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Trinity Center History
A Circle of Love
The Trinity, then is a
circle of love
in which all three persons
are constantly present
in and with the others,
and the work of the Trinity
is all one work
creating love in us
Brant Pelphrey
The sixty-two acres that comprise Trinity Camp, Conference and Retreat Center were given to the Diocese of East Carolina in 1949 by Alice Green Hoffman and the children of Eleanor Alexander Roosevelt: Grace Roosevelt McMillan, Mrs. Quentin Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, III and Cornelius Van Shaack Roosevelt, the heirs of Alice Hoffman.
In 1917 Alice Hoffman purchased all the land that now consists of the Towns of Pine
Knoll Shores, Indian Beach and the unincorporated fishing community of Salter Path,
North Carolina on Bogue Banks, an outer banks island off the coast of Morehead City.
Along with the land, Alice Hoffman had purchased a hunting lodge on the sound side of the island and set about to enlarge the house and add seven storm cellars. She spent much of her time in this house, loving the maritime forest which covered the area and befriending many residents of the Salter Path community who actually lived on her property.
 When Alice Hoffman gave the sixty-two acres of land measured from Bogue Sound to
the Atlantic Ocean, to the Diocese of East Carolina, the deed stipulated that the property was to be used for a camp site and conference center for young people and
adults, and for other religious purposes; the Diocese had five years from the
conveyance date to “put the property in condition for some of the uses herein before set
out”. This was a tall order for a poor diocese in rural, Eastern Carolina, but the Layman’s
Association of the Diocese asked to build a small place on the beach side of the site
and the diocese added a motel-type building for a sleeping area. While this structure
satisfied the terms of the deed and was all the Diocese could afford at the time, it was
not until 1986 that Trinity Center became a reality, with further additions being
completed in 1997. Two decisions made at the outset of construction of Trinity Center
have helped to account for the success of the Center: 1) great care was taken to save
large oak trees and preserve the maritime forest 2) the camp and conference center
was designed to be large enough to attract non-profit groups in order to support
financially the programs of the Episcopal Diocese.
We invite you to visit as the history continues.
All shall be well and all shall be well
And you shall see for yourself
All shall be well
Julian of Norwich
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