A bureau made by Thomas Day, now in the North Carolina Museum of History.

A bureau made by Thomas Day, now in the North Carolina Museum of History.

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

THIS WEEK IN BLADEN COUNTY HISTORY

Five Years Ago: The scientist who discovered GenX is looking for ponds to test in Bladen County.

On Saturday, N.C. State environmental scientist Detlaf Knappe, who discovered the perflourinated chemical GenX in drinking water last year, said he is interested in studying surface water in the Mother County.

“I feel the private well owners — as well as the area in general — have been largely overlooked,” he commented. “The well water sampling done has basically been done by Chemours, and they share data with state, and the state has to share with homeowners. This has created frustration, because whole process is slow, and people are not getting answers they want.”

He added, “Right now, we still have an incomplete picture of what is actually in the water, because they’ve only agreed to test for three compounds … but we know there is other stuff in the water.”

From the March 2, 2018 Bladen Journal, Scientist wants ponds to test for GenX

One Year Ago: The Bladen County commissioners met Monday in a special-called meeting to talk about money, primarily the funding dispersed to the county through the American Rescue Plan Act in the amount of $6,355,865.

Commissioners discussed the advantages of using that money entirely for salaries and benefits, as opposed to putting it toward county equipment such as VIPER radios.

The primary advantage would be that using the ARPA funding for salaries and benefits would free up General Fund monies normally used for salaries and benefits, and all ow that money to be steered toward the VIPER radio purchases — which also would mean fewer compliance requirements for that money.

Still, there was concern among the commissioners.

“I worry that people will think we robbed Peter to pay Paul, so to speak,” said Commissioner Cameron McGill. “I know that we get it, but the perception may not be so clear.”

“How are we going to publicize this so the citizens understand we’re doing the right thing with their money?” asked Commissioner Danny Ellis.

While there was no consensus or decision made for those concerns, the general feeling of the board was that making the decision to utilize the ARPA monies to pay for salaries and benefits would be the best course of action.

In addition to VIPER radios, which would cost $1.4 million, the county had previously earmarked ARPA funding for the following projects: small business/nonprofits, $650,000; park paving, $500,000; Bladen County Health Department renovations, $800,000; and COVID-sick leave, $200,000.

That totals $3.55 million of the ARPA money, leaving a balance of about $2.805 million.

From the March 4, 2022 Bladen Journal, County talks about ARPA funding uses

Source: Bladen Journal Archives

THIS WEEK IN NORTH CAROLINA HISTORY

On March 1, 1827, Thomas Day ran an advertisement in the local newspaper, the Milton Gazette & Roanoke Advertiser, thanking his patrons and advertising his handmade furniture and quality service. Day, a cabinetmaker by trade, was one of North Carolina’s most celebrated antebellum craftsmen.

Day was born in Dinwiddie County, Va., in 1801 to free Black landowners. Like his brother John Jr., he followed in his father’s footsteps and learned the cabinetmaking trade. Both of the Day sons were well educated.

Thomas and his brother established themselves in the furniture business in Milton by 1823. There, Thomas became a prominent and well-respected citizen of the community. In his almost 40 years in Milton, Day built an extraordinary business, employing freedmen and slaves alike to craft stock lines of furniture and to fill custom orders for furniture and interior woodworking.

By 1850, Day had the largest cabinetry shop in North Carolina. He is believed to have died in about 1861, after having suffered financial losses due to the national panic of 1857. The surviving examples of his work are tangible evidence of his skill and accomplishments as a woodworker and craftsman.

Source: North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

THIS WEEK IN NATIONAL AND WORLD HISTORY

On March 4, 1789, the Constitution of the United States went into effect as the first Federal Congress met in New York. (The lawmakers then adjourned for lack of a quorum.)

On March 4, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated for a second term of office; with the end of the Civil War in sight, Lincoln declared: “With malice toward none, with charity for all.”

On March 6, 1836, the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, fell as Mexican forces led by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna stormed the fortress after a 13-day siege; the battle claimed the lives of all the Texan defenders, nearly 200 strong, including William Travis, James Bowie and Davy Crockett.

On March 6, 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Dred Scott v. Sandford, ruled 7-2 that Scott, a slave, was not an American citizen and therefore could not sue for his freedom in federal court.

On March 8, 1971, Joe Frazier defeated Muhammad Ali by decision in what was billed as “The Fight of the Century” at Madison Square Garden in New York.

On March 10, 1969, James Earl Ray pleaded guilty in Memphis, Tennessee, to assassinating civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (Ray later repudiated that plea, maintaining his innocence until his death.)