Lost town of Oakley Oakley, also called “Leens,”was located in Carolina township nearly four miles north of Stokes and was an important lumber shipping point on the Washington Branch Rail Road. Like several other villages in Pitt County, the depot was called one name and the village that grew up around it was called another. The depot was called “Leens,” and the village was called Oakley (sometimes corrupted as Coakley). The story began in 1892, when the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad built and opened a rail line 19.25 miles through Pitt County known as the Washington Branch Road, stretching from Parmele to Washington. This small community began as a stop on the railroad line named by C. E. Leens, the train engineer. C. E. Leens (1858-1923) was a native of DeKalb, Illinois born to Swedish immigrants. He began working for the Burlington railroad in Iowa in 1874. He was qualified as an engineer on Oct. 3, 1880 and was the youngest engineer in Iowa, being not quite 21 years old. He continued working for the Burlington Line in Iowa until the Railroad strike of 1888. After the settlement of the strike, Leens came to North Carolina and entered the service of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. Leens was assigned to the Washington Branch from its opening until Jan. 1, 1921, when he retired on account of failing health. After he retired, Hardy Duke became engineer on the line. Also assigned to this line was the popular conductor, Capt. W. H. Ellsworth. Witt H. Ellsworth (1864-1947) was a native of Duplin County, NC and he began working for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in October 1885. He was conductor on the first passenger train that made the Parmele to Washington run in June 1892 and continued until his retirement on July 1, 1935. Stories are told of how Capt. Ellsworth became a part of the lives of the people that lived along the railroad line. Housewives would come down to the depot station and give him lists of things to pick up in Washington or Parmele. When the train was waiting to make its return run Capt. Ellsworth would go shopping for them. A story is told of when Mr. Leens was stricken with heart trouble in 1920 at Pactolus and Capt. Ellsworth placed him in the baggage car and drove the train to Washington to get him home. Leens began as platform and as a lumber shipping point. On April 23, 1892, a post office was established at Leens called “Oakley” with Willis H. Williams (1846-1904) as first postmaster. The next postmaster, Eli Rogers, was appointed October 4, 1904, who served until it closed in 1910. In 1893, Thomas Fernando Nelson (1866-1943), an afflicted young man, opened a small general merchandise store at Oakley. About the same time, another store opened under the style Gray & Rogers, which operated a saloon and general store. In 1895, R. A. Pell & Company moved their store from Parmele to Oakley. In Jan. 1896, Thomas Fernando Nelson moved into his new store in Oakley and Bryant & Whichard of Parmele moved to Oakley and opened a grocery store and bar. By Dec. 1900, H. A. Gray and Eli Rogers built a large store building in Oakley and began operating a general merchandise business. In Jan. 1902, Gray & Rogers and Charles H. Ross each opened a saloon and began selling spirituous liquors. By 1901, S. M. Ross operated a cotton gin and lumber mill at Oakley. On Sunday afternoon, Jan. 11, 1903, the home of Elder Samuel R. Ross, near Oakley, was destroyed by fire. The fire originated from a bad kitchen flue. Only the furniture from the first floor was saved, everything on the second floor was destroyed. The town of Oakley was incorporated on March 2, 1903. The boundaries given in its charter begin at Willis H. Williams’ and John S. James’ corner, to S. R. Ross’ near the railroad, northeast to Willis H. Williams’, to S. G. Williams’ thence to R. E. Mizell’s house to the beginning. Its first officers were Willis H. Williams, as mayor and Charles Herbert Ross, W. G. Bryan and Eli Rogers as commissioners. A meeting hall was also built in 1903 known as C. B. H. Hall, where dances and socials were held. Early school teachers in the Oakley community were Miss Pennie Mizzell, Miss Millie Everett, Miss Dora Everett, Miss Leroy Mooring, Mrs. J. H. Taylor, Miss Mary Whitehurst, and Miss Cora A. Roberson. School houses in the Oakley community included the Piney Green School and the Turner Briley Schoolhouse, located one mile south of Oakley, which was used as the township polling place. In 1906, Oakley town officers were Charles Herbert Ross, mayor; Eli Rogers, W. G. Bryan, and W. J. Jenkins, commissioners; Zeb Vance Whitehurst, constable; and H. A. Gray, treasurer. Some of the leading citizens of the Oakley community were J. T. Jenkins, J. O. Williams, F. F. Nelson, James J. Rawls, Nichols George Belcher, J. E. Hines, J. B. Whitehurst, Jim Taylor, John Taylor, Simon A. Congleton, J. I. James, and Walter Carson. Simon A. Congleton operated a general merchandise store in Oakley. In July 1906, Whitehurst & Wynn put new machinery into the Oakley Iron and Milling Company (cotton gin and sawmill). Later the business was called Whitehurst & Ross. In July 1906, Ben Jenkins associated himself with T. F. Nelson in the market business and by August a city market was completed in Oakley. In Jan. 1907, Messers. Jenkins & Parker opened a barber shop in town. In July 1906, Nash Hardee was named as Chief of Police, but he moved to Winterville in December of that same year. In Dec. 1906, T. A. Manning moved to Oakley. In Oct. 1907, J. I. James was named mayor of Oakley. In April 1908, John Belcher was appointed mayor of Oakley to fill the unexpired term of J. I. James, who moved into his new house out of town and a crate factory moved to Oakley. The crate factory was known as the Oakley Manufacturing Company, making crates for the potato industry in the area. In Jan. 1909, Ben Jenkins opened a stock of goods in a store in the building vacated by E. Carson and by February, Eli Rogers & Co. built a warehouse to accommodate their extensive business. In Jan. 1909, C. Roebuck and C. Wynne moved their families to Oakley, Mr. Wynne being associated with the Oakley Manufacturing Company. In March 1909, a severe windstorm blew down the passenger depot and thankfully no one was hurt. Also, Charles H. Ross moved his family to Butterworth, Va. and the Randolph Brothers closed down their lumber business near Oakley. By 1910, Oakley began to fade away and the post office was discontinued on February 15, 1910. According to the NC Yearbook business guide, from 1910-1915 Leens is listed with only two stores being operated by H. A. Gray and T. F. Nelson and the sawmill of Z. V. Whitehurst. In Aug. 1917, it was advertised that Eli Rogers and J. R. Jenkins, trading as Eli Rogers & Co. in Oakley had filed for bankruptcy. The population of Oakley in 1940 was listed as 27. As roads got better and more people bought cars, railroad passenger service died out. Railroad stations soon closed and fell into decay and people moved away. The passing of the railroad took something exciting away from the countryside. . -- —Roger Kammerer _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail® goes where you go. On a PC, on the Web, on your phone. http://www.windowslive-hotmail.com/learnmore/versatility.aspx#mobile?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_WL_HM_versatility_121208