The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1958-04-25
STORY OF THIS WEEKS PARK
SERVICE DEDICATION AND THE
HISTORY OF THE PROJECT
Cope Ha+teras National Seashore Project Has
Had A Varied and Interesting History Since
It's Inception; Made Possible By State and Fed
era Money, And Gifts From Old Dominion and
Avalon Foundations.

The Cape Hatteras National Sea-
shore Recreational Area which EN-
braces some 70 miles of surf,
sandy beaches and restless dunes
along the picturesque Outer Banks
of North Carolina, was dedicated
as a unit of the National Park
System on Thursday, April "a.
Waters from Old Faithful Gey-
ser in Yellowstone, the Nations
first national park, was blended
with waters from the Atlantic
Ocean as Assistant Secretary of
the Interior Roger C. Ernst for
mally dedicated the first national
seashore.
The dedication was held at 2:3O
pm. at Coquina Beach on Bodie
Island, a few miles north of Ore
gon Inlet. Among distinguished
guests participating in the cere-
mony were Governor Luther H.
Hodges, of North Carolina, Paul
Mellon, representing the Old Do
minion and the Avalon Founda-
tons, former Comptroller General
of the United States, Lindsay C.
Warren and Rear Admiral H. C.
Moore, U. S. Coast Guard Com
mander, Fifth Coast Guard Dis
trict.
The occasion also marked the
opening of the Fourth Annual
Dare Coast Pirates Jamboree and
Governor Hodges crowned this
years pirate King and Queen fol-
lowing the dedication of the sea-
shore. Rulers of the four-day jam
boree will be Miss Mary Burrus,
OF Hatteras, and Linwood Tillett,
of Kitty Hawk.
On the morning of the dedication
a special ceremony was held at
the Park Service Visitor Center
adjacent to the historic Cape Hat
teras Lighthouse to commemorate
the donation of 2,70O acres of land
to the national seashore by the
family of the late Henry Phipps.
A bronze plaque memorializing the
gift was unveiled by Raymond
r. Guest on behalf of his family.
National Park Service Director
Corral L. Wirth presided at both
the morning and afternoon cere-
monies.
The National Seashore extends
from Whalebone Junction at the
southern boundary of Mays Head,
southwark through Ocracoke Is
land. The three islands comprising
the seashore, Bodie, Hatteras, and
Ocracoke, are connected by free
State operated ferries. Two bridges
connect Bodie Island with the
mainland.
Dedication of the National Sea-
shore eliminates movement
launched almost a quarter of a
century gao when survey by the
National Park Service called pub
lie attention to the fact that less
than one percent of the Nations
total coast line was in public own
ership and remaining undeveloped
areas of the seashore were fast
vanishing. At that time the Park
Service was directing emergency
works projects to control erosion
of the Outer Banks and recon-
mended that the Cape Hatteras
National Seashore be established.
In August, 1887, Congress en-
acted Legislation which had been
introduced by Mr.. Warren, then a
Representative from North Caro-
lima, authorizing the establishment
of. the National Seashore.
The legislation provided that
appropriated Federal funds could
not be used to acquire lands for
the seashore. The State of North
Carolina established a Commission
to acquire lands through donation
and purchase.
In 1852 the Avalon and Old Do
minion Foundations, Philanthropic
organizations established by the
See DEDICATION, Page Four