Newspapers / The Coastland Times (Manteo, … / Oct. 21, 1955, edition 1 / Page 1
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/OLUME XXI NO. 16 THE NEW ROAD BEING BUILT ON CAPE HATTERAS Sea Bees Will Do The Job While Building Big Secret Navy Facility Near Buxton Buxton on Cape Hatteras, Oct. 22.—Ten full years before there has been any substantial hope that it would happen, Conrad Wirth, di rector of the National Park Serv ice, will see the fulfillment of his dream of a new highway approach to the focal point of Cape Hat teras National Seashore—a mile of road with an estimated cost of 600,000. Not only will the road come into being immediately, but it will come without cost to the National Park Service, except for the relatively small cost of laying some pave ment, 24 feet wide, next spring when the formidable task of grad ing is completed. And in the in terim Mr. Wirth might well de vote some time to meditation upon an ancient adage, the one about clouds being lined with silver. Maine and California will build the road, with some supervisory help from Texas and Michigan and Virginia and from Wake County in North Carolina. The road is go ing to be graded, in their spare time, by Detachment Jig, Sixth Navy Mobile Construction Bat talion, or the Seabees, presently engaged in the erection of a secret Navy Facility on a site about 1,000 feet north of the Lighthouse. For six months the presence of these miracle workers right in the middle of Cape Hatteras National Seashore has provided a consider able cloud on Mr. Wirth’s horizon, and, nearer by, to those immed iately concerned with the admin istration of the new recreational area. They came unheralded and they took over, with very few for malities, an area of about 20 acres on both sides the road leading from the Outer Banks Highway past the Lighthouse to Cape Point. They number about 175 men. Since whatever they are build is top-secret they have done • explaining whatever about what ~ey are doing around here. They have a startling capacity of doing much and saying little, or nothing at all. They have said nothing about the cost or the purpose of their activity but it is a good guess that the cost will run be tween three and four million dol lars, and they are going to build a fence around whatever it is. But to get back to Conrad Wirth’s dream. On his first visit to the Seashore after the National Park Service began moving in three years ago Mr. Wirth outlined his dream of a new and dramatic approach to the Cape. It prbbably derived from his experience, like that of millions, when he topped the last ridge, coming south, through Kitty Hawk Woods. There before and below him was* spread the stupendous sweep of the Atlantic ocean. It was something like that Mr. Wirth wanted on Cape Hatteras. He wanted a road beginning 1,000 feet west of the present approach to the Lighthouse and crossing the marshes and ridges to come, fi nally, to the crest; of the 34-foot ridge that lies westward from the Lighthouse. Topping that rise the traveller would see before him not one but two oceans, with the Point jutting out between them. But the great drawback was the question of money. There are four ridges and five sedges—the native name for marshes—between the beginning and the end of the road and the estimated cost of grading and paving it would be about >600,000, or more than twice the annual appropriation for the de velopment and maintenance of the See NEW ROAD, Page Eight SUDDEN LEFT TURN Sheriff Dozier of Currituck made a left turn into his driveway at Powells Point Monday morning. Jim Twiford, well-known highway employe of Point Harbor was veling north. He had to put on \ brakes suddenly, his car skid off the side of the road and iled over. Mr. Twiford was shaken up, but suffered no serious consequences. The car was banged up badly. REPRINTING CORRECTED STORY OF MRS. CREEF In making up the pages in our paper last week, some paragraphs of a story about Mrs. Caddie Crees, 82, of Manteo, got mixed up with a story about surplus commodity needs in Dare County, so that the paragraphs didn’t make sense. We have straightened out the article about Mrs. Crees and reprint it this week. We want folks to know more about this grand old lady. THE COASTLAND TIMES PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTEREST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA AUNT "SET" OBSERVES 86th BIRTHDAY WEDNESDAY z Wk 01 * V -3% 1 ; - wit MRS. LUCETTA MONTAGUE, oldest woman on Roanoke Island was 86 years old on Wednesday, October 19th. She is among the most beloved women of Wanchese, having ministered her lifetime to the women folks of her community, and assisted at the birth of be tween 800 and 900 babies. Mrs. Montague is the widow of the late McAllister Roughton Montague, and is the daughter of the late George Charles and Nancy Cud worth Daniels. She has 27 grand children, nearly 60 great grand children, and some 20 great-great grandchildren. During her lifetime, she has suf fered lots of broken bones, but al ways keeps going. Four years ago she broke her hip, but she never gave up. She spends a lot of time visiting about with her children. She married at the age of 13. She was born October 19, 1869. HALLOWE'EN CARNIVAL AT MANTEO SCHOOL OCT. 31 Hallowe’en carnival at the Man teo High School this year appears to have fun and action in store for old and young if the program presented is any indication. As usual it is to be held in the school gym. The doors will be open for the sale of tickets at 6:30 p.m., Monday, October 31 and all folk are asked to hold on to their ticket stubs for a chance at the door prize for the lucky number and use later on. The judging for the best and most original costumes will start at 7 p.m. and there will be prizes for each of the following groups: pre school; grades one and two; three and four; five and six, and so on up through the school, coupling two grades together. There will also be an adult prize. Refreshments for sale will in clude, ice cream, home-made cakes and drinks, and for entertainment there will be the fish pond, grab bags, apple bobbing, also a beauty contest. The admission charge will be IO? 1 . ' OLDEST RESIDENT OF AVON PASSES AT 89 Mrs. Cordelia Wallace Gray 89, widow of the late Anderson Gray, passed away Saturday at her home in Avon following a ten days illness. She is survived by two daugh ters, Mrs. Moody Meekins, and Mrs. Blucher Scarborough of Avon; two sons, Nicky Gray of Avon and Edward Gray of Cam den, N. J.; one step-son, Nelson Gray of Avon; one sister, Mrs. Cynthia O’Neal of Avon; eleven grandchildren, three great grand children and six step grandchil dren. Funeral services were conducted at the St. John’s Methodist Church, Sunday afternoon by Rev. Aaron Tyson, pastor, assisted by Rev. Lester Jarrett, pastor of the Assembly of God church. The choir, composed of mem bers of both churches with Mrs. Harrison Meekins at the p'ano sang, “Nearer My God to Thee,” “No Night There’’ and “Will the Circle be Unbroken”. “Abide With Me” was sung at the grave. Pall bearers were: Erskine Scarborough, Luther Hooper, Dal las Miller, Seymour Gray, George Price and Burgess Gray. Interment was in the family burying plot. WANCHESE RURITANS TO HOLD LADIES NIGHT Tonight, Friday, the 21st of October is Ladies Night for the Wanchese Ruritan 1 Club at the Wanchese Schoolhouse. As usual, a fine time for the members and their ladies is expected. President Melvin Daniels has invited all visiting Ruritans to attend. Rev. L. E. Aitken, pastor of the Manteo Methodist Church will address the group. GRIGGS' MULLET ROAST BIG EVENT AT POINT HARBOR Annual Affair Attracts 500 Invited Guests Saturday Night to Praise Its Excellence Another anpual affair which has flourished for just a few years, and which now is established as an institution in this coastland is the annual Mullet Roast held by the Griggs family at Point Har bor. This year’s roast on Saturday night was enjoyed by some 500 in vited guests, and a few extras who just dropped in. Mr. and Mrs. T. Grady Griggs and Mr. and Mrs. Walton Griggs gave the party for their friends. Here was demonstrated away of cooking these fine fish that is un excelled, doubtless just as the In dians cooked them on the same spot up td 300 years ago. The fish had been cleaned, and seasoned, and hung on a slanting stick over a bed of live coals, and barbecued to a fine brown.. It was served with slaw, sweet potatoes and cornbread, and coffee. Some 500 of these fish were suspended above the fire at one time. They weighed about a pound each, and during the cooking process, all the indi gestible oil ran out of the fish on the ground. Mullets cooked this way are something “out of this world,” the guests said. Os the 500 people in attendance, many were from places as far away as New York City. This an nual affair is looked forward to each year, since it began about five years ago. It was held at the Point Harbor Grill, one of the newer businesses of the Coastland which the Walton Griggs’s have built into great success and pop ularity. T. Grady Griggs, a cousin, is head of the flourishing Griggs Lumber and Produce Co. at Point Harbor. Saturday night was a fine night for the party. Skies were clear, 1 and weather mild. The view on the See EVENT, Page Eight GREETING GRIFFITH A Rather Entertaining Yarn About a Rising Celebrity Who Spent Seven Seasons With Roanoke Islanders By GILBERT MILLSTEIN in The New York Times. The most authentic dish of black-eyed peas, side meat and collard greens to be served up on the legitimate stage in a parcel of years is Andy Samuel Griffith, a 29-year-old North Carolinian in near-mint condition. Griffith will open Thursday at the Alvin in “No Time for Sergeants,” a comedy of Army life in which he plays Will Stockdale, a Georgia wool hat with an intricately inno cent mind who triumphs impar tially over sergeants, phychiatrists and divisional commanders. The occasion will mark not merely his first appearance on Broadway but also his first appearance in a lead ing role created from a best-sell ing novel. This has not been lost on him. What renders Griffith’s condi tion only near-mint is that while he still says “Ah” for “I,” “mah” for “my” and “right purty” for “pretty,” he also says “dig” for “understand” or “enjoy,” more than likely the result of having been taken to Lindy’s, where, as a by-product, he was introduced to Danny Kaye. Nothing he said will be set down phonetically. The meeting with Kaye affected him profoundly. “I thought,” he said the other night over bourbon and hotel water, “Lord have mercy.” Griffith is 6 feet 2 inches tall* weighs 185 pounds, has blue eyes, big feet, regular features, a head of independent, light-brown hair and a pretty wife named Barbara, with whom he now lives in a 3 Ci room apartment in Kew Gardens, Queens, a far piece from Mount Airy, N. C., where “dig” means “dig.” He plays the trombone, the ukelele and the bass horn, sings bass and almost became a Morav ian preacher, although born a Bap tist and married in a copy of an Anglican chapel in Manteo, by a Methodist minister to a Baptist maiden while a Roman Catholic nightclub vibraphonist played the pump organ and a Catholic girl sang. At the University of North Carolina, which he entered as a divinity student and from which he was graduated in 1949 as a music major, Griffith was known as "Deacon.” Lord have mercy. The rise of Griffith is what is invariably termed a romance of show business and will be told in flashback. The immediate cause was a monologue, “What It Was Was Football,” which he recorded in September, 1953, at a conven tion of the Jefferson Standard Life Insurance Co., in Greensboro, N. C. It had been thought up by MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1955 FYRRELL COUNTY LEADER DIES AT FRYING PAN -A' - x..< Columbia.—Funeral services for Winfield Scott Alek) Sykes, age 77, who succumbed at the Colum bia Hospital on Monday, Oct. 17 at 7:15 p.m. were held at the Primitive Baptist Church on Wed nesday, Oct. 19 at 4 p.m. Inter ment was in the family cemetery in Frying Pan community in Tyr rell County. Mr. Sykes was the son of the late Rebecca Simmons and John Sykes. He was a native and life long resident of Tyrrell County; a retired farmer; member of the Primitive Baptist Church. He serv ed as member of Tyrrell County Board of Commissioners for four teen years, most of which he serv ed as chairman. He was also a Justice of the Peace for a number of years. He is survived by two sons: John Sykes of Norfolk and Ralph Sykes of Roanoke, Va.; three daughters: Mrs. Minnie Lee Wood ham of Greenville, S. C., Mrs. Martha Elizabeth Zamballa of Norfolk, and Mrs. Lucy Mason, Los Angeles. California. One sis ter: Mrs. Rebecca Twiford of Nor folk; fifteen grandchildren and one great-grandchild. him several months before in a car going from Chapel Hill to Raleigh, a distance of about thirty-five miles or not more than a reason able length to go for inspiration. The monologue, a mountain man’s explanation of the game, was issued on a small label. A Capitol Records man, vacationing in Flor ida, heard it, alerted the front office in New York, made a visit to Chapel Hill, where Griffith was then living, purchased the master and brought both North. The rec ord has since sold in the neighbor hood of 800,000 copies. For reasons best known to the William Morris office, he was booked into the Blue Angel, a dim temple of avant-garde entertain ment on the East Side early last year, where, as he says, “I laid several large eggs every night for four weeks.” He then retreated to the South, where he played hotels and night clubs in Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Birmingham, Mo bile and Panama City, Fla. Last December, he read the novel, “No Time For Sergeants,” discovered that it was about to be dramatized for television and, by a number of uncomplicated maneuvers, secured himself an audition with the Thea tre Guild people who were putting it on for United States Steel. “I can’t read worth killin’ before people,” Griffith says, “I got a ‘Thank You,’ and I’m waitin' around in the office when I got to talkin’ to this woman. I have no idea who she was. She says, “What do you do?” I said, “I do night clubs.' ‘Do you sing?' she says. I said, ‘No, I talk.' ‘How does it go?’ she wanted to know and I just got to doing what I do.” The upshot of all this peripheral acti vity was that the Guild., office staff, attracted by Griffith's loud voices, came into the anteroom and he was given the part. Birthplace We now go back in time twenty nine years to Mount Airy where, on June 1, 1926, Griffith was born, the son of Carl Lee and Geneva Nann Nunn Griffith. He was an only child. His father is a foreman in a local chair factory. “I was raised up on hillbilly music,” Griffith says. "When daddy’d get up and go to work—6 o’clock in the mor ni n g—everybody’d get up. We’d turn on that little old radio and listen to Lulu Belle and Scotty from Chicago. Earliest song I every learned was ‘Put on Your Old Gray oßnner.’ I was in the third grade, and we had assem- I See GRIFFITH; Page Eight SOUTH ALBEMARLE MEETING FRIDAY AT WILLIAMSTON Many New Features at First Annual Meeting in Martin County, Oct. 28th The first annual meeting of the Southern Albemarle Association to be held in Martin County will be on Friday, October 28th, at ten p.m. at the Roanoke Country Club. President Alexander Corey has announced the program. The six county association will hold its 21st annual Ineeting. It was organized in 1935 at Colum bia, with Dare, Hyde, Tyrrell and Washington as members. The As sociation has been continuously active, and in 1953 Martin and Beaufort counties became mem bers. The address of welcome will be by former Senator Robert "H. Cowan, Mayor of Williamston, fol lowed by responses from the Association vice-presidents of the six counties, the recognition of dis tinguished guests and the present ation of the speaker. Music at the morning session will be by the Green Wave Band of Williamston High School, and the Jamesville Glee Club. Gov ernor Luther H. Hodges will de liver an address and lunch will fol low. After the lunch, a business ses sion will convene at 2:15 p.m. This session lasts about two hours, and after reports are heard, new busi ness is transacted, closing with election of officers for the coming year. This year the President is from Martin, and by established rule will return to Washington County next year. TYRRELL LEGISLATOR OPENS A NEW STORE ? K DELBERT M. SAWYER, hardware merchant who is Tyrrell County’s representative in the Legislature, this week opens his new hardware store in Washington, N. C. and cordially invites the public of Hyde, Beaufort and adjoining counties to visit him and this store. See ad in today’s paper. SAWYER OPENS BIG HARDWARE STORE IN WASHINGTON Wins+eadville Native Establishes One of Largest of Its Kind in The Coastland. One of the largest hardware stores operating in the Coastland is the new Sawyer Hardware Company in Washington, which tfegins serving the public this week. Its proprietor is Delbert M. Sawyer, one of the ablest hard ware men in this section. Mr. Saw yer, who is a native of Winstead ville, has a wide acquaintance in mercantile circles. For many years he was associated with the late Fred Voliva of Belhaven, and some 15 years ago, they establish ed the successful Tyrrell Hardware Co. in Columbia. Mr. Sawyer’s new store is lo cated on U. S. 264 near the John H. Small High School, this high- See SAWYER, Page Eight WARNS CHILDREN DANGER IN FOLLOWING FOG MACHINE The danger of following the mosquito fogging machine, as it goes about highways and streets on Roanoke Island, is indicated in statements made by Robert K. Gunn, district sanitary inspector. Mr. Gunn says while the spray it self is calculated to be harmless, the machine creates a dense fog and even the driver’s vision is ob scured. Children chasing the ma chine may run out across the road, and it might be easy for a child to be hurt, either by the driver of the machine or some other person following. It is bet ter to keep a safe distance behind the machine; ON HIS WAY TO VISIT OLD FRIENDS BUT DIED IN DUKE ■ .ulL.il! s . '-'wK |||| CLINTON S. WARD, a native of Roanoke Island, who died Thurs day afternoon, of last week in Duke Hospital, Durham at the age of 65, where he had gone for treatment of a heart ailment, had planned to come to Manteo for a long visit with old friends this fall. He retired some seven weeks ago to his borne in Laurelton, L. 1., after 50 years of employment in the maritime trade. He had served in the Navy, and when he retired was port steward in charge of purchases for Gulf Oil Corp, in New York. He was the son of the late Henry B. and Mary Eliza Baum Ward of Roanoke Island. Beside his wife, Eleanor, he is survived by a son and daughter, Mrs. T. A. Vince and Daniel Ward of New York; by a brother, George W. Ward of Union, N. J., and two sisters, Mrs. J. W. Dun nington and Mrs. Cora Barron, both of Washington, D. C. Funeral and burial was near his home on Long Island, N. Y., and included religious and Masonic services, Oct. 16 and 17th. Mr. Ward’s career, which took him into many parts of the world during the past 50 years, was the subject of a detailed article in the August 16 issue of the Coastland Times. THIEVES HIT TWO PLACES IN HYDE, SHERIFF REPORTS W. H. Spencer's Service Station Entered Last Thursday Night; J. M. Long's Shop Hit Two separate break-ins have been reported in Hyde County during the past week, according to Sheriff Charlie J. Cahoon; little evidence as to the identity of the thieves has been found. On Thursday night of last Week, the front door of W. H. Spencer’s Service Station at Scranton was pried open. In addition to a large quantity of merchandise, >238 in cash was reported missing. Items of merchandise taken included flour, sugar, milk, tobacco, hose, socks, and canned goods. The second robbery occurred on Friday night, when the latch was cut off the shop of J. M. Long near Engelhard; on this occasion, the robbers took a heavy-duty torch and welder, a tool box of plumbing tools, and a rool of cop per wire. JARVIS T. GRAY DIES Jarvis T. Gray, 56, husband of Mrs. Emma Morgan Gray passed away Monday at his home in Avon after several months illness. Besides his wife he is survived by one daughter, Mrs. Oscar Gray, of Norfolk, Va.; four sons, Jarvis Gray Jr. of Norfolk; Ralph Gray of California; Harold Gray and Warren Gray of the home; one sister, Mrs. E. F. Scarborough; three brothers, Burgess Gray of Avon; Hilton Gray and Charlie Gray of Virginia Beach; seven grandchildren and a number of nieces and nephews. Funeral services .were conducted Tuesday afternoon at St. John’s Methodist Church by Rev. Aaron Tyson, pastor, assisted by Rev. Lester Jarrett, pastor of the Assembly of God church and Rev. Jimmy Hearns, visiting Evange- list. The choir, composed of members of both churches with Mrs. George W. Meekins as pianist sang, “No Night There”, “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and “God Will Take Care of You.” “Abide With Me" was sung at the grave. Pall bearers were: Luther Hooper, Fred Gray, Sr., Walker Scarborough, George W. Meekins. Williard Gray, Sr. and Joe Wil liams. Single Copy 70 MURDER CASE UP AGAIN FOR TRIAL IN DARE COURT Regular Term Convenes Monday 24th; Special Term Required In January The regular fall term of Dare Superior Court which convenes Monday, October 24th will again try John Davis Scarborough for the murder of Ephraim Daniela Jr. A trial was held in May this year, but a jury, in the face of definite evidence, persisted in a mistrial at great expense to the county. It is now going to be necessary for the county to hold a special term of court in January, in hope of clearing a docket congested by terms of court wasted by jurors who hang up cases. Another case, Melvin Leon Evans, for this rea son, is to be tried the third time next week. He is charged with drunken driving. Several appeals from Recorders court judgements have come up, and will be heard next week. Clayton Bowser and Frank Stewart are charged with larceny; Slate Ambrose is charged with violating game laws; Doran Mit chell Washington and James Bry ant are charged with larcency; John Herbert Bowser is charged with non-support of his illegiti mate child; Fred Smith is up for drunken driving; J. Arthur Wil liams for a traffic violation; Jerry Bell McCleese, ditto; James Bat ten, Colas Edwards and Bernice Armstrong of Elizabeth City are charged with larcency of an auto mobile. TO LAUNCH ALBEMARLE SCOUT DRIVE TUESDAY Senator Elton Aydlett of Elizabeth City Heading Campaign far Funds This month Senator N. Elton Aydlett, Chair man of The 1956 Boy Scout Fi nance drive for the Albemarle Dis trict announced today that plans have been completed to partici pate in a one day, state-wide co ordinated drive October 25. The drive will kick off at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday morning with “Early Bird” breakfasts in each of the 7 counties making up the Albemarle District. Senator Aydlett, in his opening remarks at a meeting of the chair men of each of the 7 counties, said, “It is indeed an honor for me to serve as chairman of a drive for the Boy Scouts of America. The Boy Scout Movement is doing a tremendously successful work in training the youth of our country. “I sincerely hope to achieve the same success and get the same fine cooperation that Judge Chester Morris has had as chairman of this drive in the past few years. Judge Morris is an ardent sup porter of Scouting and has often said that if every boy could re ceive Scout training we could practically close our juvenile courts and institutions and event ually our prisons.” Aydlett added, “Attorney General J. Lindsey Almond, who spoke at a meeting of all campaign chair men in the House of Representa tives on September 28, said, ‘For 13 years I presided as judge over a busy court. Many cases of ju venile delinquency came before me. Not one of them involved a Boy Scout. I have discussed the mat ter with many other judges. All of them bear the same testimony.’ ” Aydlett said, “It is a pleasure for me to join hands with Gov. Stanley of Virginia, who is serv ing as state chairman of the cam paign, in our slogan for this year —‘Support Juvenile Decency.’ I See SCOUTS, Page Eight MRS. C. R. HOPKINS, DARE NATIVE DIES IN ELIZ. CITY After a two weeks illness, 'Mrs. Louvenia Midgett Hopkins, 62, died in Elizabeth City Saturday. She was a native of Manns Harbor, and removed to Elizabeth City about 31 years ago, when her husband established the well-known plumb ing business. She was the daugh ters of the late John P. and Sarah Mann Midgett. She was a membar of the Eastern Star and a member of £he City Road Methodist Church. She is survived by her husband, Charlie R. Hopkins; one daugh ter, Mrs. Hugh C. Morris; one son, Charlie R. Hopkins, Jr., all of Elizabeth City; one brother, V. G. Midgett, of Manns Harbor, and five grandchildren. Funeral services were conducted Monday at 3 p.m. in the chapel of the Twiford Funeral Home by the Rev. D. J. Reid, pastor of the City Road Methodist Church, assisted by the Rev. W. W. Finlator, pastor of the First Baptist Church. Bur ial in Hollywood Cemetery.
The Coastland Times (Manteo, N.C.)
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Oct. 21, 1955, edition 1
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