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Comments
Submitted by Michael Bacon (not verified) on Mon, 10/11/2010 - 5:14pm
Any notion of whether or not this gentleman was related to the Valinda Beall Watts for whom the "Beall Pavilion" is named at Watts Hospital/NCSSM? FWIW, everyone at the school pronounces that name "Bell" -- didn't know if the two were related.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/11/2010 - 7:33pm
If I am not mistaken, I can remember going into the Murdock Ice House as a young teenager. This would have been around 1972. At the time they manufactured ice in large blocks. I never knew they were previously known as Murdock Ice and Coal.
In the photo titled "Looking west from Morris, mid 1950s", was the larger building on the right once occupied by DC May paint company?
Submitted by Gary (not verified) on Mon, 10/11/2010 - 8:03pm
Yes, anon - that's the Imperial Tobacco Co. building, now occupied by Measurement Inc.
Michael - I need to check to be certain, but I believe that the Beall family came from Baltimore, and George Beall may have been Valinda's brother.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/11/2010 - 8:16pm
I have not lived in Durham for many years, but I thought the face of the buidling looked familiar. I worked for DC May on their paint crews for a while in the late 1970's. Both of the May companies did contract painting throughout Durham and the surrounding counties. Churches were regular customers, as well.
It may have been a little earlier than 1972 that I went inside of Murdocks, but not much earlier.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 10/13/2010 - 3:25am
As Anon stated, that building sold ice into the 70's. My Dad knew a guy who sold ice among other things, and I remember going there when I was 5-8 yrs old sometime in the mid 70's.
Seth
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/15/2010 - 5:01pm
I have found out the owner at the time that I had went inside of the icehouse was Jessie Sykes. He ran it with his wife. I cannot confirm or remember what name the business used at that time.
Submitted by Teresa Sykes (not verified) on Tue, 8/9/2011 - 2:00am
It was my father, Jesse Sykes that ran that business and it was called Sykes Ice & Coal.
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