Dr. James N. Lowery (1911-1990) Founder of Hattadare Indian

Dr. James N. Lowery Sr. (AKA) Dr. Chief Little Beaver) (1911-1990) Started in 1973, Lowery began studying the Native Americans of Robeson County and the adjoining counties back in 1955, trying to uncover their origins, suggesting that they were of mixed race unrecognized by the federal government and without a tribal name. From the spring of 1955 until the fall of 1972, Dr. Lowery did his research. Following the trail of John Lawson (1674-1711), who often traveling by canoe down the various waterways in eastern North Carolina. Lowery became aware of Lawson’s description of the Hatteras Indians, having blue eyes and reporting to have white ancestors. Lowery related this to his own family history claiming that his grandmother (a daughter of Henry Berry Lowery), had been told by her grandmother that the Native Americans in Robeson County were a mix of Hatteras Indians and settlers of White’s lost colony. Dr. Lowery's grandmother also stated that Virginia Dare, the daughter of Ananias and Eleanor Dare and the first English child born in North America, was buried near Red Springs in Robeson County.  In an effort to reunite all 27 different eastern North Carolina tribes under one name, Lowery formed the North Carolina Indian Adventure (NCIA) and set out to come up with an appropriate name for these tribes.  Lowery came to the conclusion of "Hattadare,"  by combining the name of the Hatteras Indians with that of the Dare family would be an appropriate tribal name for these people. Dr. Lowery saw the NCIA as a means to educate Native Americans. "We felt the government should help the Native Americans to educate themselves as to what they are rather than use them for commercial purposes and the underdog of the three races we have in America today".  Dr. Lowery still had grand visions of a complex half the size of a football field with a library, a museum, and a 3,000-seat auditorium. The (Yellow Sculpture) located under the Hattadare sign was a small scale size Replica thats intent to be an outdoor theatre to dramatize a play he had already written, titled “From Where Our Forefathers Came.”  In November of 1973 a meeting was held to select a chief and five chief councilmen to represent the Hattadare Indian Tribe. The chief councilmen were Don Underwood of Johnson County, D. H. Baker of Wake County, Jim Lowry of Robeson County, Ken Marsh of Durham County and Horace Harding of Robeson County.  According to an article in The Robesonian of November 12, 1973, the tribe counted “500 true blooded Hattadare Indians”, and they were planning a special Thanksgiving celebration. In 1985, Dr. James Lowery was interviewed by a reporter of the Raleigh Times.  At that point the park supposedly attracted nearly 1,500 visitors annually coming from as far away as Russia, Germany, England, Canada, and Africa.  Lowery passed away in 1990. The Hattadare were never officially recognized, and the park has continued to stay open..