THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 14, 1996 TAG: 9601110152
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY JOHN HARPER
LENGTH: Long : 122 lines
MAYBE, in the late '40s, a fisherman or a beachcomber picked up a seashell to listen to the sound of the surf, and instead heard a voice say, ``Build facilities and visitors will come.''
The suggestion resonated loud and clear on the Outer Banks, from sound to sea.
``All of sudden,'' says Outer Banks historian David Stick, ``we realized if we were to survive in Dare County, we had to increase the tourist trade.''
Stick's statement could be called the birth of a notion.
The Outer Banks economy had sputtered like an old Ford Model-T after World War II. Most of the military personnel stationed here during the war went home. Materials for construction were scarce, and skilled labor was hard to find.
But by late 1949 and early 1950, things were beginning to turn around. Tourists, kept away during the war years, trickled back to the beach. But they needed somewhere to stay, places to eat and things to do.
A group of Manteo people decided to fill the voids.
``My parents made the decision to open a store on the beach,'' says Charles Evans, 51, a Manteo lawyer. ``The neighbors were all wondering why they would invest in something like that.''
Charlie and Evelyn Evans opened ``Evans Store'' in 1949 on a lot next to Jennette's Fishing Pier on a stretch of the beach road (no Bypass in those days), not far from Whalebone Junction. The store sold groceries, fishing tackle, souvenirs, beach supplies, magazines and newspapers.
``We had the only grocery store on the south end of the beach,'' Evans says.
Soon, the Evanses were joined by some other Manteo residents - Goldie, Theodore, Percy and Lib Meekins. The Meekins brothers and their wives built a small but comfortable beachside motel called ``Sea Foam.''
Across the street, Tom McKimmey operated Sam and Omie's, a combination fishing reservation center and restaurant.
``I knew it was a risk when I bought the place from Sam and Omie Tillet,'' McKimmey says. ``But I also knew that something big was happening.''
McKimmey opened his restaurant at 3 a.m. to accommodate the fishermen. ``I enjoyed it, but it was tough,'' he says. ``There were days we took in 13 dollars.''
Also in the neighborhood was Owens' Cafe and Tourist Court. Robert and Clara Owens operated a hot dog stand in downtown Manteo during the war years. In 1946, they opened the small restaurant and a 10-cabin tourist court.
``People thought my dad was crazy to move over there,'' remembers R.V. ``Bobby'' Owens Jr., now chairman of the Dare County Board of Commissioners.
Just south of Sam and Omie's was an Esso filling station, owned by Manteo businessman Paul Dykstra. To the north was Sea Oatel, owned by Archie and Lina Burrus.
``When you consider the risks,'' Evans says, ``they really were a group of Manteo pioneers.''
Other pioneers enjoyed the economic boom. North of the Whalebone Junction development was a cluster of homes and businesses known as ``Nags Head Beach.''
This area, running about a half-mile south of Jockey's Ridge to a mile north of the ridge, was considered the Outer Banks' original resort strip. Businesses in the area included the First Colony Inn, Jockey's Ridge Gift Shop, Newman's Shell and Gift Shop, Doll Gray's Snow Bird Drive-In and the Sea Spray Motel.
Tourism in Dare County had gone from a whimper to a bang. To increase the Outer Banks' visibility, the Dare County Tourist Bureau was organized in 1951. Photographer Aycock Brown and writer David Stick handled the bureau's publicity campaign, which from 1951-1953 saw 15,000 news stories and photographs go to newspapers and news photo services around the country.
Dare County business revenue increased from $512,000 in 1948 to $1,078,000 in 1952.
New businesses were popping up everywhere. The July 12, 1952, edition of the weekly ``Surfside News'' listed three bingo parlors: Nags Head Casino, Al's Surfside Bingo and Leary's Bingo.
The same issue listed two automobile repair shops, 11 hotels, nine restaurants, an ice company, three supermarkets, six real estate brokers (including David Stick, the first licensed broker on the beach), a miniature golf course and driving range and a chiropractor.
The tourism boom continued throughout the 1950s. The dawn of the '60s saw the construction of the 158-Bypass and a whole new battalion of businesses.
Today, more than 8 million visitors annually enjoy the Outer Banks' hospitality, fresh air, natural and historical attractions and the waters of the sounds and ocean.
Officials say there now are 3,800 hotel and motel rooms in Dare County, 20,000 rental units, and 280 eating establishments.
And what of those pioneers? The Evanses sold their market to Ray Cahoon in 1962. It's been expanded as R.V. Cahoon's. Tom McKimmey sold Sam and Omie's to the Waits family in 1973. Theodore, Percy and Lib Meekins are all gone now. Goldie lives in a retirement home in Virginia Beach. Archie Burrus died a few years ago, his wife Lina lives in Manteo. A second and third generation of the Owens family run restaurants.
David Stick is an author and lecturer and lives in Kitty Hawk. Aycock Brown died in 1984. The visitor center in Kitty Hawk bears his name.
The Whalebone cluster is more cluttered now. But even now, a drive along that stretch of the beach road demands a withdrawal from the memory bank.
``It evokes all kinds of memories for me,'' Charles Evans says. ``Those were good times for me growing up. I really have to respect my parents for having the foresight and determination to make the business work.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by AYCOCK BROWN/Courtesy of the Outer Banks History
Center
Whalebone Junction was mostly sand when this aerial photo, looking
toward the northeast, was taken in the mid-1950s.
Photo by ROGER MEEKINS/Courtesy of the Outer Banks History Center
The Nags Head Pier served as a hub for other tourist-related
ventures in the '50s.
Photo by ROGER MEEKINS/Courtesy of the Outer Banks History Center
The aerial photo of the Whalebone sections of Nags Head was taken in
the late '40s or early '50s.
Hotels started springing up along the Nags Head oceanfront in the
early '50s as the Outer Banks tourist boom started taking off.
by CNB