The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1952-05-30
MILLION DOLLAR MUSEUM
in MEMORY OF WRIGHTS IS
DREAMFOR KILL DEVIL HILLS
Committee Meeting in Raleigh Considers
Ways and Means Tuesday to Provide Add
ton to Shrine at the Birthplace of Avia-
ton; Construction Planned During 1853.

RALEIGH, May 28.-Plans were
shaped here yesterday for the
erection of a $1,OOO,OOO Wright
brothers memorial museum on
windswept Kill Devil Hill.
A group of aviation leaders, ar
chivists and North Carolinians
reached agreement on the prelim-
mary details at a meeting with
Governor Scott.
The Governor, honorary chair
man of the organization commit
tee, said the group hopes to COM
plete the museum by December
II, 1858, the day on which the
world will celebrate the 50th an
niversary of the Wright brothers
historic flight.
Committee Picked
A committee headed by David
Stick of Kill Devil Hill was ap-
pointed by the Governor to push
arrangements for financing the
museum. The funds would be rails
ed by the aviation industry and
from private contributors, with
the National Park Service coop
Grating in the construction and
maintenance of the building.
The committee was named the
Wright Memorial Committee of
the Kill Devil Hills Memorial So
ciety." Brig. Gen. Frank P. Lair
the society. Miles Clark of Eliza
of Mansfield, o., is president of
beth City is chairman of the board.
Committee members include:
Adm. Dewitt c. Ramsay, presi-
dent of Aircraft Industries Asso-
citation of Washington, d. c., Paul
Edward CARRIER, curator of the Ma
tional Air Museum of Washington,
D. c., Merrill G.. Mega, vice pres
ident of Hearst Corporation of
Chicago, ILL.,, T. n. Davis, president
of Piedmont Airlines of Winston
Salem; Fred C. Kelly, official bio
grapher of the Wright brothers of
Kesington, Md; Ronald F. Lee,
assistant director of the National
Park Service of Washington, D.
c.; Ralph Whitener, organizational
director of the Air Force Asso-
citation of Washington, D. c. DIR.
C. C. Crittenden, director of Ar
chives and History, and D. Victor
Meekins of Manteo.
Landing Field Planned
The museum will be located near
the spot from which Orville and
Wilbur Wright made the worlds
first flight in a heavier-than-air
craft, spot now marked by the
present Wright Memorial. 1t will
house scale models of gliders and
other aircraft built by the Wright
brothers, and the workshop and
hanger used by them will be re-
constructed. The plans also call for
a landing field for light planes.
Admiral Ramsay, Lee and Whit
ener were appointed members of
an executive committee to draft
pilot plans for raising needed
funds.
After the meeting, the group
lunched at the Governors Man
sion with Kay Kyser and Control
Ter William d. Carmichael of the
University of North Carolina. The
new film, "The Lost Colony" was
exhibited.
The committee said in state
ment that the museum would ac-
quaint Kill Devil Hill visitors with
the ''fact" that the Wright broth
ers were scientists rather than
thrill seeking adventurers.'
g. They first studied all avail
able information regarding flight,
carefully double checked what they
had read, and them" the committee
said, Gin many cases found it
necessary to discard what had
heretofore been accepted as basic
principles of flight, and conducted
completely new experiments Of
their own"
'All this" the committee claim
ed, needs to be depicted usually,
and more; for even today the av-
erage visitor to the Wright Mem
orial doesn't seem to be aware
See MUSEUM, Page Eight