VOLUME XXIII NO. 21
CAMPAIGN FOR
MEMBERSHIPS IN
RIHA IS DRAGGING
More Than $75,000 Spent in Com*
ownity Last Year by Lost
Colony Personnel
Response to the 1934 invitations
recently sent to citizens of Dare
County to become members of the
Roanoke Island Historical Associa*
tion has been less than four per
cent, according to figures released
this week. It has been hoped that
at least 1,000 memberships can be
secured in Dare County in time to
report them to the board when it
meets in Raleigh December 5. To
date results have been discourag
ing to those in charge.
Perhaps people will move a little
mode quickly to take part in this
campaign when the following fig
ures an put before them. Last year
a total of >63,686.53 was paid to
members of the Lost Colony cast
and other members of the show’s
personal, and almost every penny
of tips was spent in Dare County
for rent, food, clothing and other
items of expense. Also, a total of
$12,922.97 was paid by the associa
tion to local merchants for sup
plies. This makes more than >75,-
000 which was spent directly in
the local area last year by the
show and those connected with it.
Add to this the many other thous
ands spent by tourists, and it is
easy to see why the Lost Colony
should be kept going, and if it
takes a membership from everyone
in the community to keep it going,
then those memberships should be
sent in immediately, gladly and
with gratitude that the Lost Col
ony has its home on Roanoke Is
land.
MAGAZINE WRITER ENJOYS
STRIPED BASS FISHING
Miss Virginia Kraft, of Sports Illustrated,
Ako Studies Fishing and Hunting
at Hatteras and Ocracoke ,
Miss Virginia Kraft, staff writ
er of Sports Illustrated Magazine,
who has hunted wildfowl at Cor
olla, in the Nags Head marshes
and from fields at Mattamuskeet
and who spent two days in the
East Lake woods with Wilbur Ca
hoon chasing deer, went striped
bass fishing in Croatan Sound near
Manns Harbor Sunday and made
some good catches. She fished with
Capt. Omie Tillett
Early this week, she shoved off
for Hatteras, where on Monday
and Tuesday she had a try at the
surf fishing for channel bass, in
terviewed such anglers as Capt.
Bernice Ballance and his daughter
Amelia, learned about the little
deer of Cape Woods, which can be
legally hunted in November, and
then spent some time at Hatteras.
In Hatteras, she learned about
the big game fishing offshore and
also of the hunting and inshore
fishing available there. On Thurs
day, she was scheduled to visit
Ocracoke and possibly go to Ports
mouth before returning to New
York on Saturday to write up what
she has learned about outdoor
sports in autumn along the Dare
Coast and Outer Banks. Her story
or article will be published in Sep
tember 1958.
WILBUR D. BRICKHOUSE
Wilbur D. Brickhouse, 47, died
recently in a Norfolk hospital. He
was the son of the late Samuel
Brickhouse and Mrs. Jenie Calhoun
Breikhouse, of Norfolk, and resided
at 412 W. Olney Rd. with his
mother.
He was a native of Dare County,
and had resided in Norfolk for the
past 45 years. He was employed
locally as a steam-fitter.
Besides his mother, surviving
are four brothers, Archie Brick
house, Clarence Brickhouse, Avery
Brickhouse and Leonard Brick
house, and a sister, Mrs. K. L.
Baum, all of Norfolk.
Funeral services will be conduct
ed at the Derry-Twiford Funeral
Home Friday by the Rev. O. O.
Poythress, pastor of the South
Norfolk Congregational Christian
Church. Burial in Rivreside Ceme
tery.
THANKSGIVING SERVICE AT
MANTEO BAPTIST CHURCH
The annual Union Thanksgiving
Service will be held at the Manteo
Baptist Church at 10:30 Thursday
morning, November 28. In the ab
sence of Rev. L. A. Aitken, who
was to have brought the message,
the aermon will be preached by the
Baptist pastor, Rev. W. E. Choler
ton. The subject of the sermon
will be: “Reasbns for Thanksgiv
ing." The church choir will provide
special music.
Everyone in Manteo and vicinity
is welcome to join in this Service
of Thanksgiving. It can help to
make the celebration of the day
meaningful and satisfying.
THE COASTLAND TIMES
PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INtEREST OF THE WALTER RALEIGH COASTLAND OF NORTH CAROLINA
ROANOKE ISLAND A HAVEN FOR FORMER RUgIAN REFUGEE
i
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SHOWN here are Mr. and Mrs. Orest A. Meykar on a recent visit to
Manteo, some of whose adventures are recounted in an accompanying
story. Photo by Pratt Williamson, Jr.
After Many Dangers and Life of Adventure,
Russian Refugee and Wife Seek Haven Here
Orest A. Meykar, Now in Pennsylvania Plans to Bring His Wife
To Roanoke Island to Live; Purchases Large Tract Known
as Hayman Swamp, Susceptible to Development
It seems that not only the Eng
lish during the time of Queen
Elizabeth I found Roanoke Island
■ a pleasant place to live. We have
, had the pleasure of entertaining
. many distinguished guests from
; -Europe upon our- hospitable shores,
; especially since the Lost Colony
> drama began to tell the world of
. our historic pas’t and the visiting
[ playgoers began to tell their
. friends of our present-day charm.
, And our island is rapidly becoming
' populated with very interesting
people who came here to see and
, stayed here to settle, to make their
homes and to add their treasures
of mind to the wealth of the
community.
One of the most recently noticed
’ arrivals of this kind are Mr. and
, Mrs. Orest A. Meykar, of Greens
' burg, Pennsylvania. We have seen
j them on the island at least once
or twice during the past four
’ years. Some of our citizens prob
l ably noticed a tall booted man in
jungle clothes, with a mosquito net
on his head, armed with a hatchet
or machete, crashing his way
' through the thick growth of his
property; or met them at their
usual favorite haunt, Fearing’s
1 Restaurant, asking for dozens of
raw oysters on the half shell, soft
! shell crabs galore and other sea
’ food delicacies of which they are
■ very fond, by reason, of their ori
gin. Sands on the beaches of Roa
noke Island do not yet bear the
imprint of the charming Mrs.
Meykar’s feet, only because of
mosquitoes; this little lady, a
‘ beachcomber at heart, thus far
i confined her seashore explorations
to the tidy strands of the Outer
[ Banks. But it was the sun and the
wind, the forests and the dunes,
1 the smell of the bay tree and cape
jasmin, and the sweetness of the
1 scuppemong grape in the old
i Mother Vineyard, that brought
1 them here year after year and
made them our fellow citizens.
Orest Albert Meykar was born
fifty five years ago in Odessa,
Russia, on the shore of the Black
Sea. His father Gustav was, as
many Estonians were Iz a sea cap
tain in the Russian Merchant Ma
rine. The ships of his firm made
long voyages from Odessa through
the Mediterranean and Red Sea,
1 the Indian Ocean and the distant
‘ China Sea to Shanghai and Vladiv
stok and returned laden with tons
of tea, the popular beverage of
the Russians. When the Russian
Revolution brought an end to pri
vate enterprise and destruction to
the industrious part of its popula
tion, Orest’s father lost his ships
and finally died in poverty, on his
native farm in Estonia, near Bal
tic Sea, in 1930. Orest had to stop
his educational progress—he want
ed to be a biologist—and joined
the cavalry of the White Army,
that forlorn body of unpaid and
ill-equipped volunteers who stood
on the outskirts of the vast Russia
and tried to contain the Red men
ace within its territory until it
was possible to organize and to
elect a progressive constitutional
1 and democratic government. But
the Communist Party of USSR
and its international affiliates
• shrewdly alienated the progressive
i classes of Europe and Americas
I from supporting any struggling
: democratic movements within Rus
: sia, its drafted masses of soldiery
i ■driven# by merciless secret police
, troops overwhelmed the meagre
' forces of the White Army—and
' another great cause was lost.
Wounded in Action
Orest was wounded in action
• on Don River, captured, escaped
' and joined partisan units in the
j Caucasus Mountains. The rem
-1 nants of the White Army of the
Southern Russias, with their few
1 families and fellow-refugees, and
1 the colors of the varilant regi
ments of the old Imperial Army
that fought against Napoleon, the
Turks and Japanese, and the
Austro-German forces in World
War I—all this pitiful scrap left
i after the dissolution of a great
■ empire, very much like the be
longings of an old family after a
i disastrous fire—left the shores of
: Russia on a few ships for Con
; stantinople.
Fled From Red Rule
In 1922, when the Red rule of
' Russia began to be recognized by
i the .western Governments, Orest
crossed the border into Turkey. In
1923, he was admitted to the
. United States at New York City.
■ He immediately began to improve
- his education. He was first a street
• car and subway motorman in
i Brooklyn; then he went to the
. University of Minnesota in Min
neapolis, where he worked his way
i through the college as a private
• See MEYKAR, Page Four
A FAMOUS AMERICAN POET WRITES ABOUT KITTY HAWK
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Two years ago, Robert Frost, distinguished American poet, and
Huntington Cairns, of the National Gallery of Art who owns a home
on Southern Shores in Dare, were studying a painting of Chief Man
teo’s baptism. For 82-year old, California-born Frost, close friend of
Cairns, it was a return visit to Roanoke Island and the Dare Coast
which he had visited as a young man in the 1890’s, and where he said
“I spent my vacation tramping over Nags Head dunelands, and even
through the briar patches then here, at the site of old Fort Raleigh.”
It was probably during his, 1955 visit on this coast that he seas in
spired to write a long poem featured in the current 100th anniversary
edition of Atlantic Monthly Magazine built up around the Wright’s
first flight with the theme: “Kitty Hawk, 0 Kitty—-There Creation
MANTEO, N. C., FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1957
TURKEY SHOOT
THIS SATURDAY
' MANTEO W 1 FRONT
What promises to be an enjoy
able event for all participants is
shaping up this week with plans
for a Thanksgiving turkey shoot.
This affair is scheduled for Satur
day, Nov. 23, on the Manteo water
front, sponsored by Manteo Lions
Club.
Twenty-four large turkeys will
be offered, dressed and frozen
just .in time for Thanksgiving din
ners. Those shooting in the match
es may bring their guns, but shells
will be furnished. Twelve, sixteen
and twenty gauge shotguns are to
be used.
Shooting will start at 1 p.m.
Proceeds will be used by Lions for
furtherance of club projects, prin
cipally aid to blind.
Other Lion Business
At the regular club meeting
Tuesday night, various other mat
ters were discussed. A report indi
cated that a profit of about >l2O
was realized from the recent broom
sale. Also, plans are toeing formu
lated for the annual Christmas
dance, to be held December 21 at
Shrine Club, Nags Head. Specula
tion is that this affair will be one
of the most successful with a big
evening shaping up, offering live
music, prizes, refreshment and
good entertainment. Santa has
been invited, but has not yet ad
vised that he will be on hand.
Tickets are available from Lions.
WANCHESE RURITAN CLUB
ELECTS NEW OFFICERS
Hear Address by Gene Trautwein, Dis
trict Scout Executive, and Endorse
Boy Scout Program For
Wanchese
An inspiring address on the
value of Boy Scouting was heard
by the Wanchese Ruritan Club at
its regular meeting Friday night,
following election of new officers
for the coming year, to take office
in December.
Gene Trautwein, District Scout
executive of Norfolk spoke to the
Club about plans ;tp develop scout
troops in Dare County. He found
the Wanchese club responsive and
interested in helping the movement
for a local troop.
Officers elected without opposi
tion for the coming year are as
follows: C. D. Wagstaff, school
principal, president; Stanley New
man, Vice-President; Chesley Mid
gett Jr., Secretary. J. W. Davis,
the retiring president, was named
Treasurer, and Jesse Etheridge
was named a director for three
years.
The name of Melvin Daniels, a
former president, was offered from
the floor in nomination by Willis
Daniels, but the nominee declined
to serve.
A turkey shoot will be held by
the club from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sat
urday, Nov. 23 at the Wanchese
baseball diamond, and S. B. Til
lett was appointed to build the
targets.
REBEKAH BAKE SALE NOV. 23
The Manteo Rebekah Lodge will
sponsor a “Bake Sale” Saturday,
November 23. In the show room
of the Dare County Ice and Stor
age Co. The hours are from 10:00
a.m. until 2 p.m. The public is
invited to stop by and purchase
th«s4-“Home-Made Goodies”.
SAND FROM KILL DEVIL
HILL USED IN AIRPORT
DEDICATION IN CALIF.
Sand from the site of the
Wright Brothers First Flight on
December 17, 1903, has been given
a role in the dedication ceremon
ies of Los Angeles’ International
Airport, now expanded to take
care of aircraft in the current Jet
Age.
Robert Loebelson of the Aircraft
Industries Association, Washing
ton, telephoned Dare County Tour
ist Bureau asking that the sand
be bagged and shipped.
Horace Dough of Wright Broth
ers National Monument cooperated
in getting the sand ready for ship
ment. Total weight of the three
bags that left Manteo by hus for
Norfolk was 328 pounds. From
Norfolk, the first flight sand was
airlifted to Washington, D. C., by
Capital Airlines and from there
three other major airlines were
scheduled to see that it reached
Los Angeles for the dedication
ceremonies this week.
CONGRESSMAN ENJOYS FINE DARE OYSTERS
IK'-~ S'■ JK M
CONGRESSMAN HERBERT C. BONNER enjoys oyster roast at the
recent Young Democratic Rally held at Stumpy Point. Standing beside
him to see that he gets plenty of the steaming seafood is Mrs. Horace
Hooper of Stumpy Point, wife of one of the county’s party leaders.
IMPORTANT BUSINESS .
TRANSACTED THURSDAY
BY NAGS HEAD C OF C
Planning the next meeting of
the Nags Head Chamber of Com
merce at the Carolinian Hotel on
December 12 was the concluding
item of business in a rather im
portant meeting held last week
with host Bill Harrington at
Journey’s End Restaurant at Kitty
Hawk.
But many important committees
were appointed, and two directors
elected. J. W. Smith of Point Har
bor was named as director for
one year to fill the unexpired term
of Mrs. James Scarborough, resign
ed, and Ted Wood of Kill Devil
Hills was chosen for two years, in
place of W. S. Gregory, who re
signed.
Standing committees named by
Mrs. W. H. Daughtry, the presi
dent, are as follows:
Advertising Bill Harrington,
John Donoho, Ted Wood, David
Stick and Robert A. Young.
Conventions Tom Briggs, Mr.
and Mrs. Archie Burrus, Mr. and
Mrs. Julian Oneto, Mrs. Jewel
See C OF C, Page Four
A HEARING ON SATURDAY
CLOSING OF MANTEO BANK
A hearing will be held by the
N. C. Commissioner of Banks at
10 a.m. on Tuesday, December 3
at the'Dare County courthouse, to
consider an application of the
Bank of Manteo, W. R. Pearce,
Cashier said this week.
A petition has been made by
the bank for permission to be
closed on Saturdays, but the bank
proposes to stay open instead on
six of the allotted state holidays,
and in addition would remain open
three hours extra every Friday,
which would lengthen the period
of service available for many out
of town people.
The move is in line with that
employed by many other banks
which operate on a five-day a week
CONTRACTS LET TUESDAY
FOR KITTY HAWK SCHOOL
THAT WILL COST $200,857.28
District Bond Funds Will Provide Major Portion
of Financing for New Eight-Classroom Elemen
tary School Plant; County Board Also Provides
for Auditorium at New Manteo High School.
MANTEO GOLDEN AGERS
TO BE HONORED TUESDAY
The Manteo Woman’s Club will
hold its annual open house for
those of the Golden Age group in
the Manteo Community Building
Tuesday, November 26th, at 7:30
p.m. A cordial invitation is extend
ed to every Golden Ager, and the
club is hoping that even more of
their friends will come than did
last year. There will be entertain
ers from “Gay Nineties,” refresh
ments and prizes.
ADDISON D. SWINDELL
87, OF MANTEO SUCCUMBS
Addison D. Swindell, 87, a native
’ of Hyde County, but who for the
. past 15 years had made his home
t near Manteo, died at 10:30 p.m. at
. the residence Thursday night, and
’ was buried Saturday afternoon in
the family plot in the Amity
Churchyard near Lake Landing.
Funeral services were conducted
Saturday afternoon in the chapel
of the Twiford Funeral Home in
Manteo by his pastor, the Rev.
Louis A. Aitken, pastor of ML
Olivet Methodist Church in Man
teo; assisted by the Rev. Frank
B. Dinwiddie, pastor of the North
End Baptist Church on Roanoke
Island, and the Rev. Angus M.
Cameron, pastor of Amity Meth
odist Church at Lake Landing.
“Will the Circle Be Unbroken,”
“Home Over There,” and “Abide
With Me” were sung by members
of the church choir; Mrs. Dallas
Tillett accompanied at the organ.
The casket was covered with a pall
of white carnations and fem. Pall
bearers were Billy Tarkington,
Keith Fearing, Jack Wilson, Ephey
Priest, Pete Capps and John Wil
son.
Mr. Swindell removed to Manteo
during World War II while in the
contracting business and married
Mrs. Lillie Etheridge who survives
him. He is survived by two children
See SWINDELL, Page Eight
VOLUNTEERS WANTED; HELP
CLEAN ELIZABETHAN GD.
An appeal to friends of the
Elizabethan Garden is being made
by the Roanoke Island Garden
Club for a few hours of help in a,
garden clean up. The date and
hour set for beginning the work
is Saturday, Nov. 23 at 1:00 p.m.
and any one who has willing hands
or a truck that can move dead
.boughs or other debris is urged
|to give help in this project The
.untidiness of the garden is not
'pleasingly impressive to visitors
who continue to come to see it
I while they are in this area. I
Single Copy 7p
The awarding of contracts for
the construction of a new Kitty
Hawk Elementary School to re
place the present obsolete building
at Kitty Hawk was approved by
the Dare County Board of Educa
tion in a meeting held Tuesday
afternoon in Manteo. Low bids
for the project totaled >200,857.28,
including architects fees.
The board also provided for re
instatement of an auditorium in
contracts for the construction of
the new Manteo High School now
being built; this was in accordance
with a previous decision of the
board to reinstate the auditorium
if sufficient funds were available
after the awarding of contracts for
the Kitty Hawk project.
The new Kitty Hawk facility
will be located on a new site at
the intersection of Highway 158
and the old road to Duck. The
specifications include 8 classrooms,
a library, a health clinic room, a
teachers room, an administrative
office, 2 adult toilets and 4 pupil
toilets (in addition to which 2 pri
mary classrooms will have their
own connecting toilets), an audi
torium or multi-purpose room, a
lunchroom and kitchen, and a
workroom and storage rooms. Cir
culating hot-water heating will be
utilized. The contracts include in
stallation of all major kitchen
equipment.
The successful bidders and their
bids were: general contract, Frank
McCall of Drexel, >141,800; heat
ing, J. T. Pearson Co. of New
Bern, >13,868; plumbing, J. B.
Cartwright Plumbing and Heating
Co. of Elizabeth City, >21,000; and
electrical, Dicks Electric Co. of
Wilson,, >12,829. The fee of the
architects, Burrett H. Stephens and
Robert H. Stephens of New Bern,
will be $11,369.28, six percent of
the total of the bids.
In accordance with a suggestion
made at the meeting Tuesday by
John Cameron, head of the school
planning division of the State De
partment of Public Instruction, the
school board agreed unanimously
upon the following breakdown of
the cost of the Kitty Hawk project:
(1) >190,857.28 in district funds
derived from a bond issue, and (2)
SIO,OOO in state building funds al
lotted to Dare County. The deduc
tion of these amounts left $7,306.-
27 available in district bond funds
which could he used only in the
Kitty Hawk district, and $65,296.13
in state building funds which could
be used in any of the county
schools. From these state funds,
the board agreed to the use of
$51,171.50 toward the completion
of the Manteo project, thus leaving
a balance of >14,124.63 in state
money as a cushion fund. From
these remaining fuhds, the board
has pledged to pay the entire
costs of putting down a well at the
new Kitty Hawk site and to pay
for completely equipping the Kitty
Hawk school.
The revision of the contracts for
the Manteo project included >42,-
161 for the auditorium, >1,450 for
the installation of rubber matting
in the lobby of the gymnasium
and inside the entrances to the
school, and >4,464 for equipment
listed under Group I in the con
tract, primarily student lockers and
gymnasium back boards, plus an
additional >2,896.50 architects fee.
According to Mrs. Mary L. Evans,
county superintendent, an addition
al $35,000 worth of equipment
will be needed to completely outfit
the new Manteo High School.
These items not included in the
contracts are ones which may be
easily purchased and installed as
funds become available at any time
after the completion of the build
ing; included are auditorium seats,
gymnasium bleachers, laboratory
equipment, industrial arts equip
ment, desks, tables, and other fur
niture and fixtures.
A delegation of Kitty Hawk pa
trons attended the meeting and
expressed dissatisfaction with some
of the board’s action. It was point
ed out that the high school pupils
had all been sent to Manteo des
pite the objection of the people of
Kitty Hawk, and that when the
, Kitty Hawk district approved the
issuance of >200,000 to school
bonds it was with the view that
Kitty Hawk would retain its high
school. Since the board had earlier
promised the use of about >70,000
in state funds for the new Kitty
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