Chocolate Easter Egg

For many generations Ocracoke Island women made chocolate eggs at Easter, then gave them away to family and friends. Unfortunately the tradition is slowly dying. Only a few islanders still make the eggs. I was fortunate to receive one a few days ago!

 
















 If you have a sweet tooth, and want to make your own Ocracoke chocolate egg, here is Ms. Wilma Williams' (1909-1990) recipe:

2 pkgs. powdered sugar
1/2 lb. butter
Sm. jar maraschino cherries, cut up, and their juice
1 sm. can coconut
About 1/2 c. chopped nuts
1/2 box raisins
1 8 oz. pkg. semi-sweet chocolate squares

Put sugar in a bowl. Work in softened butter; add nuts, raisins, coconut and cherries. Add cherry juice slowly until mixture can be molded into egg shapes. If it gets too soft, add more sugar. Set egg shapes on waxed paper. Chill. Melt chocolate in double boiler and spoon over cool eggs on waxed paper; chill. When chocolate is hard, eggs may be decorated with icing, small candied fruits or candy.

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Capt. Myron A. Garrish

We have published another Ocracoke Newsletter, the story of Ocracoke native, Capt. Myron A. Garrish.

Capt. Myron died in 1929, and is buried across the street from Village Craftsmen, along Howard Street.

Capt. Myron's house on Howard Street is now owned by Bob and Kathy Phillips, and has been rehabilitated as a rental cottage.

 











You can read the Newsletter here: https://www.villagecraftsmen.com/capt-myron-a-garrish.

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Honor and Morals

I recenttly finished reading Brad Melzer and Josh Mensch's book, The First Conspiracy, The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington. I was reminded of some of the reason's Washington is so revered even today. Although our first president was at times embroiled in controversy (click here to read about the John Jay Treaty) he is almost universally regarded for his character and sense of honor. Melzer and Mensch comment on his "values of integrity, duty, and trust." For example, when Washington's name was proffered as a candidate for the command of the Continental army, he  simply disappeared. The book's authors report that he didn't "want it to look in any way as if he [was] hoping to win the position out of vanity or arrogance, or that he [was] somehow suggesting his own superiority over the others."

With that said, George Washington, can also be described as having feet of cay (see Daniel 2:31–33) since in his younger years "he seemed to have no problem profiting from [slavery], a practice we now regard as a moral atrocity." Nevertheless, "within a few years, [Washington] comes to believe that slavery is morally incompatible with the American ideals he and so many others fought for."

Reading these words reminded me of our 2011 Ocracoke Newsletter article about Slavery on Ocracoke. It explains the conflicted and complicated racial relationships on the antebellum Outer Banks, and illustrates changes in attitudes and behaviors over time.

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Ghost Story?

Ocracoke native, Capt. Thomas Franklin Gaskins (1854-1948), was known for his sartorial elegance. In retirement he almost always dressed in suit and tie, then walked down to Big Ike's store every morning to socialize with friends and neighbors. Tom Franks, as he was known to everyone, dreamed every night...vivid and sometimes disturbing dreams of his wife and daughter who had died years before.

One morning Tom Franks explained that Annie, his deceased wife who was extremely thin, and his daughter, Julia, were tormenting him from under the house. They had even come into his bedroom during the night and frightened him!

"How did they get in?" one of the men sitting around the pot-bellied stove asked.

"They came right through the cracks in the floor," Tom Franks explained, as he cast a bewildered look towards his questioner.

"Hell," exclaimed the quick-witted Oscar Jackson, "Miss Annie could have done that while she was still alive!"

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Hatteras Ferries

I wonder if anyone has noticed the new electronic devices recently attached to some of the pilot houses on the state's ferries. It seems that the NC Department of Transportation, Ferry Division, has ambitious plans for the 2019 season.

According to the latest information, beginning next month, selected Hatteras Inlet ferries will be crossing with a state-of-the-art autonomous navigation system developed by Google.

As the director of the Ferry Division explained, "All of our ferries are already equipped with the latest navigational devices...compasses, radar, depth finders, and GPS." It was relatively simple to add autonomous capability."  And, unlike the complicated and ever-changing situations on our nation's highways, the route between Hatteras and Ocracoke is pretty straightforward. The channels are clearly marked, and the routes are already entered into the GPS database.   

The only serious issue was fully integrating the electronic data into the mechanical operation of the vessels, such as throttles and bow thrusters. This was critical for being able to properly dock the ferries, especially in windy conditions. 

It may not be too far-fetched to envision a time in the near future when the ferries will only require deckhands to tie the vessels to the docks. Even directing traffic on and off the ferries will probably be accomplished with electronic signs and traffic lights. 

For more information scroll to the bottom of the page.

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April Fool! Don't be concerned....Just kidding.