MONIKA FLEMINGS
The decade of the 1940s started out on a strong note in Tarboro and Edgecombe County. The Courthouse Annex across from the Town Hall had just been completed. Numerous programs of the Depression had brought new buildings into Tarboro, including the city water plant. Then in December 1941 Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan and all of America was thrust into a world war.
In response to the declaration of war, Tarboro Mayor George Fountain organized the City Civilian Defense Group. By January 1942, the Tire Rationing Board was established, 400 blacks formed Civilian Defense Units throughout the county, and requests were sent out to each community which was supposed to collect 50 tons of paper and 50 tons of metal for a total of 350 tons of each for the county. The newspapers cut off subscribers who had not paid their subscriptions to save the use of newsprint which was limited in the war.
Rationing of various products occurred throughout the war – tires and gas first. Soon sugar was rationed. Then In January 1943, coffee was added to the list. By that April, meat and cheese were included in ration stamps issued to families. Eventually shoes and other items were also rationed as materials were needed for the military.
To offset the rationing of some food items, everyone, especially families in town, were encouraged to have their own Victory Gardens. The idea was for families to grow their own fruit and vegetables so that farm crops could be gathered and processed for the military. The local paper ran a list of the families who were raising victory gardens and often included pictures of people harvesting their vegetables.
On Monday, Feb. 2, 1942, Tarboro had its first black out drill from 8-10 p.m. and air raid warnings were sounded the day before so people would recognize the sound when it happened the next evening. Then Aircraft Warning Observers were trained and set up around the county to spot potential enemy planes.
Soon programs were set up in schools – Schools at War and Student Victory Army – to raise money and buy war bonds to support the war effort. Operated by the Parent Teacher Associations in each of the public schools, the students brought their change to help buy war bonds and collected scrap metal and the Edgecombe schools were among the highest in the state for raising funds.
In 1944 alone the students raised more than $160,000, When local members of the armed forces came home on furlough, several visited the schools and encouraged students to support the war effort. Among these were Lt. Charles Cobb a fighter pilot, Master Sgt. Milton Hoffman and Cpl. Hull Wilson.
The most successful schools had a special flag to fly from the Treasury Department to designate their achievement. These Edgecombe County schools were recognized: Tarboro High School, Central School, Battleboro, West Edgecombe, Macclesfield, Pinetops, South Edgecombe, Conetoe and Dixon.
In 1945 Tarboro High was the second in the state in selling war bonds, so Miss Polly Edmondson was selected to go to Wilmington to participate in the launch of the SS Simoon along with a representative from Concord that was the state leader.
The Tarboro Pilot Club was organized in August 1943 with 23 members of business and professional women. Their early functions involved providing programs and serving as hostesses for visiting servicemen as part of the local USO.
Even with the war going on and hundreds of local families had members serving in the military, civilian life continued here on the home front. In January 1942 Dr. J.H. Brown opened a veterinary hospital on northern Main Street across from Henderson Lumber Co.
On Jan. 5, 1942 Edgecombe Bank and Trust Co. opened in the old Farmers Bank Building on Main Street across from the Court House. According to the report in the paper, “The other parts of the building, housing an ABC Store, a beauty shop and offices upstairs will remain the same.”
The officers were announced with President J.W. Forbes, Vice- President Pembroke Nash who was in charge of loans, and G. Harold Myrick the cashier. Sam Clark was chairman of the board.
The military personnel from this area were kept informed of local events by the Home Front News, a monthly publication that reached a circulation of over 1,000 men and women around the world. The little news publication averaged 14 pages, produced on a typewriter and printed on a mimeograph machine loaned by Carolina Telephone Co. Most of the work was done by many women throughout the county, often wives and mothers of those in service.
The Rotary Club sponsored this project and was assisted with fundraising and contributions from the Chamber of Commerce and Merchants Association. Area advertisers included M.S. Brown and Coca-Cola, Joe Eagles & Co., Howard Insurance, W.G. Clark Farm Supplies, W.S. Clark & Sons Store and the Mayo Hosiery Mill. (Note copies of this wonderful publication can be read at the Veterans Museum, and at both Edgecombe County Memorial Library and Edgecombe Community College Library.)
Lewis Heilbroner relocated his jewelry business to a new store in June 1943 to a larger space to better serve his customers. Another jewelry store, Roberts, in the 300 block of Main, was robbed in the early morning of Jan. 7, 1944 when someone broke the storefront window. The breaking of the glass was heard all down Main, but the robber escaped with numerous watches and rings before help could arrive.
June 6, 1944 is remembered by most people as D-Day, the combined effort of American and Allied forces to invade France and end the German occupation, but some local families remembered June 6 as rescue day. Lyn Bond Sr, his son Lyn Jr. and a friend George Earnhard were found after three days drifting in the Albemarle Sound in a boat with mechanical problems.
On May 7, 1945, V-E day was declared when Germany surrendered. The citizens of Tarboro had special church services on May 8 for prayers of thanks that part of the war was over. May 7 had also been Election Day and Rawls Howard was re-elected Mayor of Tarboro in one of the closest races in years.
Later in August, when Japan finally agreed to surrender, the citizens celebrated by closing stores and having an open air service on the Town Common at 10 a.m. following special 8 a.m. church services across town. According to the paper “hundreds attended” the program on the Common conducted by ministers of from all churches, with an audience from all races in a unified victory worship.
The night before when news broke over radio around 7 p.m. people were in the streets, blowing horns, cheering, and ringing bells. The paper mentioned there no wrecks and no arrests as citizens celebrated the announcement of peace.
Monika Fleming, the Historic Preservation Program director at Edgecombe Community College, is an Edgecombe County historian. Look for her reports each month on the Community page.
