Charles B. Wade, Jr. Papers, PC.5071

[Identification of item], PC.5071, Charles B. Wade, Jr. Papers, Outer Banks History Center, Manteo, N.C., U.S.A.

The Charles B. Wade, Jr. Papers consist primarily of Wade's correspondence, covering virtually every aspect of the construction, from the planning stages to the outfitting and vessel launching. The correspondence also discusses channel dredging and licensing issues over the use of the ship's image during the 400th anniversary celebration. Correspondence includes communication, both to and from, William Avery Baker, Stanley Potter, O. Lie-Nielsen, Lindsey Warren, and David Stick.

This collection is arranged topically.

The North Carolina General Assembly created America's 400th Anniversary Committee (AFHAC) in 1973, to plan the celebration of the quadricentennial of the Roanoke Voyages. Chaired by Dr. H. G. Jones, the original committee consisted of seven men and three women. The committee included Paul Green, Emma Neal Morrison, William S. Powell, David Stick, Dr. Herbert R. Paschal, Dr. Frell M. Owl, Elizabeth Van Moore, and Margot E. Tillitt. From the time of AFHAC's creation, one of Governor Hunt's primary objectives was to obtain a ship similar to those that the colonists would have sailed on during their journey from England to Roanoke Island. Governor Hunt hoped this ship could become one of the cornerstones of the quadricentennial celebration.

Hunt created a ship sub-committee and appointed Charles B. Wade, Jr. as it's chairman. Wade, a native of Carteret County, was a graduate of Duke University and vice-president of the R. J. Reynolds Company. According to David Stick's manuscript on AFHAC, the "ship committee was a one-member operation from start to finish," and that Wade "pursued the objective with a determination befitting a long time corporate executive." In February 1979, Wade met with William Avery Baker, a leading architect of period vessels. Avery concluded that there were no prints or plans of any specific vessel used in the Roanoke voyages, so a ship similar in size and representative of one in use at the time would have to be designed and built. Avery recommended three vessels for use as a model, the 140-ton , the 120-ton , and the 50-ton .

The , a square rigged, three-masted bark, was chosen as the model. Naval architect Stanley Potter was hired to design the ship and O. Lie-Nielsen of Rockland, Maine was awarded the contract to build the vessel. The ship was named the and construction began in 1982 on the site of Roanoke Island boat building pioneer George Washington Creef's old boat works, which had been donated to the town of Manteo by Creef's heirs. Measuring 69 feet long, 17 feet wide, and drawing eight feet of water, the was launched in November 1983, and is now the centerpiece of Roanoke Island Festival Park.

1. Correspondence, 1978-1984

2. Meeting Minutes, America's 400th Anniversary Sub-Committee on the Ship Elizabeth II, 1978-1981

3. Report on Visitation at the 400th Anniversary of the Roanoke Voyages, 1984-1987

Donated by Charles B. Wade, Jr. in 1994.