VOLUME XIX NO. 5
PLANS MAPPED
f \ FOR ELIZABETHAN
GARDEN PROJECT
President N. C. Garden Clubs
Meets With Other Com
mittee Members in
Manteo Wednesday
Members of the Elizabethan Gar
den committee meeting in Man
teo Wednesday morning heard
Mrs. J. L. Tyler of Kinston give a
resume of the progress that has
been made since 1951 when the
North Carolina Garden Clubs at
their Wrightsville Beach meeting
adopted the Gardens here at the
site of The Lost Colony as a major
project.
The committees present for the
meeting also visited the site of
the Garden which is now taking
shape rapidly and where the E. W.
Reinecke Company of Fayetteville
is currently erecting valuable an
tique statuary from the famous
Whitney Gardens of Georgia.
Prerent for the meeting were
Mrs. E. A. Palmgren, president of
the North Carolina Garden Clubs,
Charlotte; Mrs. H. D. Walker of
Elizabeth City, Mrs. Inglis Fletch
er, the noted novelist of Bandon
Plantation, Edenton, Major J. L.
Murphy, mayor of Kill Devil Hills,
Guy H. Lennon, Manteo, Albert Q.
Bell of Manteo and Dick Jordan
of The Lost Colony. Also present
was E. W. Reneicke of Fayette
ville and his local manager C. W.
Canipe under whom the work is
being done here at present.
Plans were discussed for acquir
ing a cyclone fence immediately to
enclose the area where the Garden
is being constructed to the north
ward of Fort Raleigh and on the
shore of Roanoke Sound. Various
financial aspects of the program
were also discussed.
Mrs. Tyler, who came to the
meeting from her summer -home at
Morehead City, stated that the
Garden, as a result of the Whitney
gift of statuary valued at more
than 5100,000 is already years
ahead of the original plans. The
priceless statuary will add much
to the garden as an historical at
traction and when it was acquired
hrough the efforts of Mrs. Tyler
and Mr. Reinecke recently, it was
necessary for the internationally
famous landscape architects of Ino
centi and Weber of New York to
revise the original plans.
August 18th this year, the 366th
anniversary of the birth of Virgin
ia Dare, will be Garden Club Day
at The Lost Colony and through
the efforts of General Manager
Jordan and his associates the pro
gram on that occasion is expected
to include one of the ambassadors
of a British the
program as speaker of the day.-
Manteo and Elizabeth City Garden
Clubs will assist ih arrangements
for the day and the garden in its
initial stages will be visited by
these members and others here for
the occasion, it was stated.
OCRACOKE GOOD FISHING
GROUND FOR TARBORO MAN
Ocracoke. D. Edgar Thomp
son of Tarboro is no stranger at
Ocracoke. He has been coming
to the Island for the past twenty
five years or more, and it takes
more than an annual trip to sta
isfy his urge to fish. He himself
says that whenever he has saved
up ■ money enough, he heads for
Ocracoke. Mrs. Thompson often
. visits the Island with him,
though she is not an ardent ang
ler. This summer Mr. and Mrs.
Thompson are spending their
vacation at Silver Lake Inn: they
are here in their own fishing
yacht and during the past week
Mr. Thompson has had a good
deal of success in Sound and Inlet
fishing, bringing in strings of
trout and bluefish, and one big
shark. He says if his memory ser
ves him correctly, June of last
year was his best fishing trip,
when fishing with Capt. Malby
Bragg, he caught 17 channel bass,
one weighing about 50 pounds.
With all due respect to other
shing spots along the Carolina
Joast, Thompson maintains that
over a period of twenty-five
years, Ocracoke has proved to be
the best.
MANTEO MAN GROWS TWIN
TOMATO ON ONE STEM
Cecil Berry, who lives at the
Eula Duncan place, known as
the Griffin. farm near Manteo,
has produced two large tomatoes
of uniform size on one stem and
brought same to the Times Print
ing Company office in Manteo.
The twin tomatoes weighed a
little over" three-fourths of a
pound.
Mr. Berry, who formerly lived
in Hyde County, has resided in
Manteo for the past eight years.
THE COASTLAND TIMES
PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTE REST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA
CATHOLIC SERVICES AT
FORT RALEIGH SUNDAY
- I
vlllL i
REV. EDMOND D. BENARD,
MA, STD, Ph.D, currently assign
ed as associate professor of Dog
matic Theology and Sacred Elo
quence at the Catholic Univer
sity of America in Washington,
D. C., will preach the sermon at
the annual Roman Catholic Ser
vice in Waterside Theatre of The
Lost Colony here on Sunday
morning, August 2, at 11 o’clock.
His sermon will follow the Cath
olic devotional observance of
High Mass in which the Rt. Rev.
John P. Manley, Pastor St. Pat
rick’s Church, Carlotte, will be
the celebrant.
A feature of the services will
be music by the Lost Colony
Choir with Gordon Fleming at
the organ. Father Carney of Saint
Elizabeth Church, Elizabeth City,
has arranged the services.
The public is invited to attend
the devotional services and to
hear the Rev. Mr. Benard’s ser
mon. He is an eloquent speaker
and is widley known in Catholic
circles through his radio and
television sermons. He is past
president of the Catholic Theo
logical Society and associate ed
itor of The American Ecclesias
tical Review and author of sev
eral books, monographs and
other papers.
HONEYMOONERS
RESCUED FROM
GRABBING ROAD
A Former Senator and Uni
versity President, With
Attorney General
Buxton.—When it was all over
the youth and his girl departed
happily and without any notion
that the somewhat fragile-seem
ing man who organized and then
led their rescue used to be presi
dent of a university, a member of
the Senate of the United States
and is now United Nations Am
bassador to India. Nor did Frank
Graham think about it either.
Strangers hereabouts the young
pair had, some hours earlier, park
ed themselves in the parking lot
down at the Point of Cape Hat
teras to watch the full moon
spread its enchantment across
Diamond Shoals, not knowing and
maybe not caring that the asphalt
is still pretty soggy. They were
not, apparently, even aware of the
mosquitos.
When it was time to go home
shortly before midnight they dis
covered with dismay that the
wheels of their vehicle were hubs
down in the gooey pavement and
there was nobody anywhere near
to lend them even any advice about
what to do. They were pretty help
less and at last aware of the mos
quitos.
At this juncture another car ar
rived. Frank Graham, visiting the
Harry McMullans, with Mrs. Gra
ham, had come down to look at
the same unearthly spectacle of a
full moon over the Diamonds. But
instead of proceeding as planned,
this friend of all mankind started
trying to do something about
something that needed to be done.
He fetched boards to put under
the wheel. He pushed. He helped
jack up the car.
Nothing seemed to work and it
looked as if the car would have
to be—well, it Jooked bad, and on
ly Frank Graham was cheerful and
hopeful ■ about it. After a while
another car came. It contained half
dozen or so Island youths who were
not certain whether ail that lot of
frustrated off-Islanders would
want them around or not.
But after Frank Graham smiled
at them and said “Boys, come and
lets lend these young people a
push” they came and they heaved
and they pushed. They virtually
toted the bogged down car out of
the mucky pavement—and by that
time Mrs. Graham and Mrs. Mc-
Mullan sensibly suggested that it
was near midnight and time for
old creeks to be at home in bed.
—-Ben Dixon Mac Neill
DARE SCHOOLS TO
OPEN FALL TERM
ON SEPTEMBER 8
All Teaching Positions Filled
Except Two in Kitty
Hawk School
Dare County schools will open
Tuesday morning, September 8,
according to announcement by
Mrs. L. Evans, county superin
tendent. All teaching positions
have been filled, with the ex
ception of two in the Kitty Hawk
school.
The teachers will be as follows:
Manteo School
High School: A. O. Ayers,
Principal: Mrs. J. A. James,
Panayotis Mavrommatis, Mrs.
Jean T. Ward, Mrs. Matilda Inge,
, Mrs. Mary D. Meekins.
Elementary: Wayland H. Fry,
J. A. James, Mrs. Bertie S. Ward,
Mrs. Essie N. Westcott, Mrs.
Jennie B. Davis, Mrs. Willis
Pearce, Mrs. Elizabeth Peterson.
Kitty Hawk School
High School: Miss Alyce Sum
rell.
» Elementary: Mrs. Irene B.
Midgett, Mrs. Elizabeth Atkins,
| Mrs. Hazel McLean. (Principal
ship and 7th-Bth grade vacancy).
Manns Harbor School
Stanley Matthews, Principal;
Mrs. Ivadean Wescott, Mrs.
Bettie Twiford.
Stumpy *Point School
Mrs. Ruby Gray.
Wanchese School
Mrs. Louise Tillett, Principal;
Mrs. Cleopatra Daniels, Mrs.
Milah Meekins.
Avon School
B. F. Martin, Principal: Mrs.
Mildred Parks.
Buxton School
High School: C. E. Word, Prin
cipal; Henry Speight, U. P. Gray.
Elementary: R. E. Rayle, Mrs.
Gertrude Word, Mrs. Mary S.
j McCarthy.
Hatteras School
| Stephen Wilkinson, Principal;
I Mrs. Hilda B. Brown, Mrs. Violet
Austin.
Roanoke School:
W. E. Hall, Principal; Mrs.
Lillian T. Boone, Mrs. Eva A.
Bethea.
CHESTER LUPTON AUSTIN
, BURIED IN BUXTON
Chester Lupton Austin, 46,
died Thursday at his home in
Buxton following a long illness.
He was a native of Frisco, Dare
County, and had lived at Buxton
for 24 years. He was the son of
March and Sallie Johnson Austin
and the husband of Mrs. Alice
J. Austin. Since 1948, he had
been a retired lighthouse keeper.
He was a Civil Service employee
for 24 years.
Surviving, besides his wife and
mother, are a daughter, Merita
Austin, of Buxton; two sons,
Chester Austin, USCG, stationed
in Boston, and Harry Austin, of
Buxton; a sister, Mrs. Viola Wil
lis, of Harkers Island; two broth
ers, George Austin, of Frisco, and
Shafter Austin, of Portsmouth,
Va.
Funeral services were conduct
ed Sunday at 2 p.m. at the As
sembly of God Church by the
Rev. Robert Rayle, pastor, assist
ed by the Rev. G. R. Thomas,
pastor of the Assembly of God
Church at Hatteras, and W. B.
Gregory, pastor of the Hatteras
Methodist Church.
“In The Garden” and “Jesus
Saviour Pilot Me,” were sung by
the church choir, assisted at the
piano by Mrs. Lenoa Jennette.
The casket pall was made of
white gladioli, red and purple
asters and fem.
Pallbearers were Larry Far
row, Junius Jennette, George
Fuller, Fatio Gray, Joe Jennette
and Loran Midgett.
Internment followed in the
Barnette Cemetery at Buxton.
HYDE TAX ASSESSORS
VISIT OCRACOKE VILLAGE
Ocracoke. Tax assessors,
Leslie Simmons of Fairfield,
Reuben Berry of Swan Quarter,
and Sanford Long of Middleton
spent a day or two on Ocracoke
last week with a view to reval
uation. They became a familiar
sight leaning against or standing
near George O’Neal’s jeep, or
talking with Ocracoke residents,
as they went from home to home
with quizical eye and scribbling
pencil. Rumor has it they wore
out several pencils with all their
figuring. Be that as it may, like
other Hyde County officials, they
enjoyed their visit to this section
of the county and plan to come
back for some more riding
around and figuring. While here
they stayed at the T. W. Howard
Tourist Home.
MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY, JULY 31, 1953
ELIZABETHAN SOLDIERS OF THE LOST COLONY
ImHM
I I iTY
I of- ■ 11V B.Xx ■
THESE ROANOKE ISLAND BROTHERS, Robert H. Midgett, super
visor of the Dare County A.B.C. stores at Manteo and Nags Head, and
Edgar Midgett, who has been studying voice in New York City for
the past three years, and is scheduled for tryout auditions with Johnny
Long’s famous band as a singer in September, play the important roles
of first and second soldiers in Paul Green’s symphonic drama, now in
its 13th season at Waterside Theatre near Manteo. Robert has been
first soldier of the drama for the past several years and Edgar is un
derstudy for the role of John Borden, male lead in the play. In addition
to starring as Elizabethan soldiers in the drama, both brothers are
very talented singers. (Photo by Jerry Schumacher)
DOLPHIN CATCH
COAST RECORD
AT HATTERAS
By AYCOCK BROWN
Hatteras. Carl W. Taylor of
Norfolk, Va., landed a 53 pound
dolphin near Diamond Lightship
on Sunday, July 19, while troll
ing from aboard Capt. Nelson
Stowe’s cruiser Ursula. It is the
largest of this colorful and fast
swimming species ever landed
off the North Carolina coast and
a runnerup to the American
coast record.
Only one dolphin has ever
been landed along the Atlantic
coast of America that outweigh
ed the big fish taken by the Nor
folk angler. This was a 61-pound
er taken by J. W. Gore off Fort
Lauderdale, Fla., in 1935.
Other record dolphin according
to International Game Fish As
sociation of the American Mus
eum of Natural History in New
York includes an all time record
■fish of 75% pounds taken in Maf
ia Channel, East Africa on Dec
ember 10, 1950, by A. Conan
Doyle, son of the noted creator
of Sherlock Holmes. A 58-pound
er was landed at Havana, Cuba
by Mrs. J. Simpson, Jr., in 1941
and a 63-pounder taken in Tahiti
waters by Zane Gray, noted
author, was an all tackle record
for the fish.
Taylor’s 53-pounder was taken
with a feather lure supplemented
with squid bait. It was landed
with a 6/0 Penn reel loaded with
72-pound test line. The fish mea
sured 58% inches from tip to tip,
which is an interesting feature
about the catch, as the world re
cord speciman landed by A Con
an Doyle measured only 50 inch
es from tip to tip.
Guides and charter boat skip
pers taking parties to the Gulf
Stream off Hatteras and Oregon
Inlet this year have reported con
sistently that the dolphin are
running larger than ever before.
Not only the Taylor fish, but a I
43%-pounder landed by Joe Nix- !
on of Norfolk off Hatteras during
mid-July bears out this fact.
MANTEO CHURCH RECEIVES
GIFT OF SPINET PIANO ,
Mount Olivet Methodist
Church in Manteo has been the
recent recipient of a spinet piano,
given by Mr. and Mrs. E. D. Gib
son of Huntington, W. Va. Mr.
and Mrs. Gibson own a summer
cottage on the Nags Head beach,
just north of the Carolinian
Hotel, and when in this commun
ity they attend services at the
Manteo church. Their son also
attends Sunday School there.
The piano has been placed in
the main auditorium of the
church, and the old upright
which it replaces will be used
in the Sunday School building.
VERDI REQUIEM TO BE
PRESENTED IN MANTEO
Treat in Store for Music Lovers
Monday Evening, August 3
The Manzoni Requiem by
Guiseppi Verdi will be sung in
Manteo Monday evening, August
3, at o’clock in the school
auditorium, by the chorus of’the
Roanoke Island School of Fine
Arts. The public is invited to
attend. There will be no admis
sion charge.
The Requiem will be sung un
der the direction of Ralph Bur
ner, who is music director for
the Lost Colony, and who is head
of the conducting department at
Westminster Choir College,
Princeton, N. J. During the past
winter Mr. Burner has success
fully conducted many choral
groups in West Virginia. Ken
tucky and Indiana, in addition to
his work at the college. The chor
us is made up of the Lost Colony
choir, a number of other mem
bers of the Lost Colony cast, and
other singers.
Solists will be Marjalene
Thomas, Gwynn Moose, Ruth
Thompson, sopranos; Nena Will
iams, Ann Wynn Armstrong,
Mezzo-sopranos; Brantley Gree
son, William Schubert, Charles
Millard, tenors; Ralph Kaier,
Thomas Axe, and Harley Strieff,
basses.
Accompanists will be James M.
Hart and Gordon Fleming.
BOOKMOBILE - WANCHESE
On the Bookmobile’s trip to
Wanchese on August 4 (Tues
day), it will make the following
stops:
9:30 A.M.—Guthrie’s corner.
10:05 A.M.—Ralph Tillett’s
store.
10:35 A.M.— Reggie Tillett’s
I store.
11:05 A.M.— Wilbur Daniels’
store.
Time may vary a little it it
takes longer than the scheduled
stop at any one place, but the
Bookmobile will be later, not
earlier, so there will be no chance
of missing it if one is there at
the scheduled hour.
SAILFISH AT HATTERAS
Hatteras. Ernest Lynn of
Richmond, Va., trolling with
skipped bait from the Albatross
II skippered by Capt. Milton
Meekins landed a 43 pound sail
fish measuring 87 inches from tip
to tip on Wednesday. It was the
fourth sailfish landed off Hat
teras so far this season, where
other billfishes taken have in
cluded three white marlin and
one blue marlin.
COMPTROLLER GENERAL
AND FAMILY HONORED
BY DRINKWATER FAMILY
—1
Comptroller General and Mrs.
Lindsay C. Warren of Washing
ton, N. C., and Washington, D.C.,
were guests of honor at a garden
party presented at Done Roving
Ranch near Ft. Raleigh on Mon
day afternoon. The garden party
was given by A. W. Drinkwater
and his daughters, Miss Dorothy
Drinkwater, and Mrs. John
Booth, and Mr. and Mrs. William
Cox who live at Done Roving
Ranch.
A delicious arrangement of ap
petizers and refreshments were
served on the spacious lawn be
neath towering shade trees prior
to a buffet supper featuring na
tive seafoods deliciously cooked
and prepared by the Drink
waters.
Off island guests accompany
ing the Warrens to the party in
cluded Mr. and Mrs. Elmo Coons,
Mr. and Mrs. W. S. Wheat, Col.,
and Mrs. Ernest Allwine, Mr. and
Mrs. Darrell Jones and Dr. and
Mrs. Matthew A Perry of Wash
ington, D. C„ Mrs. Dndley Jones,
Jr., daughter of the Warrens, of
Wilson, Mr. and Mrs. S. T. Aus
tin and Mrs. H. D. Dawbarn,
Waynesboro. Va., and Dr. and
Mrs. H. C. Neblett of Charlotte.
Also among the off island guests
were Huntington Cairns of the
National Museum of Art, Wash
ington, Dr. Joseph H. Barach of
the University of Pittsburgh,
Rear Admiral and Mrs. R. C.
Woods of Washington, D. C., H.
Travis Sykes of the Sea Ranch,
at Southern Shores, Mrs. J. C.
Brown, Norfolk, Mr. and Mrs.
Cornelius P. Midgett, of the First
Colony, Nags Head, Mr. and Mrs.
R. E. Jordan of Nags Head and
many others.
This was the 17th annual party
Drinkwater has given honoring
the former first District Con
gressman who for the past 13
I years has held the important post
of comptroller general of the
U.S.A. During the party on Mon
day Warren spoke briefly and
with much praise for his Roa
noke Island friends, the Drink
waters.
PARKWAY DRIVE AT
BUXTON IS POPULAR
The new paved road from the
Nags Head Hatteras Highway at
Buxton which branches south
ward to the fabulous' Point of
Cape Hatteras and alongside the
famous lighthouse is proving
popular with tourists, vacation
ists and sportsfishermen.
The new road gives the Hat
teras Island visitor an opportun
ity to drive to one of the most
outstanding maritime sites in
America, the Point of a Cape
from which internationally
dreaded Diamond Shoals extends
13-miles seaward to the western
edge of the Gulf Stream from
land's end here.
Parkways have been provided
for motorists and while of a tem
porary nature, the new two miles
of pavement will eventually be
come a seaside parkway that
will rival any similiar ocean
drive in America.
In addition to the sportsfisher
men who can now drive their
own automobiles to the fish
famous Point of Cape Hatteras,
there is a parkway at the base of
the lighthouse, a spiral painted
structure which is higher than
any other beacon in America and
the tallest brick lighthouse in the
world
The Cape Hatteras National
Seashore’s chief ranger in the
area and the Coast Guard of
Cape Hatteras are now cooperat
ing in keeping the famous tower
open for visitors two hours daily
each week except Tuesdays and
Wednesdays. More than 100 per
sons have climbed to the top of
the tower daily during late July,
it was stated.
DARE COUNTY MAN ILL
IN NEW JERSEY HOSPITAL
Evans Williams of Avon, who
is employed in Long Branch,N.J.,
is a patient in the hospital there'
Mrs. Williams went there this
week to be at his bedside. His
condition is said to be improv
ing. Mrs Williams was accom
panied by Mr. Williams’ sister
Mrs. W. B. O’Neal of Manteo’
Billy O’Neal, Billy Yale and
Robert Williams, all of Manteo
While away Billy O’Neal and
Robert Williams made a trip to
New York City. Mrs. Oscar Yale
of Long Branch accompanied her
mother, Mrs. O’Neal home for a
visit.
Single Copy 70
BOY SWIMMER
DIES IN OCEAN
NEAR BEACH
Believed Victim of Heart
Attack; Search Is Con
tinued for Body of
Wood Youth
Kill Devil Hills. Although
the search is being continued
night and day, the body of Nath
an Edward Wood, 17, who died
in the ocean Saturday morning,
had not been recovered Thurs
day.
The Coast Guard at both Nags
Head and Kill Devil Hill sta
tions has stepped up its patrols
of the beach particularly from
dark to dawn when few people
are out. A helicoppter from Eliz
abeth City also has made regu
lar flights in the hope of spotting
the body.
The youth a son of Mr. and
Mrs. Nathan Wood of Elizabeth
City,, is believed to have died of
a heart attack as he was frolick
ing in the surf with Larry Tay
lor. As a child the Wood boy had
a severe attack of rheumatic
fever which left him with a heart
condition.
The Taylor youth said he hap
pened to glance at his compan
ion and noticed a peculiar ex
pression on his face, after which
he seemed to crumple. Young
Talor, who had just helped his
smaller brother to safety when
he was caught in an out-suck,
swam to the Wood boy but the
undertow was so strong and the
sea so rough that he could not
hold his grip on his friend and
swim.
The tragedy occured about 10
o clock Saturday morning, only
a few hours after the Wood fam
ily had arrived to visit at the
Arnold Taylor cottage. Larry
Taylor went after the Coast
Guard at the Kill Devil Hills
station. Coast Guardsmen took
the duck up the beach to the
scene of the' tragedy, but did rfcrt
go into the surf with it, since
the body was never visible.
Among a group of men who
went into the surf, in an effort to
find the body, one was caught in
the current and was so exhausted
trying to fight it that he had to
be rescued.
DARE GIRLS ATTEND
4-H WEEK IN RALEIGH
Educational and Recreational Pro
grams Fill Busy Days
Five Dare County 4-H girls,
acompanied by Miss Mary Kirby,
Dare County home agent, spent
last week in Raleigh attending
4-H week at N. C. State College;
They were Misses Sonja Austin
and Winona Peele of Hatteras;
Eula Basnight and Shirley Bar
nette of Buxton; and Shirley
Midgett of Waves and Manteo.
The four programs presented
for the young people were: Im
proving the personality; impor
tance of keeping long-time re
cords of 4-H achievements; in
ternational relations; and plat
form deportment. A demonstra
tion of projects was put on by
state winners.
On Tuesday afternoon the
4-H’ers were guests for tea at the
Governor’s mansion; on Wednes
day a health pageant was pre
sented; Thursday the state dress
revue was held and a public
speaking contest put on; Friday
night the candlelight service was
held. Square dancing and other
forms of recreation filled the
evening hours.
While in Raleigh the girls
visited the State Capital, the
state hospital and other places
of interest.
CAROLINA'S NEW SENATOR
FINDS LIFE NOT SO EASY
Washington. North Caro
lina’s new U. S. Senator, Alton
Lennon, isn’t ready to admit that
being a member of Congress is
a life of ease.
He’s been at work in his office
everyday since he arrived—and
that includes Sundays. He did
take time off to attend • church
services. His working day has
averaged a little more than 14
hours a day.
Twice during his first week in
the Senate he was called upon
to preside in the absence of Vice
President Nixon. On one occa
sion, he presided for almost four
and a half hours.
He has answered some 3,000
pieces of mail which poured in
after his appointment was an
nounced.
His longest single day began
at 8 a.m. and continued until 2
a.m. the following morning.