VOLUME XXI NO. 43
NAVAL FORCES
TO REPEL PIRATE
LANDING SATURDAY
Reel Air Wing No. I To Take
Part in Festivities in After
noon of 28th
• Nags Head, April 25. When
Dare Coast Jamboree “pirates’*
land from their flotilla in Kitty
Hawk Bay on Saturday afternoon
at 2:30 o’clock they will be repell
ed by a group of U. S. Naval offi
cers who will be attending the
week end of fun as another vaca
tion season is being launched along
the far-famed Outer Banks.
Leaders of the Naval group will
be Capt. Art Cockell, commander
of Fleet Air Wing No. ,1 and Com
mander Al Willis, captain of the
U. S. Navy Air Facility at Weeks
ville. Other Naval personnel who
will be present for the fun of the
Jamboree on what is normally an
off-duty week end period for them
will join in the fun.
If the “pirates” land success
fully, and it is planned that they
will, the first woman mayor of the
newly incorporated town of Kill
Devil Hills will give the bucca
neers the key to the Outer Banks
in a welcoming ceremony.
On Saturday following the land
ing party which will take place on
the bay shore of Avalon Beach
development in Kill Devil Hill, to
the lively tunes of Elizabeth Citv
High School’s famous “pirate"
band, there will be a jeep obsta
cle race at Jockeys Ridge and some
fast jalopy races along the surf
in the Whalebone Intersection
area of lower Nags Head. On Sat
urday night the most colorful
event of the Jamboree, a grand Pi
rates Costume Ball, /will held
in Nags Head Casino.
Before the afternoon program on
Saturday, the Dare Beaches phase
of the Jamboree will feature a
children’s treasure hunt at Kitty
Hawk and the unveiling of a
mounted blue marlin (weight 464
pounds when caught) at Journeys
End on Kitty Hawk Beach, with
music by the Pirate Band.
Saturday will mark the second
day of the Jamboree, following the
Friday program on Hatteras Is
land which will feature a fishing
contest, Coast Guard lifesaving
drill, world’s biggest free salt wat
er fish fry, a beauty and costume
contest, banker pony races With
Ocracoke scouts as riders, beach
buggy races along the surf and a
colorful waterfront carnival and
dance. These events will be in the
Hatteras village area.
On Sunday, concluding day of
the Jamboree, Dr. Sylvester
Green, vice president of Wake For
est college, will preach at joint re
ligious services in Waterside Thea
tre on Roanoke Island, with 12
classes of high speed boat races
each 15 minutes from 12:20 to 5:35
o’clock during afternoon in Manteo
harbor.
TWO WEEKS DARE COURT
TOLL AMOUNTS TO $351
Cases submitted in Dare Record
ers Court during the nast two
weeks have yielded $351.00 in fines
and costs. Following is the list of
cases:
Elmer V. Midgett, inadequate
brakes $18.20. This case was the
result of the defendant’s car,
which out of control crashed into
the Midway Service Station. A.
S. Boxley, Mrs. Virginia Boxley
and Mrs. Newton Carroll of Ro
anoke, Va., were each taxed $18.20
for fishing in the mainland area
of Dare County after licenses had
expired. Sam C. Basnight Jr. of
Manns Harbor, speeding at 65
mph $18.20.
McKinley Price of Avon for
driving without proper license tags
$13.20. Edward C. Etheridge of
Manteo, unlicensed trailer $8.20.
Gethsemane Gallop of Manteo lost
his operator’s license in court
sometime ago. Up again without
one, paid $33.20. Thos. G. Gaskill
for driving intoxicated $108.20.
Thelma M. Wise and Mack R.
Tillett of Nags Head, for being
drunk on the highway, $8.20 each.
Lester N. Sawyer, Frederick O.
Krone and C. M. Brewster Jr., all
from Cape Hatteras, $33.20 for
reckless driving. Total fines and
costs $351.20.
DAVIS STORE ROBBED
OF SMALL CASH FRIDAY
The robbery of Davis Depart
ment Store Manteo Friday night
is still unsolved. The thief gained
entry in the back and made away
with some S3O in cash but left
merchandise untouched. Some pil
laging of files and papers was
done.
Bloodhounds were brought in,
and followed a trail for about a
mile northward from Manteo. Sup
position is that the robbery was
done by some irresponsible party
or parties in need of some ready
' spending money.
THE COASTLAND TIMES
PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTEREST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA
THE QUEEN AND THE KING OF THE PIRATES
OF k
r F W fl
MRS. SUE McCOWN, Manteo Attorney, and John Donahoe of Nags
Head were named queen and king of the pirates of the Dare Coast
Festival this week end. They were chosen by popular acclamation at
the pre-Jamboree dance at the Dare County Shrine Club hall on Sat
urday afternoon. Mr. Donahoe’s beard was seen in our columns last
week.
COME ONE; COME ALL TO DARE AND ENJOY
THE THREE-DAY PIRATE JAMBOREE; STARTS
TODAY WITH THE BIG HATTERAS FISH-FRY
Tooday is the big day on the Dare Coast, and so will
be tomorrow and Sunday. Something of interest for every
taste, so everybody is invited.
The first big day’s doings will be at Hatteras village.
Here will be the world’s largest fish fry. Visitors will have
an opportunity to get better acquainted with the largest
settlement on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and with
friendly, neighborly people who live here.
Governor Hodges will be down in the afternoon, and
th festivities will follow on into the night with an outdoor
dance for all.
Moving up Nags Head way on Saturday, there will be
a full and complete program, concluding Sunday with re
ligious services at Fort Raleigh, and boat races in Manteo
Elay. Read the full program published in this paper; clip
it for reference, then come and enjoy the festivities to the
fullest.
Second Annual Dare Coast
PIRATES' JAMBOREE
Hattelras Island Dare Beaches Roanoke Island
Friday Saturday Sunday, April 27, 28, 29, 1956
PROGRAM
Friday, April 27
Hatteras Island >
6 A.M. to 11 A.M. Surf Fishing Contest
11:00 A.M. Coast Guard Breeches Buoy Rescue Drill
11:30 A.M. Surf Fishing Prize Awards
12 Noon World’s Biggest Salt Water Free Fish Fry
1:00 P.M. Beauty Show and Costume Contest
2:00 P.M. Banker Pony Races and Exhibition
(Ocracoke Island Mounted Boy Scouts)
3:00 P.M. Beach Buggy Races (3 Classes)
8 P.M. Waterfront Carnival and Dance
(Unusual Intermission Entertainment)
(Above Events In or near Hatteras Village)
Saturday, April 28
Dare Beaches Area
10:30 A.M. Children’s Treasure Hunt Kitty Hawk
Road
11:30 A.M. Blue Marlin Unveiling Journeys End
Motel; Concert: By Elizabeth City H. S.
“Pirate” Band
2:30 P.M. Blackbeard and crew land 'Kitty Hawk
Bay Officials welcome him. Given Key to
Outer Banks Serenade by Elizabeth City H.
School Pirate Band
3:30 P.M. Jeep Obstacle Race Jockeys Ridge, Nags
Head
4:30 P.M. Jalopy Race Near Jennettes Pier on
Beach
9:30 P.M. Grand Pirates BaU at The Casino. Crowning
of Pirate King and Queen Grand March.
Costumes.
Sunday, April 29
i Roanoke Island
11:00 A.M. Religious Services Fort Raleigh'— Dn
Sylvester Green V.P. Wake Forest College,
Speaker
12:15 Noon Speed Boat Races, Manteo Bay —■ Every
15 Minutes
■*- ' < it
*-■ ■ ■■ !
' '
MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 1956
THE LOST COLONY'S I
CORN GOD SHIPPED
TO NEW YORK
Big Town Has No Stand-In For It, I
So Island Idol is Being
Sent by Truck
By JIM MORTON
Uppowoc’s god, a scary, 15-foot
monstrosity that easily could hold
down the lead role in a Hollywood
horror picture, is being readied for
a New York debut in, of all places, 1
the Metropolitan Opera House.
The primitive statue, similar to
that worshipped by the Roanoke ,
Indians in their ritual dance to the
Corn God in the long ago, is used
in the summer outdoor production
of Paul Green’s “The Lost Colony”
here at the site of the first English
settlement in the New World.
It was in 1937, the year the
North Carolina playwright and Pu
litzer prize winner Green produced
his symphonic drama of the colony
that vanished into the unknown,
that Uppowoc’s god came into be
ing, an essential property for en
actment of the wild harvest cere
monial.
When the Roanoke Island His
torical Association recently agreed
to present a condensed version of
“The Lost Colony” at N. Y. Jour
nal-American’s Oratory Finals, be
wilderment arose as to where a
substitute for the cumbersome idol
might be located in New York
City.
It soon became apparent the big
town had no stand-in for Uppo
woc’s god.
Resignedly, Richard E. Jordan,
general manager of the historical
drama which has lived longer than
any other outdoor production and
begins its 16th season in Water
side Theatre on June 30 this
year, has started to dismantle the
grotesque figures that for so many
years has kept a lonely vigil at
Fort Raleigh. Shortly, along with
other unusual Stage properties and
authentic costumes of the drama
here in the theatre where the show
is presented each summer, it will
be enroute by motor truck to New
York.
On May 7, some 4,400 or more
New Yorkers to be gathered for
the grand climax of the five
months’ oratorical competition will
witness one of the strangest de
buts ever made at the Met.
The Corn God will rule a scene
wildly unreal, but once a common
place occurence on this coast, as
the medicine man Uppowoc, enact
ed by Dancer Marvin Gordon,
leaps and waves in the harvest
ritual.
A score of Indians from “The
Lost Colony” cast, supplemented
by fifty Explorer Scouts who are
experts in Indian lore, will join
the dance star in the Met scene.
Other scenes from “The Lost
See COLONY, Page Eight
SUDDEN DEATH CLAIMS
JESSE W. WHITE FRIDAY
Jesse Woodrow White, 38, died
Friday at 3:30 a.m. at the resi
dence in Manteo after a sudden
seizure. With his wife, he had at
tended church services the evening
before.
He was a native of Windsor and
had been living in Manteo for the
past 10 years. He was a member
of the Masonic Lodge AF & AM
682 of Manteo and the Ross Bap
tist Church of Windsor.
He was highly regarded in Man
teo. He had been in charge of
maintenance of Dare County school
buses while here.
He was the son of Mrs. Annie
B. White and the late W. A. White.
Besides his mother he is sur
vived by his wife, Mrs. Mary J.
Sanderlin White; four brothers,
Lee, Brodie, Kenneth and Marshall
White, all of Windsor; two sis
ters, Misses Lillie and Florence
White, both of Windsor.
The body was taken from the
Twiford Funeral Home in Manteo
to the Byrd-Walker Funeral Home
at Windsor Saturday where fun
eral services were conducted Sun
day at 2:30 p.m. Masonic rites
were held at the Edgewood Ceme
tery at Windsor by members of
Manteo Lodge.
SPECIAL FOR BEARDED MEN
IN COSTUME SATURDAY P.M.
Evidently there is something in
store, maybe good news for the
bearded men of the Pirate Jam
boree. They are expected with the
pirate ladies, to be present on
Saturday afternoon, in costume if
possible, but in any event, at Her
bert Perry’s dock on Kitty Hawk
Bay, at 1:30. Costumes will help
in order to make better television
coverage of this affair. In addition
to this program, it is important
they, and their ladies too, attend
the Grand Pirate’s Ball and the
crowning of the King and Queen.
At this time, costume selections
will play a great part in selection
of the Royal PiratO Court.
CLUB FEDERATION
MET TUESDAY AT
CAPE HATTERAS
Dare County Clubs Held Spring
Meeting in New High School
Auditorium
The Dare County Home Demon
stration Clubs held their Spring
Federation meeting at the Cape
Hatteras School on Tuesday, April
24. Mrs. Curtis Toler, County
Council President, presided.
The meeting was opened by the
group singing, “Hail, Club Wom
en.” Rev. Dan Meadows, pastor of
the Buxton Methodist Church, pre
sented the devotional.
Mrs.' Edgar Hooper, member of
the Buxton club, welcomed the
club members and Mr. W. R. Lin
gle, principal of the Cape Hatter
as School, brought greetings to the
group.
In the absence of the secretary,
Mrs. Wallace Taylor, treasurer,
read the minutes of the last meet
ing. This was followed by roll call
See FEDERATION, Page Four
B4th BIRTHDAY COMING
UP MONDAY, APRIL 30th
CAPT. MARTIN L. JOHNSON of
Manteo, now living in snug retire
ment at his home overlooking the
bay will be 84 years old on Mon
day, April 30th. Many friends are
already calling on him to congrat
ulate him. One of his regular
daily visitors is an old neighbor
and kinsman, Capt. Columbus Mid
gett who is now 89, and another
visitors is A. D. Swindell his broth
er-in-law who is 86. Capt. Johnson
will be remembered by many peo
ple for his long years of faithful
service to Roanoke Island when
he piloted the daily steamboat to
Elizabeth City. His last vessel was
the Trenton, which gave way to
motor-driven traffic when the
road was completed in the early
30’s.
HERE'S A SAMPLE OF ROUGH AND READY WHISKERS
■■ WS
’"kJ'!-'
W MW'
IL
THIS WILD SET of whiskers, hides the face of Bill Meekins, who
operates the Sunnyside Woodshop near Manteo. This is a beard that
is in no wise a fancy one, but it goes to show how rough looking a
fellow can be if he lets his whiskers run wild. Dan Morrill made this
picture at his Manteo photographic studio. This and many other beards
will be seen at the opening of the ceremonies at Hatteras Friday, when
Governor Hodges will attend. There is a movement now on foot, to
get the bearded men to keep their whiskers until the Croatan Sound
bridge is completed this winter when a grand prize may go to the man
with the wildest and the wooliest.
OAK SHIP TIMBERS FOUND
WHILE DIGGING CANAL ON
TILLETT FARM AT WANCHESE
Craftsmanship in Oak Reveals Activity of Old
Timers More Than 100 Years Ago; Pile of Old
Frames Dug Up by St. Clair Midgett now in
Manteo on Exhibit Cause for Speculation.
Considerable interest attaches to
the find last week of a large num
ber of oak ship timbers, uncovered
by St. Clair Midgett of Manteo,
during the process of digging a
boat canal at Wanchese on the
shores of Broad Creek. Mr. Mid
gett was employed during the
operation of one of Ray Lewis’
draglines, when he discovered the
timbers, and he brought a truck
load of them and stacked them in
his yard in Manteo. When they
have sufficiently dried out, after
a hundred or more years of being
submerged in salt water, they will
make good firewood.
Mr. Midgett says he has studied
over the circumstance of the tim
bers, and is absolutely sure they
are the remains of the handiwork
of the first English settlers, who
had set about building a vessel in
which to return to England, after
it became apparent to them that
rescue was not coming from Eng
land. “But before they could get
their ship ready” says St. Clair
Midgett, “Chief Wanchese led a
party of Indians to them, and
slaughtered them all.” So, he
thinks, these old timbers have been
imbedded in the mud for nearly
370 years.
There are old residents of Ro
anoke Island now well up in their
eighties who take a different view
of the origin of the timbers. While
no one now recalls anyone building
boats on Broad Creek, they do
of being told by
their parents of considerable ship
building operation in this area, 80
and 100 years ago.
The work that is being done at
Broad Creek by the Ray Lewis
Company is part of the plan of
the present owndr, J. B. Tillett,
who operates the Oregon Inlet
Fishing Center, and who for many
years operated the ferry system
across Oregon Inlet. Mr. Tillett
was bom on this property, the son
of Mrs. Mary Tillett of Wanchese,
and the late W. B. (Bink) Tillett.
J. B. Tillett, known to his friends
as “Tobey,” having acquired.the
interests of the various heirs is
spending a great deal of money
to improve the property. The land
is being drained and fenced canals
will also offer deep water for
yachts to reach high land, and
other development, including con
struction of a motel is contem-
See TIMBERS, Page Four
Single Copy 70
KITTY HAWK GLEE
CLUB TAKES PART
IN MUSIC FESTIVAL
On Saturday, April 21, the Kitty
Hawk Glee Club was instrumental
in highlighting the luncheon pro- J
gram of the N. C. Junior Federa
tion of Music Clubs in Raleigh,
by presenting one of Burl
Ives’ popular folk songs entitled
“Paper of Pins.” Appropriate
dramatization enhanced the sing
ing.
The glee club members sang in
the All-State Girls’ Choir and in
the All-State Boys’ Choir, which
was televised at the WNAO TV
studio. Among the numbers pre
sented by the latter choirs were as
follows: “Laughing Spring”, by
Mozart; a latin number, “Donna
Nobis Pacem”; “Lift Thine Eyes”
(from “Elijah”) by Mendelssohn;
“God of Our Fathers”, by Warren;
and “Come Follow to the Green
wood Tree.”
Attending the convention and
seeing as many historical sights as
time would permit were the follow
ing: Elizabeth Perry, Barbara
Sides, Wanda Hines, Rose Mary
Sanderlin, Terry Beacham, Patsy
Hartley, Eunice Midgett, Christine
Perry, Betty Finn, Coby Foreman,
Eloise Mann, Lois Mann, Darlene
Hines, Diane Smith, Lois Corbell,
Judy Perry, Carol O’Neal, Barbara
Ragland, Brady Rogers, Karen
Peterson, Donna Midgett, Gary
Perry, Virginia Perry, Fred Mur
daugh, Carlton Smith, Ronnie
Scarborough, Sam Liverman, Jr.,
and Michael Parker. The group
was accompanied by Mr. and Mrs.
B. P. Ward, Mrs. V. S. Mayberry
and Gary Scarborough.
TO MEET SATURDAY NIGHT
TO DISCUSS PROGRAM AT
RODANTHE JUNE 15 TO 17
A meeting of the committee for
the celebration planned at Rodan
the on June 15th to 17th has been
called for Saturday night at 7:30
at the Mirlo Beach Lodge at Ro
danthe. This meeting will be to dis
cuss the program for the celebra
tion and the appointment of spe
cial committees as . needed.
The celebration to do honor to
the Old Coast Guardsmen was
originally planned for last August,
but postponed because of the
handicaps imposed by the hurri
cane, at that time.
R. D. Owens is serving as tem
porary chairman of the committee
at this time, and he urges a full
attendance at the meeting.
CARTHY B. PERRY 59, NATIVE
OF KITTY HAWK DIES FRIDAY
Carthy Belton Perry, 59, of 3308
Hyde Circle, Norview, died Friday
at 5:45 p.m. in a Norfolk hospital
after an illness of three months.
A native of Kitty Hawk, he had
resided in Norfolk the last 34
years. He was a son of the late
Charlie B. and Mrs. Mary L. Tillett
Perry, and husband of Gertie Gray
Perry.
He was employed as a machinist
at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard,
Portsmouth, and was a member of
I Atlantic Lodge No. 2, A. F. &
■ A.M., and Berkley Avenue Baptist
Church. •
Besides his wife, surviving are
two daughters, Mrs. Jane Pierce,
of Norfolk, and Mrs. Erline Cutrell,
of Portsmouth; three sisters, Mrs.
Olive Hayman, and Mrs. Mary L.
Pugh, both of Kitty Hawk, and
Mrs. Lillie Shannon, of Manteo;
two brothers, Charlie L. Perry, of
Duck, and C. A. Perry, of Norfolk,
and three grandchildren.
Funeral services were conducted
Sunday at 2 p.m. Burial was in
Riverside Memorial Park, Berkley.
' -t— ———————
MRS. E. R. MEEKINS TO SPEAK
AT RODANTHE WSCS MEET
Mrs. Blanche Hooper Meekins,
wife of Rev. E. R. Meekins of
Winfall will be guest speaker at
10 a.m. on May 3rd, when the
Outer Banks sub district of the
WSCS will meet at Fairhaven
Methodist Church at Rodanthe. A
large attendance is expected from
the various Methodist Congrega
tions in the communities of Hat
teras Island. AU members as weU
as visitors are urged to attend.