Abstract:
Manteo resident Marguerite Lyle Drinkwater Booth vividly recalls the stories her father would tell her about the early glory days of aviation that took place on the Outer Banks. Her father, Alpheus W. Drinkwater, was a salvage officer, local telegraph operator, and avid aviation enthusiast. As a telegraph operator, Drinkwater relayed the first message of the Wright Brothers' first successful flight and sent many communications instrumental in the US governments's acquisition of aircraft for military purposes.