The Shore Line changes as 1977 progresses. It adds writers, moves from black mimeograph print to blue stencil, reduces frequency of issues, grows from four to six pages, introduces yellow paper and begins to use double-sided sheets. There is no shortage of news and interesting stories, but first a look at what is happening with the paper.
Mary Doll and Betty Hammon seem to be running out of steam. In August, they write:
THE SHORELINE DEADLINE HANGS over our heads like an ominous rain cloud each month (a month goes by at about the speed a week did in one’s youth) and we find that lately, as wives of traveling, working husbands, we are traveling too (not working too, but traveling too). And so, one morning recently, we had a summit meeting over coffee and buttermilk biscuits, and we made a staggering decision: FROM SEPTEMBER ON, WE WILL PUBLISH THE SHORE LINE FOUR TIMES A YEAR.
So, they produce no paper in October and November of 1977, and the first issue in 1978 appears in March.
In September 1977, they introduce new writers in a rather quaint way, politically incorrect by today’s standards:
…the George Eastlands are joining our, for want of a better word, ‘staff,’ and we are enormously pleased, sighing with joy, actually. They’ve done a couple of stories for us this time. You’re going to love the new style and approach to things.
They are George and Moni Eastland, who recently moved to Salter Path Road in Pine Knoll Shores.
One of the first articles George Eastland writes is “Alice Roosevelt Slept Here.” Unfortunately, from the perspective of recent research, the historical accuracy of his article is questionable.
The “Here” he is referring to is the small section of Alice Hoffman’s house serving as the first town hall. He claims Hoffman’s cousin Alice Roosevelt liked to stay there, but all evidence gathered by the town’s History Committee confirms it was Hoffman’s kitchen not a bedroom.
And, was “Alice Roosevelt” here? Yes, grandchildren of President Theodore Roosevelt, children of Alice Hoffman’s niece, developed Pine Knoll Shores, and among them was Grace Roosevelt, but no Alice Roosevelt. Alice Hoffman was not a blood relative of the Roosevelts, and, though TR’s eldest daughter Alice was Hoffman’s contemporary, no other historical record of her visit seems to exist. A relationship between these two emancipated women would, however, make an interesting story.
Alice Green Hoffman (L) and Alice Lee Roosevelt (R) from The Theodore Roosevelt Center online site
Eastland correctly concludes, “The house was an intricate part of the fabric of Bogue Banks,” but incorrectly refers to “its razing.” In fact, sections of the house were sold at auction.
In any case, its dismantling was, as he states, “a loss to the island.” Unfortunately, the one remaining wing serving as town hall in 1977 is also destined for the auction block; a new “municipal building” will replace it.
Alice Hoffman's house before it was removed from its original PKS site.
(See story of her house on this blog.)
The progress of plans for the new municipal building appears in almost every 1977 issue of the Shore Line. January begins with a thank-you to volunteers for helping clear the site. A February story looks back to 1971, when the Roosevelts “gave the town acreage where the present town hall stands… and where a proposed town hall and firehouse would be located.” In March comes an indication that there will be a referendum on the overall “plan for a municipal complex.” April provides “BIG NEWS: The plans for the proposed building for PKS municipal area are on display….” These “exciting, contemporary style” plans include offices and work areas as well as space for fire and police departments. In July, a public hearing on the new municipal complex is held.
Commissioners are proposing $375,000 in bonds, underwritten by the FHA and divided to cover construction, equipment and “a pumper.” The town has a matching grant from the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources to equip “a surplus army vehicle” for fire and rescue purposes. A “grant” to purchase a rescue vehicle was dependent upon the town’s having “a trained volunteer rescue squad made up of certified Emergency Medical Technicians or Ambulance Attendants.” (A few residents are already qualified, and more are in the process of getting certified.)
In August, there is a referendum. “Yes” votes mean Pine Knoll Shores will have not only a new town hall but also its own fire department. The issues pass easily with 189 voting, fewer than “half the registered voters” and a small fraction of the total population.
Shore Line writers, while engaging in forward-looking plans for the town, devote considerable space to looking back. In addition to Eastland’s “Alice Slept Here” story, we are given a brief history of the town’s development, providing insights on what constitutes Pine Knoll Shores in 1977. The history divides development into two phases: “In the first phase, land was designated for a golf course, an ocean park, and one on the Sound, and the section now known as ‘old’ Pine Knoll Shores was laid out.”
This 1967 ad shows roughly what constituted PKS in the 1970s.
A description of phase two defines what was “old” and “new” in 1977. Land in the “new” part of town was “…low and even swampy, so a drainage ditch was dredged which drained the area and provided fill for low-lying sections. This drainage ditch is now our beautiful canal along which are so many attractive homes.” Also,
… a channel was dredged on the south shore of the Sound paralleling what is now Oakleaf Drive. The canal and channel make the greater portion of the second phase of Pine Knoll Shores an island within an island, accessible on Oakleaf at McNeill Inlet bridge and by the Mimosa bridge near the Ocean Park at Salter Path. In addition to the main ‘canal,’ there are branches and basins—Brock Basin, Hall Haven, Davis Landing, Hopper’s Hideaway, Hearth’s Cove, and King’s Corner.
The above place names appear without further explanation but provide a good list of key players in the early development of the town. George McNeill, a local attorney, worked for the Roosevelts and drew up many of the original legal documents that determined the character of Pine Knoll Shores. Don Brock did early survey work here as an employee of Henry Von Ossen and Associates, became an employee of the Roosevelts and played a key development role from the 1960s through the 1980s. A.C. Hall, Raleigh City Planner and owner of the Atlantis Lodge, drew up plans for “new” Pine Knoll Shores. A.C. Davis, a heavy-equipment contractor, dredged canals and made equipment available to clear other land as the town developed. Harry Hopper, a management consultant, worked for the Roosevelts through Stone and Webster management firm. Ted Hearth, an attorney for the Roosevelts, also worked for Stone and Webster. Charles King was a land planner, who did survey work during the development of the so-called “new” Pine Knoll Shores.
But a newer Pine Knoll Shores is yet to come: “And now, plans are being made for another beautifully planned section of the community to be located to the west of the Roosevelt State Park. These plans include a boat basin for the use of its residents.” This plan is, of course, for Beacon’s Reach.
An early plan for Beacon's Reach
Statistics printed in December put the Pine Knoll Shores of 1977 in perspective. It has a population of 770, less than half its current population. Atlantic Beach and Emerald Isle are even smaller with 560 and 260 respectively, according to the North Carolina League of Municipalities. Morehead City’s population is listed at 5,670 and Beaufort’s at 3,800.
According to the Shore Line, Pine Knoll Shores’ tax rate in 1977 is 20 cents per $100 of assessed property, by far the lowest in the county; however, the value of its real property is the highest in the county— $41,316,000. Emerald Isle, with its long stretch of oceanfront property, is a close second even though its population is the smallest. Interestingly, the listed value of property in Beaufort is only $21,094,680. Later, restoration of historical homes and new development will raise the profile of Beaufort considerably.
For the next several years, coastal development will remain in high gear. By looking back and forward, the Shore Linein 1977 prepares readers for a bigger Pine Knoll Shores.