Friday, February 02, 2018

Island Hospitality

Yesterday I mentioned the work of the North Carolina Erosion Control Project in the 1930s. In their internal publication, The Croatan Courier, of February 10, 1939, I found this bit of Ocracoke News:

"A. C. Stratton, Project Superintendent, and an official party including new Regional Director [Minor R.] Tillotson, arrived at Ocracoke by plane Saturday morning on an inspection tour of work being accomplished on this island by our Unit. After a brief inspection the party took off for Hatteras where they made an inspection of that area....

"Albert Styron, local merchant, Joe Gaskill and Ben Williams, all of Ocracoke, gave the boys of Camp an oyster roast last Sunday afternoon which was enjoyed by all. Captain Dick O'Neal assumed duties as 'official roaster' and was so successful he saw six bushels of oyster consumed."

Modern-day Oyster Roast, Photo: Ocracoke Observer















This month's Ocracoke Newsletter is about Old Christmas in Rodanthe. You can read it here: https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/old-christmas-rodanthe/.  



1 comment:

  1. Anonymous7:55 AM

    these newfangled pfds have a search bar too. The paragraph or two which mentions the textile center actually begs several questions. Sewing machines and fabric was provided to the Women of OI to make clothing for the islanders. Well what about patterns? What happened to the Government "issued" sewing machines? Are they still on the Island?? Any photos, was there a fashion show were these seamstresses given any class instruction? The PDF quotes someone that a shirt had a pocket sewed under the arm. Now that might be funny and the commenter characterized the women as not knowing what they were doing --I find it so male think stick a sewing machine in front of a girl and she will know how to sew. They probably thought handing a guy a shovel and he would know how to dig. I suppose it goes back to these pre-union mentality days--that I will share my knowledge of how to do something with you and well you might be faster and better and then I am out of a job, I get fired I trained you and now you have my job. Maybe the seamstress was having a bit of fun and to show she was insulted that she had to make clothes for the islanders or did not realize she actually maybe came out ahead if she got to Keep the sewing machine. I certainly hope they were given the sewing machines or perhaps made installment payments that were reasonable. I find this chapter about fashion the best.

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