iLUME XXI NO. 10
McCOWN ELECTED
HEAD OF TOURIST
BUREAU ’N DARE
Manteo Attorney Heads Organi
zation; Bureau Plans Bigger
Program for 1955-56
Wallace H. McCown, Manteo at
torney and long a faithful worker
in behalf of the Dare County
Tourist Bureau this week was
given top place in the organization
at the annual meeting of its direc
tors in Manteo. Mr. McCown was
elected Chairman of the Bureau’s
board of directors for the coming
year, succeeding Mrs. Lucille S.
Purser who presided at the Tues
day meeting and who will be a
member of the board of directors
for the coming year. George Fuller
of Buxton, suceeds A. H. Gray as
vice-chairman. Gray will serve as
a member of the board for the
coming year. Mrs. Orville Baum
of Kitty Hawk, succeeds McCown
as secretary-treasurer.
Due to a series of events, such
as hurricane warnings, rains and
a great decrease in number oi
visitors as a result, all of which
retarded business in a big way
along the Dare Coast during
August, there was an air of un
certainty prevailing insofar as a
Tourist Bureau was concerned,
until Tuesday of this week. Then,
at the annual meeting of the
board of directors of the organi
zation reports were given, finan
cial statements were studied and
general discussions were held. The
result was that the board felt the
Tourist Bureau was not in such
bad shape as some had anticipated,
and initial planning for a bigger
and better program of publicity
and promotion during the coming
year was started. It was also the
general feeling that now was the
time to recoup on setbacks caused
by uncontrollable situations.
It was brought out at the meet
ing, that the success of the type
of program the Tourist Bureau
has carried on during the past
four years depends on the financial
support given by business men and
■’omen of the area who believe in
See McCOWN, Page Four
.ATIONAL SEASHORE
TRAFFIC AHEAD OF 1954
Fifty Percent More Visi'ors at W-iqht
Memorial In August Than In July
By AYCOCK BROWN
Nags Head. —An estimated 225,-
151 persons have visited Cape Hat
teras National Seashore Recrea
tional Area during the first eight
months of 1955, as compared to the
estimated total of 110,000 persons
counted as visitors during 1954,
the first year of operation for
America’s first oceanside Nation
al Park unit. The figures repre
sent a one-way count over auto
matic traffic counters placed at
the Nags Head entrance to the
National Seashore area.
Actually the total estimate for
1955 would be several thousand
more persons, had not August
been a month of storms, reported
hurricanes and rainy or generally
unfavorable weather for travel.
Allyn Hanks, superintendent of
the National Seashore, said today
that in August, 1955, a total of
only 39,048 persons entered the
National Seashore region here
along the Outer Banks of North
Carolina. This figure compared to
a total of 75,30 persons who en
tered the National Seashore region
during July, of this year.
Previously this summer it had
been estimated by Dare County
Tourist Bureau that up to 500,-
000 persons would visit National
Seashore Recreational Area this
year of 1955. Due to the storms.
See SEASHORE, Page Four
NEGRO MEN WHO SAVED
LIVES OF WHITE WOMAN ‘
AND BABY IDENTIFIED
, The three Negro men who saved
the life of a Columbia white wom
an and her small baby when her
car ran into a canal near Gum
Neck recently have been identified
by one of our readers.
”nbert Topping of near Swan
'r was on his way to Colum
en he saw Mrs. Mark Alex
s car swerve off the road
. a canal almost a mile
ahead. He speeded up and when
he reached the spot, his father,
Delemy Togging, and his brother,
Melford Topping, jumped in the
canal; they first handed the small
baby to Robert and then got
Alexander out a window of the
car just before it sank from sight.
The men offered to take her to
Columbia to the hospital, but she
said that she was not hurt and
I asked that they carry her back to
her mother’s at Gum Neck.
Original reports of the accident
failed to identify the rescuers and
I now that they are known they may
■ receive the credit due them.
THE COASTLAND TIMES
PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTEREST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROUNA
Quality of Lost Colony This Season
Amazed and Delighted Its Visitors
Many Spectators Continue to Call It Finest of Outdoor Dramas.
Rumors of Change in Choir Next Season,
As Show Ends 15th Year
By CATHERINE D. MEEKINS
The Lost Colony ended its 1955
season in Waterside Theatre on
Roanoke Island on Sunday night,
September 4, playing to an audi
ence of more than ’ a thousand.
There were 981 tickets sold for
the Sunday night performance,
and several hundred Saturday
night patrons were also there,
using rain checks because of the
rain-out Saturday night.
The cast gave one of the best
closing night performances in the
history of the show. With most of
the out-of-town actors packed and
ready to take off the minute the
show was over, it could have been
expected there would be a slack
ness and a let-down which could
have detracted from the quality of
performance. None of this
was true of this particular
performance. Each actor play
ed his or her part as if
it might have been opening rather
than closing night. Director Clif
ton Britton, who has been on vaca
tion in California for the past
month, can well be proud that the
show ended with such a flourish
and George McCalmon, who has
been pinch-hitting for Mr. Britton,
has much to his credit to have held
the show on such a high level. Mr.
McCalmon has made a few tn>nor
changes which havs improved the
show, but in the main it is the
same production so lovingly and
painstakingly coached by Mr. Brit
ton before he left for his first
(and well-deserved) vacation in
nine years.
There was a note of sadness in
the air during the closing days of
the show, because of the rumor
that the choir (made up for the
most part of graduates or stu
dents of the Westminster Choir
School of Princeton, N. J., and
directed for the last two years by
Nena Willi a m s, Westminster
graduate) is to be replaced by an
ali-North Carolina choir under dif
ferent direction. Nothing has been
officially announced concerning
this, but rumor has it that the
music henceforth will be provided
by a certain musical group from
a North Carolina College which
nas a fine glee club, but which
could not possibly provide
voices as mature, as highly
trained, as weilbalanced and
as internationally known as the
famous group that' has provided
the music since the show began.
We have not talked to the powers
that-be, and don’t know exactly
what is behind this movement, but
certainly it can have nothing to do
with lack of the finest perform
ance from the Westminster group.
The choir, to my way of thinking,
is the one consistent element that
has kept the Lost Colony out of
the rank of amateur theatricals
and given it the professional
finish for which it is well-known.
Dnly last Sunday night I heard a
Washington, D. C., visitor (seeing
the show for the first time) ex
press herself as amazed at the
quality of the show. Said she “I
have seen others of these outdoor
dramas, and they were so amateur
ish that I came here expecting to
find the same sort of show. I am
amazed and delighted”. As for the
voices being North Carolina voices,
seven of the 20 voices of this
MANTEO BASEBALL TEAM HAS GOOD WINNING RECORD FOR TWO SEASONS
L-JV fl ■ fl 1
Jr I flpjy fIKJ JH W
THE MANTEO BASEBALL
TEAM has a good winning record
for two seasons. Their record is
27 wins and three losses. Two of
these were lost to a Portsmouth
team and one to Colerain, N. C.
year’s choir were from North
• Carolina, and it might be possible
i to keep these as a nucleus and acid
, other voices from the Old North
State as they become available. I
see nothing to be gained in per-
■ formance from the ousting of this
, fine choir. Every musician in this
section of North Carolina to whom
, I have talked is opposed to the
: move.
(NOTE: The above does not ex
. press the editorial opinion of this
i newspaper, only the writer’s per
' sonal opinion as a musician.)
I The Lost Colony is the type of
: drama that has something differ
i' ent for the spectator each time he
• or she is a member of the audience.
I I have watched it many, many
: times from the audience, and was
t a member of the cast for three
• years. I know every line of the
■ ' drama, from beginning to end, and
: yet it does not pall on me. Truly,
■ author Paul Green wrote a master-
■ piece that touches the heart
. strings and that will never grow
; old. Each time I see it, I see or
■ feel something that I have in some
i way missed before. During last
; Sunday night’s performance, I
, felt more than ever the tremendous
I religious impact of the drama.
. Sometimes it is an especially fine
• interpretation on the part of some
. See COLONY, Page Four
I
FINED FOR STEALING
BLANKETS AT NAGS HEAD
i
Numerous Traffic Cases in Dare Re
-1 corders Court Tuesday; Disorderly
Charges Heard
! James and John Roach, young
■ white men of Elizabeth City sub
mitted to a charge of the larceny
I of three blankets from the
’ Beacon Motor Lodge at Nags
Head and paid fines of $25 each,
1 and costs of court in Dare Re-
■ corders Court Tuesday.
1 Ernest Rogers, James Beasley,
I Jr. and Orville Moore pleaded
1 guilty to fighting at the Drafty
I Tavern, and were fined sls each
1 and costs, and given a 30-day road
1 sentence suspended on condition
1 they stay away from the tavern
: for two years.
Manuel Albert of South Norfolk
I submitted to a charge of indecent
• exposure and paid a fine of $25
I and costs, and got a suspended 30-
■ day jail sencence. „
Geo. W. King pleaded guilty of
reckless driving and paid a fine
of $25 and costs.
1 Charlie Vernon Scarborough sub
mitted to a charge of driving
• while drunk and paid a fine of
■ SIOO and costs.
Kermit J. Price of Avon sub
mitted to a charge of driving with
improper brakes, and no operator’s
license, and paid a fine of $5 and
costs.
James Ray Flowers for attempt
ing improper passing in a car,
paid $5 and costs.
Robert B. Twiford, for failing
to observe a stop sign, paid costs
$8.20.
Ruford D. Daniels, for not hav
-1 ing an operator’s license paid $25
and costs.
Herbert M. Collins for failirg
. to observe a stop sign paid $5 and
: costs.
They have beaten some good
teams, including Manley’s Cleaners
of Portsmouth; Naval Air Station,
Weeksvilje; LaFayette Braves of
the City League of Norfolk, and
the Portsmouth Cardinals, Coy Til- i
MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1955
CELEBRATION FOR
COAST GUARDS NOT
TO BE HELD NOW
Sad Weather Causes Postpone
ment of Rodanthe Events
Until Next Spring
Due to weather conditions the
celebration planned for this week
end at Rodanthe to honor the men
of the Coast Guard and Life Sav
ing Service has been postponed to
next year. The Committee met
Tuesday night at Rodanthe, and
concluded it will not be practical
to hold it as planned this month.
After much publicity and ar
rangements for a splendid pro
gram, it was with much reluctance
that the committee postponed the
event until some date next spring.
It had rained heavily every day
this week with no signs of a let
up, the road' is flooded with water
and no provision has been made
to drain it. The road at Rodanthe
was built in a trench so that every
heavy rain floods it.
Much rain water now stands
over larger areas in the vicinity,
and the rotting vegetation is
creating quite a stench. Moreover
a new crop of mosquitoes is com
ing on.
It’s just no time for a celebra
tion, with rain every day, and the
committee decided to hold a bigger
and better one next year.
DARE’S POLIO
CHAPTER AIDING
DISTANT PATIENTS
In an unprecendented move to
save the March of Dimes nation
wide program of providing for the
necessary care of polio patients,
the Dare County Chapter of the
National Foundation for Infantile
Paralysis today transfefred sl,-
265.44 of its “surplus” funds to
the national organization.
In announcing the payment, Mrs.
Balfour Baum, Chairman of the
Chapter, explained that the money
was to be earmarked and pooled
for redistribution among chapters
of the National Foundation which
are confronted with bills for pa
tient care beyond the limits of thei:
financial resources.
“We have made this Daymen,”
she said, “in compliance witn a call
issued by President Basil O’Con
nor of the National Foundation to
all chapters with current surpluses
beyond their estimated needs for
this year.
“The nature of polio—unpredict
able and geopraphically without
pattern—has made a nationwide
adjustment of March of Dimes
resources necessary if the vital
patient aid program is to survive,”
Mrs. Baum continued. “We of the
Dare County Chapter are proud to
contribute toward the continuation
of the program so essential to
polio patients everywhere.
“Our own needs for the care of
polio patients continue large, and
the people of Dare County will go
on meeting them through contribu
tions to the March of Dimes.
While the promise of the Salk vac
cine is bright, polio isn’t licked
yet. No. one knows where this
disease will strike next. Hence
□are County’s continued support
of the March of Dimes is not only
a contribution to the nation’s fight
against polio; it is the way our
people have to insure them
selves.”
Mrs. Baum cited a recent
See POLIO, Page Four
lett is manager of this team and I
he has been most active through
several years in the success of ■
baseball in Manteo. Shown in the
photo by Aycock Brown are: Top
row, left to right: Jack Burrus
COUNTY PROVIDES
SSOO TO DIG OUT
HARBOR AT SALVO
Commissioners To Look Into Mos
quito Situation; Approve
New Home Agent
The Dare County Commissioners
at the regular meeting Tuesday
provided SSOO in county aid for
the digging out of a small boat
harbor at Salvo. Request for this
work was brought to the Board by
Perry Farrow and Ed Hooper of
Salvo. The Board turned the job
over to Commissioner James
Scarborough.
The Board voted to look into a
mosquito control program for next
year.
It agreed to lend Leonard Mid
gett the sum of S3OO, to be paid
back beginning October 1 at the
rate of SSO a month from funds
to be due him for garbage removal
at Nags Head.
The Board approved the em
ployment of Miss Shirley West as
i Dare County Home Agent, on
, recommendation of County Agent
i Bob Smith.
Miss West is a native of Curri
tuck County anil has been working
for several years as assistant home
agent in Polk County. She will be
i gin her duties in Dare on October
■ 1.
POWER PLANT ON
HATTERAS ISLAND
GETS INTO BLACK
Electric Co-op Keeps Going, But
> Weather For Two Years
Delays Meetings
, For the first time in its corpo
: rate life the Cape Hatteras Elec
: trie Membership Corporation has
■ money in the bank that is not
• owed to anybody, $1,607.27 cash
money, and the paradoxical thing
• about it is that President James
: S. Turner and General Manager
' Herbert Oden have not been able
I to get a quorum of the 535 mem
i bers together to tell them that
i their company is now operating
- in the black.
Money in the bank means that
the company is making its living.
All operating charges, all interest
I and sinking fund payments for
money borrowed to build the
' plan, are paid up to date and in
i the first eight months of the pres
' ent year there is a clear profit of
$1,607.27 over and above all this
and Mr. Turner and Mr. Oden
have been trying for a month to
' get a quorum together and tell the
members about it.
And as is required by their
charter, to elect some more direc-
See POWER, Page Four
MANNS HARBOR BOYS MAKE
FRONT COVER OF MAGAZINE
Ray and Stan White of Manns
Harbor occupy the front cover of
Wildlife in North Carolina for
September in a full page color
photograph. The photo, by a staff
photographer of the magazine
shows the boys in color, inspecting
a catch of fresh water fish, caught
with hook and line in the East
Lake area of Dare County. In the
background is the shore-lined
woods and its weathered cypress
roots on the lake shore. t
The boys are the sons of Mr.
and Mrs. W. S. Wh'H of Manns
Harbor, and their father is game
protector for the area. t
I -hortstop; Jerry Cahoon, first
base; Wade Nixon, third base; 1
Pat Kee, center field; Donnie
| Twyne, right field; Carlisle Davis.
I outfield: Ray Jones. Jr., catcher;
Gene Kennedy, pitcher; Ronnie
Meekins, catcher. Bottom row,
ROANOKE ISLAND GOLF COURSE
ON MOTHER VINEYARD ACRES
TO BE COMPLETE BY MID-1956
Yacht and Country Club Project To Go Into
Service Next Year; Expected to Attract Many
People to Roanoke Island; Statewide Member
ship Contemplated; Roads Being Built in Prop
erty.
Mother Vineyard Yacht and
Country Club’s championship golf
course, now . being designed by
George Cobb of Norfolk, who will
also be in charge of its building,
will be completed and ready to
play on, by July 4, 1956, it was
announced here this week by Ike
Rochelle, who with his brother, Z.
Rochelle, are members of the
Rochelle Realty Company of Ro
anoke Rapids and Elizabeth City,
and Guy H. Lennon, Manteo.
Actual construction of the course
will begin on or about November
1.
Concurrent with the announce
ment here this week about plans
for building the golf course of the
Mother Vineyard Yacht and Coun
try Club, was the purchase of the
first membership in the organiza
tion by Martin Kellogg, Jr., mayor
of the town of Manteo. Second
membership went to Orville Wood
house of Currituck County, it was
stated.
W. R. Pearce, cashier of The
Bank of Manteo is trustee for the
new yacht and country club which
is being created on some 400 acres
of land in the Mother Vineyard
Farm which borders on Roanoke
Sound.
The Rochelles have announced
that one of the first objectives of
the newly formed corporation will
be to sell at least one membership
in each of the State’s 100 coun
ties. As it stood this week, there
were 98 counties to go, but al
ready the promoters of the project
have good reasons to believe that
the first objective will become a
reality, and soon.
George Cobb who has the con
tract for building the golf course
is widely known as one of the
fastest rising golf architects in
the nation today. He has designed
courses from Pennsylvania to
South Carolina and from the
mountains to the sea (including
his local project in North Caro
lina.) His golf courses have includ
ed Greensboro’s Green Valley, one
at Fort Jackson in S. C., Camp
Lejuene, and many others in
which he had the role of designer
or assistant to designers.
In addition to the Rochelle-pro
moted and Cobb-built golf course
for the Mother Vineyard layout, a
colonial-designed club house is
planned for construction in the
general area of the winery on the
properties. Announcement about
who will design and build the club
house will be made by the
Rochelle’s at an early date, it was
stated here.
Owners of the Mother Vineyard
properties have announced that al
ready work is underway on yacht
basin facilities. The drag-line work
in this connection is also making
land for construction of a highvzay
through the properties. Owners* >f
the properties include: R. Bruce
Etheridge, R. B. Lennon, Guy H.
Lennon and George T. Westcott
of Manteo and D’-. William Lennon
of Federalsburg, Md.
left to right: Coy Tillett, manager;
Coy Tillett Jr., second base; Steve
Basnight Jr., pitcher; Woody
Fearing, outfield; Jack Tillett,
outfield. Other players not pic
tured are: Jack Cahoon, Buddy
Cannady and M. L. Daniels, Jr.
Single Copy 70
GRAND OLD LADY
ENDS A USEFUL
LIFE AT BUXTON
Mrs. Rovene Quidley Who has
Helped So Many People,
Goes On to Her
Reward.
By BEN DIXON MacNEILL
Four months past her 90th
birthday Mrs. Rovene Quidley, the
matriarch of Hatteras Island
whose long life and uncommon
energy were devoted to neighborly
usefulness died Saturday morning
at 8:30 o’clock at the home of her
son, Guy Quidley, with whom she
had lived since the weight of her
years made it no longer possible
for her to maintain her own house.
Current generations of residents
of Hatteras Island knew her and
venerated her as “Miss Rovene,”
and they so addressed her when,
even as she approached her 90th
year, they would see her walking
briskly around the village or
would find her, as always they did,
attending the services of her
church. Actually her churches, be
cause she belonged to both the
churches in the community, sup
ported them even-handed with a
tithe of her resources.
Throughout the half century
when there was no doctor on the
Island and little communication
with the world beyond the Sounds,
■ Mrs. Quidley was midwife to the
’ community and not many days be
-1 fore her death she got out her
record book to show what must
have been her favorite grandson,
ENlc Preston Quidley of the U.
S. Coast Guard. She had brought
352 babies into the world. This
grandson was the last individual
See LADY, Page Four
BUXTON LOSES FAMOUS,
AND BELOVED CITIZEN
Mrs. Rowena Quidley, 91, Who Served
Many Generations Buried Monday
After Long Illness
Buxton.—Funeral services for
Mrs. Rowena Rollinson Quidley,
i 91, who died at her home Satur
day were conducted Monday at 2
p.m. in the Buxton Methodist
Church by the Rev. Dan Meadows,
, pastor. The body was brought to
the church one hour prior to serv
ices. Burial was in the Quidley
, Cemetery. Mrs. Quidley was born
in Hatteras when in Hyde County
and had lived in Dare County for
the past 75 years. She was the
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert
Rollinson and a member of the
■ Buxton Methodist church. Surviv-
■ ing are one daughter, Mrs. Ursa
Wise, of Kinston; three sons, Tom
: Quidley of Pamlico, David E.
. Quidley of Old Trap, and Guy
: Quidley of Buxton; one step-son,
William E. Quidley of Buxton; 26
grandchildren; 51 great grandchil
dren; one step grandchild; and
three great-great grandchildren.
Mrs. Quidley was known and be
loved for her long service for more
than half a century to the people
of her community. She was mid
wife, and practical doctor through
the years when professional serv
ices were not available. She assist
ed at the birth of hundreds of the
citizens of the island.
Funeral services for Mrs. Quid
ley, who died Saturday, were con
ducted Monday afternoon at 2:00
o’clock in the Buxton Methodist
Church, Rev. Dan Meadows, pastor,
officiating. Rev. Aaron Tyson,
pastor of the .Fairhaven Methodist
Church assisted.
“Old Rugged Cross,” and “Never
Grow Old,” were sung by Mrs.
E\a Dixon, Mrs. Edna Barnett,
Mrs. Eevlyn Gibbs, Mrs. Grace
Basnett, Mrs. Thelma Gray, Mrs.
Ormand Fuller, Mrs. Laura Wil
liams, Mr. and Mrs. Snoden Quid
ley, Mr. and Mrs. C. P. Gray, Lonie
Tolson and Mrs. Irene Midgett,
Mrs. Pearl Midgett accompanied
at the piano. A duet, “Beyond the
Sunset” was sung by Mrs. Pearl
Midgett and Mrs. Exa Dixon. At
the grave, “Never Grow Old” was
sung. The casket was covered with
a pall or white asters and fern.
Pallbearers were, Eldon H. Far
’ row, William W. Gray, Teddy S.
, Lecv. Wilton L Simmons. John J.
- Robbins and Howard P. Price.
r Burial was in the Quidley cemetery
at Buxton.