VOLUME XVI —. NO. 46
HATTERAS ISLAND PEOPLE
MAY DETERMINE SITE FOR
NEW SCHOOL BY REFERENDUM
New Board Agrees to Let Banks People De
termine Where School Should Be, If State
Authorities Permit Appointment of Super
intendent Deferred.
The people of Hatteras Island
will be allowed to vote on their
choice of location for the new con
solidated school to be built from
the $283,000 funds due Dare Coun
ty, if the new County Board of
Education can secure permission
from state school authorities to
hold such an election. The funds
due the county have been idle for
two years in Raleigh while the
value of the dollar has rapidly
shrunk. The children of Dare
• county have lost at least $50,000
of the money pledged for their
welfare through the rise of ma
teria] costs in the intervening
time.
New board members agreed
at their first meeting Tuesday
to abide by the will of the Low
er Banks people as to the loca
tion of their, new school, when
their will has been clearly mani
fested by means of an election.
If no objection to the plan is
raised in Raleigh, the Board of
Education will ask the County
Commissioners to call a special
election to settle the issue, once
for all.
Walter Perry, who was elected
Chairman of the Board of Educa
tion at Tuesday’s meeting, said
that the board is concerned about
the long delay in building the
school and desires early action on
the project. Mr. Perry wrote im
mediately to the State Board of
Education for a ruling on the feas
ability of the electric plan.
“This unfortunate circumstance
was not of our making,” Mr. Per
ry said Tuesday. “We will not
attempt to pass judgment of the
sentiments of the majority of the
people concerned. The school be
longs, or should belong, to them;
■ and we believe they should have
an opportunity to express them
selves. We desire that an election
be held, in order that everyone
who is qualified to vote n?ay ex-
See SCHOOL, Page Eight
COUNTY FINANCES
IN BEST SHAPE
IN MANY YEARS
Commissioners Find All Bills
Paid, Bond Money Ahead,
and Cash in Bank
The condition of Dare County’s
finances appear to be in the best
shape in many years, according to
a report made for the Board of
Commissioners and presented
Tuesday by County Accountant,
C. S. Meekins.
In this report, which shows
what can be accomplished by more
businesslike management and the
ability to say no, it is'shown that
the County has paid all bond mon
ey due, has paid all its bills to
date, and carries a bank balance
of about SIO,OOO.
Nearly all departments of the
County are running well within
their budget, the largest over
spending being in the funds for
welfare and particularly direct re
lief and hospitalization. Bills now
in show that some $2,500 more
than was set up have been spent,
with more bills to come in soon.
It’s quite a different picture
since the Board of Commissioners
underwent a change 29 months
ago. At that time, the county was
running in the red more than $40,-
000. All this has been paid off, the
report shows. Furthermore, sub
stantial increases in salaries have
been made, more money allotted
by far for welfare, health, and
other purposes, and equipment
and improvements added to the
courthouse.
The Commissioners face new
See COUNTY, Page Eight
WANCHESE RURITANS
SPONSOR PROGRAM OF
“OLD STYLE SONGS’’
A program of “Old Style
Songs” will be presented by a
group of Manns Harbor and Wan
chese singers, under the sponsor
ship of the Wanchese Ruritan
Club, at the Wanchese school
house at 7:45 p.m.,' May 15. The
Wanchese P.T.A. is cooperating in
the presentation, the proceeds
from which will be used to supply
new curtains and other necessary
articles of equipment for the
school lunchroom at Wanchese.
The entertainers will be happy
to sing favorite numbers request
ed by members of the audfence.
THE COASTLAND TIMES
PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTERESTS OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA
CHAIRMAN DARE CO.
BOARD OF EDUCATION
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WALTER D. PEkRY of Kill Dev
il Hills Tuesday was named
Chairman of the Dare County
Board of Education at their first
meeting. Members of the Board
are Mr. Perry, Mrs. Mabel Evans
Jones, Roy Gray of Hatteras, El
lis Gray of Avon, and Harvey E.
Best of Stumpy Point. Ellis Gray
and Mrs. Jones succeed them
sel.-es, the others being new mem
bers.
DEATH CLAIMS
THREE TUESDAY
IN DARE COUNTY
D. Loth Midgett of Manns
Harbor,Mrs. Tillett of
Wanchese, Montague
Infant Dies
Death claimed three people in
Dare County Tuesday, ranging in
age from new born to 84. D. Loth
Midgett, one of the best loved men
of Manns Harbor, died at 9 p.m.
He was a life-long resident of the
community, member of the Meth
odist Church and the Junior Or
der. He is survived by two chil
dren, Mrs. Carl D. Mann and Tom
Hunter' Midgett of Manns Har
bor; three step-children, Clarence
Holmes of Manns Harbor, Mrs.
Henry Beasley of Colington and
Mrs. Will Gard of Great Bridge,
Va.
Mrs. Marjorie Etheridge Til
lett, 50, widow of Rossor Tillett,
died at her home in Wanchese.
She was the daughter of Mrs.
Martha Gallop Etheridge and the
late Albert Etheridge. Two chil
dren survive her, Jack Gilbert Til
lett of Wanchese, and Mrs. Val
entine Pacquette of Newport
News. Also the following broth
ers and sisters: Fitz Etheridge of
Port Isabel, Texas; T. R., Jess W.
and Henry Burr of Wanchese; Mrs.
John Cudworth of Wanchese, Mrs.
Hal W. Culpepper of Nags Head
and Mrs. Jackson Midgett of Man
teo. Funeral services will be con
ducted Friday at 2 p.m. at the
Wanchese Methodist Church, with
the pastor, Rev. C. W. Guthrie,
assisted by Rev. D. B. Lawrence,
officiating.
Frank M., infant son of Mr.
and Mrs. Otto M. Montague, liv
ed only three hours, and died at
9:30 p.m. Tuesday. Burial Wed
nesday in the Garrison cemetery.
LIONS REELECT
RALPH DAVIS AS
CLUB PRESIDENT
The dining room of the Hotel
Ft. Raleigh was turned into a
temporary polling place Monday
evening as the Manteo Lions Club
elected officers for the club year
beginning July 1.
Ralph Davis, who as elected
first vice-president filled out the
unexpired term of the club’s first
president, was named to fill the
post of Lion President for the
coming year.
Two other officers, Fred West
cott, secretary and Edward Green,
treasurer, were re-elected to serve
for another term.
New Officers
New officers chosen by the
club’s members on Monday were.
Henry Parker, first vice-presi
dent; Jack Wilson, second vice
president; Roy Westcott, third
vice-president; Clyde Biggs, Tail
See LIONS. Page Eight
FRIENDS OF OREGON INLET TAKE APPEAL TO WASHINGTON
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Appearing before the Subcommittee on Civil Functions of the House Appropriations Committee, a
delegation from North Carolina presented their arguments last week for deepening of Oregon Inlet, on
the North Carolina Coast, to a depth of 14 feet. The purpose is to provide a harbor of refuge for com
mercial fishermen, who have no safe port from storm between Norfolk and Morehead City, N. C., and to
improve commercial fishing facilities in the area. Congressman John H. Kerr of the Second North Caro
lina District presided over the Committee Hearing and Congressman • Herbert C. Bonner of the First
North Carolina District presented the subject to the committee and introduced various others who made
statements. Among those present, reading from left to right,.Front Row were the following: Wayne M.
Waller, National Fisheries Institute, Victor Meekins, Editor Coastland Times, Manteo, N. C., Herbert C.
Bonner, Representative of First District of North Carolina, Ben Dixon Mac Neill, Writer and Historian,
Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, E. H. Holton, Vandemere, North Carolina.
Second Row, left to right:
Henry C. Oglesby, Secretary to Rep. Bonner, Eric Rodgers, Editor, Publisher and member of N. C.
Board of Conservation and Development, Mr. Alvah Ward, Chairman for Dare County Committee for Ore
gon Inlet, and National Defense, Manteo, N. C.
Third Row, left to right:
Garland Fulcher, Oriental, North Carolina, Charles E. Jackson, National Fisheries Institute, and
William H. Potter, Beaufort, North Carolina. (Seth Muse Photo, Courtesy News i Observer)
Spring School Festival Attracted Throng
Os 1,000 Participants and Spectators
Varied Program of Exhibits, Field Events and Pag
eant Last Friday Made Second Annual Festival A
Great Success.
A crowd estimated at nearly
cne thousand children and adults
thronged the grounds and build
ings of the Manteo school last
Friday for the Second Annual
Spring Festival. Many visitors
brought their lunches with them,
but more than 300 out-of-town
people were served in the Man
teo School Lunchroom between
the morning and afternoon pro
grams.
SELECTIVE SERVICE BOARD
LISTS RECENT ENLISTEES
Two recent new registrants
with the Dare Selective Service
Board are Orville Lee Tillett, son
of Mr. and Mrs. T. N. Tillett of
Manns Harbor, and Monnie How
ard O’Neal, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Willie O’Neal of Wanchese. Both
young men reached their 18th
birthdays last month. Both are
employed as fishermen at the
present time.
Enlistees
Information from the office of
Chairman Robert Ballance on
Monday shows the following en
listees reported to the Board dur
ing recent weeks: Orville Lee Til
lett of Manns Harbor enlisted in
the Coast Guard at Norfolk on
May 1; on April 28, Samuel El
wood Midgett, Jr., of Manteo en
listed in the Marine Corps Re
serve at Norfolk; Carlton Al
dridge Shannon of Manteo enter
ed the Coast Guard at Norfolk on
March 15; Johnnie Lynch Wil
liams of Buxton, Coast Guard,
Norfolk, Feb. 2; Luther Grandy
Hooper, Avon, Coast Guard, Nor
folk, January 23.
All the enlistees above named
have passed their 18th birthdays
but have not yet become 19, and
so were carried on the lists of the
Dare Board in a deferred status,
Chairman Ballance said.
MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY, MAY 11, 1951
School Exhibits
Exhibits prepared by pupils in
each of the county’s schools wen
on display in the gymnasium.
They were inspected by hundreds
of persons between nine o’clock
Friday morning and nine in the
evening, when the exhibition clos
ed.
The exhibits were examined
critically by a board of three
judges: Mrs. Hilda Brumsey,
Currituck County supervisor;
Miss Betty Swindell, Hyde County
supervisor; and Mr. Billy Tark
ington of Manteo.
Winning exhibits were classi
fied for rating by the judges in
two categories, Best General
Exhibit and Exhibits Showing
Best | Use of Resources. The
Stumpy Point school was
awarded first place for the Best
See FESTIVAL, Page Eight
DeFEBIO HEARING
HERE TUESDAY
Defendant, Held in Perquimans
Jail, Resolves Not to Eat. Mrs.
DeFebio Still Pickets Dare
Courthouse
Frqnk J. DeFebio, whose trial
is set for recorders court in Man
teo on Tuesday, May 15, has been
held in Perquimans County Jail,
Hertford, since his release from
Albemarle General Hospital in
Elizabeth City on Thursday of
last week. He was released from
the hospital as recovered from
self-inflicted wounds sustained in
his jail cell in Manteo the night
of April 21-22. The transfer of
jails was made in order to make
it possible for the prisoner to have
closer supervision.
According to a letter received
by the editor of this paper, dated
May 5, DeFebio had determined
See DeFEBIO, Page Eight
LIVERMAN ELECTED
COLUMBIA’S MAYOR
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PAUL L. LIVERMAN, above, was
elected mayor of Columbia in
Tuesday’s balloting, by a major
ity of 219 to 84 for W. M. Laugh
inghouse. For aidermen, those
elected were R. L. Mitchell, Floyd
B. Spencer, W. A. Williams, Her
bert L. Brickhouse and Albin
Hamilton. Mr. Liverman, promi
nent newspaper man, was this
week elected president of the Jay
Cees, and has served as Vice-
President of the South Albermarle
Association, and many other plac
es of honor and trust. A most pro
gressive administration for Co
lumbia may be expected of nis
Board.
THIS READS LIKE REAL
FISHING AT HATTERAS
Talk about good fishing, but
two Colerain men last week found
it at Hatteras. W. S. Hughes, and
H. B. Pierce, fishing with Albert
W. Austin landed 137 blues,
weighing a total of more than 200
pounds. In commercial fishing lan
guage the' fish amounted to “two
boxes,” and were worth a nice
price on the market.
COLINGTON ROADTOBE PAVED
THIS SPRING COMM. SHELTON
TELLS DARE COMMISSIONERS
Hard Surfacing 2.25 Miles to Colington Will
Be Done by Oregon Inlet Road Contractors
at Cost of $30,000.
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PRESIDENT DARE CO.
CHAMBER COMMERCE
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ALVAH H. WARD, Manteo bus
inessman, Chairman of the Ore
gon Inlet Committee, and com
munity booster in general, last
week was unanimously elected
president of the Dare County
Chamber of Commerce at an en
thusiastic meeting which quickly
subscribed S9OO and set up plans
for raising more funds for the
summer’s work.
DARE SUPERIOR
COURT TERM TO
OPEN MAY 28
Fi'«» Continued and S'x Nsw
Cases On Criminal Dock
et. Civil Docket In
complete
Dare Clerk of Superior Court
C. S. Meekins released this week
the criminal docket for the spring
term of superior court, which
will open in Manteo Monday, May
28. The civil docket is not yet
complete.
Five- cases are continued from
the October, 1950, term of court.
All are. cases in which the State
charges the defendant with drun
ken driving. In the case of the
State vs Norman Grear Miller;
the defendant is charged, also,
with operating a motor vehicle
without a license to drive. One
case, that of the State vs. Velma
T. Lehew, was continued because
the jury was unable ot reach a
verdict. Defendants in the other
continued cases are Wyke Nuby
Dillon, Jr., David E. Worsley and
Elizabeth H. Crampton.
New Cases
Among the six new criminal 1
cases scheduled for trial are two '
cases in which Negroes are charg
ed with assault with a deadly
weapon. Probable cause was
found in Dare Recorder’s Court in
the cases of the State vs. Henry
Junior Bowser, and the State vs.
Lee Payden.
Bondsmen for Litchfield Peele
(Archie Burrus and Frank White
See COURT, Page Eight
QUICK MEETING
OF DARE C OF C
RAISES $915
Goal of $2,000 Set for Work
Until September; Ward Be
comes President; Brown’s
Work Praisted
At an enthusiastic revival meet
ing of the Dare County Chamber
of Commerce in Manteo Thurs
day night, 24 people quickly sub
scribed $915 for immediate pay
ment into the treasury to keep
the work going, and launched
plans for doubling the sum short
ly, to finance activities until the
annual meeting in September.
President J. L. Murphy, who
had been carrying on since the
last annual meeting turned the
gavel over to Victor Meekins to
receive nominations for president,
i and Alvah H. Ward of Manteo
was nominated by Frank Stick.
The nominations were closed and
Mr. Ward was unanimously elect-
President Alvah H. Ward has
called a meeting of the Dare
Chamber’s Board of Directors
at 7:30 p.m. in the Community
Building, Wednesday, May I*.
H. Travis Sykes of Kitty Hawk,
I and Archie Burrus of Manteo were
See MEETING. Page Eight
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Single Copy 7#
First District Highway Com
missioner Henry Shelton told the
Dare County Board of Commis
sioners on Tuesday that the 2.25
miles of road leading to Coling
ton Island would be hard-surfaced
this spring. The work will be done 7
as an extension of the paving al
ready under way between Oregon
Inlet and the Whalebone station
and will cost $30,000. State con
tracts for road work permit 25% (
extensions of work contracted for
without the necessity for new let
tings. The more than eight miles
of paving contracted for the Inlet
road is sufficient to allow* the Col
ington work under the same con
tract, the commissioner said. $30,-
000 has already been spent on ap
proaches and bridges for the road.
Bond Fund Status
Mr. Shelton said that the total
bond funds available for Dare
County on May 7 was $661,000.23.
Os this amount $545,000 has al
ready been used or pledged for
specific projects, leaving a balance
of $116,006.23 which may yet be
allocated for Dare County high
way projects.
Bond-fund money has been al
located for the following road im
provements in Dare County, Mr. ♦
Shelton told the Board: bridges
and approaches, Colington road,
$30,000; hard-surfacing Coliqgton .
road, $30,000; Avon to Rodanthe, ’
hard-surfacing, $225,000; East!
Lake road, $200,000; Oregon In
let to Highway 158, $60,000. 1
OLD BUCK VISITS
ROANOKE WITH
SCHOOL EXHIBIT
Legendary OI d hristmas
Figure Attends Dare Coun
ty School Festival
VH
Old Buck, legendary dragon of j
the Outer Banks for three hun- 1
dred years who gets himself kill- !
ed off once a year in the course - *!
of the celebration of old Christ
mas, left his native Hatteras Is
land Friday for the first time to ’
the vast astonishment of a thous
and school children gathered in
Manteo for Dare County’s second
annual school fair and his migra
tion signalized the extension of
, Roanoke Island’s flair for home
| made pageantry to include the
; whole county.
Schools of Hatteras Island, be
ginning with Rodanthe, the home
of Old Christmas, brought the
furbished and polished Old Buck
See BUCK, Page Eight
SPRING TERM
JURY DRAWN
Jurors for the spring term of
Superior Court which begins in
Manteo on Monday, May 28, were
drawn by the County Commis
sioners in session at the court
house Tuesday. The 40 jurors
and their post office addresses are
listed below.
HATTERAS: W. "Preston Stowe
Cecil E. Ballance, Roscoe Burrus,
Jr., Mrs. Elizabeth Gaskins.
Manteo: Joseph M. Bratten,
Edith M. Quidley, Marvin L. Mann,
W. Rayborn Sanderlin, George M.
Powell.
NAGS HEAD: Leslie J. Henley.
WANCHESE: James W. Davis,
Miss Rowenia Midgett, Holmes O.
Bridges, B. F. Garrison, Leroy S.
Midgett.
WAVES: Mrs. Esther Gray. .
COLINGTON: Weightman Beas
ley, Mrs. Ernest Hayweod, Henry
See JURY, Page Eight
NO DISSENTING
VOTES CAST IN
TOWN ELECTION
Twenty-two Manteo voters
turned up at the polls Tuesday
and relected all incumbent city of
ficers for another two-year term.
It was a single-minded group
of voters: Martin Kellogg was
elected mayor. George T. West
cott, Sam Midgett and Moncie
Daniels, Jr., were returned to the
town board—all received 22 votes
There was not a single write-in
vote during the election.
It may be safely said, in view
of the unanimous vote at the polls,
that the town administration pos
sesses the complete confidence of
all Manteo citizens—or, at least,
i of all citizens energetic enough
to use their right to vote.
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