Page 14 The Shoreline June 2009
Bringing History To Life
Just visiting the six historic buildings music on the harp and The Simple
on the Beaufort Historic site is a trip Gifts will play flute music. A Victorian
back through history. To enliven and Mourning display of antique jewelry,
enhance this experience living history clothing and accessories will be arranged
will be in some of the buildings and on throughout the house lending another
the grounds during this special weekend, dimension to the Victorian French Rococo
Mark your calendar for the 2009 Old period furnishings in the two parlors. On
Homes & Gardens Tour on Friday, June the BHA site grounds there will be a rope
26 and Saturday, June 27 beginning at 10 making demonstration, a demonstration
a.m. and lasting until 5 p.m. of decoy carving by members of the Core
The Leffer's Cottage of 1778 will host Sound Decoy Carver's Guild, strolling
spinners, including Sue Mckeand from musicians and period music provided
Pine Knoll Shores and the BHA Warped by the Carteret Open Band.
Weavers In the Josiah Bell House Mary For specific information call BHA
Frankie will demonstrate making bobbin (Beaufort Historic Association) Welcome
lace while Verne Reintjes will play period Center at 728-5225.
Upward Basketball and Cheerleading
* The Pine Knoll Shores Women's Club met ■ ’ • ^
on April 24 in town hall. Vice President,
Linda Strader, introduced her daughter,
guest speaker Stacey Leach, who presented
"Upward Basketball and Cheerleading." Its
theme is to reach children by teaching about
God in a way that every '
child is a winner through
sports. President Caz
McCaslin developed the
program. Staceyshowed
a video demonstrating
how sports and
cheerleading are
introduced to children.
Selfesteem is developed
as every child gets a
chance to participate.
Teams are developed
as equally as possible,
and every child has
the opportunity to
participate in the game.
Players are cheered
on through entrance in
tunnels with music and fog and strobe
lights, just as the pros are seen on TV. It
is a 10-week season with one practice and
one game per week. This allows for family
time and parents are encouraged to attend
the events. Scholarships are provided for
those in need. Club members were able to
relate to the need for such a program based
on their experiences with teaching and
volunteering with children as they raised
their own families.
The hostesses for this April meeting were
MaryJo Jennings, Elaine Tempel and Urlene
Williamston, who provided festive and
nourishing refreshments for all to enjoy.
The nominating committee announced
Alice the Queen"-Fatt Two
By Barbara Milhaven
its slate of officers for the next year. The
membership will vote on this slate at the
May meeting. Those rurming for office are:
president, Linda Strader; vice president,
Barbara Bagby; recording secretary, Ann
Erickson; treasurer, Loretta Poremba;
corresponding secretary,
Floranne Passino. The
membership approved
-charitable donations
which will be awarded
to local organizations
in the amount of $1,400.
These donations will be
distributed in the month
of May.
The June meeting will
be a luncheon on June 5,
11:30 a.m., at the Coral
Bay Club. Newly elected
officers will be installed as
Guest speaker Stacey Leach, who members enjoy a delicious
presented "Upward Basketball lunch overlooking the
and Cheerleading." ocean in the Coral Bay
Club's beautiful setting.
Tickets are $16. A check made out to the
Pine Knoll Shores Women's Club may be
sent to hospitality chairs, Donna Belanger or
Kay Howe. All women living in Pine Knoll
Shores are welcome to attend meetings and
join the Club.
Book Clubs Between the Bookends
will meet at the home of Floranne Passino
on June 8; with Mary Greene leading the
discussion about Hide Tide in Tucson by
Barbara Kingsolver. The Beach Book Club
will meet June 11 at the home of Edy Rene
Magel to discuss The Guernsey Literary and
Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
and Annie Barrows.
Editor's Note: This is the second in a series
about Alice Hoffman, one of the early settlers
of Pine Knoll Shores.
As depicted by her French companion
of 22 years, Gabrielle Brard, Alice was a
tall (6' 1") woman with perfect carriage.
She fell from a horse as a child, breaking
her hip and re-injuring it again later in life.
This injury caused her pain throughout her
life. It eventually led to some deformity, the
use of a cane and then a wheelchair, and
forced her to be bedridden
for long periods of the day
toward ^e end of her life.
Despite her injury, she
was a physically active
woman who maintained
her vitality and positive
outlook for most of her
life. From all accounts,
Alice was strong-willed,
outgoing, generous, and
intelligent.
It is important to
remember that, when Alice
Hoffman grew up, her
family's wealth enabled
her to obtain exceptional
educational, social,
and travel experiences.
However, even an
inquisitive, intelligent, riding crop,
highly educated young lady could not
vote nor easily enter the gentleman's
world of finance. It does appear that Alice
attempted todojustfhatwithher properties
in New York City, France, and here on
Bogue Banks. Perhaps it was just her way,
as a single woman, of holding on to the
AHoeHSfman pictured in
her riding clothes with her
was not at all surprising, since she was an
absentee landlord managing her holdings
including New York City rental apartments
and other real estate as well as her Bogue
Banks property from abroad. For income,
she benefited financially from trust funds
set up for her by the parental Butler-Greene
estates, but evidently sustained losses due
to economic times before, during, and after
the Great Depression.
Not surprising either was her continuing
attempttoboostherfinandal
situation with innovative
business ventures. One
very important venture
was the purchase of cattle
for her farm on Bogue
Banks. She also exported
10 head of the Holstein-
Friesian cattle to France.
She later establishedadairy
farm on land across from
Bogue Banks in Morehead
City. The land for the diary
farm was purchased in
1923 from her first farm
superintendent, Sam
Duplanty. The dairy farm
prospered at first; however,
due to poor management, it
was a failure by 1930.
There is an account of
a conversation with Sam Duplanty's 80
year old daughter Carabelle (Claire), in
an tmdated article in the Carteret County
News-Times written by Ruth Barbour. In
this article, Claire shares her memories
of her father; his taking the job as farm
superintendant with Alice Hoffman; and
MU M O o , A
privileged lifestyle she was used to during hiscomingfromNew Jersey in 1914 withhis
the unsettling times of two world wars and family to live on Bogue Banks. Claire (Mrs.
economic upheaval in the United States.
There is a good deal of evidence that
Alice was quite an entrepreneur. On Bogue
Banks, her enterprises included dairy
farming, timber sales, commercial fishing,
land development, and the possibility of
oil drilling. There is much evidence that
she was forced to rely heavily on male
financialadviceandbusiness management.
She appeared to be involved in one costly
litigation after another and didn't seem to
be on the winning end of any of them.
Her ability to manage her inherited
investment holdings and entrepreneurial
ventures seems to be in question. This
Ralph Manfeddi) said, "Mrs. Hoffman
owned Bogue Banks from Glover's Place
■through Salter Path. She didn't know what
todowithit, soshewaslookingforsomeone
who could help her. I know she had a
few purebred Holstein cows and a $2,000
bull.... Our house was very nice, three
bedrooms, dining room, bath and kitchen,
two screened porches and windows built
on a high foundation because of the many
snakes." Clare also tells of therebeing many
different kinds of animals on the farm, her
family acquiring banker ponies, and the
joy she and her father had riding these on
the beach.