Notice the power pole in the distance. The poles were erected along what is now NC Highway 12. This photo was probably taken in the area called The Plains (between the edge of the village and the NPS campground). Before Hwy 12 was paved in 1957, and a continuous row of dunes artificially built up to protect the new road, the ocean periodically washed over the flats during exceptionally high tides.
Today this area is thick with yaupons, myrtles, cedars and other vegetation.
This month's Ocracoke Newsletter is a reproduction of a 1960s booklet titled The Great Ocracoke Cat Hunt. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news092115.htm.
Philip,
ReplyDeleteA year or 2 after the Bonner bridge was first built we went to Ocracoke. It was rough and raw and GREAT. No commercialism except for a few motels.
That was a long time ago but I think we walked to the beach from about where the pony pens are now and there was a large wooden shipwreck on the sand. I was around 18 then and it was no big deal. I wish I would have taken more interest in it then so I could remember more about it now. Do you know what the wreck was? It looked pretty big at the time. If you have no idea what I am talking about that's fine. I was just wondering about it yesterday and I figured you might know. Thanks, Pete.......(good blog Philip)
The wreck you describe is probably the George W. Wells that ran ashore in 1913. I wrote about it in our Ocracoke Newsletter: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news072110.htm
DeleteA comment to me from Kevin Duffus:
ReplyDeleteThe “power poles” in the background are more than likely the government’s telegraph line that connected Ocracoke Coast Guard Station with the one at Hatteras Inlet and the chain of other Outer Banks stations to the north. At the time the photo was taken, probably ca. 1940s, those who had electricity got it from a generator.
Thank you Kevin. You are probably correct. Ocracoke got electricity in 1938 when a generator was installed in the village. I am not sure what year we were connected to the larger grid. I will look into that.
DeleteI asked Cousin Blanche if she knew when Ocracoke was connected to the "grid" but she wasn't sure. However, she thought it was before the paved road (NC12) was built from the village to Hatteras Inlet in 1957. If that is the case, this photo may have been taken in the early-mid 1950s, soon after the power poles were erected. I keep searching for answers.
Delete