Dare County Tourist Bureau Records, ORG.5271
Abstract
The Dare County Tourist Bureau (DCTB) was an organization that aimed to increase tourism to the Outer Banks and promote Dare County to potential visitors across the country. The group distributed promotional materials, created advertising campaigns, organized and participated in events, and contributed articles and press releases to newspapers in order to bolster the tourism industry on the Outer Banks. This collection consists of correspondence, financial records, visitation statistics, committee records, and other administrative files, as well as photographs utilized by the DCTB in their promotional activities.
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Dare County Tourist Bureau Records
- Call Number
- ORG.5271
- Creator
- Dare County Tourist Bureau
- Date
- 1949-1995
- Extent
- 19.200 cubic feet
- Language
- English
- Repository
- Outer Banks History Center
Restrictions on Access & Use
Access Restrictions
Available for research.
Use Restrictions
Copyright is retained by the authors of these materials, or their descendants, as stipulated by the United States copyright law (Title 17 US Code). Individual researchers are responsible for using these materials in conformance with copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying these materials.
Preferred Citation
[identification of item], ORG.5271, Dare County Tourist Bureau Records, Outer Banks History Center, Manteo, NC, U.S.A.
Collection Overview
The Dare County Tourist Bureau Records, 1949-1995, contains organizational records and photographs created by the DCTB over the course of its existence. Materials in this collection date from the time of the DCTB's inception in the early 1950s, but the bulk of the collection relates to the DCTB's operations in the 1970s-1990s. The collection is arranged into nine series: Administrative Records, Meeting Minutes, Committees, Correspondence, Financial Records, Advertising Campaigns and Promotions, Events and Conferences, Extrinsic Organizations, and Photographs.
Arrangement Note
This collection is arranged into nine series: Administrative Records, Meeting Minutes,
Committees, Correspondence, Financial Records, Advertising Campaigns and Promotions,
Events and Conferences, Extrinsic Organizations, and Photographs. Most folders are
arranged alphabetically within each series. Original folder titles have been retained.
Biographical/Historical
The Dare County Tourist Bureau (DCTB) was established in 1951 with the goal of expanding
the tourism industry and increasing visitorship in Dare County. It also aimed to expand
the tourism season beyond the traditional Memorial-Day-to-Labor-Day period. As part
of this initiative, a full-time position of news director was created and offered
to notable coastal photographer and promoter Aycock Brown. The DCTB's budget for its
inaugural year was $10,000, which was raised through a combination of corporate sponsorships
and pledges from local business owners. The DCTB promoted the Outer Banks by distributing
several articles per week to newspapers across the country, fielded inquiries from
potential visitors, interfaced with journalists and other members of the media interested
in writing articles about the Outer Banks, and extensively photographed area events,
people, attractions, and sites.
The DCTB's first major initiative was the Dare Coast Pirate's Jamboree, a festival
that was held annually during the spring shoulder season from 1955 to 1964. This event
attracted thousands of visitors to Dare County each year. As the work of the DCTB
expanded, funding was obtained by introducing legislation into the North Carolina
General Assembly awarding the DCTB with a share of the profits from the sale of alcoholic
beverages in Dare County. Promotional efforts on behalf of the DCTB, largely spearheaded
by Aycock Brown and his colleague Sarah Owens, continued to expand throughout the
1960s and 1970s.
The DCTB established a visitor center in Kitty Hawk in 1984, which was named the Aycock
Brown Welcome Center in honor Brown, who had died earlier that year. The DCTB continued
to operate until 1991, when the General Assembly passed a one percent increase in
the food and beverage tax and occupancy tax for Dare County. This legislation required
the creation of a board to oversee the allocation of the funds, and the DCTB was dissolved
and essentially recreated as the Dare County Tourism Board.
Contents of the Collection
1. Administrative Records, 1951-1994
Scope and Content:
This series contains the individual papers of DCTB staff and board members as well as files and information collected and utilized by DCTB administrators. Included in this series are papers related to the DCTB's annual banquet, surveys and data related to tourism in North Carolina, files on topics pertinent to tourism in Dare County and for which the DCTB was sought for input (such as occupancy and accommodations taxes), inquiry lists, and statistics on visitation at the DCTB welcome center and other sites, including area attractions such as the Wright Brothers Memorial and Marine Resources Center. Also included are several folders of newsclippings collected by DCTB staff on various topics related to Outer Banks tourism.
2. Meeting Minutes, 1959-1995
Scope and Content:
The records in this series document the meetings of the DCTB executive board. Folders are arranged chronologically by meeting date and may include typewritten meeting minutes, agendas, officers' and committees' reports, financial reports, handwritten notes, and correspondence related to the meeting. The bulk of the materials in the series date from the late 1980s and early 1990s.
3. Committees, 1975-1995
Scope and Content:
The Committees series contains papers created by the DCTB's various standing and ad hoc committees. Materials in this series include reports, notes, correspondence, minutes, and background information gathered by committee members for meetings. The bulk of the materials in the series relate to the Budget and Finance Committee and the Advertising and Promotion Committee.
4. Correspondence, 1950-1993
Scope and Content:
The bulk of this series consists of general correspondence and memoranda between DCTB
staff and both internal and external correspondents. Several 1980 letters focus on
government appropriations to support improvements to infrastructure along the U.S.
Highway 158 Bypass and public transportation in Dare County. Other items from the
early 1980s relate to the impending America's 400th Anniversary celebrations and saving
the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse from destruction due to beach erosion.
Of note in this series are several folders of information requests received by the
office from potential visitors inquiring about attractions, events, fishing conditions,
employment opportunities, and accommodations in the area. Several 1964 requests are
from Black correspondents seeking information about integrated accommodations in the
wake of the passage of that year's Civil Rights Act. A large number of information
requests were sent by elementary and high school students requesting materials for
class projects on the history of North Carolina and the Outer Banks.
Also of note is a folder of complaint letters. These letters describe problems encountered
by visitors while staying in the Outer Banks, such as speeding tickets, sales disputes,
and unsatisfactory accommodations. This folder also includes letters expressing dissatisfaction
with the DCTB itself.
5. Financial Records, 1954-1993
Scope and Content:
Records in this series primarily consist of budgets, audits, and other financial data. Included in this series is a folder of paperwork related to clients with whom the DCTB worked who had filed for bankruptcy.
6. Advertising Campaigns and Promotions, 1950-1994
Scope and Content:
This series contains correspondence, planning documents, ephemera, financial data, and other papers related to the various advertising campaigns and promotional projects in which the DCTB participated or for which they were contracted. Many of these campaigns targeted local attractions and events, such as fishing tournaments and anniversary celebrations, designed to bring tourists to the Outer Banks. The papers in this series contain extensive documentation of the various businesses (especially restaurants and hotels) operating on the Outer Banks in the late 1970s-1980s.
Accommodations Directory, 1978-1983
Scope and Content:
The Accommodations Directory was a special project of the DCTB. This listing of Outer Banks accommodations, including hotels, motels, cottages, campgrounds, and RV parks, was distributed to tens of thousands of potential visitors every year. Business owners were given the opportunity to have a standard listing in the directory free of charge, with the option to upgrade to improved advertising for a fee. This subseries contains papers related to the production of the Accommodations Directory, including correspondence with business owners, press releases, financial records, intra-office correspondence and memos, proof pages, and notes.
Aycock Brown's Outer Banks, 1976-1981
Scope and Content:
Aycock Brown's Outer Banks was published by the Dare County Tourist Bureau in 1977 to honor Outer Banks photographer and longtime DCTB affiliate, Aycock Brown. The book included 300 of his photographs alongside articles and anecdotes by notable journalists and writers. The materials in this subseries relate to the publication and sales of the book, primarily consisting of financial data, sales records, correspondence, contracts and other legal documents, newspaper clippings, and a few drafts of articles.
Press Releases, 1950-1987
Scope and Content:
This subseries contains press releases written or collected by DCTB staff. Many of the press releases relate to DCTB events and meetings, but many others are promotional press releases announcing local events, anniversaries, weather conditions, and local interest pieces designed to attract visitors to the Outer Banks. Some press releases were issued by the National Park Service. The bulk of the press releases in this series have been arranged chronologically, but a small number of items were filed by DCTB staff by topic. These can be found at the beginning of the subseries.
Vacation Guide, 1983-1994
Scope and Content:
The Vacation Guide was a joint venture between the DCTB and the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce. The guide was published annually in an effort to attract visitors to the Outer Banks. Over 200,000 copies were printed annually. Advertising packages were sold to local businesses who placed advertisements in the guide. Most of the material in this series consists of financial data related to advertising sales and production costs for the guide, but correspondence, notes, and drafts of content are also included.
7. Events and Conferences, 1949-1995
Scope and Content:
This series contains files related to the various events and conferences with which the DCTB was involved. Many events in this series are local to the Outer Banks, but also represented are travel shows, conferences, meetings of professional organizations, and other events attended by DCTB staff. Materials primarily consist of event programs and flyers, itineraries, correspondence, planning documents, and a small number of photographs.
America's 400th Anniversary, 1979-1987
Scope and Content:
From 1984 to 1987, the state of North Carolina celebrated the 400th anniversary of Sir Walter Raleigh's colonization attempts (1584-1587), which was marketed as America's 400th Anniversary. This anniversary was observed by counties and municipalities across the state, who organized local events, created marketing materials, mobilized community groups, and distributed educational materials in support of the celebration. The focal point of the anniversary events was Dare County, the landing site of Raleigh's colonies. The DCTB was heavily involved in both local and statewide planning for the event. This subseries contains correspondence, meeting minutes, planning materials, promotional materials, itineraries, research files, and other papers related to America's 400th Anniversary. The papers in this subseries largely focus on Dare County events, but documentation of observances in other counties and municipalities as well as state-level planning materials are also included.
8. Extrinsic Organizations, 1955-1995
Scope and Content:
This series contains files related to organizations that interacted with the DCTB in some capacity. Some organizations partnered with the DCTB on projects. Others organized projects and initiatives in which the DCTB had an interest. Included in this series are files related to professional organizations with which the DCTB and its staff were affiliated, such as the North Carolina Travel Council and the North Carolina Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus. Materials include correspondence, flyers and promotional material, conference proceedings and agendas, newsletters, marketing plans, and meeting minutes.
9. Photographs, 1949-1992
Scope and Content:
The photographs in this collection were primarily used by DCTB staff in newspaper articles, brochures, press releases, and other materials used to publicize the Dare County coast. The photographs depict local people, events, buildings, and scenic views. Because the DCTB heavily emphasized recreational fishing in their publicity, a large portion of this series consists of images of charter boats, fishing tournaments, trophy catches, surf fishing, and other fishing-related content. Most of the photographs in this series were taken by DCTB staff photographers, such as Aycock Brown and J. Foster Scott.
Subject Headings
Acquisitions Information
Donated by the Dare County Tourist Bureau, January 1994, December 1995, and April 1996; and Ina Evans Ernst, July 2011.