From Days Gone By Aug 11, 1911

August 11, 1911. Wrightsville will soon be the "City Beautiful" as Judge Wiggins is making things hum with the county's property. Chief Ferguson is making every lick count on the streets, and Contractor Chester is putting the finishing touches to the Vivola block. The first bale of cotton for Johnson County was brought in by Henry T. Downs. It was ginned at Fulford's gin. The bale weighed 479 pounds and sold for 12 - 18 cts per pound. It was stored at the City Warehouse. The cotton warehouse of C. H. Moore, agent for the Virginia-Carolina Chemical Company will be ready for business in a few days. E. A. Douglas will be manager. Mr. J. T. Tharp has been chosen weigher and manager of the City Warehouse. He is quite familar with the business, a careful, good man and will manage it well. The Farmers Union Gin and Warehouse opened for business ginning its first bale weighing in at 481 pounds. Messers Lovett Claxton and Ed Jordan are in charge of the business. Mr. T. G. Holt, proprietor of the Empire Store left for the eastern market to buy fall and winter stock. H. C. Tompkins is in New York and going to Baltimore to buy an extensive line of clothing and Elmo Hayes, an experienced buyer is up there too, stocking up on dry goods, shoes and groceries to ship back. Mr. R. Z. Sterling and several others have formed a Lyceum Course for Wrightsville and have secured a list of attractions from the Alkahest Lyceum. "The Vassor Girls" will be the first entertainment at the Vivola Opera House. Seventy-five season tickets have already been sold for this year. Mr. B. B. Tanner & family visited Palatka, Lake City and other Florida towns. The trip was made in Mr. Tanner's new car, in which they went from Wrightsville to Valdosta, 200 miles in one day. Mr. Tanner was pleased with the Georgia highway but the roads to Jacksonville are not suitable for "autoing". John Thomas McAfee, the 4 year old son of Mr. & Mrs. J. T. McAfee died at his home after a few days illness of hemorrhagic fever. He was buried at Westview. Mrs. Stella Harrison Vanlandingham, wife of Mr. John W. Vanlandingham died after a several day illness of puerperal fever and was buried at Beulah. She was a daughter by the former wife of W. H. Harrison. She was a young woman with good character and faithful in her church duties. She is survived by her father, husband and seven small children, the youngest an infant ten days old. Senator W. N. Kight of Johnson County representing the 16th district including Laurens and Emanuel gives the "Tale of a Kite" which dates back 1000 years. Every Kite should have a tail, and this tale goes back to the time when the Saxons and Danes were fighting for supremacy in England. The Kight's have been in this area for 100 years. They have been traced back to Alfred 1, a Saxon king. A Kite bird alighted on the banner and in the next 3 battles he was victorious. He adopted the Kite bird as his emblem and named himself Kite. This is where the family started. In the 17th century George Kite came to America as one of William Penn's colonist who settled in Pennsylvania. This was the beginning of the American Kite's. In 1610 the grandfather of Sen. Kight came to Georgia from there establishing the name to this state. Until 50 years ago it was spelled Kite, but Sen. Kight's uncle went to Virginia and found that branch changed the word to Kight. So he adopted the spelling as well. When Sen. Kight named his home town it was questioned by the postal service of that spelling being confused with Knight. So he went back and changed the spelling to Kite. Sen. Kight, who is 60 years old is a prominent merchant, lumberman, naval stores operator, banker and farmer. He is now serving his first term as senator. He was the mayor and postmaster of his town, Kite, Georgia. The recent raids on the blind tigers seem to have put a quietus to this line of business. Judge Kent is doing a great job giving them the chaingang. The kind of booze sold by them, it is said, will make a jack rabbit walk up and spit in the face of a bulldog.