By Randy Capps
There are “legends” in every community. People who smile easily, are always willing to pitch in and generally make everyone’s life in a community better.
Jim Best meets that criteria in Four Oaks, and because of that, he’s this year’s Johnston Now Honors Legend Award winner.
“Jim Best has been an incredible source of support during my years as Executive Director of the Four Oaks Chamber of Commerce,” Joan Pritchett said. “We have worked side by side on countless projects, including the founding of the Four Oaks Area History Foundation, and I have witnessed firsthand his unwavering commitment to our community.
“Around Four Oaks, Jim is known as the ‘Ticket Man’ because no one promotes community events with more enthusiasm or dedication. He is always willing to lend a hand, encourage others to get involved and champion the people and organizations that make our town special.
“Jim represents the very best of the Four Oaks community. His service, generosity and passion extend far beyond any single organization, touching the lives of his family, friends, neighbors and fellow volunteers. I have the deepest respect and admiration for Jim and all that he does to make Four Oaks a better place to live, work and serve.”
Best and his wife moved back to Four Oaks in 1968, so he’s seen the community change and grow in the decades since. The friendly faces, though, remain.
“It’s the same old thing every day,” he said. “(There are) nice people in Four Oaks and nice people everywhere, you know?”
Preserving the history of the town and its people is a passion project for Best, which is why we was a key figure in the formation of the Four Oaks Area History Foundation.
“Well, 20 years ago I tried to get a museum started in Four Oaks,” he said. “Well, I talked to a lot of people and they said,’just wait. We’ll get one.’ Well, in 2020, I met with a group of people, Ron Sloan (and a few others) and we decided we would go ahead and get something going. So we went to the town and we got permission from them to start a historical association foundation.”
The town helped with the funding and the details to get the foundation off the ground, and once that happened, it was time for a project. They found one, in the form of the Henry Wright Strickland-James Bryan Creech Log Cabin. Strickland built the original structure in 1845, while Creech moved the cabin from its original location on Old School Road to its current one near Four Oaks Elementary.
“We went by the log cabin one day on the road and saw it looked like it was in need of some help,” Best said.
They tracked down the owners, Vicky Rains, Strickland’s great-granddaughter, and her husband, Don, and got permission to go to work.
“The roof had a leak and it had deteriorated,” he said. “It rotted the same way where the floor had leaked and (the water) messed up the floor in a couple places. We got busy and I got donations to help buy the stuff. We found a crew to come and help us.”
Those volunteers included Terry Creech, James Bryan’s cousin and a descendant of Strickland.
Creech, Sloan and Best and a group of volunteers and professional builders, including Calvin Edgerton, Tracy, Matthew and Andrew Rhodes, David Stanfield, Mike Evans and Ray Temple restored the cabin.
The roof was the most tricky part, but thanks to a little corporate support, the foundation got it done.
“(S&B Real Estate Ventures) called us and said, ‘we’ll get the shingles for you.’ That was cool. That was a great big help.”
It turns out that James Bryan originally wanted the cedar shakes for the roof back in 1976, but couldn’t meet the cost. Terry knew this bit of family history, and because he installed a similar roof on a home of his own, he knew how to do it.
The Rains’ family leases the cabin property to the foundation, and it stands as a reminder of the past.
“We got in there in 2021, I believe it was,” Best said. “We decided that we were going to fire the fireplace up. … And it’s got a swingaround bracket in the chimney in the fireplace that you swing a pot around on top of the fire and cook. We made some soup in that pot and cooked it just like they did back in 1845.”
In addition to his work with the foundation, Best also serves with the Blackman’s Crossroads Fire Department and is a founding member of the Benson Rescue Squad.
“That was a wonderful experience,” he said. “They helped people. We were just trying to help people.”
Best credits his family and faith for all of the good he’s been able to do through the years.
“I’d like to say that life has been good to me since I got married,” he said. “I had three wonderful children, and all three of them have turned out good. They’ve got a good job. They got a good husband, a good wife. I got two boys, one daughter, and they both turned out good. And I thank God every day. For them and the Godly people they turned out to be, too.
“Everybody needs to receive Jesus Christ in their hearts, and it would just be a whole lot better country if we did that. If everybody was a Christian and knew what Christianity stands for, there wouldn’t be all this meanness.”
Job was a patient man, and when it comes to his goals, so is Best.
“I’ve still got an eye on that museum,” he said. “I always will.”
