Hicks on his 100th birthday. Click on the photograph for a larger image. [Photograph courtesy The Caswell Messenger]

The next image is an advertisement that appeared in The Caswell Messenger in the 1970's [also used here with the permission of The Caswell Messenger].

On July 30, 2006, Caswell County celebrated the 100th birthday of William Henry Hicks, born 30 July, 1906, to Sidney Thomas Hicks and Mollie Belle Roberts. The mother of William Henry Hicks, Mollie Belle Roberts, was a daughter of the famouse artist William Anderson Roberts.

In 1939, Henry Hicks married Juanita Catherine Crumpton (1905-1985).

Please share here or with the CCHA your stories about and photographs of William Henry Hicks.

Swicegood House

Swicegood House (Yanceyville, Caswell County, North Carolina)

This is a photograph of a wood-frame house that once stood just off the Square in Yanceyville, North Carolina, on a site that now is a parking lot between the decommissioned U. S. Post Office building and the group of buildings that includes the Lee Farmer law office, the old barber shop (business closed), and the Caswell Theater (business closed). Click on the photograph for a larger image.

This house, now demolished, is believed to have once been occupied by the Swicegood family. It also sereved for a seven-year period as the local Episcopal Church.

Before moving to Yanceyville, the Episcopal Church in Caswell County held services in the Milton building that now serves as the Woman's Club of Milton.


If you have information on the Swicegood House, the Woman's Club of Milton, or the Episcopal Church in Caswell County, please share it here or send it to the CCHA.
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Milton Episcopal Church: "Thank you ever so much, Rick. The windows were keyhole shape (as opposed to my earlier key shape) and I just loved that feature. My grandfather sold the tract of land that the church stands on. I would like to know who purchased it -- whether it was the  Diocese of NY or the local Episcopal membership. The church was left farm land which generated most of the income to support the church for a very long time. The membership was always small, and the few families who were members went mostly to the Presbyterian Church, because there was just one service a month -- first Sunday nights and 5th Sunday mornings. If I give you more info than you want feel free to delete it. They were the last church in Milton to use a pump organ."

Source: Jean Bradsher Scott 8 February 2014 Post to the Caswell County Historical Association Facebook Page.
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Swicegood House in Yanceyville, Caswell County, North Carolina.

It stood just west of the row of buildings that included the Caswell Theatre and Richardson's barber shop. Today this is an open lot. The next structure proceeding west on West Main Street is the now-closed "new" Yanceyville Post Office (possibly now being used as a church).

When the Swicegood house was demolished is not known. Nor do we know when it was built. Swicegood opened its Yanceyville funeral home business in 1923 and opened its Danville business in 1928.

Some will remember the Swicegood family and the children who attended Bartlett Yancey Elementary and High School.
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Interesting!

An earlier post here was devoted to Alvis Layton Ford (1929-1953) and the sacrifice he made in the Korean War. Another post explored the Swicegood family that lived in Yanceyville and operated a funeral home. How do these two posts relate?

Well, Barbara Ann Swicegood married Bernice Stanley Ford, brother of Alvis Layton Ford. Both brothers served in Korea. One survived.

Source: Caswell County Historical Association Facebook Page Post 4 December 2019.

Reindeer at Bartlett Yancey Elementary School

While the caption states that these youngsters were from Mrs. Ruby Hodges fourth grade class at Bartlett Yancey Elementary School, that is thought incorrect. It is more likely the third grade class of Mrs. Elizabeth Thompson.

Click on the photograph for a larger image.

Leasburg Tobacco Factory

Tobacco Factories

That tobacco factories once operated in Caswell County should come as no surprise given the substantial acreage devoted to that crop each year. Pictured above are three photographs of what is believed to be a Leasburg tobacco factory. When this factory operated is not known. However, tobacco factories existed in Caswell County as early as 1850 and some remained in business into the twentieth century. In 1860, the county had at least eleven tobacco factories, concentrated mostly in Leasburg and Milton.
The three photographs were found in the papers of Ella Graves Thompson (1886-1970), daughter of George Nicholas Thompson (1832-1891) and Ella Williams Graves (1854-1903). Ella Graves Thompson's uncle was Jacob Thompson, who was born in Leasburg, North Carolina, and served twelve years as a United States Congressman from Mississippi, was Secretary of the Interior under President James Buchanan, and operated as a Confederate spy during the Civil War. Click on the photographs for a larger image. For an even larger image click Leasburg Tobacco Factories. This is, however, a large file and might take a while to load.

Leasburg Architecture

"Longwood" (Milton, North Carolina)

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The Caswell Messenger (Yanceyville, North Carolina)
Posted: Monday, December 30, 2013 4:01 pm
Gerri Hunt Editor

Longwood, a stately ante-bellum plantation home which stood in Milton for more than a century and a half, is completely destroyed. Nobody was home when a fire broke out the day after Christmas around 7 p.m. Milton Fire Capt. Clint Briggs was first on the scene.

“The entire back half and right side of the house was already fully involved. The fire was already through the roof. There was really nothing to do except control it as best we could and protect everything around it.”

Bartlett Yancey High School Beta Club (1960's)

This photograph is of the Bartlett Yancey High School (Yanceyville, North Carolina) Beta Club of the 1960's. Click on the photograph for a larger image. Can you identify these people? Leave your comments here or send them to the CCHA.

Milton Post Cards

Here are two post cards from a series done on Milton, North Carolina.

Larger Image:

Hotel Caswell

Milton Commercial Row
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Do you have any of these old Milton post cards in your files? Willing to share them? If so, send them to the CCHA.

Clerk's Office in the 1930's

Here is a wonderful photograph inside the Caswell County Courthouse during the 1930's. It is the office of George A. Anderson, Clerk of the Superior Court. Click on the photograph for a larger image.

To see more about the people in the photograph go to the Caswell County Family Tree.

This photograph along with many more of the Caswell County Courthouse can be found in the Caswell Courthouse Calendar 2000: A Century in the Life of the Caswell County Courthouse.

This wonderful calendar is still available for purchase at the Richmond-Miles History Museum in Yanceyville or at the CCHA Online Bookstore. The price is $5.00. Modest shipping charges will be added to online purchases, where you may use PayPal or a major credit card.