Dunn
and
Erwin
Two |*ihi (I I owns with
I» г о .ч
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о г о и
s iiiclusf ritil
concerns niiil mercantile
establishments. backed
up by one of the best agri¬
cultural sections in th(k
state.
tty ( Aid GOERCII
SOME twenty or thirty years
ago. the folks of Dunn, N. C..
had a slogan. It went like
this:
"Dunn— the best town under the
sun."
But after a while some of the
residents of Dunn felt that the
slogan had a slightly grandiose
sound to it. People might think
a were bragging; so they grad-
r let it pass out of the picture.
In spite of this, the majority of
Dunnarians are still firmly con¬
vinced that the slogan told the
truth. They point out that the
town is located in one of the finest
agricultural sections in the state,
which never has had a crop failure.
They call attention to the fact that
Dunn had no special war industries
and consequently had no hurry-up
boom, with the customary follow¬
up slump. They will quote figures
and statistics in connection with
the steady and substantial growth
of the town and will gladly show
you the many improvements that
have taken place.
So perhaps that slogan wasn’t
so far off after all.
Dunn is located in Harnett Coun¬
ty on the main line of the Atlantic
Coast Line the mid-point between
New York and Miami. It also is
the eastern terminus of the Durham
& Southern Railroad, which is a
highly important transportation
artery in connection with the busi¬
ness life of the town, particularly
in connection with varied freight
shipments. U. S. Highway 301.
running from New York to Miami,
and U. S. Highway 421. extending
from Wilmington to Charlotte,
intersect at Dunn. In addition.
Dunn has one of the finest hospitals in the state. Of recent construction,
it contains the most modern equipment and is capably and efficiently
staffed.
there are state roads, and alto-
Sthcr seven hard-surfaced roads
id into the city.
Its close-by neighbor is the town
of Erwin, which is less than four
miles distant. The two towns are
gradually building up between each
other, and it’s getting so that it is
hard to tell when you’re leaving
one and when you’re entering the
other. The Erwin Cotton Mills, one
of the largest textile concerns in
the country, operate a big plant
in the town of Erwin and employ
more than 2.000 people. The town
is not incorporated.
Used to be that there was con¬
siderable rivalry between Dunn and
Erwin, and this rivalry didn’t al¬
ways promote the very best of
feeling. But just as the two towns
are drawing closer together physi¬
cally, so they also are drawing
closer together from a civic-spirit
standpoint. The people of Erwin
realize that what helps Dunn also
helps Erwin; and the people of
Dunn entertain a vice-versa opinion
with equal cordiality. There is a
fine spirit of cooperation now in
existence.
Let’s study them for a few min¬
utes, one at a time.
Dunn, because of its location
and other desirable factors, is un
ideal location for manufacturing
plants of all kinds. There is an
abundance of American labor and
plenty of raw materials, electric
and water power. The town has a
water supply system adequate to
supply a city of 50.000. This comes
from the Cape Fear River through
the medium of a $500.000 pumping
station. Carolina Power & Light
Company furnishes the electricity.
Dunn has just about everything
you could ask for in a town of its
size. It has fine schools and
churches, excellent stores, attrac¬
tive homes and a fine citizenship.
Its hospital is of recent construc¬
tion and is generally regarded as
one of the best in the state. They’re
mighty proud of it, and have ample
right to be. It has all of the latest
equipment and is capably and effi¬
ciently staffed. Dunn has one of the
livest chambers of commerce that
you can find anywhere, with 256
members. Earl Westbrook is presi¬
dent. and Joe McCullers is man¬
ager-secretary. We were interested
in what Joe had to tell us while
we were talking to him in Dunn
last week:
‘T've been here only about six
months.” he said, "but I don’t be¬
lieve there is another chamber of
commerce in the state that receives
finer cooperation from its mem¬
bers than ours does. Every project
that we have undertaken has been
carried out successfully, thanks to
this fine spirit. The people are
genuinely interested in the prog¬
ress of the town, and everybody
seems willing to do his part in
helping the town to grow and pros¬
per."
Judging from conversations we
had with some of the other citizens
of the town, there was no exaggera¬
tion in Joe's statement.
There is nothing sensational
about Dunn: its growth has been
along sound and substantial lines.
It has a number of prosperous in¬
dustries which have helped ma¬
terially in its development. Let’s
take a look at some of them:
The Johnson Cotton Company,
of which Nathan M. Johnson is
the head. Mr. Johnson started out
in the cotton business, but he has
Kne far afield. He now also manu-
rtures fertilizer. His company
operates a furniture store, a general
store and an electric supply store
in Dunn, and he has more than
21
THE STATE. January 10. 1948
