The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-05-27
The Meaning of This Stirring Project of Fifty
Million Dollar Recreational Development
on The North Carolina Beaches
ron speech by W. Saunders delivered before the Elizabeth
City Chamber of COmmerCe)

III 4 lar cry from Nil DeFll
Hills, n. G. to Carville, Calf.
But something happened at
Carville on the Pacific Coast
that may be repeated here on
the coast of North Carolina.
What happened at Carville may
happen at Kill Devil Hills and
at a number Of places along tie
Carolina Coast, within the next
few years.
Thirty years ago or thereabouts
the traction interests Of san franc
cisco abandoned horse drawn street
cars for cable cars. The old horse
cars were scrapped. Stripped OF
their trucks. the dinky little car
bodies were thrown on a vacant l>t
and offered for sale at a dollar
piece.
Frank Winch and q gang of young
fellows bought number Of those
little old horse cars and got them
hauled out somehow TO the sand
dunes between Golden Gate Park
and the sea. about 14 miles from the
city hall of San Francisco. There
on bleak sand dunes they made
camp. On board which one OF
the gang ripped from some ones
fence they painted in crude letters
the word "CARvILLE" and nailed
il TO a stake in the sand.
The owners Of those sand dunes
observed that these youthful camp.
ers seemed TO like their camp site.
There were miles and miles and
miles of beach land for which no
tenant had ever before appeared
and which were a drug on the hands
of the owners. ASd so the owners
said TO Frank Winch and his gang:
"If you want tn keep ronr eG2ir.
here you will have to buy your
site; we will sell you a mile Of this
beach front for 800"
That night Frank Winch and his
gang held an Indignation meeting.
The owners of that beach land We're
q lot of designing hogs. The idea
of thinking they could hold a bunch
of young fellows up for n, hundred
dollars for mile of that worth
less old beach land =. Frank Winch
told the owners. they could 90 to
blazeS.
25 Years Later
Three years ago Frank Winch.
who had lived for a qnarter of
century in the East, went back for
n visit to his old home in Frisco.
San Francisco had grown great IN
- quarter Of q century Frank
Winch went OH q sight seeing tour
of his old home town, He rode out
thru Golden Gate PARK. The park
had been extended OH out to the
sea and thru the park ran paved
boulevard 100 feet wide. He was
going out in the direction of the
sand dunes and the Caryille Of his
boyhood.
Suddenly he gnbbed his eyes. Be
fore him on this great hundred foot
boulevard was a massive and beau
tiful archway costing thousands OF
dollars over which was emblaZoned
i'm electric lighted letters of leaded
art glass the word "CARVILLE." y.
But there were no sand dunes there.
Where Frank Winch and his gang
had pitched their dollar horse cars
had grown up one of the most beau.
titul seashore developments IN
America; spacious streets, masni.
ficent homes. beautiful lawns. flow
ers. ornamental shrubbery, terraces,
sunken gardens. rose clad pergoias.
Frank Winch located as best he
could the exact spot Oh which he
had made his camp in n horse car
u quarter Of century ago. IL Was
occupied now by u beautiful bunga-
low that may have cost $4,000 OF
so 900. This bungalow was center
cd on lot Itobably - feet wide
and 10 feet deep.
Frank Winch went TO the front
door Of the bungalow that stood on
the site of his old horse car camp.
He rang the bell the owner ap-
pearcd. els this place for sale"
he asked.
1T is not" said the owner.
But perhaps you would sell for
a price,
81 do not think So
well. would you tell me what
you consider your property worth?'
81 never thought much about it,
said the owner, "but have refused
Continued on Page Five)