Cold Hard Cash
"Cold Hard Cash" An unyielding cast iron sentinel lies battered and weathered remaining resolute, stubbornly refusing to relinquish secrets of its departed owner. (2015)
Photographer's Notes - Back in the day, Henry Louis Watson was an African-American businessman in Warren County NC and was a proprietor of a good old fashioned general store. One of his more popular products sold was fresh fish fillets sold and packaged in newspaper and offered every Friday. He was born September 14th 1869 and died of a heart attack March 2nd 1957 at the age of 87. He was married to a lady by the name of Elvira P. Watson. As of 1920, Mr. & Mrs Watson had six children in their household. The highest grade he completed was the 6th grade but that didn't stop him from being appointed as the postmaster at the Macon Post Office Nov. 10th 1897.
This research was made possible because of Mr.Watson’s, choice to pay a little extra for the personalized name option on his Cary Safe Co. store safe. I’m really glad he chose that option because we all get to know him over a half a century later.
A little history regarding Cary Safe Co., The Company manufactured and sold bank vaults, cabinets (Safes), and Safe deposit boxes from 1878 - 1929. A majority of the safes sold by Cary had letters painted to the purchaser's request on the upper portion of the safe. Typically common was a customer’s family name or the name of a business. Every Cary safe was built fire and burglar proof.
