The Times News

WILL RESTORE FORT RALEIGH
Task Has Been Set Aside As One Of CWA Objectives
By J. C. BASKERVILL
The Times-News Bureau
Sir Walter Hotel
RALEIGH, Jan. 13.—Old Fort Raleigh, on Roanoke Island, site of the first English colony in North Carolina, and founded in 1585 by the second expedition sent over by Sir Walter Raleigh, is to be restored. The project calling for the expenditure of $20,000 and the rebuilding of the old fort, or more accurately of the first and original "City of Raleigh," as it was first called by the colonists who built it, has at last been approved by Mrs. Thomas O'Berry, state civil works administrator. Construction work is expected to get under way next week, under the general supervision of the department of conservation and development, with Frank Stick of Elizabeth City, chairman of the recently appointed North Carolina Coastal Development association, in personal charge of the work.

It has been known here that this project has been under consideration for some time. But it could not be approved as a CWA project as long as the site of the old fort remained in the name of private individuals. This site since 1892 has been the property of the Roanoke Colony Memorial association, which was organized for the purpose of acquiring the land upon which the old fort, or more accurately, the original "City of Raleigh," built by Sir Walter's second expedition, is supposed to have been built. This site consists of 16.45 acres bordering on Roanoke Sound, on the northern tip of Roanoke Island, some three miles from Manteo, the county seat of what is now Dare county, and of which Roanoke Island is a part. The last obstacle to the restoration of the old fort was removed this week, however, when the Roanoke Colony Memorial association deeded the land embracing this site to the State Historical commission, thus making it state-owned property and subject to improvement with CWA funds.

Thus the dream of those who started the Roanoke Colony Memorial association 43 years ago for the purpose of acquiring the site of the old settlement with a view to eventually restoring it whenever funds could be obtained, is about to come true. The deed transferring the property from the Colony Memorial association to the State Historical commission was recorded by the clerk of court in Manteo on Thursday, Director R. B. Etheridge of the department of conservation and development said today.

The conservation department which is expected to have general supervision not only over the work of restoring the fort and the original settlement on the island, is also expected to have general administration of it after it is completed, since it will in effect be similar to a state park, despite the fact that the title is in the name of the State Historical commission. This department also feels that it is unusually fortunate in being able to secure the services of Mr. Stick, to personally supervise the work of restoration, who as an artist, naturalist and historian has given much study to the plans for rebuilding the old settlement. He has already prepared a drawing of the proposed restoration of the settlement, after an exhaustive research into historical archives.

"While I have been unable to find any authoritative plan of the original settlement, which incidentally, was not only a fort, but an entire settlement which included the fort and called 'The City of Raleigh' by its builders, I am convinced that the settlement was considerably larger than has been generally believed," Mr. Stick said in discussing his plans. "The references to the settlement in some of the historical sources indicate that several of the buildings, though built of logs, were quite large, comfortable and commodious. So we are planning to follow out the plans of the original builders of the settlement and restore the entire settlement as well as the fort."

The present plans call for the building of a split cedar palisade around the entire site, as well as the reconstruction of the fort and other buildings within the enclosure. It is also hoped that either now or later, additional funds can be obtained for the building of a museum to house relics and objects of historical interest. The construction of a rustic, open air pavilion is also contemplated within the enclosure.

Valuable assistance to the entire project has also been given by Governor Ehringhaus, who has been greatly interested in it, Mr. Etheridge said.