The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1954-04-09
KITTY HAWKERS
CONSIDER GLORY
PLENTY FOR ALL
Club Writes Off Crusade to
ReWrite History of Air
plane
To The Editor:

To The Editor:
The following letter to the Edi-
tor, indicates that the men who
comprise the Kitty Hawk Civic
Club are not pleased with the
publicity that has been called a
crusade to re-write the history
of the achievement of the Wright
Brothers," inventors of the air
plane. The letter was forwarded
us this week by the Club Secre-
tary, as follows:
1t has been repeatedly brought
to the attention of this Club that
much publicity has been given to
what is called "a Crusade to
Keep History Straight. The said
Crusade appears to have behind
it what seems to be fanatical
and misguided zeal and without
useful purpose. 1t seems more a
crusade to glorify and to get in
print the names of newcomers to
Dare County who have been long
on words and short on deeds. 1t
has been claimed that the mighty
task the author has set upon is
to let the world know that Kitty
Hawk deserves no renown from
the achievements of the Wright
Brothers, but it must forever be
understood that Kill Devil Hills
alone has all the glory.
1t is our opinion that there is
enough glory to go around and
none of the people of Kitty Hawk
have ever objected to sharing this
glory. For many years it has been
claimed the achievements of the
Wrights happened in Dare Coun-
ty. For many years our neighbors
in Elizabeth City and Norfolk
have joined in helping us to cele-
brate this event and all have
shared in the publicity and at
tendant benefits. Now let US say
what history is to be kept
straight. Let US look in the re-
cord.
More than fifty years ago, the
Wrights came to Kitty Hawk be-
cause the report from the Wea-
Their Bureau told them that the
winds blew steadier and stronger
here; this being an essential ele-
ment in their plans, they had per.
haps never heard of Kill Devil
Hills before. At that time, they
were two of the many dunes now
on our coast, and the village thai
is now Kill Devil Hills was only
a cluster of two or three houses
built to shelter the families of the
Coast Guardsmen who manned
the Station for only part of the
year. Some of these people were
of Kitty Hawk and their homes
and their settlement was in par
of the community of Kitty Hawk
and the people came to the Kitty
Hawk neighborhood to do bust
ness with its stores. AS a matter
of fact, the Wrights never flew
their plane from Kill Devil Hills
but from the level beach which
might have been done equally a!
well elsewhere for miles alont
the coast. 1t is true, however
they did use this particular hill
for glider experiments because O
it's elevation. This was better anC
easier than using barn or othe,
types of elevation which haC
been used for such purposes BY
themselves and other scientist
long before.
If we must indulge in sucl
hair-splitting, at such minutes
imal straining at gnats while
swallowing camels, then W.
should rewrite a lot of history
We must rewrite the world
famedhistory of Hatteras, with it
tragic shipwrecks and the hero
ism of brave men who facet
death and fought the storms o
Diamond Shoals to save the live
of others. We must rewrite al
this great history, correct tn
history books and do might.
tasks to get everybody thinking
where this history happened. !
didn't happen at Hatteras;
happened at Diamond Shoals
many more miles from Hattera
than Kitty Hawk is from Xii
Devil Hills.
AS in the battle of Waterloo
which resulted in the downfall
of the mighty Napoleon; tina
battle as matter of fact wa
not fought in Waterloo but som
,, miles away. The history of nearl
$50 years must be rewritten. N
doubt we would find that tn
famous battle of Valley Forg
didn't actually happen at Vale,
Forge; or the battle of Gettys
burg at Gettysburg. Why not tax
first things first and rewrite som
earlier history and bring it all u
to date. Do we need to get in
"tizzy" because Dare County
booming real estate development
has made possible the establish
ment of a poStoffice at orr. thriv