Eliza & Job Wahab

Eliza Bradley Howard Wahab (1808-1870) and her husband Job Wahab (1802-1860) had 15 children. Several of their children died young; many of the others eventually moved to the mainland. Eliza, Job, and several of their children are buried in the large George Howard cemetery near the British Cemetery.

Eliza Bradley Howard Wahab

Job Wahab

I know many of our readers have seen Eliza & Job's tombstones which are close to the paved road, near their three sons, Jonathan, Job, & Warren. Now, thanks to the photographs above, perhaps you will have a mental image the next time you visit their cemetery.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm.

The Spanish Casino

Today's post takes us back more than three quarters of a century for a glimpse into island life just prior to WWII. 

In 1935 Stanley Wahab built an inexpensive replica of a Spanish style building on the island, near where the Back Porch Restaurant sits today. Made of plywood strewn with gravel while the earth-colored paint was still wet, the 400 square foot Spanish Casino mimicked an adobe hacienda. The flat roofed structure had extended and crenelated exterior walls with gently curving main sections. Windows were topped with decorative trim, and crosses within circles painted near the roof line suggested a southwestern theme. An open porch on the ocean-facing side was supported by peeled cedar posts, adding to the Spanish motif.

The interior was one large room with a raised platform on the western wall to accommodate a piano and musicians. Benches were placed along the walls, leaving a sizable dance floor in the middle. Island natives, Edgar and Walter Howard, brothers who had moved to New York City to play vaudeville in the 1920s and 1930s, came home periodically to entertain their fellow islanders. The popular music of the day included cowboy and western songs and ballads. Once in a while Edgar's banjo and Walter's guitar accompanied nationally popular entertainers who followed the Howard brothers to Ocracoke. At times, other island musicians played at the Spanish Casino. When live music was unavailable a jukebox served nightly to provide tunes for round dances, jitterbug, and traditional island square dances. 

Although the Spanish Casino is long gone music continues to be an important part of twenty-first century island life.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm.  

Three Island Women Remembered

In July of 2010 I published a post about the Captain William & Eliza Thomas house, an iconic two story, cross gable house on the south side of Silver Lake Harbor.

Photo by Lou Ann Homan

Capt. Thomas died in 1930. Eliza Thomas died in 1946. The following year Ms. Susan Barksdale purchased the property. Susan, a painter and professor of art at the University of North Carolina, began visiting Ocracoke before WWII. After she bought the Thomas house she began spending summers on the island with family and friends. Susan Barksdale appreciated island culture and traditions, and made many friends on the island. Susan died January 22 at the age of 96. You can read her obituary here.

Two days after Susan Barksdale died, Ocracoke resident Eugenia "Jean" Fletcher died. Long time visitors to Ocracoke may remember Jean. For seven years she operated Eugenia's Bed and Breakfast. Jean's obituary is available here.

On January 10 [2013] Rosemary Wetherill, a spunky island resident with a touch of gutsy irreverence, also died. Rosemary was an active participant in Ocracoke community life. She volunteered regularly at the Preservation Museum and the Ocracoke Library, and was a major contributor to the Ocracoke Needle and Thread Club. You can read Rosemary's obituary here.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm.

A Tale of Blackbeard

Twice yesterday (in the afternoon & in the evening) various islanders gathered at Deepwater Theater to view video screenings of the 1987 & 1991 productions of the musical, A Tale of Blackbeard. Written by Julia Howard in 1974, and performed on the island nine seasons between then and 1994, this engaging and entertaining story of adventure, machination, and love combines spirited dialog with lively musical numbers guaranteed to have you whistling the tunes for weeks.

1987 Photo Courtesy of Amy Howard

Ocracoke Alive, our island non-profit organization dedicated to sponsoring cultural, artistic, educational and environmental activities is working on bringing back Julie Howard's A Tale of Blackbeard Musical.  They would love your involvement. Auditions for the cast will be on Saturday, February 22 from 3-5 PM at the Ocracoke Community Center.  Stay tuned to Ocracoke Alive for script audition pieces and details.  Contact info@ocracokealive.org or call 252-921-0260 if you have questions.

The Ocracoke Current has published an informative article about the musical here: http://www.ocracokecurrent.com/81560.

Please leave a comment if you remember attending a performance those many years ago!

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

The following paragraph is from the history page of HatterasGuide.com:

"In 1773 a teenager named Alexander Hamilton was a passenger on a ship that nearly sank off Cape Hatteras, and he experienced first hand the danger of the cape’s dreaded Diamond Shoals. Seventeen years later, when Hamilton was the second-ranking member of George Washington’s cabinet, he still heard terrifying tales of shipwrecks at Cape Hatteras. In 1789 Hamilton, who is reputedly the one who coined the moniker “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” urged Congress to investigate the possibility of establishing a lighthouse on the Hatteras Sand Banks. The lighthouse wasn’t authorized until 1794, and it wasn’t constructed until 1802. Mariners were not impressed with the lighthouse, which they said was not sufficiently bright or reliable."

In 1868 Congress appropriated funds to construct a new lighthouse at Cape Hatteras. The new beacon, with the iconic black & white spiral design, was first lighted in 1871.

Image by Henry Hartley

In 1872 the original lighthouse was demolished.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm.

James & Zilphia

On Sunday morning (Jan. 26, 2014) I published a photo of my great-grandfather on our Village Craftsmen Facebook page. Capt. James W. Howard was the first keeper of the Cedar Hammock Life Saving Station. The station was located on the north end of Ocracoke Island, at Hatteras Inlet. He served from 1883-1903. This is a picture of Capt. Jim and his wife, Zilphia, taken about 1895. Zilphia bore twelve children, eight of whom died in infancy.

One of the most dramatic shipwrecks on Ocracoke, occurred on Christmas Eve, 1899. You can read the story of the wreck of the British steamship, Ariosto, here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news122007.htm.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm.

Cross

Yesterday I posted information about the sinking of the Caribsea in 1942. Here is a photo of the cross which stands on the altar of the Ocracoke United Methodist Church.

This wooden cross was fashioned by my grandfather, Homer Howard, from wreckage of the Caribsea.

You can read a history of the Ocracoke United Methodist Church here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news102603.htm.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm.

Caribsea

On March 11, 1942 the steam powered freighter, Caribsea, was struck by two torpedoes from a German U-boat off the coast of North Carolina. Ocracoke Native James Baughm Gaskill, one of the crew members, was killed in the attack. The ship's nameplate now hangs in the NPS Visitors Center.

From Village Craftsmen's History of the Ocracoke United Methodist Church:

"A hand-made wooden cross rests on the altar in the sanctuary of Ocracoke's united church building. The cross was constructed by Homer Howard, and painted gold by his wife, Aliph. The cross was made out of salvage from the ship on which island native, James Baughm Gaskill, served and lost his life. Jim Baughm's ship, the "Caribsea," was torpedoed and sunk offshore by a German U-boat on March 11, 1942, little more than a year before the new church was dedicated. Shortly after the sinking, Christopher Farrow, James Baughm's cousin, found his framed license cast up on the ocean beach. Later, the ship's nameplate and other debris washed up at his family's dock, at the old Pamlico Inn. The cross stands today as a memorial to James Baughm Gaskill, 3^rd mate in the USS Maritime service."

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm.

The Anna R. Heidritter

In May of 1942 one of the last great coastal schooners, the four masted Anna R. Heidritter, wrecked on Ocracoke beach. Captain Bennett Coleman was the youngest of the eight crewmen. He was 63 years old!

The Anna R. Heidritter in the Breakers at Ocracoke

You can read more about the Heidritter here: http://northcarolinashipwrecks.blogspot.com/2012/05/schooner-anna-r-heidritter-3-march-1942.html.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm.

The Gulf Stream

Ben Dixon MacNeill, in his 1958 book The Hatterasman, remarks that the volume of the Gulf Stream (he calls it "the Great River"), "is equal to that of 1,000 Mississippi Rivers."

I know the Gulf Stream is a colossal body of moving water that originates at the southern tip of Florida and flows along the eastern seaboard. The Gulf Stream influences our weather here on the Outer Banks, not only regarding storms and hurricanes, but more generally. The warm waters of this "Great River" help moderate Ocracoke's temperatures. And they provide great off-shore fishing!

The Blue Waters of the Gulf Stream

I wasn't sure how accurate MacNeill's assessment of the size of the Gulf Stream was, so I did a bit of research. According to The Gulf Stream as a Graded River by R.M. Prall of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts (http://aslo.org/lo/toc/vol_11/issue_1/0060.pdf), "The gulf Stream carries a volume of water north through the Straits of Florida that is more than 70 times the combined flow of all the land rivers of the world"

I can't comprehend such large numbers (1,000 Mississippi Rivers, or 70 times the combined flow of all the land rivers), but I know it is huge...and totally awesome. What a remarkable planet we inhabit!

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm.

Slavery

In September, 2011 our monthly Ocracoke Newsletter related the story of Slavery on Ocracoke.

The article points out that "[a]s on other islands of the Outer Banks and in coastal areas of the mainland, the institution of slavery on Ocracoke Island was somewhat different from slavery on large southern plantations."

David Cecelski writes authoritatively about this theme in his 2001 book The Waterman's Song, Slavery and Freedom in Maritime North Carolina. Cecelski's book is divided into two major sections, "Working on the Water" and "The Struggle for Freedom."

In his second section the author writes, "Coastal ports like Bath, Ocracoke, and even New Bern may have outwardly resembled backwater outposts on minor trade routes, but a tour of those harbor districts would have belied any notion of provincialism. There a visitor would have met black sailors from many nations, swapping the latest scuttlebutt from Boston, San Juan, and Port-au-Prince in a half dozen languages.... [B]lack sailors...kept coastal slaves informed about the political climate beyond the South and offered practical details about coastal geography, sea traffic, and sympathetic captains."

David Cecelski's book is an invaluable resource for understanding the complex issue of slavery in coastal North Carolina.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm. 

One Million

Around noon yesterday our Ocracoke Journal surpassed 1,000,000 page views! Since 2004 we've been sharing news, stories, photos, poems, recipes, and other information about Ocracoke Island. Ironically, the post that garnered the most page views (Nookd with more than 68,000) wasn't even about Ocracoke. The next most popular posts were about island weather -- usually snow or hurricanes.

Nevertheless, we hope our readers enjoy the stories about island life, the brief historical accounts, and our vintage photographs.

Uncle Stanley, Philip, Uncle Marvin & Diabando, ca. 1950

We definitely enjoy sharing Ocracoke with our readers, so come back often.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm.

Rose Emelye

It is the rare visitor to Ocracoke who hasn't heard the story of Blackbeard's final hours as he battled Lt. Robert Maynard just off shore and lost his head to the victorious Royal Naval officer. Books, pamphlets, articles, poems, and movies have recounted the story, some as true as possible to the actual events, others much more fanciful.

New historical information has recently been uncovered in dusty archives in Great Britain, the Bahamas, and elsewhere. According to researcher Colin Woodard in his recent article, "The Last Days of Blackbeard," in the Smithsonian magazine, "Blackbeard, the notorious pirate, had captured two vessels [the Rose Emelye and the La Toison d’Or] more than twice the size of his own—a feat described here for the first time. He could not have known that these would be the last prizes of his career and that in just three months he and most of his crew would be dead."

You can read Woodard's excellent article here:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/last-days-blackbeard-180949440/#ixzz2rpRu3100

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm.

Snow!

Maybe not a blizzard like in much of the rest of the country...and maybe not the 8 inches predicted (probably 2 inches), but snow on Ocracoke is still a curiosity. Enjoy these photos by Sundae Horn. She will have more posted on the Ocracoke Current later today.

Ocracoke United Methodist Church

The Bragg-Howard House

Howard Street

Ocracoke Lighthouse

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm.

Festival Housing

The 2014 OcraFolk Festival will be held June 6-8. This is always a weekend filled with fabulous musicians, talented storytellers, and other outstanding performers. The Festival also features arts & crafts displays, an art auction, and a traditional Ocracoke square dance.

Bob Zentz & His Concertina

This year the Festival Committee is looking for accommodations for some of the performers. 

 

Sunday Evening Jam

The performers are all fun, talented, and creative people. If you have an Ocracoke guest bedroom or apartment that you’d be willing to share with one or more of our friends from afar, please contact Gary Mitchell at 252-928-4280 or email molassescreek@embarqmail.com. 

This would be great way for you to support the OcraFolk Festival.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm.

Success!

Saturday night's Silent Art Auction at the Ocracoke Preservation Society Museum attracted more than eighty residents and visitors. One piece of art brought a high bid of $250. The popular event netted close to $5,000 for the ongoing work of island preservation. In addition to raising needed funds, the auction provided a pleasant evening for a community gathering in the cold days of January.

You can read more about the Art Auction in our wonderful on-line "newspaper" the Ocracoke Current: http://www.ocracokecurrent.com/80779.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm.

The God Article

I recently came across an interesting article written by Mark Sandlin, a Presbyterian minister and contributor to the Huffington Post. Rev. Sandlin writes on his Facebook page, "One of my recent blogs ended up on BOTH Sojourners (one of the largest social-justice Christian blogs) and The Richard Dawkins Foundation (one of the largest atheist blogs). Kind of wild."

I am posting a link to his article below. This is a bit of a departure from my typical posts, but if you read to the bottom of the article, just before the comments, you will see a photo of the author. Read the next to the last sentence of his bio...and you will see what prompted me to publish this link.

Maybe Rev. Sandlin will be just as impressed that he is being referenced on the Ocracoke Journal, as on Sojourners & the Richard Dawkins Foundation! Perhaps he will even leave a comment.

http://www.thegodarticle.com/7/post/2014/01/10-things-you-cant-say-while-following-jesus.html

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm.

Ferry Toll Issue...Again!

The North Carolina Department of Transportation will hold four public meetings about proposed toll changes on its ferry routes.  Times and dates are posted here:  https://apps.ncdot.gov/NewsReleases/details.aspx?r=9270.

In 2013 the General Assembly passed SB402 which laid out a process by which new ferries will be purchased. Under the legislation the Department of Transportation must lay out a system-wide tolling methodology, and conduct public hearings in affected communities by March 1. More information is available here: http://www.ncdot.gov/download/transit/ferry/Proposed_Ferry_Toll_Rates.pdf.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm.

Chili

Cold winter days call for hot homemade chili. And the Ocracoke Child Care will be catering to that need on Sunday, February 2 (Super Bowl Sunday)!

Get ready for the 1st annual Ocracoke Child Care Chili Cook-off Fundraiser! Prepare your recipes and save the date. Prizes will be awarded in several categories, including Most Unique, Crowd Favorite, Spiciest, Best-in-Show, and Best Alternative.

For complete information visit the Ocracoke Current:  http://www.ocracokecurrent.com/80401.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm.

Art Auction

Ocracoke Preservation Society's Art Auction, "Through Your Eyes," is scheduled for tomorrow, January 25. You can place bids even if you are not on the island. OPS is accepting remote bids until 4 pm Saturday, January 25. You can see images, and read more details here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.616651635038927.1073741838.109598372410925&type=1

You can also contact Amy Howard, OPS Administrator, for information, or to place a bid, by email:
 admin@ocracokepreservation.org.

 Just a few of the canvases available:

By Trudy Austin

By Kyle Tillett

By Flavia Burton

The Ocracok Current has published an article about the Art Auction. You can read that here: http://www.ocracokecurrent.com/80433

Come out to the Museum between 5 & 7 pm tomorrow to place your bids and enjoy wine & cheese. Or place your bid remotely to own a piece of Ocracoke Island art!

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm.

Henry Pigott's Clam Chowder

Last month Lou Ann and I visited Portsmouth Island. In April we will be there for Homecoming, hosting at Henry Pigott's house, a tiny cottage on Doctor's Creek.

Henry, the last male to live on the island, died in 1971. After his death the last two residents, Marion Babb and Elma Dixon, moved to the mainland.

While on Portsmouth in December I discovered this recipe for Henry Pigott's clam chowder:

Ingredients: 2 quarts clams with their juice, 2 quarts water, 7 or 8 onions, 1/2 pound bacon, salt & pepper.

Instructions: Fry bacon and drain. Sautee onions in bacon grease until clear. Into a 6-8 quart pot, crumble bacon and add sauteed onions and 2 quarts of water. Simmer slowly for 5 minutes. Add clams and juice. (You may use a food grinder to mince the clams.) Cook until done. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm.

WW II

"In 1942, the United States suffered one of its worst defeats of the Second World War. Between January and July, more than 65 German U-boats waged a withering, widespread campaign against Allied merchant vessels and their military defenders. Three hundred ninety-seven ships were sunk or damaged in just half a year. Nearly 5,000 people, including many civilians, were burned to death, crushed, drowned, or vanished into the sea....

"The greatest concentration of these attacks occurred in the war zone off North Carolina's Outer Banks on the approaches to Diamond Shoals, a notorious place feared for centuries as the Graveyard of the Atlantic."  -- War Zone, World War II off the North Carolina Coast, by Kevin P. Duffus, pp 23-24.

Sinking of the Tanker Dixie Arrow Mar. 26, 1942

According to the web site, Sunken Ships of the Outer Banks:

• Over 70 ships sank off the Carolina coast
• 3 German U-boats were sunk
• More than 90% of ship sinkings off the Coast during the four years of submarine attacks during WWII occurred during the first 6 months of 1942
• During March the U-boats averaged one sinking per day 

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm.

Drawing

Visitors to Ocracoke may remember seeing this wooden skiff tied up at the Community Square dock.

This skiff was built on Ocracoke about forty years ago by my father, Lawton Howard. It now belongs to me. Unfortunately, I haven't had it in the water much lately because there have been numerous problems with the outboard motor.

The sketch above was made by my 15 year old grandson, Eakin Howard. You can see more of his artwork at http://eakinsdrawings.wordpress.com/.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm. 

Celibacy

Alice Rondthaler (see our March, 2012 Newsletter) wrote these words in 1976:

"Well do I remember the years [before private telephones came to the island in 1956] when only emergency calls could be made from the Ocraocke Lifeboat Station. We put through one of these late in the 1930s to an Ocracoke summer friend who was being married in New York.

"This is how our telegram read: 'Sorry to learn that Celibacy is dying. Our profound sympathy.'

"It was a real emergency; the boy in the tower only asked, 'How do you spell the dying lady's name?'"

(From "The Story of Ocracoke Island," pages 35-36)

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm.

Otter Trail?

I know this isn't much of a picture. I took it from the viewing platform on the sound side of the Hammock Hills Nature Trail. Every time I stand there and look down I notice the mashed down marsh grass. I always assume that these are "trails" made by otters.

River otters are relatively common in Silver Lake harbor. They are often seen in the vicinity of the NPS docks and near the Jolly Roger restaurant. I have even seen them swimming in Pamlico Sound, not far from the shore. However, I have never seen them at the end of the Nature Trail. Can any of our readers confirm that these "trails" were made by otters?

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an account of the 2013 Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm.

January Newsletter

We have just published our latest Ocracoke Island Newsletter. Lou Ann recounts our excursion to Portsmouth Island for the annual Christmas Bird Count last month.

Carol Pahl & Birds

You can read our Newsletter here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news012114.htm. 

Fire Break

Many islanders fear fire more than hurricanes. Acres of cedars and pines in the National Park, along with thick vegetation in this small village of closely spaced wood frame homes, cause many of us concern.

This past fall the National Park Service eased our fears a bit by creating a fire break at the edge of the village.

Looking North from NC12

Looking South from NC12

We hope we will never have to see if the fire break works.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a 1921 letter written by a former slave, Harrison Williams, to Ocracoke native, Martha Ann Howard Wahab. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news112113.htm.

Another Rare Creature...

...visits Ocracoke.

Watch this video of a harbor seal that Amy made yesterday as we were walking down the beach. If you keep watching you will see his head surface now and then between the waves.




 To see a few still photos, visit our Facebook page.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a 1921 letter written by a former slave, Harrison Williams, to Ocracoke native, Martha Ann Howard Wahab. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news112113.htm.

Supercargo

"Supercargo" is a word I encountered not too long ago while reading Alexandre Dumas' book, The Count of Monte Cristo. It is a maritime term that designates a person hired by the owner of a ship's cargo to look after his property. Specifically, the supercargo is obligated to maintain the security of the cargo while at sea, to manage the sale of the property when arriving at the port of destination, and to purchase or receive other goods for the return voyage.

No doubt Ocracoke islanders were well acquainted with this word during the great age of sail when numerous coastal schooners and other ships passed our shores, stopped here to "lighter" their cargo, or anchored nearby to weather storms. In those days many a young Ocracoke man heeded the call of the sea to pursue the life of a sailor.

Today, the word comes to the great-great grandson of those eighteenth and nineteenth century sailors by reading a book!

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a 1921 letter written by a former slave, Harrison Williams, to Ocracoke native, Martha Ann Howard Wahab. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news112113.htm.

Oyster Wars

For many years oysters were harvested in coastal North Carolina with hand tongs. These consisted of wide rakes with attached "baskets" that were mounted on the ends of wooden tongs up to 20 feet long. The tongs were worked in scissor-like fashion from sloops and other sailboats. (Do an Internet search to see images of traditional oyster tongs.)

I don't have access to any vintage photographs of North Carolina watermen using oyster tongs, but this photo from Florida is typical.

Oyster Tonging in Florida

(Photo courtesy, State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/6894)

In the late nineteenth century oyster dredgers were brought into Pamlico Sound. Skipjacks (or oyster sloops) could harvest as many oysters in an hour as a tonger could collect in a day. This led to the Oyster Wars of 1891, when local watermen, armed with rifles and shotguns, drove the dredgers out of the Sound.

James Horatio (Raysh) Williams, Jr. was eighteen years old when the Oyster Wars irrupted. He wrote a song commemorating the islanders' victory. Most of the song has been forgotten, but these few lines survive:

"It was just about night,
They sank the ships out of sight,
And drove the Core Sounders away."

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a 1921 letter written by a former slave, Harrison Williams, to Ocracoke native, Martha Ann Howard Wahab. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news112113.htm.

Parking Area

I came across this photo a while ago. It was taken in the late 1950s or the early 1960s. This is one of the Ocracoke parking areas for access to the beach. In those days they were paved with WWII "landing mats."

I have written about landing mats in previous posts. But I thought our readers would enjoy seeing the mats in the ways they were actually used. There is more information here: http://villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com/2013/07/marsden-mats.html.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a 1921 letter written by a former slave, Harrison Williams, to Ocracoke native, Martha Ann Howard Wahab. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news112113.htm.

Bridge over the Gut

Prior to World War II two small tidal streams flowed from Cockle Creek (later renamed Silver Lake) toward the "bald beach." These streams, or "guts" as they were known by islanders, divided the village into two major areas, Around Creek (including the Community Store, Howard Street, etc.) and Down Point (from the southern side of the Island Inn to the lighthouse and in that general vicinity).

Several primitive wooden bridges spanned the guts. I discovered this never-before-published photo after my father died. It was probably taken in the 1930s.

From left to right (back to front), to the best of my knowledge: Juliana Guth (my mother's mother), Kunigunde Guth Howard (my mother), Helena Guth Webster (my mother's sister), Lawton Howard (my father), and an unknown man.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a 1921 letter written by a former slave, Harrison Williams, to Ocracoke native, Martha Ann Howard Wahab. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news112113.htm.

Art Show & Silent Auction

Here is your opportunity to own an original Ocracoke work of art. On Jan. 25, 2014 the Ocracoke Preservation Society will be hosting an art show and silent auction titled, "Ocracoke, Through Your Eyes." 

Nearly 100 artists have received canvases (all 6" x 8") with which to be creative. Here are three examples:

Artist: Nancy Carlson

Artist: John Simpson

Artist: Pat Schweninger

More canvases can be viewed on line at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.616651635038927.1073741838.109598372410925&type=1

OPS will be accepting remote bids (explanation of that will come soon) and will mail the canvases if you win. 

 Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a 1921 letter written by a former slave, Harrison Williams, to Ocracoke native, Martha Ann Howard Wahab. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news112113.htm.

Motor Lifeboat

Last fall the Hatteras Inlet Coast Guard Station's 47 foot motor lifeboat was tied up at the National Park Service docks here at Ocracoke...and the crew welcomed visitors aboard.

Hatteras Inlet 47 Footer

A Peak Inside the Pilot House

This very sophisticated vessel is built from marine grade aluminum, and is designed to right itself in fewer than ten seconds if it capsizes.

Many thanks to all of the men and women of the United States Coast Guard for their presence and dedication to duty protecting our shores and our coastal communities.

You can read more about this impressive vessel here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/47-foot_Motor_Lifeboat.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a 1921 letter written by a former slave, Harrison Williams, to Ocracoke native, Martha Ann Howard Wahab. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news112113.htm.

The Winter of 1917-1918

The bitter cold of the last few days brings to mind stories of the severe winter of 1917-1918 when much of Pamlico Sound was frozen solid. 

Capt. Joe Burrus (he built the building that is now "Oscar's House B & B" on NC 12) was stationed on the screw-pile lighthouse at Bluff Shoal, about seven and one half miles from Ocracoke.  According to old timers the cold lasted so long that for several weeks no supply boats could reach the light station on Bluff Shoal. 

Eventually Captain Joe ventured out onto the ice and walked quite a distance.  Whether he was attempting to walk all the way to dry land, or just trying to relieve the boredom, is uncertain.  At any rate he turned back and remained at the lighthouse until the weather broke and food and supplies were finally delivered to him. 

Capt. Joe Burrus

 When the supply boat finally made contact with Captain Joe the seaman reported that the lighthouse keeper had run out of food.  Of much more concern to Captain Burrus, however, was the fact that he had used up his supply of chewing tobacco.  Maybe that's what he was after when he stepped out onto the ice that cold winter day. We’re told he had resorted to chewing boat caulking before the supply boat arrived.

For more stories of the Big Freeze of 1917-1918 follow this link to a superb story in Our State magazine by Bryan Mims:  http://www.ourstate.com/big-freeze/#.UszEQT2FAh0.facebook

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a 1921 letter written by a former slave, Harrison Williams, to Ocracoke native, Martha Ann Howard Wahab. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news112113.htm.

Portsmouth Island Gallery

Last week Lou Ann and I accompanied folks to Portsmouth Island for the annual Christmas Bird Count. We aren't serious birders...and we didn't count any birds...but we did help Dave Frum rescue a Carolina Wren that was trapped in the Methodist Church. And later in the afternoon, back on Ocracoke, we helped locate the snowy owl that was hanging out at the South Point.

Lou Ann and I mostly spent our time wandering around Portsmouth village. Below are a few photos I took. It was a sunny day with the temperature in the low 50s...and no mosquitoes! It was perfect.

Henry Pigott's House

Approaching the Village

Inside the Washington Roberts House

Lath & Plaster

Early 1800s Graves

The Dennis Mason House

The Methodist Church

A Carpet of Lichens

The Schoolhouse

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a 1921 letter written by a former slave, Harrison Williams, to Ocracoke native, Martha Ann Howard Wahab. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news112113.htm.

Pelicans

In the early 1970s there were only a few nesting pelicans on the Outer Banks. The widespread use of DDT had caused pelican egg shells to grow unnaturally thin, and the embryos did not develop to maturity. Once DDT was banned in 1972 the brown pelican made a dramatic comeback. Today hundreds (probably thousands) of these birds can be seen in coastal North Carolina. This photo was taken from the deck of the Cedar Island ferry in October, 2013. These birds congregate on the spoil island near the channel that passes by the sunken dredge Lehigh. Click on the photo (and follow directions to the right) to view a larger, better quality image.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a 1921 letter written by a former slave, Harrison Williams, to Ocracoke native, Martha Ann Howard Wahab. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news112113.htm.

We're Back!

We hope all of our readers had a joyous holiday season...and that 2014 will be the best year ever. It is good to be back sharing news of Ocracoke Island.

Lou Ann was on the island from Christmas Eve until just a couple of days ago. We enjoyed Christmas festivities, visits with family & friends, a boat trip to Portsmouth Island, and daily excursions to the beach. One highlight of the last week was the arrival of a beautiful snowy owl on the island. You can see one of Peter Vankevich's spectacular photos of this rare visitor on our January 1 Facebook page.

Peter also sent me a photo of a Peregrine Falcon that was spotted on Ocracoke:

We will be here again tomorrow with more news, stories, and photos of life on Ocracoke, so come back often.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is a 1921 letter written by a former slave, Harrison Williams, to Ocracoke native, Martha Ann Howard Wahab. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news112113.htm.