The following pictures are taken from a T-33 military jet in the late '50s till the early '60s. They were probably taken by Bill Williams's, daddy's, Sister's, husband Robert Grey Sowers who eventually set the cross country flying time in a B-58 Hustler bomber. Grey later piloted and instructed in the SR-71 Blackbird spy plane. There were apparently two separate flights because of the 6 pictures I have there are 4 that were taken in the mid afternoon, shown first, and 2 that were taken in mid morning. The prints are very good quality and still look good using a 10x magnifier. Anyone wishing to view the originals should contact Ted at 704-455-2754.
10003-s-750 Harrisburg High School. The school is in the center and the Ag building is on the left. When the school was built in the '20s students only went 11 years to graduate. In this picture the cafeteria has been built but the high school nor the gym nor the tennis courts have been built. This picture was taken before 1958 as the William Oglesby house has not been started. The first 4 pictures in this set of 6 were taken at the same time because there is a roof repair truck in the grass on the East side of the school in the first 3 pictures. In the center, just over the school, is the school principals house.
10004-s-750 At the top of this picture is Rail Road Ave which was dirt until around 2005. In the upper left is the arrington house. It was 1 of 2 railroad houses located in the South East corner at the Hickory Ridge Road crossing. In the '50s one of the houses was purchased by Mr Arrington and moved North across the railroad to the location shown on this picture. Robert Stafford negotiated with Southern Railroad for the other house to be used as the Boy Scout Hut. The hut was located on the site where Martha Melvin now lives. At the top of the picture is Railroad Ave. (RRA). In the upper right across RRA is the East end of the gin which was a cleaning section. To the left of the gin is a store, owner unknown. In the upper right on the near side of RRA is 2 houses- to the East most is John Alexanders and next to the right is John Alexanders store. continuing on to the right off the picture is the Frank ( Peanut ) Grey store which we have a picture of the inside at the restored store and who built the old Blume store, then the Chal Sims store, then a house, then another store at Robinson church road. Above the school bus is the Johnson barn. Ask Ted for story. Between the barn and RRA there are 2 houses on Grove Street that runs off Robinson Church Road. There is what appears to be a roofing repair truck in the East yard of the school house. This picture was taken before 1958 as the William Oglesby house which was built in the field behind the school against the tree line has not been started. The Harrisburg High School concrete marker which is visible and sat on top of the front wall above the front entrance is now in the traffic circle at Lowes Foods. Picture #1.
10006-s-750 The dark road section is where oil had been applied to reduce dust. This was a common practice up thru the late '60s. In this picture the school septic system is still beside the Ag building. In the upper left, starting up the hill there are several structures. The first is D. L. Morrison, later Dr Nicolas Lubchenko, then S.W.Houston- First meeting of the session of the Harrisburg Presbyterian Church met here 23Aug1093, this was later the home of the sistors Lula and Carrie Morrison. The next house was M. M. Morrison, the next was Wirt Oglesby- later Buddy Morrison, then the Dwight Morrison house, and finally the Presbyterian church manse. The drain lines appear to be visible as the dark areas toward the curve. At some later time a sand pit was used and it was relocated near the curve in the bottom left of the picture, In the left center is B. O. and Francis Jenkins house. Somewhere between the Joe Sims Store and the doctors house was a horse coral that Ben Teeter sold horses from and a Woodsmen Of The World building, I have no pictures of the woodsmen but I do have a picture with names of the women of the women's auxiliary. This picture was taken before 1957 as the William Oglesby house has not been started. Picture #4..
10008-s-750 This is the only known picture of the old Blume Store. Frank ( Peanut ) Grey either built it or was an early operator. then Grady and Dick Brown ran it. The last proprietors were David Blume and J. Cope. It was built about 1939. Grady Brown bought the land from Frank (Peanut) Grey. This Store had an attached rental building on the rear. Some of the renters included Lynn Sloop, Mr. Helms, Mr. Kelly, Marshall Queen, Mr. Wallace, Mr. Gibbs, Louis Lyles, and Pete Smith who was the first Harrisburg Volunteer Fire Dept Chief. It was interesting that Pete Smith did not have a drivers license. The store part of this structure was torn off in around 1954 by Mr. Sonny Brown. There is a picture of the first store Peanut Grey ran on Railroad Ave located in the historic store and post office, the picture shows Mr. and Mrs Grey and there dog, the dogs name has not been determined yet. As the business district moved away from Railroad Ave to NC49 the businesses had to follow. This picture was taken before 1957 as the William Oglesby house has not been started.
10002-s-750 The last 2 pictures in this set of 6 were taken in the afternoon and so probably were taken at the same time but at a different time from the first 4 pictures. In this picture the barber shop attached to the Blume Store is at the front, sometime later probably around 1960 it was relocated to the rear. The gas station in left center was the new Stafford Alexander station. The gas station in right center is Ritch Hutson. . In the upper right Mr Blackwelder can be seen to the left of the side door watching the jet fly-by.
10005-s-750 The last 2 pictures in this set of 6 were taken in the afternoon and so probably these last two were taken at the same time but at a different time from the first 4 pictures. The school buses are parked to the front, North, of the school where in the first pictures they were in the South West corner.The field at the bottom of the picture is partially plowed. It would have been nice to have captured the farmer in this photo. In this picture all 4 of the old gas stations/grocery stores are shown. The farthermost to the left is the first Stafford Alexander gas station, then the new Stafford Alexander gas station, then the new David and Kate Blume store then the Ritchie Hudson gas station, O. L. Honeycutt bought the property and Wayne ran a VW store there. All the stores have been torn down except for the Blume store which is where Harrisburg Hardware is located. Harry Bost and Wert Oglesby also ran a store further North up NC49 and on the South side. Also shown is the 3 houses on School Circle that are still there in 2011. When this picture was taken, evidently later than the one above, Mr. Blackwelder has moved into his drive on the left side of his house to watch the jet and was partially behind the power pole in front of his house.
Copyrite 2011 Ted McCachren