The Corbitt Spring Fling and Open House will be held Saturday, Apr. 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Bennett H. Perry Museum, home of Corbitt Preservation Association.
This event is open to the public and will feature Corbitt trucks and tractors on display, according to information from Kenneth Stegall of the Corbitt Preservation Association.
There will be plenty of Corbitt “merch” available as well. This event will be held rain or shine.
The Perry Museum is located at 180 Church St., at the corner of Church and Chestnut streets.
Stegall reminds all Corbitt enthusiasts that the 22nd annual Corbitt show and reunion is scheduled for Oct. 19 in downtown Henderson.
Until then, the upcoming Spring Fling is sure to quench the thirsts of Corbitt enthusiasts.
Henderson was the site for the Corbitt Truck Co., which provided military workhorse vehicles during World War II. The company operated from 1899 until the mid 1950’s.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Corbitt-Trucks.png265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2024-04-02 13:04:012024-04-02 13:04:50Corbitt Spring Fling And Open House Apr. 13
Imagine you’ve just purchased a vintage vehicle that looks oh, so beautiful. As you lower yourself into the driver’s seat, hands gripping the steering wheel, you can’t help but make a little wish: Please start. Just let that motor turn over.
Charles E. Powell may have had a similar wish in October 2020 when he issued his President’s Challenge as a fundraiser for the Corbitt Preservation Association. Please, let those donations come in.
And come in they did. Nothing short of a Christmas miracle, according to Powell. Total donations, at his last count, stand at $18,390.
Powell set a goal of $5,000 and chose the month of October 2020 to issue the challenge for donations. Every person making a $50 donation received full membership to the organization as well as their choice of swag – t-shirt, hat, coffee mug or travel mug. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of all the shows and events that usually help to bring attention and donations to the Corbitt Preservation Association, whose mission since 2003 has been to keep alive the love for the trucks that were built in Henderson between 1899 and 1954.
Ken Stegall on behalf of the Corbitt Preservation Association and association president Charles Powell.
In a letter provided to WIZS, Powell provided an update as of Dec. 15, recalling the initial days of the challenge. “After it was announced in the middle of September people started donating right away,” he wrote. “We were doing well through the first two weeks of October, averaging $1500 a week,” adding that they were on track to meet the goal. And just when donations had slowed to a trickle, an anonymous fellow member made a matching donation: if the President’s Challenge raised $5,000, the anonymous donor would contribute an additional $5,000. “We got super excited then!” Powell stated in the letter. At that point, the challenge had raised about $3,000, but the chance to get the matching donation kick-started the giving and more donations came in.
“The last week we were up to $4000 and then it stopped again. At this point I was about ready to concede defeat,” Powell recalled. He and fellow CPA’er Ken Stegall were feeling dejected when, with just a couple of days left, the thing they had hoped for happened: “and just like that, we had OVER $10,000!”
A total of $2,080 came in the form of memorial donations for Lou Almand, who died in October. Through their work with the Vance County Historical Society, Almand and his wife, Anne, had been instrumental in making the first Corbitt show in 2002 a success. Her husband had requested that, instead of flowers, any donations were to go to the Corbitt Preservation Association, according to Powell.
The challenge itself, minus the $2,080 in memorials, stands at $16,310. In the spirit of true gratitude, Powell stated, “I can honestly say our people love and believe in the brand name of Corbitt. I will always be grateful and never again will I forget how much you love our group and what we are doing for Corbitt and the community. LONG LIVE CORBITT!”
It isn’t too late to make a contribution. Donations can be in the form of a check sent via mail, by PayPal or by credit card over the phone.
Checks may be mailed to CPA, PO Box 74, Henderson, NC 27536. If you wish to use PayPal, please email gjammer35@aol.com for an invoice. To pay by credit card, please call Ken Stegall at (252) 432-6476 or Charles Powell at (252) 767-2247 for assistance.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Corbitt-Presidents-Challenge_123120.jpg265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2020-12-31 18:53:292020-12-31 18:56:25LONG LIVE CORBITT – Corbitt Preservation Takes In Over $18k In Donations
100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm
In the words of Kenneth Stegall, Corbitt Preservation Association member:
Just an update on the porch work at the Bennett H. Perry/Corbitt Museum. The job was just completed and, of course, we have an overrun due to damage underneath the porch.
The original project estimate was $6,000. With all the damage and rot under the porch, the total is now at $8,402.76. We received a grant for $6,855, plus we had a surplus from last year still available in the maintenance account for the museum. However, we need to make this up somehow, hopefully through some donations to the project.
The Corbitt Preservation Association will have a Spring Fling on April 25 this year to help with the cost. It would be nice to put some money back into the maintenance account since it is now depleted. What I am asking for is to try and cover the $549.09 that we had to take out of our general fund.
The museum is really a shining star in Henderson and for us as an association. Your help is greatly appreciated in this matter.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Corbitt-Museum.png265504WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2020-01-22 16:55:202020-01-22 16:55:20Work Completed on Bennett H. Perry/Corbitt Museum Porch
For the second time in as many weeks, Henderson residents were pleasantly surprised to see their hometown represented on WRAL’s Tar Heel Traveler series hosted by reporter Scott Mason.
This time, the focus was on the Corbitt Company, originally a horse buggy, and later an automobile and truck manufacturer, started by Richard J. Corbitt in Henderson in 1899. Corbitt’s were made in Vance County until the business closed around 1954.
While the clip originally aired on February 5, 2008, with commentary from Mason and Corbitt Historian Charles Powell, the recent showing included an update on the Corbitt Museum located at 180 Church St. in Henderson. The museum opened in 2015 and is available for tours by appointment only.
A followup to the original Corbitt story aired on February 24, 2010, and focused on the supposed haunting of the old Corbitt warehouse. That clip can be viewed by clicking here.
In an email to WIZS News, Mason said he always enjoys covering stories in Vance County, including the recent feature on the historic fire station in downtown Henderson.
To view the most recent Tar Heel Traveler episode featuring the Corbitt Company, please click here.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Corbitt-Trucks.png265504Kelly Bonduranthttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngKelly Bondurant2019-01-23 16:57:292019-01-23 16:57:29Corbitt Featured on WRAL’s Tar Heel Traveler; A Repeat With an Update
This is a reminder that the 2nd meeting of 2017 of the Corbitt Preservation Association will be this coming Sunday the 7th at 2:00 p.m. at the Bennett H Perry Museum ( The home of the Corbitt Museum). We would love to see each and everyone of you. We have a lot to talk about as always.
If you have not had a chance go to our new website please do,it is a work in progress so check it often. I am uploading to it almost daily. We have new Hats, Tee Shirts, and Coffee Mugs that will be on display at the meeting. Also remember it is becoming show time. truck and antique farm equipment shows are starting this weekend please check the events calendar on the website to find the shows nearest you.
There will be a R J Corbitt memorial Scholarship given this month to a Northern Vance High School student.
We look froward to seeing you all Sunday.
Thanks again
Ken Stegall
Treasurer and Archivist
The Corbitt Preservation Association
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/12662722_10206519634122867_4230075038843579145_n_opt.jpg280453WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2017-05-02 12:03:122017-05-02 12:03:12Corbitt Preservation Association to Meet This Sunday
Charles Powell, Curtis Paul, Kenneth Stegall and the entire Corbitt Preservation Association are proud to announce that this should be the largest show so far. Stegall wrote in a recent email to association members, “We will have vehicles here that have never been here before.”
Powell said, “John (Hedgepeth’s) military truck is going to be there. And we will have one of the racing Corbitts that used to be on the racing circuit. Some of the former drivers of the racing circuit will be there too.”
Stegall wrote, “It is the most amazing restoration I have ever seen. I am sure you will agree when you see it as well.” The Hedgepeth military truck is pictured in the flyer below.
“Richard Johnson Corbitt IV will be attending the show for the second time. There will be lots of reminiscing about the Corbitt company happening for sure with family and friends,” Stegall wrote.
Twenty five Corbitts or more are expected this year.
The Corbitts will be on display in their regular spot at the corner of Williams and Montgomery streets. The museum will be open all day as well at the corner of Church and Chestnut streets.
If you wish to donate to the museum, mail your response to The Corbitt Preservation Association, PO Box 74, Henderson, NC 27536.
(This article was written by John C. Rose of WIZS, who is a member of the Corbitt Preservation Association.)
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Bennett-Perry-Museum-Picture.jpg280453John C. Rosehttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngJohn C. Rose2016-10-12 12:54:472016-10-12 12:54:4715th Annual Corbitt Truck Show
The first Corbitt Preservation Association meeting of 2016 will take place Sunday, Feb. 7, at 2 P.M. Kenneth Stegall, association treasurer, informed WIZS News that folks interested in the group are invited to attend the meeting at the Bennett H. Perry, Jr. Museum (the Corbitt Museum) located at 180 Church St., Henderson, NC. There will be good fellowship, and it will be a great opportunity to see in the museum if you have not done so already.
In the following written statement, Stegall says the museum is in need of volunteers.
“The Corbitt Preservation Association would like to thank all the citizens of Henderson, NC and the surrounding area for their support. We opened the Bennett H. Perry Jr. Museum back in October of 2015 which is the home of the Corbitt Museum as well as a museum of the City of Henderson. We are having trouble finding citizens willing to volunteer to help us keep it open on the weekends. We are in need of volunteers for 3-hr shifts on Saturdays and Sundays. The hours for Saturday are from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. We are in need of volunteers to work 10 A.M. to 1 P.M. and 1 P.M. to 4 P.M. on Saturdays and 1 P.M. to 4 P.M. on Sundays. We will assist in the training of the volunteers as to what needs to be done. We are also open by appointment for groups and individual showings. We encourage other groups to have meetings at the Museum. Please feel free to contact any Corbitt Preservation member or Ken Stegall, Charles Powell or Curtis Paul. The Corbitt Preservation Association is on facebook and our website is www.corbitttrucks.com ; we can be emailed at info@corbitttrucks.com. We look forward to hearing from anyone willing to help. We have a nice Museum, but we need our community’s help in keeping it open.”
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/12662722_10206519634122867_4230075038843579145_n_opt.jpg280453John C. Rosehttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngJohn C. Rose2016-02-04 01:52:392016-02-04 01:52:39Corbitt Museum and Meeting
The challenge itself, minus the $2,080 in memorials, stands at $16,310. In the spirit of true gratitude, Powell stated, “I can honestly say our people love and believe in the brand name of Corbitt. I will always be grateful and never again will I forget how much you love our group and what we are doing for Corbitt and the community. LONG LIVE CORBITT!”
