VOLUME XVII NO. 10
MANTEO ROTARY
OPPOSES 2nd CAST
OF LOST COLONY
The Manteo Rotary Club Mon
day night gave vigorous disap
proval to the proposal that the
Lost Colony be cast and shown in
New Jersey simultaneously next
season. Rotarians were reminded
by Martin Kellogg, Jr., that in the
beginning the club as a new or
ganiaztion back in 1936 had spon
sored and approved the Lost Col
ony and gave it loyal support in
its feeble and difficult beginning,
having faith in the assurance then
given that it would not be shown
any place but Roanoke Island.
Dr. W. W. Johnston, and others
gave expression that it should be
opposed by the people of this com
munity, and the Club passed a res
olution unanimously that the di
rectors of the Lost Colony be urged
to dismiss the proposal.
SEPT. 5 REGISTRATION
DAY AT MANTEO SCHOOLS
Principal L. W. Huggins this
week announced that Wednesday,
Sept. 5, the opening day of school
for the 1951-52 term will be given
over in the Manteo schools to reg
istration of pupils. There will be
no regular classes on Wednesday,
the principal said. Mr. Huggins
urged all parents to register pupils
eligible for school early and to
insist upon regular attendance dur
ing the school year. The Manteo
system loses one member of its
faculty this fall because of i.re
gular attendance during the past
year, the principal pointed out;
only through regular attendance
can the teacher be regained by
next fall.
FISHING FINE IN DARE
Fishing was never better than it
has been during the current sum
mer in waters of Dare County.
Every kind of fish that will take
a lure has been landed at one time
or another since the big channel
bass run began last spring. From
lowly croakers to giant sailfish
have been landed by anglers. Best
catches of the past week were
made by E. H. Gatewood of Silver
Springs, Maryland. He landed a
26 pound dolphin. Most unusual
catch of the week was made by
Paul Shively of Carnegie, Pa. His
biggest fish was a 4-foot barracuda
taken in the Gulf Stream off Ore
gon Inlet.
Roanoke Island’s Oldest Colored Man,
Henry Woodley, Lives Alone by Choice
Last Visit to Town for 87-Year-Old was Nine Years
Ago. Remembers Town as Place of Four Houses.
“Mister, I sure enjoy having any
body come here that I can talk to,
•• white or colored. And I’ve got lots
of good friends that do come here
to see me. They’re all welcome
here, as long as they behave them
selves.”
Those words, Uncle Henry Wood
ley’s reply to a request to “talk
twith him awhile,” describe accur
ately the simple hospitality of the
87-year-old, lifelong resident, old
est colored person living on Roa
noke Island.
Uncle Henry lives alone in a
small, well-kept-up house a few
hundred yards off one of the run
ways of the Manteo airport, on a
, site not far from that of the long
vanished house in which he was
born on Ootober 25, 1864. He isn’t
far from kinfolk though; for his
brother, John, ten years younger
than he, lives in a neighboring
house.
Forced to Move
Mr. Woodley was one of a num
ber of householders who was forced
to move when the Navy established
an air base here early in Werld
War 11. He was reluctant to give
up his homesite, but agreed to ac-1
cept land in exchange for his own
as close as possible to his old
home. It is nine years since he
moved to his present property; six I
years since he moved his present i
house onto the land. If there is any
touch of bitterness in the cheerful
old man, it is his feeling about the
loss of his home—“as good as any
on the island,” he calls it—when
the airport was built.
A casual acquaintance, who
hears the little wrinkled old man
• with the heavy gray mustache talk
about the byegone events of his (
life, might be misled into thinking
<ll is right with him. The fact is ‘
thqt Uncle Henry is not able to get;
around much, and only with the
help of two canes can he hobble in I
and out of his house. Be declares
that he “has to take four kinds of
ynedicsne to be able to get around
at all.” He has not been as far
from his home as Manteo in nine
years. But the sprightliness of his
conversation doesn’t suggest the
difficulty he has getting about, nor
Would a listener easily guess that
THE COASTLAND TIMES
PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTEREST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA
THESE MEN TO HAVE THEIR DAY SEPT. 9
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WILSE LEARY and E. G. (Dick) MOORE, who will have their big day
on Sept. 9—Sadie Hawkins Day—when they give away all the mer
chandise in their stand. They will start at 12 noon and keep playing
until they “have cleaned house,” as they put it. This is the third “Sadie
Hawkins Day” at Jones-Leary’s bingo, but this promises to be the
i best yet. «
SCHOOLS OPEN WEDNESDAY
Teachers for All Positions in County’s 11 Schools to
Report on Opening Day.
The Dare County Schools will
open for the 1951-52 school year
on Wednesday morning, September
5, according to an announcement
from the office of Mrs. Mary Lang
ston Evans, Supt. of Schools. There
will be a principals’ meeting in
Manteo at 10 a.m. on September 4;
the meeting will be held in the
Manteo school library.
Faculties
The roster of teachers for the
various schools as announced by
Supt. Evans is as follows:
I MANTEO: L. W. Huggins, prin
cipal; W. H. Fry, L. G. Finch, Mrs.
Jean Ward, Miss Esther Wynne,
Sam L. Guthrie, Mrs. Bertie Ward,
Mrs. Essie N. Westcott, Mrs. Jen
nie B. Davis, Miss Ruth Bray,
Miss Bonneybel Evans and A. O.
Ayers.
I KITTY HAWK: W. H. West,
principal; Mrs. Norma B. West,
Eugene Smith, Mrs. Sue V. Mc-
Cown, Mrs. Eugene Smith and Mrs.
i Elizabeth Atkins.
1 COLINGTON: Mrs. Irene B.
GENTLE OLD SOUL WITH
ESTEEM OF EVERYBODY
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HENRY now 87 years
old, is the oldest Negro resident of
Dare County. He is held in highest
; esteem by people of both races,
having lived a lifetime of honesty
and industry. The children he
raised went out in the world and
have done well, but like most
people, he prefers to live hlone in
his old home among the scenes of
his lifetime, rather than go away
with his children to distant places.
In an accompanying article by
Dave West, the old gentleman tells
’ something of hife experiences siaoe
i his birth in 1864, just before the
; Civil war ended. He is one of a
1 large family of highly respected
| people, the only other one living
i being his brother John W. Wood
ley of Manteo.
Uncle Henry “aches all the time
from the very top o£ my head to
the bottom of my toes.” He says
cheerfully, “I’m proud and thank
the Lord I get along as good as I
See WOODLEY, Page five
I Midgett, building principal.
’I WANCHESE: Mrs. Louise F.
Tillett, building principal; Mrs.
- Cleopatra Daniels, and Mrs.
'! Chauncey S. Meekins.
’ j MANNS HARBOR: A. L. Mer
' cer, building principal; Miss Callie
’ 1 Jones, and Mrs. Bettie M. Twi
!, ford.
| STUMPY POINT: Mrs. Elva
, Lowe, building principal.
H RODANTHE: Mrs. Edna Bate
i man, building principal.
.' AVON: Thomas G. Wilson, prin
. cipal; Mrs. Mildred Parks.
f 1 BUXTON: J. E. Derrick, prin
,' cipal; C. P. Gray, Charles M. Byrd,
. D. M. West, Mrs. Mary Ellen West,
, Miss Sue Williams and Mrs. Janet
. G. Finnegan.
| HATTERAS: Miss Maggie
, Bridgman, principal; Mrs. Inez D.
, I Austin, and Mrs. Mary S. McCar
■ thy.
ROANOKE: T. R. Lamb, prin
cipal; Mrs. Lillian T. Boone, and
.! Mrs. Eva A. Bethea.
STATE SEEKS LANDS
AT CURRITUCK BEACH
I Bonner Introduces Bill to Convey
Lighthouse Tract to Wildlife
Resources Commission
Congressman Herbert C. Bonner
announces that he has introduced
a Bill in Congress for the sale of
the Currituck Beach Lighthouse
Reservation to the State of North
Carolina. The Wildlife Resources
Commission, which requested him
i to introduce the Bill, will pay a
j consideration of $3,000.00, approx
imately one-half the fair value of
the land.
Approximately 24 acres are to be
conveyed, located north of Kitty
Hawk near Corolla, North Caro
lina. This ' property consists of
about 50% beach and 50% marsh
| land fronting approximately 400
feet on the ocean and running to
! the sound.
A lighthouse situated on the land
and two buildings adjacent to it
are not included within the con
templated transfer; this consisting
of approximately 0.82 of an acre
is necessary to the vigilance main
tained by the Coast Ggard of ocean
going commerce beyond the Great
Barrier Reef. There is also except
ed from the proposed conveyance
a right-of-way for the construc
tion of the coastal highway by the
Carolina-Virginia Coastal JHigh
'way Corporation, and a right-of
way of the Virginia Electric and
Power Company for electrical dis
tribution lines.
Congressman Bonner further
stated that the land is to be used
as an experimental station for re
search and development of muA-
See STATE, Page Five
_
FORMER DARE TEACHER
CAPITAL AIRLINES HOSTESS
Washington, D. C.—Miss Betty
Lou Davis, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Thomas H. Davis of 1818
Grace Street, Win st o n-Salem,
North Carolina, and a former
teacher in the Kitty Hawk School
during the past two years, has com
pleted trailing as a hostess for
Capital Airlines and has been as
signed to the Pittsburgh station,
according to Mrs. Althea O’Han
loh, Director of Paspenger Service.
Miss Davis graduated from Rey
nolds High School and also from
the University of North Carolina
where she received a B.A. in His
tory. ~
MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 1951
HIGHWAY COMM’N
MEETS HERE ON
SATURDAY MORN
At ten a.m. Saturday, Septem
ber 1, the State Highway Commis
sion will hold its regular monthly
meeting in the courtroom, of the
Dare County Courthouse. AH
members of the commission are ex
pected to be here for the despatch
of business. The meeting will be
open to the public.
At the conclusion of the meeting
in the courtroom the group will |
adjourn to the home of A. W.
Drinkwater, where the commission
ers and their wives will be enter
tained socially prior to a 1 o’clock
luncheon at the Roanoke Island
Inn.
Commission Chairman Henry W.
Jordan has been spending the week
at Kill Devil Hills with his family,
in the Corbell Cottage; he has vis
ited many of his acquaintances in
this .area during the present week.
Saturday’s meeting coincides with
the birthday of Chairman Jordan.
BIG GAME SEASON
OPENS OCTOBER 15
Big game hunting seasons in
North Carolina this year will open
October 15.
Regulations adopted by the Wild
life Resources Commission will
permit hunting from that day
through January 1 for bear, for
deer (in eastern counties), and for
the rare Russian wild boar in the
Santeetlah country of the Great
Smoky Mountains.
The popular deer hunts in the
Pisgah and Nantahala National
Forests of western North Carolina
are expected to be held in late No
vember and early December. Dates
and regulations for these will be
established later by the Wildlife
Commission and the U. S. Forest
Service.
The quail, rabbit, wild turkey,
and ruffed grouse seasons will run
from November 22 through Janu
ary 31, with local exceptions.
A split season for squirrels has
been adopted for the central and
some mountain counties of the
State September 15-October 1
and November 22-January 15. In
most of the rest of the State the
season will extend from October
15 through January 1.
Waterfowl hunting seasons for
North Carolina are still to be an
nounced. They are set by the U. S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
PRIZE-WINNING PHOTOGRAPH OF ELEANOR DARE
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Max Tharpe of Statesville won first place in the annual Lost Colony Press Photographers Contest
with this closeup of Barbara Edwards Griffith as Eleanor Dare suddling her babe, Virginia Dare, first
child of English parentage born in the New World. The photo is from the Lullaby Scene of the sym
phonic drama by Paul Green. The final performance of the current season will be on September 2. Barbara
Edwards Griffith, resident of Goldsboro but a native of Troy, N. C., is the first Tar Heel to play’ the Lost
Colony’s leading role of Eleanor Dare. Tharpe’s photo won first place over 157 entries by more than 30
photographers from North Carolina, Virginia, and other states and his prise was a cash award of SIOO in
sash.
CUSTODY JUDGMENT
UNCHANGED AFTER
LENGTHY WRANGLING
Two and three-quarters hours
were consumed last Friday after
noon by the persons involved in
the re-opened hearing concerning
the custody of the three DeFebio
children. At the end of the often
stormy, often-merely-repetitive
discussions the case stood about as
it has since May 22 when the chil
dren were made wards of the Wel
fare Department and placed in
Mrs. .Banks’ licensed boarding
' home in Perquimans county.
For once, description in legal
terms of the result is an adequate
description of what occurred in
Judge C. S. Meekins’ juvenile
court last week: the motion en
i tered by Dennis Hollowell, Wash
ington, D. C., attorney represent
ing the DeFebios, to restore the
children to their parents was de
nied. In denying the motion, the
judge said that written expression
of intention to supervise the care
of the children in Washington,
D. C., by the District of Columbia
Welfare Dept., was necessary be
fore he could act to change his
order concerning the children’s
custody. There were some hot and
bitter exchanges between Mr.
' Hollowell and Mrs. DeFebio on the
one side and County Attorney
Kellogg and Mrs. Meekins, welfare
supt., on the other about the part
that the welfare department could
properly take in determining the
I judge’s decision which were at
least fervent, if not very enlight-
’ ening.
Arguments
! The case of the Washington at-'
: torney ran something like this.
The N. C. State Welfare Board
' has written the Washington Wel
l fare Dept., asking the answer to
I two questions: one, whether the
■ D. C. dept, will agree to supervise
i the family if they are allowed to
i be reunited in Washington; and
’ two, a question requiring an an
'■ swer from the mother of the child,
Dennie, whom the lawyer said
, cannot be found. According to
i Hollowell, the District Welfare
■ Dept, was ready to agree to sup
ervise the family, but, since it
i, could not give the information
II sought in the second question, it
i1 had not replied to the letter; the
lawyer said that the answer to the
i second question was believed in
Washington to be of special im- 1
portance to N.C. authorities. Mr. i
Hollowell told the judge that he
might call a supervisor in the •
Washington department, whose
name he gave, and receive a direct
See DeFEBIO, Page Five
FOUR YOUTHS CONFESS PARTS
IN WRECKING ROAD MACHINES
NEAR SALVO ON AUGUST 19
Started Up Machines on Way Home from
Hatteras at 2 A.M. Discovered When
Officers Trace Car.
PLAY AUDIENCES
APPROACH NEW
SEASON RECORD
With nearly 50,000 persons pay
ing to see The Lost Colony since
June 30 this year, the current 11th
season will present the finale of
Paul Green’s drama here in Water
side Theatre on Sunday night,
September 2. With good weather
prevailing, the closing days of the
19551 season will break all prev
ious records according to indica
tions from advance sales of tickets
early this week.
Extra Performance (?)
General Manager William Hardy
has given the assurance that
should the finale attract more than
I 3,000 persons on Sunday night
a double performance will be given
in order that all who come coast
ward will have an opportunity to
see the show.
It was necessary on the closing
night of the 1941 season to present
two performances, it was recalled
here this week by C. S. Meekins,
treasurer of the sponsoring organ
ization.
Attendance for the six perform
ances August 23-29 were as fol
lows: 911; 1,038; 2,408 (largest
single night of the season); 1,090;
869 and 746.
During the current season per
sons from all parts of the United
States and all parts of the world
have come to America’s birth
place to witness a performance of
i the show that has become the
longest lived outdoor production
in America.
I
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LAST RELIGIOUS SERVICES
AT WATERSIDE THEATRE
I The Rev. George F. Hill of Christ
Episcopal Church, Elizabeth City,
will be guest minister at Waterside
Theatre Sunday for the last Lest
Colony religious observances of the
season, beginning at 11 a.m.
Single Copy 70
Four Dare county youths, one
' sixteen years old and the others
i fifteen, confessed to Sheriff Frank
Cahoon and W. W. Spence, SBI
agent, last Friday that they had
i been responsible for the $5,000-
$6,000 damage done to Ballinger
i Paving Contractors road equipment
one-half mile south of Salvo in the
early morning hours of August 19.
j The boys were: Billy Midgett,
15, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jethro
Midgett, Rodanthe; David B. Mid
gett, 16, son of Mr. and Mrs. Dave
M. Midgett, Rodanthe; Dennis
Midgett, 15, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Clarence Midgett, Jr., .Waves;
Billy Hooper, 15 , son of
Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Hooper, Salvo.
The boys’ story to the officers
was that they were on their way
home from Hatteras about 2 a.m.
when they noticed the three road
grading machines along the high
way a short distance south of
Salvo. They decided to see if they
could start them up. When they
had succeeded in getting the three
machines started, they were driv
ing them along iri single file; the
lead machine stalled, and the other
two crashed into it.
Sheriff Cahoon and Mr. Spence
spent the Tuesday preceding the
day of the arrest trying to track
down evidence that would enable
them to discover the vandals. The
first valuable evidence came into
their hands when they were told
by a citizen that he had heard the
noise of the machines about 2 a.m.
on the night the machines had
been wrecked; the man had ob
served a car driving north through
the village shortly after the noise
of the engines ceased. The descrip
tion he gave of the car to the of
ficers made-it possible to trace the
car through persons who had seen
it in Hatteras earlier that evening.
By careful inquiry the officers soon
, had a line on the boys in the car.
When they talked to each of the
boys, the officers kept the infor
mation they had received from the
others a secret. Before long the
whole story was reconstructed
from the boys’ confessions.
No arrests have been made, ac
cording to Sheriff Frank Cahoon.
Such action awaits the filing of
information by Mr. Ballinger, head
of the company which owns the
damaged machines. The Sheriff
said that he understood Mr. Bal
linger was waiting word from his
insurers before proceeding with
the case.
MRS. MANSON W. MEEKINS
PASSES AT AVON FRIDAY
Mrs. Rhoda Anne Williams
Meekins, 70, wife of Manson W.
Meekins and daughter of the late
Isaac and Dorcas Williams of Avon
died Friday afternoon at 5:30 at
the family residence following a
week’s illness. She was the mother
of the following children who sur
vive: Wefcley M. Meekins of Man
teo; Edison, and Paul Meekins of
Norfolk; Luther and Dorcas Meek
ins of Avon. Also a brother, Frank
P. Williams of Avon.
She was a member of St. John’s
Methodist Church and funeral serv
ices were conducted Saturday aft
ernoon at 2 o’clock. Interment was
in the family cemetery. She was
known and loved as a good wife
and mother, neighbor and com
munity worker.
AGENTS GETS GOODS ON
BOOTLEGGERS, RUMOR SAYS
At presstime on Thursday no
confirmation had been reeeived
through official channels for rum
ors that were running up and down
Main Street about the imminent
arrest of local bootleggers, vary
ing in number according to the
credulity of the rumor-relayer
from 17 to 35. Sheriff Frank Ca
hoon said that he had received no
communication from the state of
fices of the Alcoholic Beverage
Control Board, whose agents,
rumor said, had made such a haul
of local free enterprisers. If ar
rests result from state agents’ in
vestigations, the sheriff said, the
warrants will be Issued .through
the local clerk of the court’s of
fice.
KITTY HAWK SCHOOL
OPENS. 4 SEPTEMBER 5
The Kitty Hawk School will open
at 9 a.m. September 5. On Sept. 6,
the lunchroom will be open, and
the regular schedule will be 8:46
a.m. to 8:15 p.m., according to an
announcement by William H. West,
principal.