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THE STATE PORT PILOT
A Good Newspaper In A Good Community
The Pilot Covers
Brunswick County
Volume No. 21
No. 35
10-Pages Today
SOUTHPORT, N. C.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 1961
5c A COPY
PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
“Publick House"
ANCIENT INN—This is the foundation of an
old Publick House” at Brunswick Town, uncover
ed last summer by the archaeologist in charge of
the project which is being carried on at that site
under the State Department of Archives and His
tory. Old records show that this building once was
owned by Cornelius Harnett, Sr., father of the Re
volutionary War hero.— (Stanley South Photo.)
Bill Introduced
In Legislature
On Ward Plan
Southport Would Have Two
Wards, Divided In Just
Same Manner That Pres
ent County Precincts Are
Located
A bill reducing the number of
voting wards in Southport from
three to two and providing for
staggered terms for town alder
!■ on was introduced in the House
Thursday.
Rep. S. Bunn Frink of Bruns
wick said he introduced the meas
ure at the request of the South
port Board of Aldermen.
Under the bill, three aldermen
would be elected from each of
two wards. There are now three
wards in Southport and two aider
men are elected from each ward.
The bill also states that the al
dermen “shall be voted upon in
the general municipal election by
the qualified voters of the city
Continued On Page 4
r
B ARBECHE SIBBER
A barbecue supper will be serv
ed at Zion Methodist Church Sat
urday evening, beginning at 6:30
o'clock. Home made cakes and
pies also will be on sale.
TANK DISMANTLED
The job of dismantling the old
Southport water tank has been
going on for the past week, and
this morning only the four legs
of the structure and their sup
porting i'ods remained.
nor SH DAMAGE!)
Reports from Holden Beach are
that a house was blown from its
foundation during the height of
the strong winds which hit this
ar<a .Saturday. There were no
other reports of major damage,
although ; usts were from 50
miles per hour or greater.
Hill,!’ HEART DRIVE
The Shallotte Jaycees, under the
direction of their president, J. T.
Clemmons, held a roadblock in
Shallotte Sunday for the benefit
of the Heart Fund Drive. They
collected $26.69. Those taking part
were Billy Gurganus, Winfred
Williams,' Sam Inman, R. W.
Cheers, Harry White, Thurston
Mintz, Dykes Hewett, R. C. Ar
nold, Grover Holden and Roger
Hewett.
s
Decision Soon On
Battleship Site
Engineer Visited Proposed*
Locations For Permanent
Berth Of Battleship North
Carolina Monday
Cyril Adams, consulting en
gineer from Houston, Texas, came
here Monday morning to inspect
the site that has been offered by
the citizens of Southport as a
permanent berth for the Battle
ship North Carolina.
Adams was accompanied by
Thomas Morse, superintendent of
State Parks and a member of the
Batleship Advisory Committee,
and by Hugh Morton, member of
the Board of Conservation and
Development and also on the bat
tleship committee.
On hand to greet them was
James C. Bowman of Southport,
another member of the Battleship
Advisory Committee; C. D. Pick
errell, Southport City Manager;
E. B. Tomlinson, L. J. Hardee,
D. C. Herring and James M. Har
per, Jr., representing the South
port Development Corporation.
Prior to their trip to Southport
the three visitors had flown to
Morehead City where they had
inspected the site at Fort Macon.
After their visit here they inspect
ed the sites at Wilmington and
at Carolina Beach.
The party was able to r -ach
the proposed location at the
mouth of Price Creek by means
of a winding woods road that had
been made passable through the
cooperation of City of Southport
forces. A bulletin board had been
erected at the site, and pertinent
charts and drawings were display
ed for the convenience of Adams,
who got down to the practical j
factors which applied to getting i
the ship into a berth at this loca
Both he and the other two vis
itors appeared to be favorably im
pressed with the location,- although
none of them would make any
comparison between this site and
others that had been inspected.
Adams left Monday night to re
turn to Houston, and before he
left stated that he would make
his recommendation within a few
days. This is expected to have
considerable weight with Battle
ship Advisory Committee mem
bers, whose recommendation will
in turn be made to Governor
Terry Sanford.
Before the trio of visitors re
turned to Wilmington, they and
other members of the party were |
guests at a seafood luncheon at I
the home of Mr. and Mrs. Bow- i
man.
During the luncheon period
Morton said that the selection of
a suitable location for the battle
Continued On Page &
Chess Tourney
Planned Here
The Southport Chess Cham
pionship will be held at St,
Phillips Parish House on
March 2.
The games will start be
tween 7:30 to 8 p. m. and all
players must pay club dues.
First prize will be $50, sec
ond prize will be a United
States Chess Federation Mem
bership or Chess Federation
members and third prize will
be a North Carolina Chess
Association membership.
Cub prize for boys and
girls under 13 years of age
will be a chess book. The
Junior prize will be a North
Carolina Chess Association
membership, for those under
19 years of age.
Rabies Clinics
For Brunswick
Dog Owners Being Urged
To Cooperate With Pro
gram Aimed At Eliminat
ing Rabies As Health
Threat
Beginning March 4 and continu
ing through April 8, everyone in
Brunswick County will be given
an opportunity to contribute to
a community effort with public
health importance as a series of
clinics will be held in all town
ships for the vaccination of dogs
against rabies, or hydrophobia.
All a dog owner needs to do is
to take his dog to one of the
many clinics and have ■ him vac
cinated. The fee for this service
at these clinics will be $1 for the
one year vaccine and $2 for the
three year vaccine. All dogs
should be vaccinated when four
(4) months old.
The State of North Carolina
has made tremendous progress in
reducing this human health haz
ard but a continuous effort in
all counties will be needed to era
dicate the disease. The Brunswick
County Health Department has
obtained the services of a licensed
veterinarian to administer the
three year vaccine and four rabies
inspectors to administer the one
year vaccine.
To comply with the North Caro
lina Rabies Law the Brunswick
Continued On Page 4
Arrange Dinner
To Discuss Plan
For Golf Course
The Developers Of Boiling
Spring Lakes Hope To Be
Able To Proceed Imme
diately With This Project
The developers of Boiling Spring
Lakes will be hosts at a dinner
in the Southport Lions Club Build
ing on Monday, March 13, which
will be held for the primary pur
pose of determining the de
gree of local interest in the or
ganization of a country club, com
pete with a golf course.
The developers have plans for
proceeding immediately with this
project, and their purpose is to
give local citizens a first look
at these plans.
The dinner is being planned as
something special, and no pains
are being spared to make this an
all-out effort to get the citizens
of this area behind the country
club project in its early stages
of development.
Harold Green, who recently has
taken over as sales manager, said
this week, “I believe that the con
struction of a championship 18
Continued On Fage 4
Ancient Building
Foundation Now
Being Unearthed
Work At Brunswick Town
Exposes Ruins Of The
First “^ublick House” In
Use In This County
By Stanley South
During the summer of 1960 the
excavation at Brunswick Town
State Historic Site was centered
on the uncovering of the ruins
of an inn or “Publick House”. The
mortared stone foundation was
uncovered by the archaeoligist on
lot 27, and measured 18 by 70
feet. There were six rooms in the
inn, with a fireplace in each
room. The rooms were only ten
feet wide which gave little room
for more than a bunk and a
chair in each. The arrangement
of the six rooms in a long row
similar to modern motels prompt
ed the laborers as well as tour
ists to refer to the ruins as the
'‘motel", however, such buildings
at Brunswick Town and other
English colonial towns were
known as “Puplic Houses”. Here
the tired traveler could find a
lodging for the night, and food
drink. Keepers of public houses
were required by law to examine
the papers of sailors and make
sure they had written permission
to spend the night ashore. If they
did not, they were not allowed
to be entertained in the public
house after eight o'clock in the
winter, and nine o'clock in the
summer.
During excavation of the “Pub
lick House” on lot 27 the arch
aeologist discovered three hen
eggs buried in the yard, two of
which had the chicken bones in
tact inside the eggs. These eggs
were buried before the Revolution,
perhaps they were setting eggs
that did not hatch. An interest
ing observation in this regard is
the practice of some people in
the area today who bury the un
matched eggs from a setting.
Also of interest in regard to
the public house ruins was the
dicovery of a silver spoon that
was made by Daniel Boyer in Bos
ton. This object is one of the new
Continued On Page 4
Southport Man
Faces Charges
Former Postmaster J. B.
Russ Is Charged In Fed
eral Warrant With Post
Office Shortage
J. B. Russ, 49, former Southport
postmaster, has been charged
with the misappropriation of post
office funds and falsifying official
records to conceal shortages.
Russ was arrested last week by
federal agents and appeared be
fore U. S. Commissioner R. E.
Lewis.
He will be given a preliminary
hearing on the charges in the
commissioner’s office on March
10.
Russ, who was postmaster at
Southport during the first half of
1960 when the alleged offenses
occurred, is specifically accused of
making false reports showing
more postage stock on hand than
Continued On Page 4
TIME and TIDE
' * .' AWsJ
It was the first week in March, 1936, and plans were perfected
for the Brunswick County Basketball Tournament, to be played
in the Southport gym. That famous old wooden structure had
just been given a new bill of health when contractors had in
spected it and had pronounced it safe for use for the tournament.
Figures released from the WPA office showed that approximate
ly 15-percent of the Brunswick population was dependent upon
that source for their cash income.
On our front page was a picture of “Little Coney”, already a
legend in the water sports activity of the town; a wing of the
old Southport High School building was being moved from the
grove to the campus of BCT; and there was a helpful hint to
the farmers: “Cottonseed Hulls Make Good Hen Nests.”
There was a big front-page picture of a good looking boy in
our edition for March 5, 1941. It was of Warren Wilson, Clemson
College athlete, who was being billed at the time as a fine pros
pect for the heavyweight boxing title. He has relatives here.
There also was a front page shot of Bald Head lighthouse, which
was being equipped with a radio beacon.
It looked like a good fishing season ahead, what with word
that the waters of the Cape Fear were literally teeming with
small fish and local boatmen were having unusually good luck
with whiting. On another sporting front, one upstate visitor,
after hunting here for a few clays, had ventured the guess that
there were more foxes than people in this county.
You’ll never guess what was on the front page of The Pilot for
February 27, 1946—a three-column picture of the Battleship
Continued On Page 4
Fishing Pier Men
F orm Organization
j Two Brunswick County Men Named On Organizational
Committee Of Newly Formed Promotional Group
Thirty sports fishing piers of |
the North Carolina Coast were
represented by over twenty own
ers and operators at an organi
zational meeting of Fishing Pier
Operators in the Town Hall of
Atlantic Beach Sunday afternoon.
Raymond Duke, Atlantic Beach
explained that the meeting had
been called to enable pier opera
tors to agree on the nomination
of these representatives requested
by Eric W. Rodgers, Chairman
of the Commercial Fisheries Com
mittee, to serve on a committee
to study the “trawler problem”.
Nominated by the group in addi
tion to Duke were Bill Robinson,
Kure Beach, and Lonnie D. Small,
Holden Beach.
To serve with these three as
an organizational committee of
the Association of N. C. Fishing
Pier Operators were Odell Wil
liamson, Ocean Isle; G. V. Barbee,
Jr., Yaupon Beach; C. W. Sneed,
Carolina Beach; Robert L. Church,
Surf City; Earl Thompson, Emer
ald Isle; and Charles S. Walters,'
Atlantic Beach.
The group unanimously agreed
that the three mile limit frequent
ly mentioned was not a recom
mendation of the sports fishermen
in their petition to the N. C.
Department of Conservation and
Development for a solution to the
problem created when commercial
fishing boats trawled too close to
fishing piers.
The need for a strong organiza
tion was pointed out by Shelby
Freeman, Atlantic Beach, in cit
ing insurance problems as well
as sportsmanship, promotional,
public relations and other activi
ties beneficial to the sports fish
ing public.
Others attending from the
SENCLAND area were J. D. Big
ford, Dan’ L. Walker, Bryon E.
Watson, Long Beach; G. V. Bar
bee, Jr., Yaupon Beach Frank
Collier and J. C. Bane, Carolina
Beach; W. D. McKee, Surf City;
J. T. Gresham, Jacksonville; K.
D. Church, Surf City; and E. P.
Bortz, New Topsail.
New Small Grain
Plan Is Proposed
Dead Whales On
Bald Head Beach
The bodies of 16 black
whales were washed up on
the beach at Bald Head Is
land during the past weekend
and Wildlife specialists wrho
viewed their remains said that
they could find no evidence of
injury.
The assumption is that the
whales were traveling in a
school, and that they became
grounded and were killed
when the water receeded.
A similar experience was
reported from further up the
coast.
These two occurances ap
pear to have been a part of
unusual sea experiences dur
ing the past few days. At
Atlantic City literally hun
dreds of bushels of clams
were washed up on the beach.
Senator Seeking
Cape Fear Help
B. Everette Jordan Urges
Action In Connection
With Cape Fear River
Basin Of State
By SENATOR B. EVERETTE
JORDAN
WASHINGTON—Once again, I
have officially asked the Corps of
Engineers and the Soil Conserva
tion Service to take the necessary
action to complete and submit to
the Congress a report on their
joint survey of the water re
sources of the Cape Fear River
Basin.
This report on our State's lar
gest river basin has been delayed
entirely too long.
I am very hopeful that these
two agencies will present their
report without further delay so
the proper committees of the Con
gress can begin considering the
recommendations for ways and
means to best harness the Cape
Fear and develop its far-reaching
water resources.
The Corps of Engineers and the
Soil Conservation Service have
been engaged in a joint survey
of the Cape Fear since 1957. On 1
numerous occasions, I have been
assured the report would be ]
forthcoming shortly. Nearly four 1
years have passed since it was 1
initiated, and still no report has <
been made although all of the
field work was completed long <
ago. j
About one-third of North Caro- i
lina s population works and lives ]
in the Cape Fear River Basin, 1
and through the years the area I
has experienced repeated floods
and threats of floods. 1
The absence of a water develop- s
ment program in the basin has t
meant that we have missed out 1
on a vast amount of economic r
progress and industrial develop- v
ment. j
The Cape Fear offers tremen- s
dous opportunity for not only de
ConUnued On Page SI
ASC Office Has Been Given
Outline Of Proposal To
Pay Farmers For Volun
tary Crop Reduction
A survey of all farms in Co
lumbus county which produce feed
grains will get under way in the
next day or so by the Agricultural
Stabilization and Conservation
committee.
The survey is being conducted
throughout the major feed grain
producing area which includes
this county, as an advance step
in connection with proposed fed
eral feed grain programs now un
der discussion. The proposals
would include adjusting the 1961
acreages of corn and other feed
grains.
To put such a program into
operation for 1961 crops in a
manner which would be fair
to all growers, accurate data
must be obtained immediately
for the possible establishment
of feed grain base acreages
for all farms in the major
feed grain producing area.
Such information will in
clude the acreage history of
corn, grain sorghum, barley,
and oats, as well as the acre
age devoted to other crops
and laud uses, for all farms
in the area where one or
more of these feed grains
were produced within the past
two years.
ASC community committeemen
are meeting today to receive the
necessary instructions and forms
to make the survey. In Columbus
county the 90 committeemen will
make farm to farm visits to ob
tain the needed information by
March 10. It will be helpful if all
farmers will list the acreage of
all crops grown on their farm
during the past two years so they
can readily fill out the question
naire when interviewed.
The proposed bill before con
Continued On Page 4
Brunswick Scene
In Travel Show
Hugh Morton Transparency
Of Orton Plantatioh Will
Hold Place Of Promi
nence In Ohio
A Brunswick county scene—a
huge color transparency of Orton
Plantation—will be a prominent
part of the North Carolina ex
hibit at the Ohio Valley Travel
Show which opens Sunday at Cin
cinnati.
On hand for this event will be
Governor Terry Sanford and with j
him will be Hugh Morton of Wil- i
mington, who took not only the \
picture of Orton, but one of the!
Piedmont and one of the moun
tains as well.
Upward of 30 Tar Heels, led
oy Governor Terry Sanford, Con
servation and Development Direc-1
:or Hargrove Bowles. Jr., andj
President Lynn Nisbet of the ]
rravel Council of North Carolina, i
vill man the state’s first travel
iromotion mission to an out-of
itate travel exposition.
Target of their mission is in
Continued Oo Page 5
Special Seating
Arrangements At
County Pageant
Shallotte Jaycees Promise
That One Thousand Seats
Will Be Available In High
School Auditorium For
Coming Event
Folks who have misgivings
about seating arrangements for
the Miss Brunswick County
Pageant at Shallotte on the eve
ning of March 11 can set their
minds at ease, according to J. T.
Clemmons, president of the Shal
lotte Jaycees, this week.
Clemmons says that County
Superintendent of Schools John G.
Long has tola him that special
seating arrangements will make it
possible to seat 1,000 persons for
the pageant finals. "We don’t
want anyone to stay away for
fear of not being able to get in,”
he said today.
The two-weeks period between
the final preliminary and the pro
gram at Shallotte has been filled
with busy activity, not only by
the Jaycees but by the five final
ists and those who have dedicated
themselves to the business of try
ing to develope a winner. Thera
are new dresses to make, new
routines to perfect and little
flaws to be ironed out before tha
Dig event on Marcn 11.
Master of Ceremonies at Shal
lotte will be Gil Burnette, Wil
mington attorney and himself a
Jaycee; and Mrs. Hannah Block
of Wilmington is helping to get
everything ready for the Bruns
wick county finals.
Tickets for the forthcoming
event are on sale at Southport at
Watsons Pharmacy and Kirby
Prescription Center; at Shallotte
at Cotstal Drug Store and Shal
lotte Drug Store; at Bolivia at
Elmore Motor Co.; at Leland at
U. L. Rourk’s Grocery; and at
Ash at L. C. Babson's Store and
at Wilson’s store. Members of
the Shallotte Jaycees also have
tickets . for distribution.
A special event that has been
arranged for Wednesday night of
next week is a skating party at
Shallotte Skating Rink at 7:30
o’clock. It is being sponsored by
the Jaycees, and proceeds will
help defray expenses of the
pageant. A special invitation has
been extended to all contestants
in the five pageants held in the
county to be present for this oc
casion.
Wildlife Plants
Now Available
Sportsmen Have Opportun
ity To Cooperate With
Game Management Pro
gram By Planting Strips
Wildlife food plants for habitat
improvement are now available to
Sportsmen and landowners of
Brunswick County, the Wildlife
Resources Commission said this
week.
Wildlife Biologist Andrew Web
er stated that “101 thousand bi
color lespedeza plants in addition
to sericea lespedeza and annual
seed mixtures were distributed in
the county last year.”
Shrub lespedeza provides late
winter food after the natural foods
have been exhausted for quail and
rabbits. The plants are perennial,
shade tolerant and will grow on
poor soil. Field borders, odd cor
ners and old plant beds make
Continued On Page 5
i
Tide Table
Following is the tide table
for Southport during the next
week. These hours are ap
proximately correct and were
furnished The State Port Pilot
through the courtesy of tbs
Cape Fear Pilot’s Association.
High Tide Low Tide
Thursday, February 23
2:14 A. M. 8:46 A. M.
2:43 P. M. 9:00 P. M.
Friday, February 24
3:08 A. M. 9:45 A. M.
3:39 P. M. 9:55 P. M.
Saturday, February 25
4.02 A. M. 10:39 A. M.
4:33 P. M. 10:48 P. M.
Sunday, February 26
4:53 A. M. 11:30 A. M.
5:22 P. M. 12:37 P. M.
Monday, February 27
5:41 A. M. 12:15 A. M.
6:06 P. M.
Tuesday, February 28
6:23 A. M. 0:23 A. M.
6:49 P. M. 12:57 P. M.
Wednesday, March 1
7:02 A. M. 1:06 A. M.
7:28 P. M. 1:35 P. M.