VOLUME XVII NO. 8
STRONG SENTIMENT PREVAILS
FOR EARLY ORGANIZATION OF
DARE CO. TOURIST BUREAU
Commissioners Offer Tentative Agreement to
Underwrite Budget to Amount of 20 Per
Cent Necessary to Maintain Full Time
Office For Promoting Travel to All Parts
of Dare County; Township Committee
Named, and Invitations Issued Tuesday.
The proposal for maintaining a
Dare County Tourist Bureau for
development of travel business and
general promotion of the interests
of all parts of Dare County gained
| strong headway Tuesday when sev
eral representatives of various or
ganizations in the county discussed
the importance of this movement
before the Dare County Board of
Commissioners.
Following a motion made by I
Lawrence Swain, requesting that a I
general meeting be called of in- |
terested persons Tuesday, August i
21, at 2 p.m. at the courthouse, I
•a committee to represent the coun
ty as a whole was named as fol
lows:
Mainland of Dare County,
George M. Wise of Stumpy Point;
Hatteras Township, Maurice Bur
rus of Hatteras; Kinnekeet Town-,
ship, Asa H. Gray of Waves; At
lantic Township, David Stick of
Kill Devil Hills; Nags Head Town- '
ship, J. Gordon Kellogg of Manteo.
Letters of invitation to these
men were mailed yesterday, invit
ing them to attend the meeting,
and letters were also sent to the
following groups, inviting them to
send representatives next Tuesday
for further discussion of the plan:
The Dare Beaches Chamber of
Commerce of Kill Devil Hills; the
Nags Head Chamber of Commerce;
the Roanoke Island Historical As
sociation; the Dare County Cham
ber of Commerce, and the Town of
Manteo.
This does not contemplate the
merger of any existing organiza
tions, but invites all of them to
join with the County Government
jn organizing a non-partisap, non
sectional Burea" to impartially ad
vertise and prow. '• all sections of
the county. ' ‘ j
In other words, it would imple
ment and cooperate with the efforts
of other civic organizations, and
once organized on a sound basis
would save all organizations con- j
siderable money and make for more
effective promotion work.
It is left up to the various or- !
ganizations, each to send their
own spokesman to the meeting next
Tuesday. I
The plan is to maintain a full
time promotion bureau, to provide
ample publicity material for the
needs of all Interests of the county.
The objective is to increase the
tourist business of the county, and
develop it more fully as a recrea
tion area at all seasons of the year.
C. C. Duvall, Chairman of the
Dare County Board of Commis
sioners, was named temporary
chairman for the meeting next
Tuesday.
If such a Burgau is organized as
contemplated, the County has
agreed 'tentatively to underwrite
the cost of 20 per cent of its main
tenance.
FHA DAY AT LOST
COLONY TO BRING
MANY TO COASTLAND
From the Raleigh office of
Catherine Dennis, state supervisor
of the Future Homemakers of
America, came the news early this
week that scores of towns and i
communities of North Carolina 1
would have FHA representation at 1
the first annual Lost Colony Fu-|
ture Homemakers’ Day on Friday,
August -17. Miss Dennis, herself,
and other FHA leaders of North
Carolina will be present
No set has been ar- 1
ranged for the occasion. “Our main J
thought is for the future home
makers to see America’s longest- I
lived outdoor drama, which not I
only tells the dramatic story of i
English-speaking America’s begin-|
ning, but also the attempts at;
homemaking by those brave men
and women who came to the prim
eval wilderness which was Roa
noke Island, during the late 16th
Century, and attempted to build
.homes here and found a new na
tion,” said Miss Dennis.
Lost Colony officials became in
terested in honoring Future Home
makers at a special Day at The
Lost, Colony several ninths ago.
At that time, a newspaperman con
nected with the drama covered a'
district meeting of the FHA in I
Creswell. More than 700 enthusias-1
tic young women attended the
meeting in Creswell. But the great |
number and the great interest <
shown at that occasion resulted in
plans for the first Lost Colony
FHA day on Roanoke Island.
THE COASTLAND TIMES
PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTEREST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA
PREACHES HERE SUNDAY
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The REV. SAMUEL TILDEN
HABEL, pastor of the First Bap-1
tist Church in Chapel Hill, will
come to Roanoke Island this week
end to conduct the Sunday morn- ■
ing services at Waterside Theatre, 1
home of The Lost Colony.
DeFEBIOS MAY
GET HEARING
ON AUGUST 24
’ Juvenile Court Judge Chauncey |
S. Meekins this week postponed a
re-hearing on the matter of the
care of the Frank J. DeFebio chil- j
dren, scheduled to be held here
Saturday at 2 p.m., until Friday,
August 24. Judge Meekins notified
the DeFebio attorney in Washing-
! ton, D. C., of his decision on
Wednesday. Reason for postpone-.
ment was that August 18 is Vir-1
ginia Dare Day, a sort of quasi
legal holiday in Dare county.
I Judge Meekins and the Dare
.Welfare Department have asked
■ for information about the Wash
ington home maintained by Theo
DeFebio, mother of the children,
from District of Columbia social
1 agencies. If the reports were fav
orable, the judge has said, the
children would be returned to their
parents’ custody from the Per
quimans county boarding home
where they are at present lodged
as wards of the state. However,
Judge Meekins said yesterday, all
the information required has not
been received. In the event that
the ’information from Washington
is not considered “favorable” to the
j DeFebios, the re-hearing will go
' on as scheduled next Friday; if it
is “favorable,” the judge says it
will not be necessary to hold the
hearing as he will sign an order re- J
, turning the children to their par- '
I ents at once.
LOST COLONY ATTENDANCE
Attendance at The Lost Colony
totaled 6,101 paid admissions dur
, ing the six-performance period
I August 9-15. Largest crowd was
present at Norfolk Night, August
ill, 1,696. Crowds for the other five
i days were: 764, 747, 826, 1,040,
1 1,028.
Lost Colony to Celebrate State’s
Most Famous Birthday, August 18th
Virginia Dare, First White Child Born In America To
Be Honored.
I Virginia Dare, first child of
I English parentage was born on
Roanoke Island in the New World
' on August 18, 1587. On Saturday,
August 18, 1951, the famous baby
of 344 years ago will be honored
by Paul Green’s symphonic drama
The Lost Colony, which tells the
tragic story of England’s attempts,
uader the leadership of Sir Walter
Raleigh, to found a new nation in
the land that was to become North
Carolina.
The events scheduled for Sat
urday of this "Week at Fort Ra
leigh and Waterside Theatre will
be one of the outstanding birthday
: parties celebrated for Virginia
Dare. But the date is always a
significant one on Roanoke Island.
I Back in 1937, premiere year for
i The Lost Colony, the distinguished
guest of honor was the late Presi
dent Roosevelt. Th* spot from
which ha witnessed the 23rd per-
I ARCHIE SPENCER
KILLED BY BOLT
OF LIGHTNING
Services Held at Stumpy
Point on Wednesday. Fath
er Also Injured
Lightning which struck their
boat as they were shrimping a few
hundred yards out of Stumpy
Point bay, Monday afternoon,
killed Archie Spencer, 20, and
burned his father, Rudolph Spen
cer. The latter was able to leave
Pungo District hospital in Bel
haven Wednesday morning.
The Rev. Tracy Varnum, pastor,
conducted funeral services at
Stumpy Point Methodist church
Wednesday afternoon for Archie
Spencer. Burial was in the ceme-
See SHRIMPER, Page Eight
ROAD MISTAKE
COST COUNTY
OF DARE $36,756
Repairs to Road Between
Stumpy Point and Long
Shoal Proved Costly
When the road between Stumpy
Point and Long Shoal River was
surfaced in 1948, somebody made
a bad guess, and the road had to
be ripped up, and rebuilt. The job
cost Dare County’s road allotment
the sum of $36,756.63 when it was
ripped up and rebuilt in 1949, ac
cording to figures furnished the
Dare County Commissioners by the
State Highway Commission.
Figures shown for the period
January 1, 1949, to August 1,
11951, for road allotments beside the
. above amount spent in Dare County 1
other than bond money are as fol- |
lows: Between Stumpy Point to.
Hyde County line, 6 mi. sand-as- 1
phalt $44,343.98; Balance on Avon
ito Hatteras road, $37,678.37;
| Stumpy Point toward the Hyde
County line $18,000; East Lake to
intersection of Stumpy Point road,
$27,225.28; Purchase price of Ore-
I gon Inlet ferries, $42,500. Five
miles of paving north of Oregon
| Inlet on U.S. 64 to U.S. 158, grad-
I ing and paving, 3.6 mi. $50,000;
Dredging ferry basin at Oregon
Inlet $22,000; repairs to road near
Currituck Sound bridge, 1 mile,
$1,675; construction of Roanoke
Sound bridge and approaches 1.4
| mi. $517,000; repairing main high
way on Roanoke Island, U.S. 158
and 345 with retread and seal $29,-
000. Total $826,179.26.
This does not include the con
struction of a marine railway at*
Manns Harbor for serving the state
ferry boats.
SERGEANT FINED FOR
RECKLESS DRIVING
Charges Against Willie Spencer
Dismissed After Prosecuting
Witness’ Testimony Only
Partly Taken
Sgt. William Earl Jones, sta
tioned with the National Guard at
Elizabeth City, was found guilty
of careless and reckless driving and
speeding by Judge W. F. Baum in '
recorder’s court Tuesday afternoon.
The court sentenced the sergeant
to pay $25 on the speeding charge
and SSO on the reckless driving
count.
Attorney Dozier and Sgt. Jones
based the case for the defense on
the contention that Jones had not
driven 70 miles per hour on the
Sound Side road at Nags Head or
75 miles per hour on Highway 158,
as charged by the arresting officer,
Patrolman Boykin. The sergeant
admitted exceeding the 35 mile
speed limit, and said he was driv
ing “perhaps 50 miles per hour.”
Judge Baum held, in giving his de-
See COURT, Page Eight
formance of the drama which has
lived longer than any other out
door production in America today
is marked in stoae.
Coming to the party honoring
Virginia Dare this year will be
members of the North Carolina
Federation of Women’s Clubs and
also represented by outstanding
members will be the Garden Clubs
of North Carolina. One of the
events of the day will be the dis
cussion of plans for an Elizabethan
Garden which the North Carolina
Garden Club members will create
here at the birthplace of English
speaking America. Both groups
have scheduled programs.
Virginia Dare’s birthday will
also mark the summer meeting of
Roanoke Island Historical Associ
ation with such speakers as Paul
Green, author of The Lost Colony,
Sam Selden, its director, and Betty
See MLONY, Page Bight
MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 1951
NAGS HEAD MIDSHIPMAN GETTING ON IN MARINES
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t- • V' ■ • .
Official Marine Corps Photo.
CHERRY POINT, N. C.—Taking advantage of the availability of new
types of aircraft at the Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, by
studying the instruments of a transport type helicopter, are Mid
shipman Fred 0. Purser at the controls, and Midshipman John G.
McCullen, Jr., looking on. Midshipman Purser is the son of Mrs.
Lucille S. Purser of Nags Head, North Carolina, Midshipman Mc-
Cullen, the son of Mrs. J. G. McCullen of Rocky Mount, N. C. The
Midshipmen were two of the group of second class men from the
U. S. Naval Academy who visited Cherry Point as a part of their
summer training air-cruise.
Dare County Ticket Purchases to Help
Pay for Lost Colony’s New Jet-Sprayer
Local Sales for Virginia Dare Night Performance To
morrow to Apply on Cost of Machine. Sprayer to Be
Available for County and Town Use.
In commemoration of the birth
day of Virginia Dare, Saturday
night, August 18, will be observed
as Dare County Night at The Lost
Colony.
Author Paul Green will be in
the audience for the occasion,
and the Elizabeth City High
School Band will present a pre
curtain performance beginning
at 7:30 p.m.
Special tickets are being sold to
Dare countians for Saturday’s per
formance by the Manteo Lions and
Rotary Clubs and the Wanchese
Ruritan Club. These tickets, good
for any performance during the re
mainder of the season but especial
ly printed for use on Dare County
Night, are offered to home folks to
give them the opportunity to assist
The Best Colony in paying for the
new ‘Dyna-Fog jet-type spraying
machine purchased with
Lost Colony funds. As the chief fi
nancial gainers by the outdoor
drama here annually,
PIANO PLAYER IS
FOUND DEAD IN
NAGS HEAD SURF
Bobby Warren, 19, of Char
lotte Thought to Have Been
Suicide Wednesday
Bobby ’Alton Warren, 19, piano
player in the orchestra now play
ing at the Nags Head Beach Club,
drowned early Wednesday morning
while swimming near the Beach
Club. His body was found near the
shore by another member of the
orchestra who had gone out for an
early swim- at 5:30 a.m. Warren
was dead when his body was dis
covered.
The young man had been in a
depressed state of mind, undergo
ing emotional unheaval, and which
he seemed to think might be a re
ligious experience, and he consulted
Rev. Henry Napier, Baptist minis
ter at his home in Manteo Tues
day.
A youthful love affair of some
time ago appeared to have been
weighing upon his mind, and he
was seeming to think he should
leave off playing in a public dance
hall, yet his conscience troubled
him when he thought of leaving
his associates in the soup.
He appeared to be laboring to
some extent with a persecution
complex.
He told associates that some
thing was going to happen within
four days. Suicide is the theory of
his death.
The drowned man’s body was
taken to the Twiford Funeral
Home in Manteo, and from there
it was sent to Warren’s home in
Charlotte where funeral services
were to be held.
Bobby Warren was the son of
Garnett Benton Warren and Inez
Purney Warren of Charlotte. His
home was at 1933 Central Ave.,
Charlotte. Besides his parents, he is
survived bg two brothers and two
sisters, Ray and Larry, Jean and
Joy, all of Charlotte.
hotel and tourist home owners,
service station operators, and other .
businessmen and residents who |
benefit from the great influx of I
visitors brought here by The Lost
Colony, are asked to purchase
tickets for the Saturday perform
ance. Proceeds from all special
Dyna-Fog tickets soM will be ap- |
plied directly on the cost of the
sprayer. Sale of the special tickets ’
is under the direction of John
Long, who said early in the week
that it appeared that Dare coun
tians were responding very well
indeed to the opportunity to help
the organization which has done so
much for the people of Dare.
The machine, although owned
100% by the Lost Colony man
agement, is to be available for
county and town use at cost; that
is, a town or the county may use
the machine rent-free, paying
only for th# operating cost and,
cost of spraying
will be operated, elsewhere than
Waterside Theatre, under the di
rection of the County Sanitation
Departorabt.
Price of tickets is the same as
always, $2.40 reserved, SI.BO gen
eral admission. Mr. Long has dis-
See COUNTY, Page Eight
AUTHOR TURNS ACTRESS FOR EVENING
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Miss Betty Smith, whose novel, “A Tree Growsin Brooklyn,’’ has
been a best seller, will play the part of A,gonaf squaw, in
“The Lost Colony,” Tuesday night at Manteo. Ever since celebrity
nights were established for Paul Green’s symphonic drama, Miss
Smith has played this part at least once each season. This is not her
only connection with the theatre, as the musical baaed on her famous
novel, continues to be a Broadway hit
FIGURES SHOW WHERE ROAD
BOND FUNDS HAVE BEEN USED
ON VARIOUS DARE PROJECTS
Highway Commission Says County’s Allott
ment Some $50,000 Short of Original Esti
mate of $860,000; Balance in Fund Aug. 1
$256,131.23 with Additional $200,000 due to
be Refunded for East Lake Road.
COLINGTON ROAD
GRADING BEGINS;
t TO COST $60,000
Total Cost, Including Two
Bridges; State to Do
Surface Job
Work has begun on the long de
layed Colington road, which is now
to be built by State forces. The
total length of surface is to be 2.7
miles. Including the two bridges
built last year, the grading and
pavement will cost a total of $60,-
000, according to estimates made
by the State Highway Commis
sion.
The road will be built this fall,
and in the spring will be given a
new surface treatment, and finally
completed in time for the tourist
business next summer. Working
crews are now on the job, despite
the terrific heat of summer. Col
ington is now served with electric
power, and the completion of the
road is expected to make for an
enormous increase in sport fishing
business and larger income for the
citizens.
WANCHESE SCENE
OF RE-UNION OF
DANIELS FAMILY
Judge Halstead Speaker Sun
| day Morning, August 19th;
Picnic Dinner on Church
Grounds
The annual re-union of the Dan
, iels family will be held Sunday,
| August 19, at the Wanchese Meth=
.odist Church, beginning at 10:30
a.m. with a speech by Judge W. I.
Halstead of South Mills. A huge
picnic dinner on the grounds will
be served at 12:30.
Melvin R. Daniels, who is master
of ceremonies, says that the gen
eral public is cordially invited to
attend, regardless of kinship, and
that the folks will have plenty to
eat. However, it is difficult to find
anyone in this part of iRe state who
cannot find some relations among
the Daniels’, by eifher blood or
marriage.
For several years these re
qsjions have proved to be mighty
enjoyable occasions, and while he
was living, the late Josephus Dan
iels of Raleigh, who claimed Wan
chese as the home of his ancestors,
always attended the meeting at
i Wanchese. Since his death,- his
children have attended. Some of
them will be guests at Wanchese
Sunday.
Single Copy 70
During the campaign for the
road bond issue figures released by
the State Highway Commission
listed Dare County’s share as
$860,000. Recent figures furnished
the Dare County Commissioners as
of August 1, show Dare County’s
share of this S2OO million fund to
be $806,131.23 or some $54,000
short of original estimates.
The commission reports that of
this allotment, $200,000 was spent
on the road between Manns Har
bor and East Lake, which was not
a bond money project and is to be
paid back from other funds and in
turn spent on bond projects in the
county. The report shows that
there is also $256,131.23 remaining
unspent.
Total amount spent or allotted is
shown at $550,000, as follows: Col
ington road and bridge project
$60,000; Avon to Pea Island 17.8
grading and pavement $225,000;
East Lake $200,000; Oregon Inlet
project $60,000. Total miles built
is 37.5 miles.
The figures show that there is
more than enough to finish the
road through the Pea Island Re
fuge, and with the $200,000 due
from the East Lake project, there
will be ample funds to finish the
short roads in need of surface else
where in the county.
Figures published elsewhere in
this newspaper show a total of
$826,179 spent in Dare County dur
ing the past two years from road
funds other than bond money.
COURT ORDER
RESTRICTS CASH
BINGO IN DARE
Hearing in Case of Al Mater
Set For August 27th; Board
Follows Early Agreement
The playing of bingo for cash in
Dare County is restricted in an
order signed this week by Judge
Chester Morris. The Dare Board
of Commissioners brought suit
against Al Mater, operator of one
of three bingo games at Nags
Head.
The complaint alleges that Mater
along with the other two operators
entered into a contract not to use
cash in the bingo games. On Aug
ust 7th Mater with his attorneys
appeared before the Board and
asked that the restriction be re
moved. He desired to play for
cash. The Board took’ the action
that the agreement should stand.
That night, Mater operated on
cash anyway with increased at
tendance and so operated until
Wednesday night.
On Saturday Mater was sum
moned before the Board to show
cause why his license should not
be revolted. Mater appeared with
his attorney,contending the con
tract was not a valid one. He told
the Board he intended to continue
to operate for cash. The Board
passed a motion to revoke his li
cense. He continued operating.
The Board appealed to Judge
Morris for a restraining order,
which the judge signed, forbidding
the playing of Bingo far cash, and
giving notice of a hearing before
Judge J. Paul Frizzelle at Camden,
2 p.m. on August 27th. Mater said
Wednesday he was going to obey
the order, pending the court’s rul
ing.
DISTRICT ENGINEER ON
VISIT TO OREGON INLET
Col. and Mrs. Roland C. Brown
with their young daughters Pam
and Penny were visitors to Roa
noke Island this week, and spent
Tuesday night off Wanchese Wharf
on the Survey Boat Danora. Col.
Brown is District Engineer of the
Wilmington office, and Wednesday
he went to Oregon Inlet with Capt.
Tom Basnight to inspect Oregon
Inlet.
Guests of the Brown-s were Dr.
end Mrs. C. E. Howard and Mr.
and Mrs. LaMont Edgerton of
Goldsboro. Wednesday they visited
Fort Raleigh, and Mrs. Brown be
ing a district president of Garden
Clabs in the State, was much in
terested tn the Elizabethan Garden
project at Fort Raleigh.
Melvin Daniels and Victor Meek
ins were dinner guests of the party
Tuesday aboard the boat and out
fishing industry.