The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1958-08-22
MILLIONS INVOLVED in THE
TRANSFER OF $4,000 ACRES
FOR DEVELOPMENT In HYDE
New Owners Already on Ground Preparing to
Harvest 2 Million Feet Of Timber and To Put
Thousands Of Acres of New Land Near EneeI-
hard Into Farming; Largest Land Deal in
Hyde's Recent History

For a consideration of two and
one half million dollars, there has
just been transferred near Engel-
hard in Hyde County a tract of
land containing 73,493 acres, and
having on it 81, 100000 log feet of
timber, constituting the biggest
land and timber deal in the history
of the county, and which may
bring spectacular development and
activity to eastern Hyde.
- This tract of land, lying north
east of Engelhard, and binding the
Dare County line between the Long
Shoal and Alligator Rivers, was
brought by William A. Powe of
Hattiesburg, Miss. and Havana,
Cuba. and Joseph P. Smith Of
jackson, Miss. and Greensboro, N.
C.
Mr.. Smith is now on the job
at Engelhard, supervising the
project already begun to develop
the land, where heavy machinery
has been moved in and is working
at the clearing of thousand acres
to be put into cultivation right
away, and four thousand more
acres next year.
The development of this land is
expected to bring many more fam
lilies to the Engelhard area in short
order, as the new owners say they
have ample means to continue with
their development and to sell
farms to new owners where they
will find waiting some of the most
productive soil in the state.
A recent cruise of the property
by timber estimators disclosed 81
million feet of merchantable tim
Der, and arrangements have been
made to market a million or more
feet of logs a month. Two dragline
crews and three caterpillars will
be working steadily on the clearing
job. Canals five feet wide and ten
feet deep are being dug through
the property for drainage.
Mr.. Smith, who is now living at
the Engelhard Hotel, with his
young son Conrad, who is a de-
lighted spectator of this new adj
venture says his company has
leased tract of land near Engel-
hard for the erection of 300 #.
tower for Highway Patrol COM
munications in this part of the
state. He has had long experience
in land. timber, oil and construc-
ton ventures, operating in Texas,
Mississippi, Cube and the west
coast. His partner, Mr.. Powe, is a
distributor of heavy land-clearing
and agricultural machinery for the
entire island of Cuba, and has
many other interests there and in
the u. S.
The land is a part of the former
Roper Lumber Co. holdings, and
was owned at the time of purchase
by Sam Broadhead. Several
months ago, H. E. Woodson at
tempted to obtain the property
and develop it, but found it too
big to swing and gave up his OPP
ton in favor of a smaller tract
near Fairfield where he is now
developing large farm.
A loan of more than one million
dollars has been negotiated on this
property.
Ut is significant that the vast
millions of log timber on this tract
of land should have remained so
long, safe from both the woods
mems axe and the disastrous for
est fires which have been so costly
across the river on the Dare Coun-
ty woodlands. Here have been
found vast stands of pine and cy-
press, juniper and gum, the like
of which remain nowhere else in
the three counties of Dare, Hyde
and Tyrrell.
Somewhat comparable, is the
large tract on the west end of the
See TRANSFER, Page Six