I was not able to take a photo of the dining room because the Inn is closed. Today the Island Inn, one of the most prominent historic structures in the village, is for sale. The center 2-story section of the Inn was built in 1901 as the Odd Fellows Lodge, on land purchased from James and Zilphia Howard. It originally sat on the other side of Lighthouse Road, and was moved in the 1920s.
In addition to serving as a fraternal lodge, the building has been used as a private dwelling, the island's first public school, a coffee shop, and a naval officers club.
Although many islanders are concerned about the future of the Island Inn, to my knowledge no individuals or non-profit organizations have sufficient funds to purchase and rehabilitate the aging structure. Perhaps one of our readers will be motivated to restore the Inn to its former prominence. For more information click here.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is Ellen Marie Cloud's first-person account of the Great Ocracoke Lighthouse Window Heist. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012117.htm.
An internet search ($850,000 asking price) revealed that Our State magazine published an article abbboooouuuttt rooooooom #23 at the IIIISSlllland IIIIIInnnnn. LOL
ReplyDeleteHere is the link to the article: https://www.ourstate.com/ocracoke-ghosts/
Deletei know when a fellow named FOY and someone names Williams owned it in the 70's/80's it was a nice place that had a goof view of the 'lake' from room #13 & 14, my favorite rooms. They also had noisy parrots out front just belor those room windows...but al lin al it was good enough for this 25 year old...good times then.
ReplyDeleteYou are remembering Foy Shaw and island native Larry Williams (1930-2009). From Larry's obituary: "In 1977, Larry and his friend and partner Foy Shaw purchased The Island Inn & Dining Room on Ocracoke Island which they operated until 1990. The Inn was featured in numerous national publications during their proprietorship. The Island Inn served as the first public school on Ocracoke where Larry’s parents both attended. Larry was a founding member of the Ocracoke Preservation Society and served as its first president. He brought back several Ocracoke traditions to the Island including beauty pageants and a July 4th parade. The July 4th parade and fireworks display is now a signature Ocracoke event."
DeleteMy family remembers the Inn from the mid 1990s. Cicci and her family owned the Inn and her kids were the same age as ours. We have photos of their kids and ours at the Inn. The dining room was old fashioned Ocracoke. We loved going there. They threw a great New Years Eve party back then. I miss the those times at the Inn.
ReplyDelete