Jeter Family Visits Ft. Caswell, 1941

Published in the Southport Pilot, March 19, 1941

Frank H. Jeter, extension editor at N.C. State College, was thinking about a place to go with his family on their annual summer vacation this year, so he concluded that he’d come down and investigate facilities at Ft. Caswell, where he was in training during the World War.

He arrived Saturday morning, bringing with him Mrs. Jeter, their daughter, Jane, their son Vernon, and Miss Mary Elizabeth Campbell.

This was the first visit to Southport in 25 years, Mr. Jeter said, as he recalled some experiences while he was stationed at Caswell. “Why, I was a master gunner,” he confessed with a note of pride. “Used to fire one of those eight-inch fellows over there.”

He spent a part of Saturday afternoon over at Ft. Caswell showing his family around, and later they visited Long Beach and Orton Plantation. A proposed Sunday morning visit to Bald Head Island was rained out.

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Published in the Raleigh News & Observer, March 24, 1941

A master gunner at Fort Caswell, where he trained preceding the First World War, Frank H. Jeter, extension editor at State College, came back last week for the first time.

When Mr. Jeter was in training at the fort, the only way to get to and from there was by boat. It was a bit of a novelty to him to make the trip around from Southport in 15 minutes. In fact, the journey of seven miles by paved road can be made in much less than 15 minutes.

The former master gunner simply took time easy on the drive around to the fort in order to explain to his family the difference between what it was years ago and what it is now. He plans to spend this summer vacation in Caswell, provided the government does not reoccupy it.