1906 Industrial Issue - Introduction  

Introduction

This Industrial Issue of the Kinston Free Press was published in 1906 although there was an earlier Industrial Issue published in 1899. The issue is composed of both text and numerous pictures of places and people. This will be a slow project so please be patient.

We are grateful to the Free Press for permission to post anything of historical or genealogical in nature published prior to 1939.

OUR INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS

As set forth in this Magazine Industrial Issue of the Kinston Free Press. Covers Lenoir County, including Kinston and La Grange, and the bustling towns of Dover and Grifton. An Enterprise Receiving Support of all.

(Above in a box)

The Industrial Edition of the Free Press, which is herewith presented to the public, deals for the most part with present conditions and future prospects rather than with historical matter in which the county and town concerned are rich. In September, 1899, the Free Press issued an industrial edition, largely the work of Mr. PLOTO (sic) COLLINS, in which this historical material was fully set forth. For a number of historical allusions and other facts the present issue is indebted to that former work.

We sincerely appreciate the hearty co-operation which we have received in planning and preparing this work. Kindness, assistance and forbearance have met us on all sides, and our only regret is that circumstances have necessitated a number of vexatious delays in completing the undertaking, whose worth has apealed (sic) very strongly to the public. Business and professional men, farmers and all have joined in an effort to adequately advertise their section.

We especially appreciate the liberal support given us by the county commissioners of Lenoir, the board of Education of Lenoir, the mayor and aldermen of the city of Kinston, and also of the prosperous and wide awake towns of Dover and Grifton. These several bodies have forwarded the enterprise in various ways showing that they are fully alive to the value of advertising and are determined to do every thing in their power to advance those interests that the citizens have committed to their care.

The hearty approval which the venture has elicted (sic) from our Governor, our Senators and representatives, both in Congress and in the General Assembly, is a source of much satisfaction. These men have not been slow from the very first to express a deep interest in the success of the enterprise.

The study of the situation, of our present attainments, our resources and possibilities, has been a revelation to us, in that it, in a measure lifted the veil of the future and made discernable the outlines of certain developments that ought to be, that can be and that without a doubt will be. We as a section are on the verge of a great development, and we are rightly - among other things - using printer's ink in order to place ourselves in a position to reap our share of the harvest.

The facts presented in most of the individual write-ups, outside of Kinston of this industrial magazine were gathered by Mr. H. P. HEVENOR, who at first was manager of the enterprise. A considerable number of the representations from Kinston were prepared by Mr. E. B. LEWIS from facts he himself gathered. No small amount of the work, along with a supervision of the whole, has devolved up the regular staff of the FREE PRESS.

Getting out this magazine has been a big task, which of necessity had to give away at times, to the numerous and exacting duties of a daily newspaper. To have entirely escaped the pitfalls of error is a consummation which we have no right to expect. But we hope that error has been reduced to the minimum, and that in not a single line will it be found that injustice has been done.

We commend to the careful consideration of all the great variety of matter that is herewith presented. The story is one of industrious, honest, intelligent, prosperous and happy American citizens - most of whom are to the manor born - living in one of the fairest sections of our great Union. These people take this method of extending an invitation to all to come and cast their lots with them and help to make the waste places blossom as the rose.

THE EDITORS

Lots of marriages are mentioned in this Industrial Issue article. A transcription of those submitted so far can be found at Lenoir County Marriages