TownTalk: Around Old Granville – Downtown Henderson

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Towns like Henderson began popping up in the mid 1800’s as landowners gave land to railroad companies for their business ventures, conjuring up, no doubt, visions of economic prosperity – for themselves and for the local communities.

And Mark Pace attributes the general layout of downtown Henderson to the railroad. Pace and WIZS’s Bill Harris talked about the history of downtown Henderson on Thursday’s Around Old Granville segment of TownTalk, beginning with the physical layout of the major streets included in downtown Henderson. Garnett, Chestnut and William streets all run parallel to each other – and to the railroad tracks, which once carried freight and passenger trains through town.

Pace said Henderson was “built in a hurry,” between 1870 and 1890, with 1885 being a “game changing year” for the relatively new city, which was established in 1841.

Back then, all the buildings downtown were wooden structures, Pace said. And in 1885, a fire “basically destroyed” the downtown.

Those wooden buildings “were replaced with something nicer, something finer,” Pace said, and many of the lovely old brick and masonry building facades along Garnett Street have stood the test of time.

In fact, the Henderson Central Business District is on the National Register of Historic Places and includes not only Garnett Street but Chestnut Street and William Street as well, Pace said.

In addition to the iconic clock tower and fire department, Zollicoffer Law Office and former H. Leslie Perry Library buildings at one end of Garnett, there’s the Henry A. Dennis Building, the art nouveau style O’Neal Building and the building touted as the tallest in downtown – the five-story Vance Furniture Company.

As with many downtowns in cities small and large, Henderson’s downtown was a center of commerce from the 1870’s clear into the early 1970’s, Pace said. That’s when malls began to be popular.

In addition to the several movie theaters, downtown Henderson had several clothing stores – E.G. Davis, Roth-Stewart and Leggett – as well as hardware stores like Falkner Building Supply, Watkins Hardware and Rose Gin & Supply. There were shoe stores and jewelry stores, drug stores, barber shops and more – all downtown.

When P.H. Rose came to Henderson from Northampton County, he had already opened up a store in Littleton, Pace said, and in 1915, he opened the first store in Henderson.

He was an innovator, Pace said, and it was Rose who capitalized on the concept of customer self-service.

Business was booming for Rose’s stores. “They expanded so fast that at one point, he was opening a store a month,” Pace explained. In its heyday, Rose’s had 250 stores across the Southeast.

Listen to the complete interview at https://wizs.com/

 

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The Local Skinny! Groundbreaking at Epsom Park

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Franklin County Parks and Recreation Director K.P. Kilpatrick has been in his role just since April of this year, but he’s already been able to check one big item off the to-do list: witness the groundbreaking of Epsom Park.

The park will be located on the site of the former Epsom School, and plans have been in place for a while – almost 20 years, in fact – to construct a park for residents to enjoy, whether they live in Franklin County or Vance County.

County officials and community leaders joined Kilpatrick at the recent groundbreaking  for Phase 1 of the project, which is scheduled to be completed in fall of 2025.

It includes a walking loop, sand volleyball court, playground, multipurpose field and a picnic shelter, as well as a spot for cornhole.

“We’re happy to get it started,” Kilpatrick told WIZS’s Scout Hughes on Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

The 7.62 acre property practically straddles the Franklin/Vance County line, and will be the fourth park that Franklin County is responsible for.

It’ll be a place where the community can come for recreation as well as athletic events and other organized programs, Kilpatrick said. There could be a movie night at the park, for example, volleyball and cornhole tournaments in addition to the more traditional types of sports played on the multipurpose field.

Kilpatrick envisions Epsom Park as a place for “great leisure opportunities” and a “great place to create memories.”

 

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Henderson Fire Dept

Henderson Fire Dept. Honors Mills, Clark At Annual Banquet

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The Henderson Fire Department took time to honor individuals for outstanding service during its annual Fireman of the Year holiday banquet, held recently at Station 1.

Master Firefighter Charlie Mills was named the  2024 Fireman of the Year Award. Mills has been with Henderson Fire since 2020. He always goes above and beyond to help out a fellow co-worker and his positivity never wavers.

Engineer Trenton Clark received the Chief’s Award for dedication to his career. His passion for succeeding does not go unnoticed, reads the post on social media.

Warrenton Mayor Gardner Jr. was a guest speaker for the event. Gardner, owner of Warrenton Insurance Agency, also serves as Battalion Chief for Warrenton Rural Volunteer Fire Department.

Among the guests for the banquet were Henderson City Manager Terrell Blackmon and Council members Garry Daeke, Sam Seifert, Ola Thorpe-Cooper and Michael Venable.

 

TownTalk: Dr. Alice Sallins Receives Order Of The Long Leaf Pine

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Longtime educator, community advocate and current Vance County Arts Council Director Dr. Alice Clark Sallins has joined the ranks of The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, becoming the latest local recipient during Sunday services at Holy Temple Church.

Sallins said she was “overjoyed” to learn that she was to receive the award, the highest civilian honor given in the state. Rep. Frank Sossamon presented the award to Sallins and in his written recommendation, called Sallins “a pillar of leadership and service for decades, demonstrating a selfless dedication to the people of Vance County and beyond.”

She said it was fitting to receive the honor at her church. “It was very special,” she said, “because church is the core of my existence.”

Sallins, herself a minister since 1995, said Sossamon – also a retired pastor – told the congregation that Sunday wouldn’t be long enough for him to list all her good works and accomplishments.

One of those good works was a group for young men called Royalty: Students Striving For Excellence. It began in 1988, when Sallins was a middle school teacher. The idea of Royalty was to support students and “get them to do better on tests, on Reading and Math EOGs,” Sallins recalled on Wednesday’s TownTalk.

But another goal was to keep the young men off the streets, out of trouble and headed for success.

She has a soft spot in her heart for youth and senior adults, and with the arts council she spends a good bit of time bringing arts activities for the young and the young-at-heart to enjoy.

“That was my life’s work – what I really like to focus on,” she said of her special connection with children and with senior citizens.

By week’s end, she will have visited several different schools and worked with more than 150 students, plus a free program at the Senior Center Thursday at 1 p.m.

She’s been involved with the Arts Council since the 1990’s, but added a leadership role to her crowded plate of activities back in 2004.

“As the first African American leader of the Vance County Arts Council, her leadership has been nothing short of transformative,” stated Sossamon in his letter of recommendation. “From producing Broadway-quality plays in the early 1990’s to ensuring that the Christmas Parade became a celebration of the entire community, Dr. Sallins has been a driving force for inclusivity and creativity.”

Thanks to the way her parents raised their children, Sallins has always been a giver and a doer.

There’s a lot of work to do in the community, she said. “Someone has to do it. My focus has always been to make the community better.”

Not one to seek the spotlight, she prefers to work behind the scenes to make changes for the better, whether it’s giving young people access to the arts or making sure the Henderson Christmas Parade goes off without a hitch each holiday season.

For Sallins, it’s simple: “Just let me do what I need to do to glorify God – that’s what I want to do.”

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Dec. 21 Make-And-Take Program At Perry Library

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They’re making snow at Perry Memorial Library Saturday, Dec. 21!

Well, not snow, exactly. More like snowflakes.

Youth Services Director Melody Peters said there’s going to be plenty of fun in the process, too, during the make-and-take craft activities that people of all ages are sure to enjoy.

The library will have a variety of age-appropriate activities available during the 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. snowflake-themed program.

You can make huge paper bag snowflakes – just glue several layers together and then cut to create that unique snowflake pattern.

Teens will enjoy a bead and pipe cleaner craft to create their own version of a snowflake, too, Peters said on Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

Saturday also is the Winter Solstice, which marks the longest night of the year. After Saturday, the days will increasingly grow longer.

The library will take a little break for the Christmas holiday and will be closed Dec. 24-26, Peters said. The library will be open New Year’s Eve day, but will be closed New Year’s Day.

Peters said the library will open 2025 with a bang – literally – on Jan. 2 with Mother Goose Story Time at 11 a.m. for kiddos 0-5. The theme will be “make a little noise,” she said.

Then winter programming continues full-steam ahead, with First Fridays. This program for  area preschools kicks off Jan. 10 from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. It gives preschoolers a chance to experience the library and enjoy STEM activities, Peters said. The January program features chemical reactions and baking soda volcanoes.

There’s a new club starting up this year for anime enthusiasts, she said.

The group will meet on the last Thursday of the month – beginning on Jan. 30 – from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

“It’s a very popular section” of the library, Peters said. “We have a couple of staff members who are really into it themselves – they read it, they watch it, they wear it…they appreciate it.”

For the uninitiated, anime – pronounced A nih may – is a form of animation that originated in Japan. The club is for young people in middle school and high school. Space is limited, and registration is required, Peters said. Email her at

mpeters@perrylibrary.org to get signed up.

Visit www.perrylibrary.org to learn about all the programs the library offers.

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TownTalk: Adopt From The Local Animal Shelter This Holiday Season

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The dogs and cats at the Vance County Animal Shelter are so stinkin’ cute, according to Director William Coker, that even he couldn’t resist the temptation.

Coker said he’d never been a cat owner – until he fell in love with a kitten at the shelter.

“I ended up adopting that kitten myself,” he told WIZS’s Scout Hughes on Tuesday’s TownTalk. “When I get up in the morning, that kitten is at the coffee pot with me,” he said.

The shelter is full – literally – of dogs and cats waiting to be adopted. There are 44 kennels for grown dogs – all occupied at the moment – as well as a puppy room and two cat rooms, one for adoptable felines and one for cats in quarantine for one reason or another.

The puppy room has eight beautiful puppies right now, Coker said. “I would love to have them adopted before Christmas,” he said.

Coker didn’t begin his job as director until January 2024, so he doesn’t know how Christmas-time adoptions went last year. But he said he hopes to see some folks come in and “adopt, don’t shop” at the shelter.

The application process is pretty simple, he explained. There’s a short form to fill out and the adoption fees are reasonable – $155 for dogs and $105 for cats. The cost includes the spay and neuter fee, as well as first shots and a one-year rabies shot.

And while Coker said the shelter staff is always hopeful to get animals adopted to good homes, they’re shifting their focus to educating the community about the need to spay and neuter pets. “I want to push spay and neuter in the community, to keep the animals from coming into the shelter” in the first place, he said.

Anyone interested in seeing the adoptable dogs and cats can visit the shelter during business hours. The shelter is located at 1243 Brodie Rd. and is open on Mondays from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesdays – Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., all day every other Friday and half days every other Saturday.

Coker hasn’t turned down many adoption applications. “If the dog seems to be a good fit for the family, I adopt him out,” he said.

It’s a win-win-win for the animal, the community and the adopter, he explained: You’re saving an animal, taking a stray out of the neighborhood, and gaining a member of the family.

“You just carry him home and start loving him,” Coker said.

To learn more, visit the shelter at https://www.vancecounty.org/departments/animal-control/or call 252.492.3136.

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Terrell Blackmon

Henderson City Manager Terrell Blackmon Resigns

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Henderson City Manager Terrell Blackmon has resigned.

In a special called meeting on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. called by Mayor Melissa Elliott, the city council entered into closed session to discuss a personnel matter.

The information available after the council returned to open session was scant, but in addition to the resignation, it included a decision by the council that the city would contact the League of Municipalities to ask for information about retired managers or others qualified to be interim manager.

Blackmon submitted his letter of resignation on Wednesday, Dec. 11 – two days after the regular monthly Council meeting. He didn’t elaborate on any reason for his decision to resign. Blackmon told WIZS that his last day as manager will be Jan. 10. He came to work as manager in 2020.

As part of the Sunday called meeting, the City Council voted 4-2 to contact the League of Municipalities. Council members Geraldine Champion, Garry Daeke, Lamont Noel and Sam Seifert voted in favor of contacting the N.C. League of Municipalities, a member-driven organization that provides support and guidance to cities and towns across the state.

Council members Ola Thorpe-Cooper and Michael Venable voted no; Council members Sara Coffey and Tami Walker were not present at the meeting.

Two people were in attendance at the Sunday meeting – a local newspaper reporter and one other person. That other person contacted WIZS Monday morning and said that shouting could be heard toward the end of the closed session, but none of the exact words could be understood.

Several key staff positions report to and work at the pleasure of the City Council – including the city attorney and the city manager – and Raleigh attorney Hassan Kingsberry was recently sworn in as interim city attorney, filling the position left vacant when D. Rix Edwards resigned. That job posting is currently on the city’s website; interested applicants have until Dec. 30 to apply.

The city has hired Salonia Saxton as its new public information officer. Saxton introduced herself at the December meeting.

Blackmon said he expected a press statement about the resignation to be issued by the city.

Other news gathering indicates the City Manager job will be posted on the City’s webpage as well.

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The Local Skinny! Friday Car Chase

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Friday, Dec. 13 proved unlucky for one teenaged motorist who led law enforcement officers on a 30-plus mile chase through Vance and Franklin counties, ending in a crash in Henderson near Chavasse Avenue and Raleigh Road.

The driver, 19-year-old Eli-Javron Williams of Roberts Avenue in Vance County, faces a slew of charges, including two felony charges for fleeing to elude and hit-and-run, according to Henderson Police Chief Marcus Barrow.

Barrow said officers from the Henderson Police Department observed a silver 2013 Honda Accord driving erratically on Harriett Street about 3:15 p.m.

In a statement to WIZS, Barrow said, “When the officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, the driver accelerated and refused to pull over.
The vehicle fled the area, prompting the officers to initiate a pursuit. The chase covered nearly 35 miles, extending to the city limits of
Franklinton, NC, before returning to Henderson.”
During the pursuit, the fleeing vehicle collided with a 2005 Toyota Scion while trying to turn onto Chavasse Avenue from Raleigh Road. The
occupants of the Toyota Scion were assessed by EMS at the scene. After the collision, the occupants of the pursued vehicle exited their disabled car and attempted to escape on foot. Officers quickly apprehended the driver and a 17-year-old passenger after a brief foot chase. A third individual, who remains unidentified, was not
apprehended, and no information about that person is available at this time.
The unnamed passenger who was apprehended was charged with resisting, delaying, and obstructing an officer. He was released to his mother at the police
department.

In addition to the two felony charges, Williams faces charged of careless and reckless driving, injury to personal property and multiple traffic violations.  He was given a $40,000 secured bond.

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