The "Little Caswell County Child" - 1908

 The "Little Caswell County Child"

The Women Teachers Are Working to Rear Boys Who Will Be Successors of Murphey, Saunders, Yancey, Graves and Bedford Brown.

The following clipping from a Caswell newspaper will be interesting to teachers throughout the State:

"The Thanksgiving entertainment given by the Blackwell's school, near Quick, on the 26, we are advised, was a complete success in every particular. The day was an ideal one for the out of doors entertainment. The school house and grounds were beautifully decorated and arranged. Mrs. Graves, the teacher, and the children deserve great praise and commendation for their persistent and untiring efforts. Nothing was left undone by them that would add success and enjoyment for the occasion.

"It was indeed a great day for the 'Little Caswell County Child.' Among the teachers present were Mmes. Graves, Turner, and Misses Rice, King and Graves. Prof. Hickerson, of the Ruffin Graded School, was also in attendance.

"The children of Mrs Graves showed careful and painstaking training, and acquitted themselves with great credit. After the exercises by the children, Supt. Anderson was introduced. He took for his subject 'The Little Caswell County Child.' He paid a tribute to the little Caswell County child of the past, that develops in manhood into such lives and services as was given by Calvin Graves, Romulus Saunders, Bedford Brown, Archibald Murphey and Bartlett Yancey. In the course of his remarks he took occasion to say that North Carolina was possibly more indebted to Archibald Murphey and Bartlett Yancey than any other men, because it was the genius and wisdom of these Caswell County giants nearly a hundred years ago that made public education possible for all the children of all the people of North Carolina, and stated that if our people will respond to the cry of the little Caswell County child, as it begs for the light of learning and intelligence, there will arise worth successors of those men who in the past made Caswell matchless among counties."

Source: The News and Observer (Raleigh, NC), 17 December 1908.

Yanceyville NC 9-11 Memorial

 By Debra Ferrell

The Caswell Messenger Editor 14 September 2023

It was an emotional day for many on Monday, September 11, as the Town of Yanceyville held the long awaited dedication service for the 9-11 Memorial that features a portion of a steel girder from Tower Two of the World Trade Center following the terrorist attack on September 11, 2011. Many eyes filled with tears as Mayor Alvin Foster welcomed the crowd for this "solemn remembrance of what the memorial means."

DH Griffin donated the core beam from salvage work the company performed on the Twin Towers. Senator Phil Berger, President Pro Tem NC State Senate, says he knew from the start that he wanted to help with the project to create this unique memorial in Yanceyville that is the third component of special memorials that includes monuments to veterans and fallen public service members. Those two monuments are directly in from of the Yanceyville Municipal Building. The 9-11 monument is across from them right next to Fidelity Bank.

Yanceyville council member Keith Tatum was relentless in pursuing funding for the project.

Interesting facts:

The beam weighs around 3,100 pounds per square foot.

The memorial is built upon the site of the old Ford building that DH Griffin demolished for the Town starting that relationship.

Mayor Foster pointed out that the memorial is part of the town's economic development that adds to the appeal of the area and promotes livability.

"The memorial reminds us of the attack on the United States by terrorists 22 years ago. Thousands have died whether from the attack itself or from the War on Terror that followed. Thousands still suffer from physical or mental ailments," said the mayor.

He asked the crowd if they remembered what they were doing on the day of the attack. "When the first tower was hit, we thought it was accidental. Minutes later when the second tower was hit, that illusion was shattered. Then came the flight crashing and the attack on the Pentagon."

VFW Post 7316 and American Legion Post 89 posted colors with Naomi Totten singing the National Anthem. Prayer was rendered by Rev. Paul Robinson.

Sen. Berger shared how his first idea of what the memorial would look didn't compare to the actual beauty of the beam and its setting. "I’m blown away with the design," he said as he complimented the landscape and visionary leadership that led to its creation. He pointed out that everyone was there to remember the lives lost and commended our country for demonstrating the resolve to stand against oppression.

"This is a piece of history whose purpose here is to signify strength and remind us of one of our darkest days. It will stand as a reminder to all of us. When I heard about it, I immediately went to work looking for funding."

Former Senator Hugh Webster was approached and said yes to showing strong support for Caswell County to acquire this coveted beam.

Following a ribbon cutting, everyone was invited next door at the Richmond-Miles History Museum where the Caswell County Historical Association hosted refreshments supplied by the Town of Yanceyville.

Rock Academy

Rock Academy

Perhaps the longest-lived and most influential school of this period was the Rock Academy and its successor. In 1867 James S. Dameron opened a school in northwestern Caswell County which he called the Ruffin Select School. Shortly afterwards a permanent building was erected and it came to be called the Rock Academy because it was constructed of rock.

Associated with Dameron at one time or another in the operation of this school were Miss Jennie Roberts, Miss Alden Combs, Miss Allen Courts, Elder P. D. Gold, and John W. Gilliam. A large number of young people in the neighborhood were educated here. Among them was John B. Cobb who afterwards left the county to seek his fortune. In 1921 he provided $20,000 for a school building nearby which became the first consolidated school in the county. The building was dedicated to the memory of Cobb's parents and was known as Cobb Memorial School. Cobb and his daughters made further gifts to the school and the plant was enlarged.

Coach Lindsey Philip Page

Former Bartlett Yancey Coach Lindsey Page has been selected for induction into the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame. As the 27th group of inductees to join the prestigious hall, bringing to 148 the number enshrined, Page joins seven others this year: Donnie Baxter of Asheboro, Ronnie Chavis of Pembroke, Lawrence Dunn of Raleigh, Doug Henderson of Greensboro, Larry Rhodes of Gastonia, Robert Steele of Salisbury, and Jim Taylor of Shelby. Page and the others will be honored during special halftime ceremonies at a football at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill on Saturday, Sept. 22, when North Carolina takes on East Carolina. The new class will be officially inducted at a special banquet next spring.

“I’m very humbled by this,” said Page. “As a coach, you never aspire to that.” The induction is two years in the making, and due in large part to the work of Donna Hudson and Kay Satterfield, and numerous local people who vouched for Page. “I share this honor with
the players I coached, the principals that supported me, and the superintendents. I share it not only with the professional people I’ve worked with, but with my entire family. It’s been a good run. So many people have helped me.”

Born in Caswell County and a 1962 graduate of Elon College, Page began his teaching and coaching career right after that at Bartlett Yancey. For 34 years, he was the head men’s basketball coach, winning seven conference championships and a North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 3-A championship in 1988. His teams posted an outstanding 519-325 record during that stretch and the gymnasium was named in his honor in 1988. He also coached baseball at the school for 15 seasons and was athletic director for 20 years. He came out of his coaching retirement in 1999 to coach the women’s team at BY and posted 65 additional wins including a trip to the regional tournament coaching through 2006.

He has been recognized by the NCHSAA before, with a Special Person Award in 1997 and a Distinguished Service Award a year later. He also coached in the North Carolina Coaches’ Association East-West basketball all-star game in 1988. Page has a lot to reflect upon over his stellar career. After playing one year at Elon, he decided he wanted to be a high school teaching coach. “I never deviated from that goal,” said Page. Superintendent Tom Whitley offered him a job at BY, with Buck Page, one of his mentors. The two coach Pages decided the younger would coach girls the first year, and they’d switch the next year, giving him boys. He taught Spanish, math and science for a year, then just health and P.E.

“I started at BY in 1962, and within two years, all the high schools in the county were consolidated into one school. In the late 60s, we had a ‘freedom of choice plan’, and had six or seven black students at our school. And in 1969, we were totally integrated.” Page said everyone had a lot of adjustments to make, and it was the most difficult time of his career. “We had to blend in players from all the different schools, to function as a unit. I told them, ‘you don’t have to like each other, but you have to respect each other,” he said. “These athletes had played against each other. But we were very successful.”

The 1971-72 basketball team went 24-2. “We had a real good ball club. People really caught on to Sleepy (Claude Taylor). When you’re a superstar, you’re sometimes hard to coach. But he was very likeable. And it helped with integration, to be honest.”

By the 80s, Page was proud to have Keith Claiborne and Dana Elliott on his team. “We played in the Dean Dome. I believe everyone in Caswell County was there,” he laughed. “We had a tremendous following. The place would be full. That was the golden era of our basketball.”

Several BY athletes have had their jerseys retired, and have played some college sports. “I’ve always enjoyed watching and following them. I hope they do well. That’s the biggest thing, to be productive citizens. The fact that they’re good athletes just adds to it.”

Through the years, Page has had opportunities to leave Caswell County. “But there was always something that kept me here. Mainly my family He and his wife Myra have four children, Barry, Steve, Carla, and Leslie. “When you are a coach, it’s not a job, it’s a way of life. I spent an awful lot of time away from home. But Myra was very supportive, and my sons played for me. Leslie played basketball, and Carla cheered for a couple of years. So it was always a family affair. That’s what helped me survive as long as I did.”

For the last 15 years at BY, Page’s teaching load was lightened, and he served as industrial coordinator, keeping tabs on students with jobs. He retired in 1998 after being full-time for 38 years. But the new superintendent asked him to teach driver’s ed. “I’ve been doing that for 14 years, and enjoy it. I go to BY two to three afternoons a week.”

Still being involved with students, Page sees differences in the teens through the years. “This is the ‘me’ generation. But you gotta have collective goals to be successful.“ He offered some advice to the athletes. “You always want be a good representative of yourself, your family, and your school. You always want to be presentable. A pet peeve of mine is sagging britches.” And it brings back a memory from the 70s. “We were in the middle of the Vietnam war, which we couldn’t win. Hair got long. Our team was very good. It was Tim Jernigan and Sleepy’s last season. Tim had long hair. Now, I really liked the kid. But when the season was about to start, I asked him to cut it to a neat length. He said he’d cut it, but wouldn’t cut it again until we lost. But we won 18 in a row! His hair had gotten a little long!”

Page, who turned 73 a few weeks ago, said he doesn’t work for the money, but for good health. He participated in Senior Games, softball, and 3-on-3 basketball. “I’m really taking it one year at a time. I don’t want to be sitting in the house with a remote in my hand all day long. I enjoy getting out,” he said. “I hope to stay active. It would be nice to die at second base, or playing golf, said Page. “It shows you were productive until you passed away.”

Source: The Caswell Messenger (Yanceyville, North Carolina) 22 August 2012.

Womack's Mill

"Womack's Mill was a treasure--a memory for many people of the past. It was where we took our grains to be ground. The millpond was where we waded in the cooling waters and it was there I had my first real date with my future husband--we spread a checked tablecloth on the sandy edge picnicking on cheese sandwiches and cold Pepsi Colas in glass bottles. For our 25th wedding anniversary present, my brother Bill, a photographer, enlarged and framed a beautiful photo of the old mill that was in his archives. I remember well the miller's house across the road--mama would visit the lady of the house, passing the time of day, while the corn was being processed. I am told that Papa (Will Farthing) took bags of grain to Womack's Mill on the family wagon, and the trusty family mule was smart enough to take Papa there with nary a "giddap" ! The trip was so familiar to the four-legged critter that he knew exactly where to turn from the highway, proceeding on his own, the reins in Papa's lap. Such a loss for the community, and would have been a wonderful historical edifice if it could have been preserved...."

Source: Helen Jean Farthing Ledford 26 February 2014 Post to the Caswell County Historical Association Facebook Page.
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Caswell Correctional Center

Caswell Correctional Center

Probably due to the famous 1959 escape by Charles Willis (Yank) Stewart and many of his fellow inmates, Caswell County's Ivy Bluff Prison is well-known. Less well-known is Caswell County's other prison, which is much older than Ivy Bluff (now decommissioned and in private hands). This prison is the Caswell Correctional Center on the County Home Road just outside Yanceyville, North Carolina.¹

The following is from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety:

Caswell was one of 51 county prisons for which the state assumed responsibility with the passage of the Conner Bill in 1931. It was one of 61 field unit prisons renovated or built during the late 1930s to house inmates who worked on building roads. Like many of the era's prisons, Caswell also had a farm worked by the inmates to supply the prison kitchen. The prison farm operated into the 1960s.

Caswell initially housed misdemeanants until 1968, when medium and minimum custody inmates were housed together. In 1974, Caswell was converted into a medium security prison housing 118 inmates. With the addition of triple-bunking (three beds stacked on top of each other), the population rose to 168.

A new dining hall was built at the prison in the 1950s. In the 1970s, inmates supervised by correction engineers built a recreation building and a segregation unit with 24 single cells.

In January 1989, a 104-bed inmate dormitory and support buildings that included a programs building with classroom space and a recreation building, opened. This addition was funded by the legislature as part of a $28.5 million Emergency Prison Facilities Development program in 1987.

Lawmakers provided two 104-inmate dormitories, an administration building, operations center and dining hall as part of a $75 million prison construction program approved in July 1990. After a gatehouse and motion detection system was installed, security towers at the prison were removed. With the completion of these additions in January 1993, staff increased to 154 and the inmate population increased to maximum of 484.
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County: Caswell
Mailing and Street Address: 444 County Home Road, Blanch, NC 27212
Phone: (336) 694-4531
Fax: (336) 694-5098
Facility #: 4415
Courier #: 02-53-23
Inmate capacity: 460
Inmate gender: Male
Custody level: Medium
Staff Size: 188
Occupancy: 1930s

Caswell Correctional Center, near Yanceyville, is a medium security prison for adult males. Inmates may be assigned to work on one of seven Department of Transportation road squads clearing right-of-way under the supervision of armed correction officers. They may also work in the prison, typically as kitchen help or keeping the prison clean and in repair. For two years in the late 1990s, as many as 88 prisoners worked on inmate construction crews to build the 600-man housing unit at the nearby Dan River Prison Work Farm.

Piedmont Community College works with the prison to provide vocational courses including welding, HVAC technology, horticulture and industrial maintenance technology. Inmates with less than a high school education may participate in GED preparatory classes or remedial education. Inmates are also given an opportunity to participate in Bible study and worship services.

In 1997, Piedmont CC began to provide instruction in electrical and pneumatic tool repair. Inmates who complete this program are put to work in a small tool repair program, repairing tools for the Department of Transportation and other public agencies.
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The foregoing article referenced the 1931 Conner Bill. Here is more on that law from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety:

In 1931, the General Assembly enacted the Conner bill which enabled the state to take over control of all prisons and inmates. The condition of prison facilities and the need for inmate labor led the General Assembly to consolidate the State Highway Commission and the State Prison Department. This provided new construction money from the Highway Fund for prison renovation.

In the two years before consolidation, the State Highway Commission spent $850,000 for permanent improvements in the road camps that had been operated by the counties. With the help of WPA labor, the renovation and construction program continued after consolidation of the two agencies. In 1933, a $400,000 bond issue provided for establishing and equipping additional prison camps, farms and industries. Lawmakers authorized the State Highway and Public Works Commission to purchase, lease and erect buildings at new road camp sites. These permanent road camps were of a standard design and small capacity. The basic design was for 100 inmates. Camps were located throughout the state, primarily for the convenience of road building and repair.
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Thus, it appears that, at a minimum, a "road camp" was operating in Caswell County at the time the Conner Bill was enacted in 1931. Whether this facility was located on the site of the current Caswell Correctional Center on the County Home Road. What buildings occupied the site is not known.
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Yanceyville, North Carolina
Mar 10, 2016

The Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice has named Mark Carver as the new superintendent at Caswell Correctional Center in Yanceyville, replacing Judy Brandon, who retired.

Mark Carver most recently served as assistant superintendent for custody and operations at Caswell CC and is a 27-year veteran of the state prison system.  He began his career in 1989 as a correctional officer and sergeant in Orange County. He later served at state prisons in Craven and Pamlico counties before returning to Orange Correctional Center as an assistant superintendent.

He is a Caswell County native and graduate of East Carolina University and Bartlett Yancey High School.

Caswell Correctional Center is a medium-security prison housing approximately 480 male inmates in dormitory-style housing.  It employs a staff of about 170 people.
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¹Actually, there is another prison in Caswell County, but one with much less history: Dan River Prison Work Farm.
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Sources

North Carolina Department of Public Safety

Dan River Prison Work Farm

Dan River Prison Work Farm

County: Caswell
Mailing and Street Address: 981 Murray Road, Blanch, NC 27212
Phone: (336) 694-1583
Fax: (336) 694-4084
Facility #: 3080
Courier #: 02-53-24
Inmate capacity: 640
Inmate gender: Male
Custody level: Minimum
Staff size: 166
Occupancy: March 1996

Dan River Prison Work Farm is located on a 187.5-acre site in the west-central area of Caswell County, near Yanceyville. The prison was officially dedicated on March 25, 1996. On July 1, 1998, the prison was named part of the Piedmont Region.

The prison operates with a staff of 166 employees in the custody, food service, medical, programs, fiscal and administrative units, and has an annual operating budget of approximately $11.4 million.

The modern architecture of this facility differs markedly from traditional prisons and was designed to be built and maintained at less cost. The facility has an administration building, central complex building comprised of food service, staff offices, visiting area, clothes house and central control office, and segregation building. The dormitory building is 60,000 square feet that contains 10 inmate housing areas, 10 day rooms, two canteens, 10 shower and lavatory areas, medical and program departments, barber shop, library, classroom, chaplain's office and two control rooms.

Dan River houses felon and misdemeanant minimum custody adult male offenders. Inmate work assignments include food service, maintenance, janitorial and other institutional jobs. Dan River also has three litter crews that work in Alamance, Guilford and Randolph counties.

Other assignments include working at Correction Enterprises Laundry, maintenance work at Caswell Correctional Center and the inmate construction program.

A joint venture with the N.C. Wildlife Commission and Dan River has offenders working restoring forest land, parks and lakes all across North Carolina.

In cooperation with Piedmont Community College, the facility operates the Roxboro Satellite Training Center, which uses the building that once housed Person Correctional Center. The Training Center's programs include carpentry, masonry, information systems technology, horticulture, basic electricity, and human resource development for 130 inmates.

Visitation

Visitation takes place in alphabetical order three times a day on Saturdays and Sundays. Inmates in segregation are allowed visitors on an appointment basis Monday through Friday.

The visitation policy requires all visitors to complete an application prior to visitation.

Directions

From East/Raleigh, take I-40 west. Take the Hillsborough exit. Proceed through Hillsborough onto NC 86 N. Take NC 86 N to Yanceyville. In Yanceyville, turn right onto NC 86 N toward Danville, Va. At the second stoplight (intersection of NC 86 and 158), turn right onto County Home Road. Go approximately a quarter-mile and turn left onto Murray Road. Follow Murray Road for approximately 1 mile. Dan River Prison is at the end of Murray Road.

From West/Greensboro, take I-40/85 east, then get on NC 29 N toward Danville, Va. In Reidsville, take the NC 158 exit to Yanceyville. Proceed through the stoplight (intersection of NC 86 and 158), onto County Home Road. Go approximately a quarter-mile, turn left onto Murray Road. Follow Murray Road for 1 mile. Dan River Prison is at the end of Murray Road.

Source: North Carolina Department of Public Safety