Newspapers / The Coastland Times (Manteo, … / March 16, 1956, edition 1 / Page 1
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VOLUME XXI NO. 37 CELEBRATION AT RODANTHE THREE DAYS JUNE 15-18 Committee Meeting Saturday Night This Week to Continue Plans For Delayed Event The big program planned for Rodanthe is noxV set to go, on June 15, 16 and 17th, and a meet ing will be held Saturday night of this week in the Rodanthe Community building at 7:30 to begin planning for the occasion, according to Woodrow Edwards, the Chairman. The entire former committee will attend. Originally planned for August of last year to do honor to the older and young *veterans of the Life Saving and Coast Guard Services, the celebration had to be post poned because of hurricanes disrupted just about all business on the coast. Mr. Edwards said this week that the date chosen will fit in well with various other'affairs, and will not come at a time when everyone is already busy with the summer’s rush of traffic. The date is. select ed at this time also, because schools will be out, and various students may participate. More over, it comes at a time when the Postmaster’s Association of the State is meeting is Dare County, and its delegates may take in some of the celebration on Hatteras Island. The program will include Life saving drills, boat races, a boxing match, dance, beauty contest, and conclude on Sunday with a religi ous service at Fairhaven Church. PRESS ASSN. TO HOLD ITS SPRING MEETING IN HYDE Meeting of Eastern N. C. Press Assn. To Be Held May 18-19 at Mattamuskeet Lodge The spring meeting of the East ern North Carolina Press Associa tion will be held May 18 and 19 at the Mattamuskeet Lodge at New Holland, it was announced last Fri day after the association’s board of directors accepted an invitation extended by Ashley B. Futrell, edi tor and publisher of the Washing ton Daily News. Dick O’Neal, oper ator of Mattamuskeet Lodge, will be official host to the newsmen, who will be from all over Eastern North Carolina. Committees have been named by Cletus Brock of Mt. Olive, presi dent of the association, to work up the program, which .will be an nounced as soon as it is completed. Two big meetings are planned, with the banquet on Friday night being the big affair. Saturday morning panel discussions will be held dealing with newspaper me chanical problems and with <jjrcu lation problems. A luncheon on Saturday will conclude the pro gram. A night fishing trip and a visit ts Ocracoke is being arranged by Mr. O’Neal for the newspaper men. CURRITUCK TO VOTE ON ABC STORES SATURDAY Voters of Currituck County will decide the question Saturday, March 18, whether that county shall establish an ABC system of stores. Twice before this measure has been defeated in Currituck, but proponents are now more hopeful of success and plead that Curri tuck needs the revenue that might be derived from the stores, after having lost the income that came from the outlawed dog races. The county has some 7,000 citi zens. It has become a vast avenue of tourist traffic. It is catering to tourist business. Many people feel that Currituck should take advan tage of much income they are los ing to neighboring counties. On the other hand, much opposition has come from many of the ministers of the county who have had consid erable to say during the past week, against establishment of the stores. KITTY HAWK SCHOOL FOLKS PRAISE YOUNG In a letter to Robert Young, re tiring Kitty Hawk school commit teeman, Principal B. P. Ward gives high praise to the untiring and in spiring efforts and achievements in behalf of the school. He. says “Yeur achievements shall always be held as a monument to us and will serve as an inspiration for us to strive even harder to do a bet ter job in the future.” The letter is also signed by some 16 teach ers, students, clasp officers, bus drivers and lunch room workers. THE COASTLAND TIMES PUBLISHED ’WEEKLY IN THE INTEREST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA GEORGE W. HASKETT VET. NEWSMAN IN ELIZABETH CITY DIES Perquimans County Native's Long Career Ends Aft er Extended Illness George W .Haskett, 51, died at Albemarle Hospital, Elizabeth City Saturday night after an illness of several years. Born Jan. 28th, 1905, he was a native of Per quimans County, son of the late William Manuel and Nannie Howell Haskett, and the husband of Mrs. Mattie Riggs Haskett. He is survived by a son, William F. Haskett, a daughter, Janet Faye Haskett, a brother, Charles W. Haskett, all of Elizabeth City, and two sisters, Mrs. Mary Broughton of Hertford, and Mrs. Maude Corprew of Edenton. Also by two grandchildren, Jeffrey Hunter Haskett and Martha Kelly Has kett. Beyond his meagre scnooling in Perquimans County, George Has kett got an education in the “Uni versity of Hard Knocks,” as the saying is for those who are print ers and publishers of weekly newspapers. For some 35 years he followed this career, publishing The Independent and later the Independent-Star, weeklies that worked for progress, and honest See HASKETT, Page Five KITTY HAWK CAUSE CHAMPIONED BY A FORMER ENEMY Theo. DeFabio Does 2,000 Dreary Words Lambasting Officials As Denying School Misfortune has fallen upon the good people of Kitty Hawk in their campaign for a high school. A former enemy of the public school system has girded on her armor and gone forth to do battle for the cause with a lengthy screed of some 2,000 dreary words. The woman who refused to send her children to the Kitty Hawk School five years ago, contending that she could teach them much better at home, is now all out in front. Maybe she doesn’t give a darn about Kitty Hawk, but she welcomes any opportunity to vent her chagrin at the officials of Dare. Frank De Fabio, one-time draft evader, considered by so*many, at least a crank, who came down from Washington, D. C. preaching strange ideas, was prosecuted by the Dare welfare officials for re fusing to send his children to school, and did several stints in jail. The upshot of the case*was that the courts took the children away from himself and his wife, and put them in a boarding home. The case cost the county a lot of money, and so did the upkeep of the children. Mrs. Theo. De Fabio, a Washing ton, D. C. taxi-driver, travelled back and forth, visiting her hus band who lived in an old house near Kitty Hawk, and who seemed un suited for employment at native occupations. He preferred to teach his children at home, which was not considered economically up to standard. While in jail, De Fabio twice tried to kill himself, or at least pretended. Mrs. De Fabio was considered extremely erratic also, and somewhat of a trouble See DE FABIO, Page Five NON-SUPPORT CASES IN DARE RECORDERS COURT Two cases for non-support were tried in Dare Recorders Court Tuesday. W. J. Lassiter was or dered to pay $45 per week for the support of his wife, and four children, ages 12, 9, 8 and 4. He recently worked in Manteo as a vacuum cleaner salesman, and is now employed in Portsmouth, Va., living at 525 6th St. Evidence showed that he receives a Navy pension of some $165 per month. He claimed his wife’s extrava gance had got him in debt. Bond for SSOO was signed by his father, W. J. Lassiter of Conway, N. C. He was given a 12 months sus pended road sentence. Charles Henry Daniels, young Negro man was ordered to pay $3 per week to support his 15- months-old illegitimate child. Tes timony showed he had been con tributing to its support, but had quit; and further showed that he i was paying $7.50 twice monthly : through Hyde County Court, for the support of another illegitimate child by a Hyde County woman. He denied paternity of the child , here. • i Jethro Midgett Sr. of Nags Head was dismissed from the charge of permitting an under age person to < drive his car. A. H. Gray Jr. of Waves was fined $25 and costs for See COURT, Page Five , GORDON KELLOGG TO HEAD RED CROSS DRIVE IN DARE CO. Report Shows That About $40,000 in Hurricane Relief Funds Came to County 1954-55. In announcing the annual Red Cross drive for funds in Dare County, J. Gordon Kellogg of Man teo has released figures which show that citizens of the county received about $40,000 in Red Cross funds during times of dis tress in the past two summers. This emphasizes the duty of Dare County people to give liberally to this fund, which means so much in time of need and brings relief which might not be received from any other sources. Great sums of money, similar in size were received on the Outer Banks following hurricanes of 1932, 1933, 1944 and on several other occasions. The village of Avon was aided most in 1944. Dur ing many drives, Dare County peo ple have responded liberally; at other times the response has not been so great. In this connection, we may point out that great credit is due those public spirited workers who give so liberally of their time to a fund that will do credit to Dare County. In the various commu nities, there have always been good workers to whom all of us owe much for their services. This year there is a fine team of people giv ing time to aid this cause under the leadership of Mr. Kellogg. It is well for us to remember that in 1954 following Hurricane Hazel, $7,000 or more came into Dare County from the Red Cross alone. In helping overcome the damages done by Connie, Diane and lone See RED CROSS, Page Five RESERVATIONS FOR BEACH HOTELS ARE TURNING UP FAST Look* Like Nags Head Will Have Usual Beach Business Begin ning Early This Year Reservations at the beach hotels are starting off fine and indicate that the season will start off fully as good as usual, if not better and perhaps somewhat earlier this year, according to Mrs. Phoebe G. Hayman of The Arlington at Nags Head, who this week was busy attending to mail. And inquiries at The Arlington doubtless reflect the situation at the many other fine hotels on the beach from Kitty Hawk to Nags Head. Due to the many, changes and improvements made to The Arling ton during the past year, it has been favored with greatly in creased patronage, which is being helped along by its fame for good food, and its high rating with various travel agencies and bu reaus which inform the travelling public where the best may be found. The Arlington now has booked a convention of North Carolina Farm Agents, which will bring to it about 180 members from various parts of the State on May Bth to 10th. On June 12 to 15th it will be the headquarters of the annual convention of the N. C. Postmasters Association which will bring to Nags Head about 300 of the State’s postmas ters, to stay at the various hotels of the beach. $50,000 LOAN APPROVED FOR BUXTON RE CO-OP The Rural Electrification Au thority in Washington has advised Congressman Herbert Bonner that a $50,000 loan has been approved for the Cape Hatteras Electric Membership . Co-op at Buxton. This amount will be re-loaned to those of the approximately 300 members who wish to purchase and install necessary electrical equipment. MANTEO CLUB TO BE AT ROTARY DISTRICT CON. District 278 of Rotary Interna tional, of which Manteo is a mem ber club, will hold its annual dis trict conference in Raleigh, March 18th and 19th. The Manteo Rotary Club will be represented by presi dent Wallace McCown, incoming secretary Robert Gunn, and incom ing director, Julian Oneto. Two candidates for running for the of fice of District Governor, succeed ing Broadus Jones of Wake For est. John Moore of Elizabeth City, and “Red” Bird of the Wilson club. The Manteo delegate is being sent to the conference uninstruct ed. A former member of the Man teo Club, Dick Bell, now a resident of Raleigh, has extended a special invitation to the Manteo delegates to attend the conference in a large group. MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 1956 __________ _ Yopon Factory Flourished Dare County Had Unique Industry Operated by Mark G. Scarborough at Frisco, Dare County, Near Cape Hatteras, 60 Years Ago. • By H. H. BRIMLEY (Reprinted Rom The State) On Hatteras Island is a manu facturing-establishment that so far as I know is the only one of its kind in the country. It is owned and operated by an old colored man who, strange to say, is the only one of his kind in the neigh borhood or I should say that he and his family are the only ones, as he has several children who as sist the old man in his occupation. His establishment is devoted to the gathering and curing of Yopon Tea. What is Yopon? the reader may ask and what is done with the tea ? Yopon is a shrubby plant and grows abundantly on the sandhills of the ocean beaches along certain areas on the south Atlantic sea board. It is supposed to possess certain mild medicinal qualities but besides that, it is used as a beverage by many of the older people living within its habitat, al though not nearly so extensively as formerly. The younger element find the teas and coffees of commerce much more palatable and, now that they are within the reach of pretty much everybody in price and are found on sale at even the most remote country stores, the con sumption of the product of the Yopon tree has fillen to quite a low ebb compared with what it was only a very few years ago. In this country of pure sand, rocks of any kind as a constituent of the soil are absolutely unknown, but in the neighborhood of some of the older homesteads one may notice a pile of small boulders ly ing out among the outbuildings. These must have been brought there with a purpose and judging from the methods now in use in the curing of Yopon tea, that seems to be the most likely rea son for their being found so far away from their native home. This would further seem to point to the fact that the use and consequently the manufacture of this commodity was formerly quite widespread and such was no doubt the case. The original inhabitants of the country apparently were habitual users of the beverage and the first white settlers learnt its value from them, but how they cured it and how far they used it as a medicine and to what extent it was in general use we now have no means of telling. ANCIENT SWORD AND SCABBARD FOUND ON BEACH NEAR COROLLA An ancient sword and scabbard believed to date back to the War of 1812, and possibly to the per iod of discovery of the New World by the English in Lost Colony days was found on Currituck Outer Banks this week by a member of aircraft target crew of Navy Duck. Two or three other objects, so en crusted with coral-like shell and marine growth, they could not be identified were found in the same locality. The tip of the scabbard of the sword of gold or brass was not covered with marine growth and what may be an identifying part of the find was a sea serpent or dragon-like carving around the tip of the scabbard. The handle of the sword was also covered with shell like growth but its shape, some what cup-like insofar as the hand .-guard was concerned, was similar to 17th century styled swords pic tured in various encyclopedias. H. A. Sargent, chief petty offi cer in charge of the target crew detachment, stated that the sword was found by Ernest Roberson AA, of Moores Have, Florida, one of his crew. “We will be reluctant to give the exact location along the beach where Roberson and our crew members found these relics,” said Chief Sargent. He indicated that during liberty periods crew members planned to continue searching the area for ad ditional objects. Since the sword was not definitely identified, the Dare County Tourist Bureau man ager who made pictures of the finds, suggested that the objects be sent to Smithsonian Institution in Washington for identification. In the same general area of Cur rituck Outer Banks during recent years bits of chinaware and frag ments of metal were identified by Smithsonian as dating back to 16th-17th Century periods. Some historians contend that the “Trin ity Harbor” of the days of 16th Century discoveries on what is to day the northern toast of Dare, was located at Caffeys Inlet (where Navy Duck is located to- See SWORD, Page five A Complicated Process The following is a brief descrip tion of the methods now pursued in the gathering and curing of the tea, the particulars being gleaned at firsthand directly from the pro prietor of the factory at the estab lishment itself. It may be stated at the outset that the Yopon is an evergreen and that it grows in the greatest abundance on these sand beaches of the North Caro lina coast, so that the only effort required in the collection of the product is the labor necessary to go out and cut what quantity is needed at one curing. It is not even essential to cut with any great degree of- discrimination as the bushes are trimmed after reaching the factory, anyway, and anything not suitable can be very easily eliminated there. It is quite probable that in for mer times, most of the more well to-do families prepared the leaves themselves, or at least had it done on the premises, as heaps of round stones, similar to those now used in the sweating process, may still be found around many an old homestead in the section where the plant grows. There were also men in every community who car ried on the preparation of the leaves as. a regular business but, until I came across such a factory still in working order and turning out the product regularly, I was under the impression that the busi ness was as extinct as the Dodo. On Hatteras Banks, several miles west of the Cape and right alongside the high road between Frisco and Buxton, I came across old man Scarborough’s Yopon tea factory and from the manufacturer himself secured the details of the process as well as permission to photograph the plant. The Yopon, Yapon or Yaupon is an evergreen shrub of the genus Ilex (ilex volimtoria), sometimes alihost reaching the dignity of a shrubby tree and along on the sandhills of the ocean’s border for the whole length of the coast line of the south Atlantic States it grows in thickets more or less dense and plentiful, it being one of the most characteristic tree growths of the region. As before stated its original uses seem to have been largely medicinal, its action being both- purgative and emetic. Now, however, perhaps from the fact that as a beverage it is used in a weakei- infusion, ENGELHARD NEGRO MAN DIES AFTER BEING HIT BY CAR Tom Johnson Walked into Path of Car Near Engelhard Wed nesday Evening of Last Week Tom Johnson, middle-aged Ne gro man of Engelhard, was fatally injured on Wednesday evening, March 7, at about 7:30, when he apparently walked into the path of a car on Highway 264 near the intersection of Highway 264 with the Swamp Road just east of En gelhard. Mr. Johnson died while still in an ambulance just after reaching a hospital in Washing ton. The car which struck Mr. John son was driven by Carson Meekins of Stumpy Point, who was headed out of Engelhard toward Stumpy Point when the accident occurred. Damages to Mr. Meekins’ car con sisted chiefly of a broken wind shield. Two men walking ahead of Mr. Johnson told patrolman W. E. Wil liams that the victim was not drinking and that they could not explain what caused him to walk See DEATH, Page Five REPUBLICANS OF DARE ELECT PARTY OFFICIALS L. V. Gaskill of Wanchese was re-elected Chairman of the Repub lican party in Dare County at a meeting held in Manteo Thursday night. He was also named a dele gate to the Congressional conven tion in Washington March 9, and a delegate to the State Convention in Durham on the 10th where he was elected a member of the State Executive Committee. At the meeting in Manteo, the 'following Executive Commitee was appointed. Mr. Gaskill, Chairman; Mrs. George Payne of Stumpy Point, Vice-chairman; Leßoy Mid gett of Wanchese, Secretary; Blucher Scarborough, Avon; W. R. Toler, Kitty Hawk; W. C. Gaskill, Mante<r, W. C. Gaskill was named an alternate to the Congressional convention. YOPON and its manufacture has long occupied a promi nent place in the history of this coastal region. Oddly enough, the Kinnakeet Vil lage in Dare County is be lieved to be the center of Avon curing, but history shows that Frisco, or Trent, 12 miles farther down the island Was long undisputed as the Yopon center. Manu facture of youpon was gen eral all along the coast and far inland as well. It was consumed and highly prized far inland in this state. The adjoining article was written by Mr. Brimley, long time curator of the N. C. State Museum about 1903 following visits in 1900 to Hatteras Island. The old yopon factory had been flourishing many years Shortly after the article was written, the old man came to Roanoke Island and set tled. His several sons had located here sometime be fore. They were Benson, Tom, Major, Jerry, George and Noah, all now dead, but the parents of the numerous Negro Scarboroughs now on Roanoke Island. Mark G. Scarborough headed one of the few negro families of Hatteras Island 60 years ago. One family was the Pugh’s, who went to Roanoke Island and Curri tuck County. than when used medicinally, the original idea is to a great extent lost sight of, although not entirely, as old man Scarborough expatiated to me on the smooth and easy way in which the drinking of his tea would remove fevers from the system with a guarantee of no bad after-effects. Only Negro Family As w’ill be seen from the pic tures, the proprietor of the estab lishment is a negro and, strange to say, he and his family consti tute the only representation of the colored element in this com munity of several hundred people. He is an intelligent and. very ob liging old darkey and my thanks are due to the old man for his See YOPON, Page Four CALIFORNIAN ORDERS FIRST LOST COLONY TICKETS FOR 1956 From Santa Ana, California, this week came the first order for Lost Colony tickets during the 16th sea son of the drama which begins on Saturday June 30. Miss Mary L. McChesney who lives at 14311 Cameron Lane in the West Coast city enclosed her check on the Costa Mesa Office of the United States National Bank in the sum of? 5 to pay for two reserved seats in the midle of the center section. While Miss McChesney’s order for tickets by mail is the first to be received this year, a total of 329 persons have joined Roanoke Island Historical Association which entitles them to a season’s ticket and Souvenir Program of 1956 for as little as $3. Os the total number joining the association, 41 mem bers are residents of Dare County and 288 from other sections of North Carolina and elsewhere in the nation. The 16th season of this original symphonic drama' by Paul Green who also authored The Common Glory of Williamsburg and Wild erness Road, Berea, Ky., will be presented nightly through Labor Day Eve on September 2. Play wright Green, a resident of Chapel Hill, is currently writing another symphonic drama to be presented as a featured attraction of the 350th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown and its settlement, to be observed next year in Tide water Virginia. CAPT. HOOPER ON JOB Many friends of Capt. Leslie Hooper, young Captain of the Oregon Inlet ferry will be glad to know that he has been re-hired and is back on the job, operating the Lindsay Warren and other ferry boats across Oregon Inlet. Capt Hooper was let off} follow ing an accident to Mrs. Linville Meekins of Avon when she slipped through an open man-hole in the boat’s rest room. General opinion was that Capt. Hooper was dealt with too summarily at the time of hh dismissal. Single Copy 70 COMMISSIONERS OF DARE PLANNING TO BUILD COURTHOUSE Jail and Office Project Voted Down By People To Be Constructed Anyway. The Dare County Commissioners have kept it quiet, but they are now getting ready to build an addi tion to the courthouse w-ith 4,200 square feet, which is more floor space than that of the present building. It will be two stories high and will house offices and jail. The present jail will be thrown away. The proposal was voted down last July by the people of Dare County who expressed their dis approval by a vote of two to one, after about $3,000 had been spent in asking the opinion of the voters. The voters disapproved the idea, they opposed more taxes, but the Board went ahead anyway and levied the taxes, and people are already paying taxes on the proj ect. It was proposed to issue $35,- 000 in bonds to add to $50,000 re maining on hand from a gift to Dare County. Included in the pro posal was a plan for a jail at Bux ton. Both proposals were heavily . disapproved by the voters. Later the commissioners decided they would go ahead with the plan anyway, but afterwards, they said they thought the people would change their minds, and they would vote for it favorably, so it was announced that a second elec tion would be held. It became apparent however, that the people would not change their minds so the Board came out with a statement that they had abandoned the idea in the interest of a school bond election proposed for a new high school at Manteo. At that time it was rumored that many citizens' of -Kitty Hawk would vote against the courthouse proposal more solidly than before. But it now appears that the Board never gave up their idea of wasting this money, and they have quietly been making their plans to go ahead anyway. During these past several months, the notes of the minutes of the Board have shown no reference to the project. Apparently, it was put in later, after newspapermen had read the minutes before they were finally completed. . This kind of scheme required some conniving on the part of the Board and their assistants, as they kept it from the public, until it appeared that no one would oppose them in the primary. Bids' are to be received on this job until April 24th at which time they will be opened. Separate bids will be received for the general contract, the electrical contract, the plumbing contract, the heating contract and the jail equipment contract. Plans for the job are in the office, of the Register of Deeds. Questioned about any action of the Commissioners toward build ing the courthouse annex at this time, County Commissioner Law rence Swain of Manteo said yester day it was news to him, and he did not understand who had given the go ahead signal with the plans, as it had not come before the Board meetings he had attended. He said that sometime back the Board signified their desire for the architect to offer a plan for a building annex which could be paid for by the $50,000 cash already in the hands of the county. 9 DARE BOARD DISCUSSES MOSQUITOES THURSDAY The problem of mosquitoes was a subject of discussion at a special meeting of the Dare Board of Commissioners Thursday. This meeting was attended by repre sentatives of the National Park Service, the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company, Dr. W. W. Johnston, District Health Officer, and Fred Day, for the Civil De fense. The pests have already be gun to rise, and Wednesday’s warin weather gave them high encour agement. Tom Sutton of Manns Harbor, who attended the meeting said that while some of the citi zens were trying to hang curtains at the school house at Manns Har bor Wednesday night, mosquitoes got so bad it was necessary to close doors and windows. GOOD CATCHES MADE BY FISHERMEN ON MAINLAND Excellent sport fishing has been reported at Manns Harbor despite the windy weather which kept boats from going on the lake. W. S. White reports that J. A. Holmes of Erwin, in two days fishing, took 13 bass and 25 crappie ; from the ditches along the road. Some of the bass weighed as much as seven pounds.
The Coastland Times (Manteo, N.C.)
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March 16, 1956, edition 1
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