Jake's Place

In the 1950s Jake (Old Jake) and Myra Alligood, along with their son, Little Jake, ran the island's teenage night spot. Everyone just called it "Old Jake's Place" although the sign above the porch advertised it as the "Channel Bass Inn." One side was half a quonset hut from the decommissioned Navy Base; the other side was a wood-frame addition.

Inside was a small store where Old Jake sold soft drinks, ice cream, cigarettes, and a few other items. Wooden benches lined the walls, and a Wurlitzer juke box played popular records of the day. Dancing the jitterbug, and occasionally an island square dance, contributed to the merriment.

Old Jake's Place was the most popular hangout when I was a teenager. When it closed at 10 pm we roamed the sandy lanes, went gigging for flounder in the Sound, or headed home.

(Photos courtesy Ocracoke Preservation Society)

Our latest Ocracoke Newletter is the story of Augustus Cabarrus, early inlet pilot, and the present day d'Oelsnitz family. Click here to read the Newsletter: Ocracoke...The French Connection.