Pawnee

The 1,290 ton steamer sloop Pawnee was launched in Philadelphia in 1859.

Sketch by Philip Howard

In August of 1861, at the beginning of the American Civil War, the Pawnee was assigned to the Atlantic Blockading Squadron, a unit of the US Navy designed to enforce a blockade of Confederate ports. On August 26, the Pawnee sailed to the North Carolina coast. There she was engaged in the first naval engagement of the Civil War, attacks on Fort Hatteras and Fort Clark (August 28–29) near Hatteras Inlet. The Confederate forts quickly capitulated and were subsequently occupied by U.S. troops.

On September 18 Lieutenant James Y. Maxwell  of the Pawnee, in an official report, recounted the destruction of Fort Ocracoke on Beacon Island:

"...[I]n compliance with your orders...I started for Ocracoke on [September 16, 1861] in the steamer Fanny, towing the Pawnee's launch.... [The fort] is called Fort Ocracoke, and is situated on the seaward face of Beacon Island; it was entirely deserted. It is octagonal in shape, contains four shell rooms about 25 feet square, and in the center a large bombproof of 100 feet square, with the magazine within it. Directly above the magazine on each side were four large tanks containing water.

The Destruction of Fort Ocracoke

"The fort has been constructed with great care of sand barrace, covered with earth and turf. The inner framing of the bombproof was built of heavy pine timbers. There were platforms for twenty guns which had been partially destroyed by fire. The gun carriages had been all burned. There were 18  guns in the fort, viz, 4 8-inch shell guns and 14 long 32-pounders."

Our Ocracoke Newsletter for this month is an article by Philip Howard, My Ocracoke, Living amidst 250 years of Howard family history. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news082116.htm. 

Bar Shot

I wonder how many of our readers have seen or noticed this item at the Ocracoke Preservation Museum:

It rests in a glass topped case in the hallway. I didn't measure it, but it is about 20" long, quite rusty and fragile. This item is ammunition shot from a cannon (a "bar shot"), two half-cannonballs connected by an iron bar welded between them. Sometimes the two projectiles were connected with chain (a "chain shot").

When shot from a cannon they whirled through the air, and were quite effective in naval battles for tearing through sails & rigging, and splintering masts and spars.

This item was recovered from the bottom of Pamlico Sound by Fowler O'Neal in the 1950s while he was fishing for flounder. Bar shots were used during the age of sailing ships and black powder. This artifact may date to the Civil War, or even to Blackbeard's time. Take a look at it on your next visit to the Ocracoke Preservation Society Museum.

Our Ocracoke Newsletter for this month is an article by Philip Howard, My Ocracoke, Living amidst 250 years of Howard family history. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news082116.htm. 

Rob Hanks

A few days ago I received this question in an email message: "Who was the ruff looking guy that would just appear out of the woods around the old well (now covered) area if you were walking there [Springer's Point].  He would tell you about Blackbeard and hope you would give him some change.  To my 12 year old mind I was quite certain he was a 'pyrate'  I never learned who he was."

The questioner is referring to Rob Hanks (Robert Dozier Tolson). Rob Hanks (his nickname is a reference to his father Benjamin Henry "Hank" Tolson) was born in 1895, and died in 1961.

OPS Photo, James B. Gaskill Collection

Rob was a memorable island character who, in the 1950s, offered to tell visitors "the story of Ocracoke and Blackbeard" for a dime. He was short and slight of build. He often wore a white sailor's cap, a jacket, and long pants, even in the middle of the summer. Rob Hanks could usually be found at Springer's Point, near where Blackbeard met his end in November, 1718.

If any of our readers remember Rob Hanks, please leave a comment with your story.

Our Ocracoke Newsletter for this month is an article by Philip Howard, My Ocracoke, Living amidst 250 years of Howard family history. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news082116.htm.

Fig Muffins

Gary Mitchell recently made a 30 minute video of Fiddler Dave making fig muffins. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY_QAXSYlQ8

There has been some confusion about fig pollination (even in Fiddler Dave's video). For more information, please read my post from August 17, 2016, for a brief explanation of how our parthenocarpic fig trees propagate without pollination by fig wasps. 

Our Ocracoke Newsletter for this month is an article by Philip Howard, My Ocracoke, Living amidst 250 years of Howard family history. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news082116.htm.

A Summer Story...

...from the 1970s:

Ocracoke was a lot quieter 45 years ago, with much less automobile traffic...and the laid-back nature of island life seemed to nurture eccentricity. One warm summer day a native islander, now deceased (I will leave it up to members of his family to identify him if they wish), decided to cool off by stripping naked and swimming across Silver Lake Harbor.

It was a refreshing swim, and several minutes later he climbed up on shore near the public docks. He immediately realized that he was too tired to swim back to where he had left his clothes, so he grabbed a seat cushion from a nearby skiff, and began walking back to the other side of the harbor. Whenever a car approached he held the seat cushion like one half of a loin cloth...in front when he saw a car coming towards him, or behind his back when he heard a vehicle coming from the other direction. In the rare times when a car approached from both directions he stopped, turned toward the harbor, and held the cushion behind him.

 Many a laugh was had over this story.

Our Ocracoke Newsletter for this month is an article by Philip Howard, My Ocracoke, Living amidst 250 years of Howard family history. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news082116.htm.

Bonfire on the Beach

Tomorrow evening beginning at 7 pm the National Park Service will be offering a Night Sky Appreciation Event at the Ocracoke Lifeguard Beach. Activities include a bonfire, nautical and pirate stories by Capt. Rob Temple, a Night Sky Star Program, and photographing the Milky Way and star trails.

Photo by Craig Roberts

 Ocracoke beach is one of the best places on the East Coast to enjoy the night sky.

For a schedule of events, and more information, please visit http://www.ocracokecurrent.com/141106.

Our Ocracoke Newsletter for this month is an article by Philip Howard, My Ocracoke, Living amidst 250 years of Howard family history. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news082116.htm.

Gascone

On July 28, 2016, I posted a blog about the Ocracoke family names, Gaskins & Gaskills.

A few days ago I was chatting with Euphemia Gaskins Ennis. She told me that her father, George Gaskins (1887-1967), told her that the Gaskins (Gascone) family was originally from France [further research suggests they moved to County Offaly, Ireland], that they then settled on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, then moved to Craven County, North Carolina, and eventually to Ocracoke.

I have discovered that a Thomas Gascoyne was living on the Eastern Shore of Virginia in 1623. Gaskins Point is still recognized as a landmark on the Occohannock Creek.

Chart Showing Gaskins Point, Occohannock Creek, VA

Ellen Marie Fulcher Cloud, in her book, From Whence We Came, confirms Euphemia's information, writing that "The Gaskins seem to have been most thickly populated in Craven Co. in the 1700 and 1800s."

I found the following information on The Internet Surname Database:

"This interesting and unusual surname [Gascone] is of early medieval English origin, and is from a regional name for someone from the province of Gascony [a Basque-speaking area of southwest France], from the Old French 'Gascogne'....The surname was first recorded in the early 13th Century.... The modern surname can be found recorded as Gascoigne, Gascogne, Gascoyne, Gascone, Gasken, Gaskin and Gasking."

Our Ocracoke Newsletter for this month is an article by Philip Howard, My Ocracoke, Living amidst 250 years of Howard family history. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news082116.htm.

"My Ocracoke"

Earlier this year the editor of Outer Banks Magazine asked me to write an article about the Howard family of Ocracoke. The article was printed in the 2016 issue (Vol. 4), and was accompanied by photographs taken by Daniel Pullen.

Our Ocracoke Newsletter for this month is a reprint of that article, My Ocracoke, Living amidst 250 years of Howard family history. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news082116.htm.

Argentine Ants

They march through the yard, across the boardwalk, up the side of the house, and disappear into my attic. Fine, pink dust filters down onto floors and furniture. They are tiny Argentine ants, an invasive species that has taken up residence on Ocracoke.

Argentine Ant, from Wikipedia (Penarc)

 In 2009 John Brightwell, a postdoctoral researcher at NC State University, began studying the Argentine ant population on Ocracoke Island. The ants have produced a "supercolony" whose numerous queens spawn tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of new workers each year. It is not unusual for an island home to be invaded by great numbers of these ants. Although they do not sting, they are a nuisance, and a threat to the ecology.

According to Eleanor Spicer, author of an informative article, "Coastal Invasion: The Argentine Ant," in Coastwatch, a North Carolina Sea Grant magazine, the ants can be controlled, but probably not eliminated.

If you see these invaders marching across your kitchen counters, go out to the Variety Store and purchase some ant killer. Just be prepared to tackle the problem again when they return.

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

Another Ocracoke Story

I was visiting an older islander recently, and she told me this story about her father:

George, didn't like to talk much. Telephones had just come to Ocracoke, and he especially didn't like to talk on the telephone. One evening the phone rang and George answered it. His wife could only hear his half of the short conversation: "Hello...No...No, he isn't here...I have no idea when he will be back."

When the call ended, his wife asked George who had called. "I don't know who it was. He had the wrong number. He was calling for Mr. Rondthaler."

"Did you tell him he had the wrong number?"

"No, he just asked if Mr. Rondthaler was here, and I told him 'No.' Then he asked when Mr. Rondtaler would be back. I told him I had no idea."

"But Mr. Rondthaler is dead. Why didn't you tell him he was dead?"

"He didn't ask me if he was alive or dead. He just wanted to know when he would be back, and I told him I had no idea."

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.   

Figs & Wasps...Again

Now that the Ocracoke Fig Festival is over, we are going to investigate the fig,  one of the most interesting "fruits" on the planet. I have addressed this issue before, but I think it is worth repeating. You see, a fig is not a single fruit after all. Evolutionary biologist, Richard Dawkins, describes it as a "garden enclosed."

Each fig is a syconium (or multiple fruit), a hollow, fleshy receptacle with hundreds, or even thousands, of small flowers within. Kris Hirst, at http://archaeology.about.com/od/domestications/a/fig_trees.htm, describes the fig this way: "Each species of fig tree in the wild comes in two types: the hermaphrodite fig, that produces pollen but does not produce seeds to generate a new tree; and the female, that produces no pollen but does produce three crops of figs throughout the year, one of which if pollinated, produces a seed that can make a new tree."

"If pollinated" is one clue to understanding this very unusual plant. Many of our readers are aware of fig wasps, the tiny (almost microscopic) critters that are essential to the pollination of figs (each species of fig has a specific fig wasp that is necessary to pollinate that species of fig). The particulars are extremely complicated, but, as Hirst points out, "all fruit of a regular fig tree have fig wasp embryos in them; whether the fruit is consumed by the wasp embryo or not determines whether the fruit survives to adulthood."

However, and this will be important to readers who are squeamish about ingesting insect parts, Hirst is writing about "regular [pollinated] fig trees." Domestic figs are parthenocarpic. They require no pollination, and therefore no wasps, in order to produce edible "fruit." Hirst continues, "Since these trees are not fertile (even if you can produce fruit you can't produce a working seed without pollination), the only way a parthenocarpic fig tree can reproduce is with the assistance of another symbiote--a human being. It's not difficult to propagate parthenocarpic figs: all you have to do is cut a branch and root it."

And that is exactly how Ocracoke fig trees are propagated, by rooting a cut branch, or by low-hanging branches naturally sending roots into the soil.

Enjoy your wasp-free Ocracoke figs! Jars of preserved figs are still available in many shops in the village, including on-line at Village Craftsmen.

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. 

Tragedy

Tragedy struck two Ocracoke families last week. 13 year old Lee Winstead, son of island resident, Fess Winstead, died August 10. The following day Debbie Fraga, sister of islander, Ken DeBarth, drowned after being caught in a rip current. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to their families, and to the families of the island’s other drowning victims this summer.

The Family of Debbie Fraga posted an open letter to the Ocracoke Community acknowledging the importance of a compassionate and caring community in times of need. 

In response to ocean drownings, island resident Tom Pahl posted his observations on how to recognize rip currents. We have re-posted his thoughts on our Facebook page for August 15, 2016. For readers who are not on Facebook, I have added Tom's observations below.

Again, our hearts go out to all the families of Ocracoke residents and visitors who have lost loved ones in recent tragic accidents. Life is wonderful, but fragile. We continue to hope that our island family and friends have a safe and accident-free rest of the summer.   

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.  

-------------------------------------------------

Tom Pahl's observations about recognizing rip currents:

I swim in the ocean almost every day. I usually swim parallel to shore between 50 and 100 yards. I have been doing this for several years and I've observed some markers for unsafe conditions.
Rip currents aren't as simple as the diagram depicts, nor as easy to detect. Before you go in the water, spend some time observing the wave patterns.

GOOD WAVE PATTERNS:
Waves approach and break parallel to shore.
Waves come in at a steady pace
Waves are spread apart by an even distance.
Waves break on the far sandbar, re-form and break again on shore
Bottom is smooth and deepens at a steady rate

DANGER SIGN WAVE PATTERNS:
Waves approach at an angle to shore
Waves approach from two angles and criss-cross
Waves approach at different speeds and overtake each other
"Far sandbar" is close in, creating a "lagoon" at water's edge
Bottom is "hilly," rising and falling unpredictably

The "lagoon" effect is currently playing out and it's dangerous. There is a broad sandbar all along the shore which has formed close enough in that it captures lots of water which pours into the "lagoon" with the breaking waves and then, as that trapped water seeks an outlet, it creates strong fast currents which most times run parallel to shore, but sometimes cut through the sandbar and flow out.
I am heartbroken by the recent drownings.

Please be careful, take time to assess the conditions before you go in and if there is any doubt, keep your feet on the bottom, keep your feet on the ground.

 

LV-71

On March 9, 1898, the United States Lighthouse Service assigned Lightship No. 71 (LV-71) to be anchored off Diamond Shoals, North Carolina. According to David Stick, in Graveyard of the Atlantic, LV-71 was "a tub-like 124-foot vessel, held in place by 185 fathoms of heavy chains (the links were eight inches in diameter) firmly attached to a 5,000 mushroom anchor imbedded [sic] in the sandy shoal."

USCG Photo, ca. 1910

On August 6, 1918, LV-71 was sunk during World War I when a German U-boat attacked her. All twelve crew members survived by rowing away in the ship's whaleboat as soon as the U-boat began firing. As Stick writes, it would normally have taken "something like five hours to get underway. Even if it had taken only five minutes [the crew] wouldl have stood practically no chance of eluding the U-boat in [the] lumbering light vessel...."

The LV-17's shipwrecked remains were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

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.  

UPS

Several years ago our UPS driver, Grant (now retired), shared the following story.

It seems UPS was evaluating their customer service and operating costs, and decided that the UPS driver serving Ocracoke was highly inefficient. It was taking too long to deliver the number of packages assigned to him. Clearly, UPS upper level managers were unaware of the difficulties associated with delivering to Ocracoke. Not only did the driver have to contend with the normal ferry trip, but weather and mechanical problems with the vessels sometimes added even more travel time.

So UPS assigned an efficiency expert to accompany Grant. They drove down the Outer Banks, boarded the Hatteras ferry, drove the 14 miles to the village, then proceeded to make their deliveries. By mid-afternoon they were on their way back to the ferry. After boarding the ferry Grant opened his bag lunch and began eating a sandwich. The efficiency expert looked at Grant and asked what he was doing. "I'm having my lunch," he said. "Didn't you bring your lunch with you? We don't have time to stop for a break."

I don't know what sort of report the hungry efficiency expert filed, but I never again heard of any question about Grant's UPS service to Ocracoke.

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.  

Figs & Peaches

It is fig season on Ocracoke, and pots are boiling in kitchens all over the island.

Trudy and Tammy Austin, native island sisters, are putting up fig preserves as fast as they can pick the figs. But their preserves are a bit different from other folks' preserves. Trudy and Tammy combine peaches with their figs.

If you are on the island, be sure to come out to the Community Square tomorrow  (for the 3rd annual Ocracoke Fig Festival) to hear Chester Lynn give his presentation about Ocracoke Island figs. You can also see...and sample...traditional and innovative island fig cakes! And Trudy will have her fig/peach preserves for sale (as long as they last!).

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. 

Springers

On Friday of last week I had the pleasure of meeting Jennifer Hull and her family. Jenny's great-great-grandparents were E. D. and Clara Springer, one-time owners of the eponymous Springer's Point.

Springer Descendants

Pictured above, in my kitchen perusing documents about Jenny's ancestors and the Point, are (l. to r.) Whitney Hull (daughter), Jamison Hull (son), Anne Rhodes Whitney (Jenny's mother), Jason Hull (Jenny's husband), and Jenny Hull.

In September, 1759, William Howard, Sr., last colonial owner of Ocracoke Island, sold many acres, including the Point, to his friend William Williams. Over the next 100 years the Point changed hands several times:

• Comfort Williams, daughter of William Williams, inherited six and one half acres which were conveyed for the use of the public pilots
• William Howard, grandson of William Howard, Sr., purchased land on the Point
• Elisha Chase, William Howard's son-in-law, and William Hatton Howard, William Howard's son, then acquired the Point
• Daniel Tolson (who is buried on the Point) purchased the land
• At Daniel Tolson's death his widow, Sidney Ross, inherited the Point 

E. D. and Clara Springer, from South Creek, North Carolina, purchased the Point from Sidney Ross sometime before 1883.

E.D. Springer

Old House at Springer's Point

Sam Jones purchased the Point from E. D. and Clara's son, Wallace Springer, in 1941. Today, Springer's Point is owned by the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust.

More information about Springer's Point, including contemporary and historic photographs, are available at https://www.ocracokenavigator.com/springers-point/ and http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news040303.htm.

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.

Dragonflies

Dragonflies (Anisoptera) with colorful iridescent bodies, multifaceted eyes, and transparent wings, have been abundant around the village lately. They are quick, agile fliers, and formidable predators, swallowing up many types of insects, including mosquitoes. The specimen below was rescued after it fell into the water, and was unable to fly. It perched on Lou's finger drying its wings, then crawled onto a tree branch before flying off.

As Pat Garber explains in her book Ocracoke Wild, "300 million years ago giant dragonflies with wingspans approaching three feet hovered over swamps and bogs, the largest flying insects of all time."

Ocracokers welcome dragonflies (called "skeeter hawks" on the island) every summer. They thrive in the vicinity of wetlands and are a sign of a healthy environment.

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.  

Greetings

A friend alerted me to a recent article in the New Yorker magazine about an isolated, indigenous tribe in Peru, the Mashco. According to the article, "The Mashco had a ritual greeting: they hugged visitors, put their heads on their shoulders, and then felt inside their clothing, as if to ascertain their sex."

This reminded me of an Ocracoke Newsletter I published in February 2013: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news022113.htm.

If, in the unlikely event, you visit the Mashco in the Peruvian jungle you may experience this ritual greeting, but rest assured, you will no longer encounter a similar ritual on Ocracoke. It has been forty years since I have witnessed Ocracoke's variation.

By the way, I just learned that tomorrow is International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. 

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.  

Fig Festival

The 3rd Annual Ocracoke Fig Festival and Fig Cake Bake-Off will be held Friday, August 12th in the Community Square. Additional Fig Festival activities will take place on August 13th in the Square.

You can find details about the Festival here: http://www.ocracokevillage.com/Ocracoke-Fig-Festival.html

Ocracoke Fig Preserves

Schedule:

Friday August 12, 2016

At the Historic Community Square on Silver Lake Harbor

10am–5pm Booths of local vendors selling fig preserves, fig trees, cookbooks, and all things fig-tastic! Face painting and other fun activities for the kids! 

2pm Ocracoke Figs Presentation by local expert Chester Lynn – with fresh figs to taste!

3pm Fig Cakes on Display! 

4 pm Judging begins and will be broadcast live on WOVV 90.1FM (wovv.org) with Daphne Bennink!

Free samples for everyone after the judging!  

6pm Fig Cake Bake-Off Awards and Announcements

6-8pm Traditional Ocracoke Square Dance with caller Philip Howard and live music with Molasses Creek

Saturday, August 13th, 2016

3-8pm Booth and Food Vendors in the Community Square

6–10pm Dance Party in the Community Square with Ocracoke Rockers and more!

The Ocracoke Fig Fest is a family-friendly, community celebration. 

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. 

Concert in the Park

Cape Hatteras National Seashore has scheduled two family-friendly events this summer on Ocracoke. The first ‘Concert in the Park’ was held on Monday, July 11th (unfortunately I missed it). The next event will be on Monday, August 8th, on the grassy picnic area adjacent to the National Park Service boat docks, alongside Silver Lake Harbor.

Visitors and residents are invited to take in the fabulous sunset while enjoying live music provided by local Ocracoke musicians. You are invited to bring blankets, chairs, and picnic food. Music will start at 7:00 pm and continue until 9:00 pm.  August 8th will feature the Madam Presidents (Kate MacNally, Kim Franz, and Katy Mitchell).

At 5:30 pm Seashore personnel will be present to answer any questions about the park and provide some literature about the park. Junior Ranger booklets and badges will also be available for kids of all ages. Come join our rangers in celebrating the National Park Service Centennial!

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. 

Bees

Imagine my surprise yesterday when a friend called to tell me about a colony of honey bees that was attached to a large live oak tree on Ocracoke.

When a colony starts to feel crowded, which usually happens in the springtime as the queen lays more eggs and the number of workers increases, the colony will prepare to swarm...which is their way of reproducing.  The workers make new queens and when they are about to hatch, the old queen leaves to start a new colony elsewhere.

Typically about 60% of the worker bees leave the original hive with the old queen. This particular colony appears to contain about twenty-five-thousand bees, and is estimated to have been in this location for several months.

Luckily we have a friend who is a dedicated and competent beekeeper. She says the colony will not be able to survive a cold winter, and she has offered to use a bee vacuum (with just the right amount of suction to collect the bees alive) to capture the bees in a hive body. They will then be transported to a new, protected hive.

According to https://beespotter.org, "It is estimated that in North America around 30% of the food humans consume is produced from bee pollinated plant life. The value of pollination by bees is estimated around $16 billion in the US alone."

It is only fairly recently that these endlessly fascinating honeybees have taken up residence on Ocracoke. I wondered why the island was without honey bees for so long, and was told they will not fly over large bodies of water.

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.  

Front Porches

"Nobody thought much about the front porch when most Americans had them and used them. The great American front porch was just there, open and sociable, an unassigned part of the house that belonged to everyone and no one, a place for family and friends to pass the time."
--Rochlin, The Front Porch, in Home, Sweet Home (Quoted in The Evolution of the American Front Porch)

"Elsie's House" with open porch, on Howard Street

Nowadays "reverse floor-plan houses" (bedrooms on the first floor; living & kitchen areas and lofty decks upstairs), privacy fences, and air conditioning do not lend themselves to that "open and sociable" front porch.

Margaret Ruth Little, in her book Carolina Cottage, quotes a South Carolina writer who equated the piazza (on Ocracoke it is called a pizer) with southern hospitality:

"The most friendly thing about them [the old houses] is the piazza. Suggested by the climate, it expressed the character of the people. For piazza life combines the private life of the home and the public life of the world beyond; and to a remarkaable degree the private and public life of the South was one."

Let's hope front porches continue to play a significant role in the vitality of Ocracoke community life. If you stroll by Lawton Lane, and see us visiting on our pizer, please give a wave, and call out a friendly "hello."

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.              

Molasses Creek

Ocracoke's popular Roots band, Molasses Creek, has recently been up to some exciting adventures, and they just published their latest blog. Early in the summer they teamed up with an Italian film crew, and shot a fun video (below is a still shot of David, Kim, Gary, and Gerald).

The blog post also includes information about an upcoming concert at the Buck County Cabaret in New Hope, Pa. on Friday, September 23rd & Saturday, Sept 24th. Also, Gary & Fiddler Dave give a tutorial on making fig muffins. You can read all about their latest adventures here: http://soundsiderecords.blogspot.com/2016_07_24_archive.html.

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.