Newspaper Page Text
THIRD YEAR
Empty Stocking Campaign
Set By Jaycees Dec. Bth
By Jim Germany
The Forest Park Junior 'Chamber of Commerce, assisted by
other community organizations, is conducting a drive to bring the
spirit of Christmas into the hearts anc| homes of under-priviledged
children in the Forest Park area.
The funds collected in this drive
will be used to purchase toys and
gifts for 15 needy children. These
will be delivered to their homes
in time for Christmas Eve.
This is the third year that an
Empty Stocking fund drive has
been conducted for the children of
this area, and we hope to surpass
our goal if $1,200.
On December 8, between 7:30
and 9:30 a.m., you will be con
tacted by a member of the Forest
Park Jaycees, or one of the other
organizations, and asked to lend
a helping hand. Your donation will
be used solely for this program.
If you plan to be out of town, or
you had rather sleep late that Sun
day morning, just pin your money
on the front door, and someone
will come by and pick it up.
The residents of Forest Park have
always accepted this Jaycee Emp
ty Stocking fund drive as a com
munity project. The fund goal has
always been met and the other
civic organizations have been most
generous in giving their time and
efforts toward its successful ac
complishment.
We know that the people of For
est Park will not close their hearts
to so many less fortunate children.
Ponder Tire Company
Opens Here Dec. 10
Ponder Tire and Recapping Com
pany will open in Forest Park
about December 10 in a building
being erracted on Highway 54.
Ralph Ponder, of Fairburn, is
owner of the new firm.
Mr. Ponder will close his Fair
burn plant and will move to For
est Park to make his home.
The exact opening date is to be
announced.
Clayton County
Leads Bond Sales
Clayton County led the 15 coun
ties of the Fourth District in the
sale of “E” savings bonds during
October, according to Jewell A.
Gardner, chairman of the coun'y
savings bond committee. ■
Clayton also lead in total sales
for the first ten months of 1957
and in percentage of the 1957 qilota
attained in the same period.
The sale of “E” bonds in October
totaled $72,313.
Total sales for the first ten
months reached the $505,123 mark,
this being 93.8 percent of the coun
ty’s quota for the year which is
$538,000.
Abercrombie-Patterson Funeral Home i
Announces Expansion Plans; To Pay
Annual Ten Per Cent Dividend Shortly
Abercrombie-Patterson Funeral Home announced plans early
this week for the expansion of facilities on Main Street in Forest
Park and revealed that the firm will pay its annual ten percent
dividend to stockholders as soon as an audit of the books is
complete.
Sharon Abercrombie, president
of the corporation also revealed
that the firm will close its funeral
home in Jonesboro effective De
cember Ist, with all activity being
centralized at the Forest Park
home.
Mr. Abercrombie told a Forest
Park NEWS reporter that the mer
ger of the two homes here will
enable the firm to offer better ser
vice to citizens. He indicated that
since the Forest Park area has
the greatest concentration of pop
ulation in the county, the merger
of the two homes would place the
entire facilities of the firm much
closer to the largest number of cit
izens.
According to Mr. Abercrombie
the firm has started on a planned
program of expansion which he
indicated is'necessary in order for
the funeral home to keep pace
with the rapid development of the
city and surrounding area.
He said that construction started
early this week on an. addition
to the funeral home which will
add a total of slightly over 1000
square feet of floor space to the
building. The new addition will be
used primarily as a casket display
room and will have additional rest
rnnm facilities.
The addition is slated to be
complete within six weeks, he said.
Shortly after this addition is
complete another will start, Mr.
Abercrombie said. It will be a mod
ern chapel seating approximately
250 persons. This facility will al
low the home' to conduct complete
services on the premises.
According to Mr. Abercrombie,
the .chapel will be the only per
manently set up one in the county
and will make availible to local
residents service equivalent to that
The Forest Park News
PHONE: POplar 1-2282
Mountain View
Candidate Rally
Friday At 7:30
Eight candidates for posts on
the Mountain View city council
have been invited to a public rally
at the Mountain View School this
Friday evening i November 29) at
7:30.
Those invited are: J. Vernon
Ashmore, incumbent, whose cur
rent term expires December 31;
J. F. Blalock. John B. Conkle,
Willie Goss, T. E. Kinsler, L.
Watson ’Maxwell, W. M. Rooks,
and Leroy Stone-
Each candidate will have an op
portunity to set forth his platform.
A question and answer period will
follow with questions asked by the
audience. Refreshments will b e
served.
The election will be held Satur
day, December 7, when three coun
cilmen will be elected for two
year terms.
In the same election Mountain
View voters will also decide wheth
er or not the city will be divided
into four wards.
Should this proposal receive a
favorable vote future councilmen
would have to live within the
bounds of the ward they represent,
but would be elected on a city
wide basis.
J. Vernon Ashmore, incumbent,
has withdrawn as a candidate for
counciman in Mountain View
according to Mrs. Kate C. Eu
banks, city clerk, who said that
Mr. Ashmore’s withdrawal was
because of a technicality making
him ineligible to run.
Christmas Program
At Sdbool Gym Dei. 7
The annual community- ,Christ
mas program spbhsbfed by the
Forest Park Music Club will be
presented in the Forest Paris High
School Gymnasium Saturday even
ing, December 7, at 8 o’clock.
The Forest Park High School
Bands will be featured.
The program will include con
gregational singing, selections by
the choir, group singing, and va
ried instrumental selections.
Church choirs throughout the
city have been invited to partici
pate. Those wishing to take part
are asked to meet at the gym
nasium at 7:30 p.m.
; availible at the larger funeral
I homes in Atlanta.
I Abercromb^ - Patterson Funeral
■ Home was founded in April, 1954
; when the company bought out
; Mann Funeral Home in Jonesboro.
The company set up a home in
' Forest Park in February, 1955 and
1 has operated both homes since
’ that time.
'Mr. Abercrombie, a native of
■ Moultrie, was educated at Moultrie
; public schools. He graduated from
. Moultrie High School in 1946. He
• has attended the Atlanta Division
; of the University of Georgia,
i specializing in business admims
. tration.
He also holds a degree in mor
tuary science from Gumpton-Jones
: College of Mortuary Science, Nash-
I ville, Tennessee, receiving it in
: | 1948.
■ j He is a veteran of World War
: Two and the Korean War and
served as a hospital corpsman.
Mr. Abercrombie is married to
I the former Miss Carolyn Zeigler
i of Thomasville. They have one
I child, Sherry, age three.
I The family attend the First Bap
: tist Church of Forest Park.
! Mr. Abercrombie is a member
• of the Forest Park Kiwanis Club,
; the Forest Park Busiriess Associa
tion and is treasurer of that group.
i He is a member of Jonesboro
Masonic Lodge Number 87 and
; Royal Arch Chapter of Forest
Park.
He is also a member of the Geor
• gia Funeral Directors Association
and the National Funeral Direc
■ tors Association.
Abercrombie - Patterson Funeral
, Home was incorporated in August,
■ 1954 and now has approximately
400 stockholders, the majority of
them, residing in the Clayton Coun
; ty area.
OPEN HOUSE: The public was given an oppor
tunity to see the J. E. Edmonds Elementary
School, located on Simpson Road, at open house
last Sunday afternoon. Several hundred toured the
Edmonds School
Used Last Monday
For First Time
Six hundred students in the first
through seventh grades used the
J. C. Edmonds Elementary School,
on Simpson Road, Forest Park,
for the first time last Monday.
The school is the newest in Clay
ton County and has largest in floor
space.
Construction cost was approxi
mately $293,000, an average of SB.-
39 a square foot which includes
the cost of fixtures.
It will serve all children living
east of Highway 54 and all child
ren currently transported to other
schools. Double sessions at the
other schools will no longer be re
quired.
Homer L. Phillips is principal
of the new school.
Modern in design and decora
tions, the new building contains
classrooms, offices, rest rooms, a
library, and a combination audi
torium and cafeteria.
Open house was held Sunday af
ternoon when several hundred
visitors toure3 the new building
and enjoyed refreshments served
by the Parent-Teachers Associa
tion .
Work Starts On ।
Street Lighting
System For F. P.
Work is in progress on the de
sign of a new, modem street light
ing system which will make For
est Park one of the best lighted
communities of its size anywhere
in Georgia.
City Manager G. Frank Hill said
today that engineering is under
way on the first phase of the new
installation. ’’
A Corttiact* signed between
the city and the Georgia PoWer
Company Wednesday, November
13, following a meeting of Mgyor
JameV C. Currie and the city coun
cil earlier in the month, at which
Mr. Hill was authorized to pro
ceed with negotiations.
Members'of cdiincil are? L. D.
Streitelmeier, L. E. Helms, W. N.
Jenkins, T. L. Spcir, Paul T. Ad
dis, J. E. Chappell, and O. ; M.
Huie, Jr.
The street lighting project will
be done in three phases. The first
phase will consist of the installa
tion of 140 lamps of 330 watts
and 175 watts, to be placed in
residential areas.
The second and third phases will
consist of 40 additional lights, to
be installed in residential areas,
and a whiteway system consisting
of high intensity mercury vapor
lamps to extend for a distance of
approximately one mile on Main
street.
Construction work on the first
phase should be well along by the
end of 1957. Engineering work on
the second and third phases will
begin early in 1958.
Mr. Hill pointed out that an ade
quate system of street lighting is
one of the most effective deter
rents of traffic accidents and
criminal activities. The whiteway
system on Main street is expected
to increase business for/the mer
chants, he said. It has been found
from experience in other cities that
a well lighted business section
stimulates shopping and all older
forms of business activity.
Rain Damage To FP
Streets Over SIO,OOO
Damage estimated between
SIO,OOO and $12,000 was done to
streets, culver^, and storm sewers
of Forest Park by heavy rains
Sunday afternoon, November 17,
according to City Manager G.
Frank HiU.
Two streets, Grace Street and
Curtis Drive, were closed when
flbod waters washed out culverts
running under the street.
These, streets were re-opened
last week, Mr. Hill said, and city
foriies ate wolfing overtime to re
pair other damage in scattered
sections of the city. 1
FOREST PARK, GEORGIA, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1957
Two New Businesses Opening in Forest
Park Monday Morning, December 2nd
Two new businesses will open in Forest Park Monday,
December 2. They are Ellis Plumbing Company, at Main Street and
54 Highway, and Figure-Trim Salon, at 1243 Main Street.
Ellis Plumbing Company, owned
by Fred Ellis, will offer a com
plete line of plumbing and repairs
as well as sales and service on
appliances.
An advertisement in this issue
of The NEWS lios the firm's
opening week specials.
Earl L. Baumgartel is owner of
the Figure-Trim Salon which will
feature the Figure-Trim System
of slenderizing.
Details of a free trial visit will
be found in an advertisement in
this issue of The NEWS.
MILE-O-DIMEB: Members of the Forest Park
Athletic Association will begin collecting Mile-O-
Dimes cards in Forest Park This Friday, (Nov. 9.)
The cards were left at homes and places of busi
ness Saturday, November 16, by members of the
Association and Little Leaguers. The Association
Clayton County Board of Commissioners
Issue Two Beer Licenses On Trial Period
The Clayton County Board of Commissioners of Roads and
Revenues, at meetings in October, issued two beer licenses for
prpbationary periods, changed! two tracts of land from agricul
tural to industrial classifications, and gave the chief of the Clayton
County Police Department authority to promote and demote’ mem
bers of the department. ■' ‘
Beer licenses were issued to 1
Gus and Harriett Gray, for the
Hide-Away Inn, for a 60 day trial
period, and to J. C. Pace, for Lee’s
Drive In, for a 90 day probation
period.
The verbatim text of the Com
missioner’s minutes, ordered pub
lished in order that citizens may
be informed of all actions taken,
follows:
I certify the enclosed are a true
and correct copy of the minutes
of the Board of Commissioners of'
Roads and Revenues, with cxcep-1
tions to the legal descriptions of
the property being rezoned, fur I
the month of October 1957.
Helen G. Barnette, Clerk '
The Clayton County Board of;
Commissioners of Roads and Rev
enues held a regular meeting Octo-1
ber 1, 1957, at 10:00 A. M. with'
the following menibers present: ■
Mr. E. P. Echols. Mr. E. Ll
George, u.id Mr. B. C, Haynie.
Mr. Echols made a motion the
minutes be approved as read, Mr. I
Haynie seconded, vote, unanimous. I
The Beer License of Gus and ।
Harriett Gray, The Hide-A-Way I
kin, was presented 'o the Board. 1
Mr. Echols made a rm lion the beer
license be returned and they be
allowed to operate for a 60 day
trial period. Mr. George seconded,
vote unanimous.
Mr. Haynie made a motion to.
accept the right of way on Roy
Huie Road and Upper Riverdale'
Road, Mr. George seconded, vote I
unanimous.
'Mr. Haynie made a motion to
sign the agreement with the Cen
tral of Georgia Railroad Company
on the Noah’s Ark Road Crossing.
Mr. George seconded, vote unani
mous.
Mr. George made a motion to
. sign the agreement with the City
of Jonesboro for paving on Roberts
Street from Johnson Street and ex
tending 540 feet, Mr. Echols sec
onded, vote unanimdus.
No further business, meeting
new building during the afternoon and enjoyed
refreshments served in the library (above) by the
Parent-Teachers Association. NEWS staff photo
by La Chapelle. (See story).
Club Members Asked
To Turji In Dolls By
Saturday, Nov. 30
Members of the Forest Park
Woman’s Club who are dressing
dolls for the Salvation Army have
been asked to turn the dolls in
no later than this Saturday ( No
vembei' 30.)
The dolls should be taken to the
home of Mrs. G. C. Christian, at
119 Warren Drive.
adjourned.
E. T. George, Chairman
Helen G. Barnette, Cloth*
The Clayton County Board of
Commissioners of Roads and Kev*
enucs ne'd a called meeting Octo
ber 3, 1957, at 2:00 P. M. with tee
following members present: Mr. E.
P. Echols, Mr. E. T. George, and
Mr. B. C. Haynie.
.The petition of The Empire Land
Company to rezone property from
a A-agricultural District to a M
-3 Industrial Classification was pre
sented to the Board. The property
being more fully described as fol
lows: Located in Land Lot 11 of
the 13th District and being in 2
parcels. Parcel 1 located 300 feet
South of the Clayton-Fulton County
line on L.anders Dcve; Parcel 2
located at the northeast inter
section of College Park Road and
Union Avenue. Mr. Haynie made
a motion the petition be granted.
Mr. George seconded, vote unani
mous.
Mr. Echols made a motion the
Chief of Police be g.ven the au
thority ,c promote or demote ar/
policeman on the fo v ce. Mr. Hay
nie seconded, vote unanimous.
No- further business, meeting ad
journed.
E. T. George, Chairman
Helen G. Barnette, Clerk
The Clayton Gounty Board of
Commissioners of Roads and Reve
nues held a called meeting Octo
ber 17, I9 r 7, at 2:OO<P M. The 'oi
lowing members were present: 'Mr.
E. P. Echols, Mr. E. T. George,
and Mr. B. C. Haynie.
Mr. Haynie made a motion to ac
cept the right of way on Ander
son’s Drive, Mr. Echols seconded,
vote unanimous.
The petition of Clarence Thorn
ton to re 'one property from a P. 2
Residential District to a C-3 Com
mercial District was presented to.
the Board. The property being lo
cated in Land Lot 2 and 31, 61 h
District, Clayton County, Georgia,
on the South side of Lake Jodeco
Road. Mr. Echols made a motion
(Continued On Page Eight)
Mountain View
Voters Favor
De-Incorporation
Leaders of the drive to de-incor
porate the City of Mountain View
feel they scored a major victory
this past Monday evening when a
petition they had circulated was
found to contain a majority of the
names of registered voters in the
city.
Representatives W. J. (Bill) Lee
and Edgar Blalock examined the
list in a three-hour-long meeting
with members of the Committee
To Return Mountain View To The
County and with Mountain View
officials.
The final tally showed that the
petition asking ’Messers Lee and
Blalock to introduce legislation in
January to de-incorporate the city
has a slight majority of the regis
tered voters of the city on it.
Each name on the petition was
compared with the Mountain View
list of registered voters.
Representing those who wish to
de-incorporate the city were J. B.
Conkle and Leroy Stone. Repre
senting the city administration
were Mrs. Jess Waller and Mrs.
Tunny Williams, both wives of
courfcilmen, who made a list of
the petitioners as their names
were read.
Representatives Blalock and Lee
had earlier agreed that if the peti
tion contained a majority of the
names of registered voters they
would introduce legislation pro
viding for a referendum to let all
citizens decide if they wish to re
main a city or return to the coun
ty and an un-incorporated area.
Aftei' the final count, those fav
oring the continuance of the city
indicated they would conduct a
drive to have citizens withdraw
their names from the petition.
wil’ use the funds contributed to finance Little
League baseball here next’season. Eventual plans
call for a year around athletic program for boys
from eight to 15 years old. The Mile-O-Dimes
cards, reproduced above, are slotted for the in
sertion of coins. Each family was urged to fill as
many cards as possible.
NEW
WANT AD
PHONE NUMBER
— IS —
POplar 6-0394
Evenings and Sundays
CALL
POplar 1-2282
CORONATION: Girls Auxiliary of the Woman’s
Missionary Union of the First Baptist Church of
Forest Park held a coronation ceremony at the
church Wednesday evening, November 13. The
young ladies taking part in the colorful ceremony
are, from left to right, in'the front row: Linda
Clayton Jail, Built In
1898, Called Inadequate
By Sheriff W. L. Dickson
Clayton County Sheriff W. Loy Dickson this week made a
strong plea for a new courthouse and jail, citing records in his
office to show that the county has outgrown the facilities of both
buildings.
The present courthouse and jail were built in 1898 when the
county population was less than 10,000. That year the sheriff's
department handled only four cases.
“Sixty years ago the present jail
was built to accomodate 16 priso
ners,” Sheriff Dickson said. “To
day, in the same jail, there are
times when we have as many as
60 prisoners at one time, with
standing room only.”
The sheriff pointed out that limi
ted facilities make it necessary
for white and colored prisoners
to be locked up together.
The first Clayton County jail and
courthouse were built in 1858, the
year the county was created.
The original buildings were used
40 years, until the present ones
were built.
The original jail and courthouse
are still standing and are in use
today, the jail being the home of
Mr. and Mrs. H. C. Piper, on King
Street, in Jonesboro.
The first courthouse was used
by the congregation of the Jones
boro Presbyterian Church and the
Masonic Lodge for many years,
finally being taken over by the
lodge.
Twelve sheriffs have served Clay
ton County since 1874, the first
year for which records are avail
able. The name of the sheriff in
1874 isn’t shown by the records
but the records reveal that he
handled only 30 cases during I
the entire year.
J. O. Hightower served as sheriff'
in 1875 and 1876. The county popu- i
lation was less than 8,000 and the
sheriff handled only 40 cases dur
ing his two-year term.
Henry C. Hutcheson was sheriff
for the next two years (1877 and
1878 > but crime was at a low ebb
for records show only nine
Huie Is Agent
For Sun Life
Insurance Co.
O. M. Huie, Jr., a member of
the Forest Park city council, is
now associated with the Sun Life
Assurance Company of Canada.as
agent in the Forest Park area, ac
cording to a formal announce
ment issued by the company this
week.
Mr. Huie is a native of Forest
Park. He attended grammar
school and two years of high school
here and graduated from high
school at Georgia Military College,
in Milledgeville, in 1943.
■" ®h Nipveipber,” ^943, he entered p
the United States Air Force, serv-1
ing for; forty months during World
War' JI Fourteen months of this
time, was spent in the Panama
Cqu^L Zone, .
Mr. Huie entered the University'
of Georgia, in Athens, in March,
1947, where he studied for four
years. ‘
i His wife is the former Miss Joy
Roland, of Donaldsonville.
The Huies have two children,
Susan, eight years old, and O. M.
, Huie, 111, four. The family attends
Jones Memorial Methodist Church.
'Mr. Huie is a member of the
Forest Park Junior Chamber of
i Commerce and has served as a
I city councilman since January 1.
Alexander. Elaine Elrod, Diane Bulfin, Jeanne
McKown, regent, Sara Parker, and Sandra Rhodes.
In the second row, left to right, are: Sandra What
ley, Becky Rhodes, Katherine Stanley, Cherie
Waldrop, Lynette Hankins. Mary Claire Robin
son, and Pamela Gladden. NEWS staff photo by
La Chapelle.
cases in the two-year period.
In 1879 W. S. Arcner went in
office as sheriff to serve for eight
years through 1886. The county
population had passed the 8,000
mark by that time and crime was
on the increase.
Sheriff Archer’s office recorded
305 cases during his eight years
in office, the peak year being his
final year in office when the total
was 64 cases.
L. C. Hutcheson started a ten
year tenure as sheriff in 1887.
During those ten year 223 cases
were handled by the sheriff's de
partment. Fifty-one cases are on
the records for his first year in
office, while in 1890. when the
county nad a population of 8.205,
only nine cases were reported.
In 1897 Beeler M. Huie went into
office and served for six years
through 1902. During that time the
county population reached 9,598 and
the present courthouse and jail
were built.
Sheriff Huie recorded only 112
cases in six years, the low year
being 1898 when four cases were
handled and the busiest year 1901
with 36 cases.
J. E. Brown was sheriff of Clay
ton County from 1903 through 1910,
a period of eight years. Activi
ties of the sheriff’s department was
keeping pace with the expanding
population and 61 cases were hand
led in 1910. the year the official
population was reported at 10,453.
Records show that Sheriff Brown
during his eight years in office
handled 76 cases, the smallest
number in a single year being
five in 1907. - •. : >
In 1911 C. D. Dickens entered
the office of sheriff. Re*aljcted
four times he served through 1920
when the federal ■ cepsus showed
a total of 11.159.
Crime reached a new high in
1913 when records show a total
of 84 cases, dropping off to a, low
of 24 cases in 1919.
E. E. Reagin was Clayton sheriff
during the Roaring Twenties, from
1921 through 1928. His records show
679 cases in his eight year term,
a new high being reached in 1927
when the sheriff handled 123 cases.
The smallest number of cases
were reported in 1923 when 54
cases were recorded.
In 1929 Sheriff E. L. Adam on
started ten years in office, serv
ing through 1938, Criminal cases
averaged 335 a year.
I; The present sheriff. ’\TV- son,
'went into office for the Li’Sf'time
lin 1939. He served 11 years,
1952, and during tlipt. .risi^ the
county population nearly dmioled,
going from 11,635 ia 1949 to 22,872
in 1950.
The 14-year period saw 12 02'5
cases handled by Sheriff Dickson's
department. The peak year was
1947 when the total was 1,416 and
the lowest was 1939 with 432 ca*’S
recorded'. '
John T. Davis took office as
sheriff in 1953, serving for four
years, through 1956.
During these four years crimi
nal cases averaged over 2,000 a
year, the total for the four years
Continued on Page 8
NUMBER 31