VOLUME XXI NO. 52
CURRITUCK COUNTY BEACH
SITE OF MULTI-MILLION
RESORT CITY PROJECT
Historic Whalehead Club Property at Corolla
Offered to Public in Planned Development,
With Proposed Golf Course, Airfield, Hotels,
and Stores. . ..
What has been anticipated in
North Carolina a long time, and
foreseen by many forward looking
people who have recognized such
possibilities on this particular span
of beach has now broken into the
news. It is the development of the
historic Whalehead Club property,
known by many as Currituck
Beach. It is the scene of the brick
tower lighthouse, and the commu
nity known by the postoffice of
Corolla. Until his death iff the
20’s, it was owned by a wealthy
Philadelphia architect, the late Ed
ward Knight, who with his eccen
tric wife, a former French actress,
have long since become fixed amid
the fable of the Coastland.
The first public offering of ocean
resort property at Corolla, N. C.,
was announced this week (June 24)
by officials of the Whalehead Club,
Inc., who said concurrently that a
carefully controlled 25 million dol
lar resort city will be built on the
historic site along the Atlantic
Coast.
The full-fledged city, for which
plans have been drawn by the Olm
sted Brothers landscape architec
tural firm of Brookline, Mass., will
be 33 miles south of Virginia Beach
and located on the historic Outer
Banks of North Carolina.
The five-mile beach area com
posing Corolla is bordered on the
west by Currituck Sound, thus
placing the resort city midway be
tween bodies of salt and fresh wa
ter.
Long recognized as a haven for
privacy, Corolla heretofore has
been an exclusive hunting club with
activities centering around the
magnificent Whalehead Club. The
Club is now exclusive owner of
the property and membership in
it will be a necessary requisite to
purchase lots for home construc
tion.
In addition, all building plans
will be subject to approval by a
club architectural committee.
The comprehensive development
plan drawn up for Corolla will di
vide the city into two areas; the
first for residential construction
and exclusive golf course, yacht
club, club house and private bath
ing areas.
The 18-hole golf course will be
at the southern end of the area
and the present Whalehead Club
will become the basis of operations
for the Yacht Club. The other sec-
See PROJECT, Page Eight
YOUTH BOUND OVER FOR
ENTERING COTTAGE AT i
NAGS HEAD SATURDAY
Harry B. Zackrison, Jr., 19, a
smart alecky youngster from Ar
lington, Va., was bound over to
Superior Court Tuesday by Judge
Baum in Dare Recorders Court, un
der SI,OOO appearance bond. He
was held for the entering of the
home of Judge Edward L. Oast at
Nags Head Saturday night, while
in a drunken and silly condition.
Judge Oast, is a circuit court
judge of Portsmouth, Va. and
caught the young man in bis house.
The Judge testified that young
Zackrison had a mask over his
face, told him it was a stick-up,
and stuck his hand in his pocket.
The Judge knocked the young fel
low down, and held a gun on him
until officers came. He said the
boy told him he had been drunk
for 17 months.
On the witness stand the offend
er admitted being drunk. Said he
was spending the week end on the
beach with his parents at a nearby
cottage, and started drinking Tom
Collinses with his parent? in the
afternoon, later* going to othpr
places on the beach, where he
drank numerous beers. That he
was being taken home by his fath
er, and ran away from him. That
later he found himself hiding un
der Judge Oast’s house. He said
he did not remember all he did.
The boy’s father, a Government
employe also appeared in court as
a witness in his son’s behalf.
Other cases disposed of in Tues
day’s court were the following
submissions:
Ervin H. Price, Ayon, drunk on
highway, $lO and costs.'Moses E.
Peterson of Swan Quarter, operat
ing a car on wrong side of high
way, $5 and costs. Ernest C. Fen
tress of Norfolk, operating car to
left of center line when not in
passing, $lO and costs. Theo. R.
Meekins Jr., Manteo, failing to ob
serve a stop sign, $5 and costs.
THE COASTLAND TIMES
PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTEREST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA
MAJOR MURPHY RECEIVES
CERTIFICATE OF AWARD
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KILL DEVIL HILLS, June 27.
A certificate of award from the
National Wildlife Federation has
been received recently by Major
James L. Murphy of Kill Devil
Hills in recognition of his years of
service in the cause of conserva
tion.
Since his retirement from active
duty 'rith the Marine Corps in
1946, Major Murphy has devoted
his time and efforts toward the
protection and preservation of our
state and national resources, our
wildlife, public lands, waters and
forests, and served for a number
of years on the Board of Directors
of the North Carolina Wildlife
Federation. He was elected a mem
ber of the board of directors of the
National Wildlife Federation in
their annual meeting in March of
this year.
Major Murphy has wprked close
ly with Representative Bonner and
See MURPHY, Page Eight
LOST COLONY'S 16th SEASON BEGINS IN MANTEO JUNE 30
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This montage by the Island Studio, Manteo, shows some of the dramatic scenes from Paul Green’s
symphonic drama The Lost Colony which will open at Waterside Theatre in Fort Raleigh on Roanoke
Island for its 16th season, Saturday night June 30, with a production schedule of 56 performances
during the summer of 1956. Saturday night’s performance will be the 766th in the long history of the
show that has lived longer than any other outdoor production in the world. There will be performances
each night of the week (except Mondays) through Labor Day Eve on September 2 beginning at 8:15
o’clock, eastern standard time. The Lost Colony tells the story of the New World’s 16th Century begin
ning on Roanoke Island and the play is presented at Fort Raleigh National Historic site, at the actual
site of the original happenings of the story the drama tells, the story of Sir Walter Raleigh’s attempts
to establish a permanent settlement on Roanoke Island almost 400 years ago in 1584-87. In the above
photos: (top section) Old Tom Harris argues with an unfriendly Indian in one of the tragi-comic scenes;
Dame Coleman, the colonist midwife, tells of the coming birth of a child which will be the first of Eng
ish parentage born in the New World; Governor J ohn White pleads with Queen Elizabeth back in Eng
land for ships to take relief to the Roanoke Island colonists which, when help finally did arrive, had
disappeared forever to become the unsolved history-mystery of centuries now known as the “lost col
ony”. Lower left shows one of the blockhouses at the federal government’s Fort Raleigh National
Historic Site and lower right is a tense moment Un the dramatic story as Eleanor Dare protects her new
born baby, Virginia Dare from the Indians who soon attack the colonists’ little fort and village. General
Manager R. E. Jordan stated this week that during the 1956 season special prices would be made to
church and civic groups planning to'see the show. (Lost Colony Photos)
FRIDAY NIGHT SET
FOR BEAUTY SHOW
NAGS HEAD CASINO
Pretty Girls Lined Up For Miss
Universe Contest Corona
tion Ball
A beautiful girl who will become
the 1956 “Miss North Carolina” to
represent the state in the Miss
Universe Contest at Long Beach,
California, later this summer will
be selected at Nags Head Casino
on Friday night in a pageant of
beauty to be followed by a corona
tion ball in her honor.
The Friday night events will
bring to a close the three-day
state-wide Miss North Carolina for
Miss Universe events that started
at noon on Wednesday.
Only five contestants had shown
up by Friday night, but Buck
Cowling of Virginia Beach, who
has been working With Tom
Briggs, George Crocker, George
Fearing, Miss Sarah Halliburton
and other Nags Head Chamber of
Commerce officials say that by the
time of judging on Friday evening
there will be a minimum of 10 or
12 persons taking part in the
event. Already here to lend assist
ance in planning is Gracie R. Cog
gin, the state’s Miss North Caro
lina in the Universe event last
year and by Friday evening Miss
Virginia of 1955, Jeanne Asbel,
will be on the scene to also help
with details.
On Wednesday afternoon the
five arrivals, Dell Hargis, Miss
Charlotte; Betty Brinson, Miss
Washington; Shirley Bagwell,
Miss Raleigh; Sylvia Crocker,
Miss Rocky Mount and Barbara
Taylor, Miss Nags Head, and Miss
North Carolina of ’55 were honored
guests at the Beacon Motor Lodge
for a meet the press swim party
and buffet luncheon. Miss Diane
See CONTEST, Page Eight
DRINKWATER TO APPEAR
ON DAVE GARROWAY'S
PROGRAM ON JULY 13
A. W. Drinkwater, Manteo’s man
of first flight fame, now Ground
Observer in Manteo, is to be fea
tured on Dave Garroway’s TV pro
gram in New York on July 13th,
and will fly there with R. H. Stone,
principal of the Manteo School of
last term, who is now serving
as Post Supervisor of the GOC in
Manteo.
Master Sergeant L. L. Scott of
Elizabeth City, head of the GOC
in nine counties of eastern N. C.
and Virginia was in Manteo Wed
nesday making arrangements with
Mr. Drinkwater and Mr. Stone
about attending this show.
MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 1956
COUNTY OPERATING
EXPENSES CONTINUE
IO CLIMB HIGHER
Budget Proposed This Year To
Run County, Higher Than
That of Last Year
The Dare County Commissioners
are having their usual budget
troubles, trying to find enough
money to run the various offices,
as requested by department heads,
and also to keep their promise to
reduce the taxes. Up to now, it
looks as if this is going to be a
hard job.
The proposed budget sought this
year is $225,793. Os this sum
$168,401.80 is proposed to be
raised from ad valoreum taxes.
The rest, to come from court fines,
various costs, and fees, and other
sources, and an estimated profit
from ABC stores of $20,500, the
same amount being received the
fiscal year just closing. These
sums total $57,572 in income esti
mated from other sources than
taxation on property.
Last year the budget was higher.
It totaled $260,967.12. But in this
sum was included $40,000 to buy
land at Manteo and Kitty Hawk
for school sites. The $40,000
doesn’t have to be included this
year, so leaving it out, the budget
proposed this year will then he
some $4,600 greater than last year
for operation of the county. Pro
vided of course the present budget
estimates are adopted.
However the Commissioners
have embarked on building a new
jail, and making courthouse im
provements, nobody knows how
must will cost in the end. This
week they have begun the task of
tearing down the old jail in prep
aration for construction of the new
addition.
The Estimated income this year
from sources other than taxation
will be some $12,000 short of last
See EXPENSES, Page Eight
Comment* on 25 Years of
EDITING A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER A QUARTER CENTURY
IN A BARREN FIELD WHERE NONE FLOURISHED BEFORE
We Feel Grateful and Humble For Your Patience and Goodness; We Hope
We Have Been Helpful; We Look Forward With Faith To Greater Days
By VICTOR MEEKINS
This week rounds out 21 years of publication of The Coastland Times. There have been a lot of
changes in our area of North Carolina in 21 years. We have no doubt that most of them have been
for the better and many of them have been influenced by the efforts of this newspaper. Before The
Coastland Times began operating, there was no newspaper devoted solely to fighting for things essential
to this area of the state. No other paper had the interest we had. Some other papers could not afford to
stand up and fight for the things we needed.
RECTOR OF ST. PETER'S
MANTEO SPEAKER SUNDAY
%flj
THE REV. WILFORD T. WAT
ERHOUSE, rector of St. Peters
Episcopal Church, Washington, N.
C., will be guest minister at Water
side Theatre, on Roanoke Island,
Sunday morning. July 1, when the
first in a series of Sabbath serv
ices will be presented during the
Lost Colony season which opens
Saturday night, June 30. He is rec
tor of the largest Episcopal church
in the Eastern Diocese.
A feature of the Sunday serv
ices will be music by the famous
Lost Colony Choir under the di
rection of Elwood Keister with
Hedley Yost, one of the drama’s
organists, providing musical ac
companiment.
It will be the Rev. Mr. Water
house’s first appearance here as
guest minister for the services
which during the summer months
changes Waterside Theatre into a
place of worship for all peoples
See RECTOR, Page Eight
We thought we had a vision of what was most needed for hte de
velopment of our area. We knew no development could take place
without roads comparable with those enjoyed in other sections of the
state. We knew that our neighboring counties and ourselves could never
join hands effectively for progress until the roadsyvouchsafed us by
law had been built to unite us.
We saw that our once plentiful natural resources were, fast being
dissipated through wasteful practices, and believed that such wilful
waste would eventually wind up in woeful want. We believed new
sources of income would be necessary to sustain our people, and that
roads would be of prime necessity in this event
Without these roads, most of which are now built, we would now
be in dire circumstances indeed, with our commercial fishing gone,
our tmber industry shut down and some other little enterprises de
pleted. Fortunate we are that such roads have been built, which has
made possible for us a nice tourist business which grows steadily.
Bridges of course are a part of the system of roads essential to
our timber industry shut down and some other little enterprises de
hard surfaced, including construction of a long-delayed road to Hat
teras Island and Ocracoke. We see the Croatan Sound Bridge nearing
completion. We now look forward to completion of bridges across Alli
gator River and Oregon Inlet. And as before, we shall insist that these
bridges when built shall be toll-free, as are all other bridges in North
Carolina. There is no reason why we should be singled out and dis
criminated against by toll bridges, so long as we are North Carolin
ians, and our counties a part of our commonwealth. There is no place
in North Carolina’s exalted road program for toll-bridges.
In running a newspaper, we believe there is no place for a wishy
washy editor. One must take a positive position to be of any use to
his people. Nothing can be accomplished through a spineless attitude
of trying to please everybody. Naturally, if anything is to be accom
plished someone must at times be offended. A newspaper that serves
its people often stands in the way of selfish interests.
We sincerely believe that all factors in a community should unite
in defense of the public interest. We cannot tolerate actions of those
who while holding public office gained through the confidence of their
neighbors, are motivated in their official actions by desire for per
sonal gain. We have no patience with incompetent, blundering people
who assume the responsibilties and duties of public office, waste the
people’s money, and continually tear'down the quality of government
and public service the people receive in return. We cannot tolerate
those who, in filling offices and places of trust and responsibility at
the expense of the people, demand first that these jobs be given to
their relatives or close friends, regardless of honesty and ability.
We think every road that is put down, every schoolhouse that is
built, every community service established, should be designed and
executed for one sole purpose—the rendering of the most good where
needed and for the greatest number of people. This rule, of course,
works hardships always for a few people, but it were better than a
few suffer than for the most to be deprived of their rights.
Our zeal and devotion for the cause, as stated herein, has led us
to offend many people. Not only themselves but their friends have
been offended. Many people of this type retailiate readily by with
holding patronage from a newspaper. Some of them attempt to get
others to boycott us. We have lost many thousands of dollars of busi
ness in this manner. And in turn, those who gave us this treatment,
failed to get a lot of business from us, and which they would have
See PUBLICATION, Pago Eight
PAUL GREEN, LOST COLONY’S
AUTHOR, AND ROBERT HUMBER
WILL APPEAR AT OPENING
Both Will Be Speakers Saturday Night When
Show Opens For Its 16th Season at Old Fort
Raleigh Amphitheatre. Prospects For Busy
Season Now Appear Good.
BONES OF DEERING
REMOVED TO YARD
OF SAMUEL JONES
Famed Attraction on Ocracoke Is
land Taken to Village Home
This Week.
The remains of the famed
schooner Carroll A. Deering which
have reposed on Ocracoke Island
for many years, were taken some
ten miles down the beach this week
by Sam Jones and placed on his
premises in Ocracoke Village. The
removal of this famous beach at
traction from the property of the
U. S. Park service gave some con
cern to residents who wished it to
remain where it was most likely
to have tourist appeal, and it gave
concern to National Park Service
officials, who began an investiga
tion into the circumstances.
Elbert Cox, regional director of
the National Park Service said in
his office in Richmond that his men
had gotten in touch with Mr.
Jones, who said he had brought
the wreckage home to save it, and
that he would not only return it
to the Park Service on demand but
would assist in bringing together
other parts of the wreck which
are now located at other spots on
the Cape Hatteras National Sea
shore.
During a storm in 1955, the
See DEERING, Page Eight
SECTION ONE
Single Copy 70
Paul Green, author of the play,
and Robert Lee Humber, board
chairman of Roanoke Island His
torical Association, sponsors of
the drama, will make introductory
remarks as the Lost Colony’s 16th
season is launched here on Satur
day night in Waterside Theatre at
the same spot where it had its
original premiere on July 4, 1937.
General Manager R. E. Jordan
stated today that advance tickets
sales were up to par with other
seasons and that if weather con
ditions remained as perfect as dur
ing the past several days a large
audience should be present on Sat
urday when the show’s 766th per
formance is presented.
“This year we have had the ad
vantage of a more varied type of
advance promotion than in pre-'
vious seasons, and this, plus the
fact that many vacationists are
now in the area seems to be an ad
vance assurance that we will have
a large audience Saturday night,” ,
he said.
“This year too,’ Jordan added,
“we have we believe, overcome a
problem that existed during pre
vious seasons. We believe we have
the mosquito problem virtually
solved insofar as the theatre itself
is concerned through our system
of spraying and the installation of
electric devices for killing night
flying insects. These electric in
sect killers add a colorful touch of
neon blue in the dark spots where
they have been installed.”
Director’s Opinion
Director Clifton Britton who has
been whipping the show in shape
through many days of strenuous
rehearsals seemed to be well
pleased today with his 1956 edi
tion of the world’s longest-lived
outdoor production. There are
more new principals in the cast
this season than in any year since
Britton succeeded Samuel Selden
as director of the show.
“The new actors have been do
ing an excellent job with their
parts, far better than I expected,
especially from those new to the
cast who had never before seen a
performance of the Lost Colony,”
said Britton.
There are new actors this year
in such roles as Eleanor Dare, the
female lead played by Jan Saxon
of Charlotte; Simon Fernando, by
Charles Barrett; Dame Coleman by
Margaret Joslin; David Singleton
as Father Martin; Governor White
by Harold O’Tuel; Uppowoc by
Charles McCraw; Harvey T. War
ren as the historian and Phil
Bruns in the comi-tragi role of
Old Tom Harris.
Also there are the veteran ac
tors in lead roles, Martin F. Ger
rish as John Borden; Mary Wood
Long as the dynamic Queen Eliza
beth; Harley Streif as Ananias
Dare; Grace Davis as Agona; Oli
ver Link as Sir Walter Raleigh
and Woody Fearing as Chief Man
teo. About half of the cast this
year are natives of Roanoke Is
land and included in this group in
addition to Woody Fearing and
Grace Davis, mentioned before, are
Marjalene Thomas, first island na
tive to become a member of the
choir, who also plays Joyce Arch-
See COLONY, Page Eight
LENNON W. HOOPER;
RETIRED MERCHANT
DIES AT STUMPY POINT
One of the best known men of
Stumpy Point, Lennon W. Hooper,
69, died Sunday morning at his
home after several months illness.
He was the son of the late Lorenzo
and Bethania H. Hooper. He was a
lifelong resident of the community,
and until a year ago, a leading
merchant For many years he, with
his brother E. M. Hooper, operated
Hooper Bros, general store. He had
served on the Dare County Board
of Education ,and in many posts
of community and church respon
sibility, having been a lifelong
member of Shiloh Methodist
Church. He is survived by his wife,
Mrs. Ruth Midgett Hooper, by a
son, L. W. Hooper Jr., a daugh
ter, Mrs. Jack Gaskill of Elizabeth
City; two brothers, Jones Hooper
of JEliiabeth City, and E. M.
Hooper of Winfall; a sister, Mrs.
Bettie Nixon of Stumpy Point
Funeral services were conducted
Monday at 3 p.m. from the Meth
odist Church by Rev. A. L. G.
Stephenson, and burial was in the
Company 7 >f Swan Quarter dire£
tors.