Happy Easter!

Since we will not be publishing posts over the weekend, allow us to wish all of our readers a very Happy Easter! If you will be on the island this coming week be sure to stop by and say hello. We love seeing old friends and making new ones.

Below is a humorous Easter story from some time ago.

A number of years past (if I recollect correctly it was the late 1970s) a young man (I will call him Ron) found his way to Ocracoke. He owned an old two-wheel drive van, and enjoyed fishing. He had learned to slacken his tires so he could drive on the beach. One Saturday evening he and his girlfriend decided to drive out to the South Point for a picnic, and to do some fishing. It was springtime, the weather had turned warm, and the island was still quiet. They were alone on the beach. After nightfall they decided to go skinny dipping.

After getting out of the water, instead of dressing, they simply got in the van and proceeded to drive back home. Just as they were approaching the ramp at the airport the van got bogged down in the soft sand and stopped. They were stuck. By then it was late so they decided to sleep in the van, and find someone to pull them out in the morning.

At daybreak Nature called, and Ron opened the back doors of the van and jumped out, still in his birthday suit. He was shocked to see several hundred people, including the local preachers, standing around his van. Ron had inadvertently joined the annual Easter sunrise service! As he explained to me later, that was first time he'd been to church in several years.


Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a history of Village Craftsmen (1970 - the Present). You can read the Newsletter here: https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/history-village-craftsmen-ocracoke-island/.

South Dock

On Tuesday I asked if any of our readers know what is meant when we talk of Ocracoke's South Dock.

It may be counter-intuitive, but the South Ferry Dock is on Ocracoke's north end. You might wonder why this would be, but after a moment's reflection you will see the logic. Hatteras Inlet has two NCDOT ferry docks: one on the north side of the inlet (on the south end of Hatteras Island); the other on the south side of the inlet (on the north end of Ocracoke Island). When ferry personnel are talking about the ferry operation across Hatteras Inlet they will refer to the North Dock (on Hatteras) or the South Dock (on Ocracoke).

The ferry docks in Silver Lake are simply called the Cedar Island/Swan Quarter docks.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a history of Village Craftsmen (1970 - the Present). You can read the Newsletter here: https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/history-village-craftsmen-ocracoke-island/.

Victrola

Over the years our family has owned a couple of vintage Victrolas. This one is too large to fit comfortably in any of our homes, so Amy had it brought over to Village Craftsmen.

Manufactured by the Victor Talking Machine Company (Camden, N.J.) in 1916, the Victrola works well. On your next visit to Village Craftsmen, take a look at this vintage machine. You can even choose a record (we have dozens), place it on the turntable, rotate the crank, and lower the needle. Many of the records are a bit scratchy, but they will give you an idea of what your grandparents and great grandparents listened to more than a century ago.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a history of Village Craftsmen (1970 - the Present). You can read the Newsletter here: https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/history-village-craftsmen-ocracoke-island/.

Another Quiz

Here is another Ocracoke Island quiz:

If you hear talk of Ocracoke's "South Dock" what is this term referring to?

Look for the answer on Thursday.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a history of Village Craftsmen (1970 - the Present). You can read the Newsletter here: https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/history-village-craftsmen-ocracoke-island/.

Tuberculosis on the Outer Banks

By the late nineteenth century tuberculosis was raging throughout Europe and America. Tuberculosis (sometimes called consumption or the white plague) struck a number of Outer Bankers (many of whom traveled to Black Mountain, NC*, for a cure), as illustrated by the following few examples.

Ocracoke native John Wilson McWilliams (b. 1869) left the island sometime after 1910 for Black Mountain to relieve his tuberculosis.

On Wednesday, January 27, 1927, siblings of  M. W. Gilgo of Portsmouth Island (who "had been very sick of tuberculosis for a long time") were called to his bedside. Mr. M. W. Gilgo died at his home on Portsmouth on Thursday at 10:30 a.m.

Fannie W. Midgett (b.June 4, 1897) of Buxton, NC, died of tuberculosis in Black Mountain, NC, on Nov. 19, 1925. In 1921 she was admitted to Cragmont Sanatorium. Fannie Midgett kept a diary from Jan. 1, 1921 to June 13, 1921. You can read her diary here.

Cragmont Sanitorium

I am not aware of any recent cases of TB on the Outer Banks. However, although by the mid-twentieth century there were signs that tuberculosis might be totally eliminated, a resurgence of the disease occurred in the 1980s.   In response, the World Health Organization issued a declaration of a global health emergency in 1993. Every year, nearly half a million new cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis are estimated to occur worldwide.

This past Saturday, March 24, was World TB Day.

According to Wikipedia,  "March 24 commemorates the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch astounded the scientific community by announcing to a small group of scientists at the University of Berlin's Institute of Hygiene that he had discovered the cause of tuberculosis, the TB bacillus."

Wikipedia goes on to state that  "At the time of Koch's announcement in Berlin, TB was...causing the death of one out of every seven people."


* Black Mountain (near the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, 15 miles east of Asheville) had a least two tuberculosis sanatoriums"

• Cragmont Sanatorium was established in 1906 to treat “all classes of consumptives.” Rates were $20 to $35 per week, and the sanatorium had a capacity of 30 patients. 
• The Pines (est. 1901) was for “incipient and moderately advanced cases.” Rates were $30 to $30 per week, including nursing and medical attention, and they had a capacity 15. Rooms were advertised as "large, sunny and well ventilated."

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a history of Village Craftsmen (1970 - the Present). You can read the Newsletter here: https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/history-village-craftsmen-ocracoke-island/.

Clothes Prop

I recently had new siding and a new red metal roof put on my tool shed. In the process the carpenters took down my clothes line. On a particularly warm and sunny day last week I washed a load of laundry, then re-strung my clothes line.

My neighbor Al came by, and I commented that I needed a clothes prop.

"Nobody nowadays even knows what a clothes prop is," he said jokingly. Then he added a pithy bit of island humor. My father always said Sullivan [Garrish] was so thin he could hide behind a clothes prop!"

I wonder how many of our readers have ever used a clothes prop!

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a history of Village Craftsmen (1970 - the Present). You can read the Newsletter here: https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/history-village-craftsmen-ocracoke-island/

Historic Ocracoke

In 1978 Karen Duckett, a young woman who had moved to the island from the mainland, wrote a small booklet titled Historic Ocracoke.

The 16 page booklet, which sold for $1.85, traced the history of the island from 1585, when Sir Walter Raleigh's colonists ran aground in the inlet, to the role Ocracoke played in WWII. The booklet includes a map of the island and several line drawings.

Thanks to the work of folks at digitalnc.org, you can view and read this delightful, but now out-of-print, publication here.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a history of Village Craftsmen (1970 - the Present). You can read the Newsletter here: https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/history-village-craftsmen-ocracoke-island/.

History of Village Craftsmen

We have just published our latest Ocracoke Newsletter.

This month I write about the history of Village Craftsmen, from the summer of 1970 when we first set up a tipi on Howard Street to sell some of my pen & ink drawings and a few handcrafts...

....to the present day with my daughter Amy as gallery manager, and offering high quality American crafts by several hundred artisans in more than 1,500 square feet of retail space.

You can read the Newsletter here: https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/history-village-…-ocracoke-island/

Annie Over the House

My father, Lawton Howard (1911-2002), often told me about playing a childhood game on Ocracoke Island. “Annie Over the House” was a simple island pastime. One child would throw a homemade ball over the house; the other would try to catch it and then run around the house and tag the first child.

I was amused a few days ago, when the weather turned mild, to see that my grandson and a friend had re-invented the game.

The only difference I could see was that my father's generation didn't have dog ball throwers or fluorescent green tennis balls.

So far there have been no broken windows!

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter, a newspaper article published in 1923 titled "Quaintest Town in America," provides a fascinating glimpse of Ocracoke Island life a century ago. You can read it here:
https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/quaintest-town-america-n-c-island/ . 

Open

Village Craftsmen opened for the 2018 season on Thursday of last week.

Desiree Ricker & Amy Howard, Mgr.

Amy Howard and her staff have been working diligently during the winter months to add new American handcrafts, construct shelving, paint existing displays, rearrange items, and add more light & color to better highlight our crafts.

Amy, Desiree, and Finley will be at the gallery to welcome you to Ocracoke and Village Craftsmen, so be sure to stroll down Howard Street and pay us a visit whenever you are on the island. We've even added a vintage Victrola (with dozens of 78rpm records) that you can play while browsing the gallery (more about the Victrola in a future post).

We hope to see you soon!

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter, a newspaper article published in 1923 titled "Quaintest Town in America," provides a fascinating glimpse of Ocracoke Island life a century ago. You can read it here:
https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/quaintest-town-america-n-c-island/ .

Old Quawk's Day

Below is my annual tribute to Old Quawk:

About 200 years ago there lived on Ocracoke Island a fisherman of indeterminate provenance. He was a reclusive figure, preferring to live in a small hut made of driftwood and bullrushes about 5-6 miles from the village. No one remembers his given name, but folks called him "Old Quawk" because, they said, he "quawked" like an old night heron.

Old Quawk was a fisherman, often venturing out into Pamlico Sound in his sail skiff when cautious islanders stayed in port waiting for more propitious weather.

On this date, March 16, many years past, Old Quawk made his last voyage into Pamlico Sound. Storm clouds were piling up in the darkening sky. Legend has it that Old Quawk defiantly disregarded the warnings of other islanders, raised his clenched fist to the heavens and dared the gods to thwart him, then set out in his sail skiff. A frightful gale churned the Sound into a wild turbulence and swamped Old Quawk's tiny craft. Neither Old Quawk nor his boat were ever found.

"Old Quawk" in July 4th Parade

For many years Ocracoke fishermen refused to go out in their boats on March 16. Even today it's best to be prudent on Old Quawk's Day. There's no telling what the weather gods will dish out on March 16.
For another account of Old Quawk see https://www.ncpedia.org/old-quawks-day.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter, a newspaper article published in 1923 titled "Quaintest Town in America," provides a fascinating glimpse of Ocracoke Island life a century ago. You can read it here:
https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/quaintest-town-america-n-c-island/ .

Figs

It must be spring! According to the astronomical method of calculation, spring officially begins March 20 (an earlier version of this post said today, an obvious error!).  But according to the meteorological calendar spring began on March 1, and lasts until May 31. Regard less, and in spite of the present cold snap, it must be spring. The fig trees tell the story. I took this photo yesterday.

You can see the new fig leaves bursting forth...and the tiny figs forming nearby. Here is a detail of the photo:

I have written about Ocracoke figs several times in the past. Interested fig-lovers can read more here: https://villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com/search?q=figs.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter, a newspaper article published in 1923 titled "Quaintest Town in America," provides a fascinating glimpse of Ocracoke Island life a century ago. You can read it here:
https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/quaintest-town-america-n-c-island/ .

Island Guests, 1949

In previous posts I have quoted from a 1949 letter about a visit to Ocracoke written by C.A. Weslager from Wilmington, Delaware. Below is another interesting paragraph from that letter about several other guests at the Wahab Village Hotel (now Blackbeard's Lodge).

"This hotel is now frequented by fishermen from southern cities, and a few couples who are seeking rest. Some of the guests, with whom we became friendly, will interest you. There was Lester Johnston and his wife -- he operates a retail grocery store in Bel Haven, N.C. [sic]. They came to rest. Olsen is an engineer with Western Electric at Winston-Salem. He and his wife came to fish. There was a handsome pediatrician from New York city, Dr. Clement Cobb, bronzed from a two week exposure to the sun. (He walked nude on the beach whenever he got the chance, to get the full benefit of the sun, collecting shells and making bird studies. He is a very capable ornithologist.) Cobb came to rest preparatory to an operation. There were two spinster sisters who own a photographic business in Smithfield, N.C., a middle-aged librarian from Washington, D.C., who came alone, bringing bottled cocktails in her bag, and two partners who run a Buick agency in Raleigh. Finally, a dentist form Charleston, W. Va., his wife, their flapperish daughter (a blonde) and her red-haired boyfriend. The younger couple were gone off every day alone. I almost forgot an aged banker, who seemed near the condition known to the physician as "in extremis," and his wife who catered to his every want as one would care for a small baby....

"The guests themselves provided enough material for a novel, and our two bottles of bourbon and case of ale enabled us to break down any social barriers that might have otherwise existed."

Sounds like a sampling of present-day visitors to the island!


Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter, a newspaper article published in 1923 titled "Quaintest Town in America," provides a fascinating glimpse of Ocracoke Island life a century ago. You can read it here:
https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/quaintest-town-america-n-c-island/ .

Hatteras Beacon

Tilman F. Smith served as keeper of the Ocracoke Lighthouse from 1898 until 1910.

Smith was transferred from the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse where he had served from 1878 - 1887 (as Assistant Keeper) and from 1888 - 1897 (as Head Keeper). While serving at Cape Hatteras he was also responsible for the "Hatteras Beacon," a small lighthouse at Cape Point. 

US Lighthouse Service Image

Built in 1855, the Hatteras Beacon was moved a number of times because of its exposed and vulnerable location. Keeper Smith was recorded as having lit the tower for the last time in November, 1898. However, at that time Smith was already serving at Ocracoke. It is likely that the date was actually 1893. At any rate, after Smith lit the beacon it was closed and replaced by a small light mounted on a post. Nothing remains of the Hatteras Beacon.

You can read more about the Hatteras Beacon here: http://www.lighthousedigest.com/Digest/StoryPage.cfm?StoryKey=1012.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter, a newspaper article published in 1923 titled "Quaintest Town in America," provides a fascinating glimpse of Ocracoke Island life a century ago. You can read it here:
https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/quaintest-town-america-n-c-island/ .

Bache Brothers

This 1852 map is the earliest I have discovered with the spelling Ocracoke:

This detail of the map shows it was produced by the U. S. Coast Survey, A. D. Bache, Superintendent.

A friend recently wrote that she has  "long been intrigued by [A. D. Bache] and his family." Then, while reading Brilliant Beacons, a 2016 book about the American Lighthouse by Eric Jay Dolin, I noticed that A. D. Bache (pronounced "Back") and his brothers were closely connected to the early establishment and maintenance of lighthouses on our coasts. So, who were these Bache brothers?, I wondered.

Alexander Dallas Bache (1806-1867) was an American physicist who graduated first in his class (at age nineteen) at West Point. He later worked on the fundamentals of electromagnetism, an endeavor that led to the development of the telegraph. As an accomplished surveyor, he was appointed Superintendent of the U. S. Coast Survey in 1843, a position he held until his death. Under his leadership the Coast Survey conducted detailed surveys that mapped the eastern coastline of the United States. Bache also was chosen to serve as the civil engineer on the newly created Lighthouse Board in 1851. Interestingly, he was also a great-grandson of Benjamin Franklin, one of the founders of the new Republic.

Photo from NOAA

In 1838 A. D.'s brother, Lt. George Mifflin Bache, had been chosen by President Jackson to inspect the nation's lighthouses, and to make recommendations about site selections, quality of the lights, and conditions of the towers.

In 1845 Richard Bache, another of A. D.'s brothers, was one of two Navy lieutenants sent by President Polk's Secretary of the Treasury, Robert J. Walker (the Bache brothers' brother-in-law), to inspect European lighthouses, and report on ways to improve the American beacons.

Yet another brother, Hartman Bache (1798-1872), an engineer with the U. S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers, was chosen as west coast lighthouse inspector in 1855.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter, a newspaper article published in 1923 titled "Quaintest Town in America," provides a fascinating glimpse of Ocracoke Island life a century ago. You can read it here:
https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/quaintest-town-america-n-c-island/ .

Lillie F. Schmidt

On this date in 1883 the schooner, Lillie F. Schmidt wrecked on Ocracoke's beach. The following letter from the vessel's master, addressed to the United States Life Saving Service, was dated March 18, 1883. 

DEAR SIR: March 9, at 5:15 a.m., the schooner Lillie F. Schmidt, of Philadelphia, bound from the port of Savannah, Georgia, via Bermuda, to Baltimore, stranded in the breakers about five hundred yards from the beach, about four miles north of Ocracoke light. At the time a strong gale blew from the southward, with thick weather and rough sea. At 8 a.m. was sighted by people from Ocracoke village, who proceeded to the life-saving station, northeast end of Ocracoke Island, and notified Captain J.W. Howard of the stranded vessel, and he and crew, with apparatus, proceeded to wreck as soon as possible, to save the crew. Arriving abreast at 2:30 p.m., prepared and shot a line across the vessel, rigged the breeches buoy, and all hands were safely landed in three-quarters of an hour from arrival on beach abreast of vessel, which, in my opinion, was well done, owing to the great distance vessel was from the beach. Myself and crew being much fatigued and the distance being so great, with no way of getting there without walking the whole distance, Captain Howard arranged and sent us to the village of Ocracoke, where we were all taken care of. I desire to express my grateful thanks to the captain and crew for his and their timely aid and prompt service in landing myself and crew safely from wreck to shore and attending our wants. Your respectfully, P.C. VAN GILDER, Master of Schooner Lillie F. Schmidt

For more information about the wreck see our two previous posts (from 2009 & 2013):

https://villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com/2009/03/lillie-f-schmidt.html

https://villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com/2013/02/lillie-f-schmidt.html

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter, a newspaper article published in 1923 titled "Quaintest Town in America," provides a fascinating glimpse of Ocracoke Island life a century ago. You can read it here:
https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/quaintest-town-america-n-c-island/ .

Quiz Answers

On Monday (March 8, 2018) I published this Ocracoke Quiz:

How well do you know Ocracoke? Here is a short quiz to test your familiarity with three island expressions. Leave a comment if you think you can match the phrases with their meanings.

A. We are going to the beach this afternoon.
B. We are going up the beach this afternoon.
C. We are going across the beach this afternoon.

1. We are going swimming this afternoon.
2. We are going for a drive on the beach this afternoon.
3. We are going to Nags Head this afternoon.

The answers are:

A = 1 We are going to the beach this afternoon means we are going swimming this afternoon.
B = 3 We are going up the beach this afternoon means we are going to Nags Head (or in that direction) this afternoon (e.g. to WalMart or Food Lion or to a doctor appointment).
C = 2 We are going across the beach this afternoon generally means we are going for a drive (or a walk) on the beach this afternoon.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter, a newspaper article published in 1923 titled "Quaintest Town in America," provides a fascinating glimpse of Ocracoke Island life a century ago. You can read it here:
https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/quaintest-town-america-n-c-island/ .

Ocracoke's Microgrid

In December, 2016, I wrote about Ocracoke Island's new electric microgrid, a collection of 10 4,000 pound Tesla batteries and 62 solar panels installed at the Tideland EMC property on Odd Fellows Lane. This is the first microgrid laboratory installed by North Carolina's electric cooperatives. You can read that post here.

Photo by Heidi Smith

In January of this year, RE Magazine, produced by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, published an informative article about Ocracoke's microgrid. 

John Vanvig, author of the article writes that, "it would be hard to find a better place to design, build, and test a microgrid that can stand on its own when central-station power from the grid isn't available." The new system's solar panels can provide an additional 15kW to the island's power supply; the batteries, an additional 500kW (for several hours).

This test installation will provide valuable information for future projects in other communities. The goal, as outlined in the article, is to create an "agile, fractal grid." Agile means the ability to meet power needs quickly and efficiently during service interruptions. Fractal means that smaller subunits would have characteristics and capabilities similar to the main power generating facility.

You can read the article, titled "The Agile, Fractal Grid," here: http://remagazine.coop/co-op-tech-fractal-grid/.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter, a newspaper article published in 1923 titled "Quaintest Town in America," provides a fascinating glimpse of Ocracoke Island life a century ago. You can read it here:
https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/quaintest-town-america-n-c-island/ .

Ash Wednesday Storm

The Ash Wednesday Storm of March 6-8, 1962, did considerable damage along the Outer Banks. Interestingly, just a few days ago another winter storm (dubbed "Riley" by the Weather Channel*) battered the Northeast, including the Outer Banks. Although Manteo and Hatteras Island experienced coastal flooding, Ocracoke was spared rising tide water, but sustained gale force winds. This sailboat in Silver Lake was blown onto the shore near where Ride the Wind stores their kayaks.

Two months after the 1962 Ash Wednesday Storm, The Chicago Tribune ran this short notice about the effect this storm had on traveling to the Outer Banks:  

"Cape Hatteras Storm Damage [1962]

"A spring storm has washed out some of the roads and has damaged Cape Hatteras national seashore park on North Carolina's fabled Outer banks, described in an article in the April I Travelers' Guide. But increased ferry service to Hatteras and Ocracoke islands and a temporary bridge spanning the new inlet cut thru Hatteras island by the storm are facilitating travel to the Outer banks as the prime salt water fishing season begins. Accelerated summer schedules for the free state automobile ferries operating across Oregon and Hatteras inlets are effective thru Sept. 7. A toll ferry, Sea Level, links Ocracoke and Atlantic on the mainland."

* The National Weather Service does not recognize The Weather Channel’s names for winter storms.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter, a newspaper article published in 1923 titled "Quaintest Town in America," provides a fascinating glimpse of Ocracoke Island life a century ago. You can read it here:
https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/quaintest-town-america-n-c-island/ .

Ocracoke Island Quiz

How well do you know Ocracoke? Here is a short quiz to test your familiarity with three island expressions. Leave a comment if you think you can match the phrases with their meanings.

A. We are going to the beach this afternoon.
B. We are going up the beach this afternoon.
C. We are going across the beach this afternoon.

1. We are going swimming this afternoon.
2. We are going for a drive on the beach this afternoon.
3. We are going to Nags Head this afternoon.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter, a newspaper article published in 1923 titled "Quaintest Town in America," provides a fascinating glimpse of Ocracoke Island life a century ago. You can read it here:
https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/quaintest-town-america-n-c-island/ .

Coastal Weather Station

Yesterday I wrote about a memorable, but short-lived, squall that churned up the water several decades ago. Over the years weather has had a major impact on the Outer Banks. Storms and hurricanes have caused shipwrecks, erosion, flooding, new inlets, and more than a few drownings.

In 1874 the US Weather Bureau recognized the importance and strategic location of the Outer Banks, and established a coastal weather station on Hatteras Island. The official Hatteras Weather Bureau Station was commissioned and occupied on January 1, 1902.The Weather Bureau operated there until 1946.

The Weather Station has been restored to its 1901 appearance, and is now operated as a welcome center by the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau through a partnership agreement with the National Park Service.

NPS Photo

You can read more about the US Weather Bureau on Hatteras Island here: https://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/uswbs.htm.

You can also read about Lucy Stowe who worked from 1943 until "she retired in 1980 from a 'storm-proof' reinforced concrete weather building in Buxton complete with weather radar, computerized instrumentation and data networking, and from a service that made forecasts using weather satellites and computerized numeric models."  This is the link: https://www.nps.gov/caha/learn/historyculture/lucystowe.htm.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter, a newspaper article published in 1923 titled "Quaintest Town in America," provides a fascinating glimpse of Ocracoke Island life a century ago. You can read it here:
https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/quaintest-town-america-n-c-island/ .

Weather

Weather has always played an important and sometimes dramatic role in Outer Banks life. Just the other day I mentioned to local fisherman and hunting guide Monroe Gaskill about a menacing squall that rolled in sometime in the late 70s or early 80s. I recalled being at the Communitty Store and seeing a solid bank of black clouds advancing towards us. Fearing a tornado, we ushered our children under the heavy butcher block in the center of the store, and peered out the window as the wind tore through the village, whipping up white caps in Silver Lake.

Capt. Rob was anchored in the harbor, and we watched in dread as his sailboat broke loose from its moorings, and made its way towards what looked like a violent collision with the rock jetty on shore. Along the way the sailboat's anchor line caught on the line of a local workboat. Now joined together, both boats were headed for destruction. Just in time, however, one boat went to one side of a lone piling; the other boat went on the other side. Both vessels hung there, precariously close to the rocks. In about 30 minutes the storm passed over, and blue skies and calm returned.

Monroe remembered that squall. At the time, he and Alton Ballance were out in the sound fishing their nets when they spied the black squall. They only had time to pull in about half of their nets before the gale force winds hit them. He recalled it as one of his most violent experiences on the water. There was little to do but hunker down and wait for the fury of the wind to abate. Monroe's workboat bounced up and down on the waves, but when it was over was no worse for the beating it took. Monroe still works from that boat.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter, a newspaper article published in 1923 titled "Quaintest Town in America," provides a fascinating glimpse of Ocracoke Island life a century ago. You can read it here:
https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/quaintest-town-america-n-c-island/ .