Herbert Hoover Letter and Photographs, 1928, PC.5057

Abstract

Herbert Hoover (then Secretary of Commerce) visited the Outer Banks in 1928 to assess the site of the future Wright Brothers National Memorial. This collection consists of four photographs and a letter surrounding Hoover's visit. The photographs depict Hoover and his party boarding a boat in Manteo. The letter, dated 2 May 1928, was written by Hoover to Etheridge Midgett, Section Supervisor of the U.S. Coast Guard station in Manteo, thanking Midgett for his section's hospitality during the visit.

Descriptive Summary

Title: Herbert Hoover Letter and Photographs
Call Number: PC.5057
Creator: Hoover, Herbert, 1874-1964
Date: 1928
Extent: 0.170 cubic feet, 0.010 cubic feet
Language: English English
Repository: Outer Banks History Center

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Collection Contents

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], PC.5057, Herbert Hoover Letter and Photographs, Outer Banks History Center, Manteo, NC, U.S.A.

Collection Overview

This collection consists of four photographs and a letter surrounding Herbert Hoover's visit to the Outer Banks in 1928. The photographs depict Hoover and his party boarding a boat in Manteo. The letter, dated 2 May 1928, was written by Hoover to Etheridge Midgett, Section Supervisor of the U.S. Coast Guard station in Manteo, thanking Midgett for his section's hospitality during the visit.

Arrangement Note

Chronological

Biographical/Historical

In March 1927, the United States Congress passed the Wright Brothers Memorial Act, which authorized the construction of a monument commemorating the Wright Brothers. Under the act, the Secretaries of War, Navy, and Commerce were charged with forming a commission to select a site for the monument. The Secretary of Commerce, Herbert Hoover, joined the Kill Devil Hills Memorial Association and traveled to the Outer Banks in 1928 to assess the Association's proposed site for the monument. Hoover supported a utilitarian design for a monument, including a new coast guard station and a beacon for mariners, while both the Association and the Commission of Fine Arts (which was charged with overseeing the design of the monument) advocated for a purely aesthetic structure. Hoover relented, and the cornerstone of the monument was laid in December 1928.

Contents of the Collection

Collection Contents

Herbert Hoover Letter and Photographs, 1928

Box 1

Subject Headings

Kill Devil Hills (N.C.)--History--20th century

Manteo (N.C.)--History--20th century

Wright Brothers National Memorial (N.C.)

Acquisitions Information

Donated by the Outer Banks History Center Associates, August 2000.

Processing Information

Processed by Samantha Crisp, December 2017.