Delmar's History

==Delmar

Located midway between Halifax and Enfield along the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, the community known today as Delmar initially took shape in 1905 when a consortium of eight African Americans organized by Joe Silver acquired the two-thousand-acre "Pomery' tract of land from the Norfleet family. Containing significant timber resources, this tract, located just west of the railroad and Marsh Swamp, was purchased for $10,000 over a ten-year period. In addition to Silver, the original investors were half-brothers Elijah and Dudley Jones, Robert Copeland, G. Jackson Scott, Ed Scott, Willie Jones, and Robert Jones. Each investor received a portion of the property, averaging approximately two hundred acres, on which to develop a farm. ¹

An evangelist preacher, Joe Silver led the farm cooperative, collaborating with each member to help maintain its financial stability and ensure agricultural success. (He did not move to the property)~ however, until 1906.) Initially; most of these men were skilled in cutting shingles and logging, with only a basic familiarity with farming. They strove to develop self-sufficient farms growing crops of corn, peas, cotton, and tobacco. Unable to make a positive contribution to the venture, Willie Jones soon sold his interest to Silver. In 19II, James H. Francis became the only new investor in the cooperative. His land included, however, a portion of Willie Jones's former land. Over time, the Francis farm exemplified the self-sufficient goals of the cooperative. Francis was a prosperous farmer, but he did not raise tobacco because he considered it a "gambling crop.:"

Financially, the cooperative managed each year to meet the mortgage payments. Applauding its efforts, E. L. Travis, a lawyer in Halifax, actively encouraged and financially aided the community. By 1910 all but three of the seven owned their own farms free of a mortgage. The cooperative cutting of enough timber from the entire tract resolved the final mortgage payment on the Norfleet property, and the surplus was divided equally. In all likelihood, Dudley Jones was involved with the construction of many of the buildings in the area.'

The cooperative's dream also included the development of a centralized community near the railroad. In 1914, a portion of the original Norfleet tract located east of the railroad tracks and west of Marsh Swamp was divided among the original investors into eight lots fronting along the tracks. The area was recognized by the name Delmar as early as 1916. In that year, Joe Silver deeded one acre to the Delmar Manufacturing Company, a firm established by trading partners G. J. Scott and A. M. Silver. On November 21, 1917, however, a post office named "Log" was established near the railroad tracks, and Charles Lawler became its first postmaster. Julian T. Moss, John E. Blades, and James B. Garremon followed him before the post office was discontinued on October 15, 1925. This community included a barrel stave mill, a store, a hotel, and several residences:'

Joe Silver's concept for his property paralleling the west side of the railroad tracks was laid out in a plat dated May' 9, 1918. The plan delineated four principal streets and eight blocks. Lot sizes varied, with the larger ones near the railroad tracks. Streets were named Halifax, Railroad, Silver, and Main. Over time, however, little development occurred.'

Although Silver's vision for Delmar never materialized, the cooperative tradition of the community was advanced in February 1949 with the formal incorporation of the Delmar Cooperative. Members of the Silver, Scott, and Francis families were principals within the cooperative. Headquartered in Enfield, this organization encouraged more efficient collective buying of farm supplies and selling of farm products."

In recent years the name Delmar has come to represent the rural community associated with the farming cooperative. Many residents are descendants of the area's early investors. No evidence of the settlement or barrel stave mill remains, however, except for the alignment of the power lines indicating the presence of a former rail siding.

The James H. Francis House (Pictured on the Home page)

In 1937 Thomas Adickes, a WPA writer, characterized this one-and-a-half-story frame house as the mark of a "very prosperous" farmer. In 19II James H. Francis joined the cooperative farming consortium of African Americans organized by Joe Silver in 1905. He began building this house in 1924 using materials salvaged from buildings being dismantled in Halifax, NC. He moved here in 1926. By 1937 Francis's farm was virtually self sufficient, providing all food needed except for tea, coffee, and sugar_ According La Adickes, it encompassed two hundred orchard trees, vineyards, vegetable plots that produced three hundred canned goods per year, three hundred chickens, five mules, and modern farm equipment, seemingly the most prosperous of the Delmar farms during the Depression years.

The Francis house takes the form of a gabled bungalow with ells to the front, side, and rear. Exposed rafter ends, simple purlin brackets, three-over-one sash windows, and square posts on brick pedestals supporting a small engaged porch are typical Bungalow elements. The arched window and bands of beveled shingles in the gable-front ell are typically Victorian.

Interior finish, characterized by plaster walls and tongue-and-groove wainscots and ceilings, is standard early twentieth century: However, the - salvaged wainscot in the rear ell has Georgian raised panels.

Through the years the family has made several alterations to the house. In the 1950s asbestos shingles obscured the plain weatherboard sheathing. Also, Francis's son, Eddie Rufus, enclosed the side porch in 1975 and added an attached carport to the opposing side elevation.

The house is situated in a quiet setting at the end of a road . Cultivated fields still provide sustenance for the Francis family and an agricultural setting, though the orchards and early outbuildings were removed.

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