Tragedy

Tragedy struck two Ocracoke families last week. 13 year old Lee Winstead, son of island resident, Fess Winstead, died August 10. The following day Debbie Fraga, sister of islander, Ken DeBarth, drowned after being caught in a rip current. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to their families, and to the families of the island’s other drowning victims this summer.

The Family of Debbie Fraga posted an open letter to the Ocracoke Community acknowledging the importance of a compassionate and caring community in times of need. 

In response to ocean drownings, island resident Tom Pahl posted his observations on how to recognize rip currents. We have re-posted his thoughts on our Facebook page for August 15, 2016. For readers who are not on Facebook, I have added Tom's observations below.

Again, our hearts go out to all the families of Ocracoke residents and visitors who have lost loved ones in recent tragic accidents. Life is wonderful, but fragile. We continue to hope that our island family and friends have a safe and accident-free rest of the summer.   

Our latest Ocracoke Newletter is the story of Augustus Cabarrus, early inlet pilot, and the present day d'Oelsnitz family. Click here to read the Newsletter: Ocracoke...The French Connection.  

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Tom Pahl's observations about recognizing rip currents:

I swim in the ocean almost every day. I usually swim parallel to shore between 50 and 100 yards. I have been doing this for several years and I've observed some markers for unsafe conditions.
Rip currents aren't as simple as the diagram depicts, nor as easy to detect. Before you go in the water, spend some time observing the wave patterns.

GOOD WAVE PATTERNS:
Waves approach and break parallel to shore.
Waves come in at a steady pace
Waves are spread apart by an even distance.
Waves break on the far sandbar, re-form and break again on shore
Bottom is smooth and deepens at a steady rate

DANGER SIGN WAVE PATTERNS:
Waves approach at an angle to shore
Waves approach from two angles and criss-cross
Waves approach at different speeds and overtake each other
"Far sandbar" is close in, creating a "lagoon" at water's edge
Bottom is "hilly," rising and falling unpredictably

The "lagoon" effect is currently playing out and it's dangerous. There is a broad sandbar all along the shore which has formed close enough in that it captures lots of water which pours into the "lagoon" with the breaking waves and then, as that trapped water seeks an outlet, it creates strong fast currents which most times run parallel to shore, but sometimes cut through the sandbar and flow out.
I am heartbroken by the recent drownings.

Please be careful, take time to assess the conditions before you go in and if there is any doubt, keep your feet on the bottom, keep your feet on the ground.

 

LV-71

On March 9, 1898, the United States Lighthouse Service assigned Lightship No. 71 (LV-71) to be anchored off Diamond Shoals, North Carolina. According to David Stick, in Graveyard of the Atlantic, LV-71 was "a tub-like 124-foot vessel, held in place by 185 fathoms of heavy chains (the links were eight inches in diameter) firmly attached to a 5,000 mushroom anchor imbedded [sic] in the sandy shoal."

USCG Photo, ca. 1910

On August 6, 1918, LV-71 was sunk during World War I when a German U-boat attacked her. All twelve crew members survived by rowing away in the ship's whaleboat as soon as the U-boat began firing. As Stick writes, it would normally have taken "something like five hours to get underway. Even if it had taken only five minutes [the crew] wouldl have stood practically no chance of eluding the U-boat in [the] lumbering light vessel...."

The LV-17's shipwrecked remains were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

Our latest Ocracoke Newletter is the story of Augustus Cabarrus, early inlet pilot, and the present day d'Oelsnitz family. Click here to read the Newsletter: Ocracoke...The French Connection.  

UPS

Several years ago our UPS driver, Grant (now retired), shared the following story.

It seems UPS was evaluating their customer service and operating costs, and decided that the UPS driver serving Ocracoke was highly inefficient. It was taking too long to deliver the number of packages assigned to him. Clearly, UPS upper level managers were unaware of the difficulties associated with delivering to Ocracoke. Not only did the driver have to contend with the normal ferry trip, but weather and mechanical problems with the vessels sometimes added even more travel time.

So UPS assigned an efficiency expert to accompany Grant. They drove down the Outer Banks, boarded the Hatteras ferry, drove the 14 miles to the village, then proceeded to make their deliveries. By mid-afternoon they were on their way back to the ferry. After boarding the ferry Grant opened his bag lunch and began eating a sandwich. The efficiency expert looked at Grant and asked what he was doing. "I'm having my lunch," he said. "Didn't you bring your lunch with you? We don't have time to stop for a break."

I don't know what sort of report the hungry efficiency expert filed, but I never again heard of any question about Grant's UPS service to Ocracoke.

Our latest Ocracoke Newletter is the story of Augustus Cabarrus, early inlet pilot, and the present day d'Oelsnitz family. Click here to read the Newsletter: Ocracoke...The French Connection.  

Figs & Peaches

It is fig season on Ocracoke, and pots are boiling in kitchens all over the island.

Trudy and Tammy Austin, native island sisters, are putting up fig preserves as fast as they can pick the figs. But their preserves are a bit different from other folks' preserves. Trudy and Tammy combine peaches with their figs.

If you are on the island, be sure to come out to the Community Square tomorrow  (for the 3rd annual Ocracoke Fig Festival) to hear Chester Lynn give his presentation about Ocracoke Island figs. You can also see...and sample...traditional and innovative island fig cakes! And Trudy will have her fig/peach preserves for sale (as long as they last!).

Our latest Ocracoke Newletter is the story of Augustus Cabarrus, early inlet pilot, and the present day d'Oelsnitz family. Click here to read the Newsletter: Ocracoke...The French Connection. 

Springers

On Friday of last week I had the pleasure of meeting Jennifer Hull and her family. Jenny's great-great-grandparents were E. D. and Clara Springer, one-time owners of the eponymous Springer's Point.

Springer Descendants

Pictured above, in my kitchen perusing documents about Jenny's ancestors and the Point, are (l. to r.) Whitney Hull (daughter), Jamison Hull (son), Anne Rhodes Whitney (Jenny's mother), Jason Hull (Jenny's husband), and Jenny Hull.

In September, 1759, William Howard, Sr., last colonial owner of Ocracoke Island, sold many acres, including the Point, to his friend William Williams. Over the next 100 years the Point changed hands several times:

• Comfort Williams, daughter of William Williams, inherited six and one half acres which were conveyed for the use of the public pilots
• William Howard, grandson of William Howard, Sr., purchased land on the Point
• Elisha Chase, William Howard's son-in-law, and William Hatton Howard, William Howard's son, then acquired the Point
• Daniel Tolson (who is buried on the Point) purchased the land
• At Daniel Tolson's death his widow, Sidney Ross, inherited the Point 

E. D. and Clara Springer, from South Creek, North Carolina, purchased the Point from Sidney Ross sometime before 1883.

E.D. Springer

Old House at Springer's Point

Sam Jones purchased the Point from E. D. and Clara's son, Wallace Springer, in 1941. Today, Springer's Point is owned by the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust.

More information about Springer's Point, including contemporary and historic photographs, are available at https://www.ocracokenavigator.com/springers-point/ and http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news040303.htm.

Our latest Ocracoke Newletter is the story of Augustus Cabarrus, early inlet pilot, and the present day d'Oelsnitz family. Click here to read the Newsletter: Ocracoke...The French Connection.

Dragonflies

Dragonflies (Anisoptera) with colorful iridescent bodies, multifaceted eyes, and transparent wings, have been abundant around the village lately. They are quick, agile fliers, and formidable predators, swallowing up many types of insects, including mosquitoes. The specimen below was rescued after it fell into the water, and was unable to fly. It perched on Lou's finger drying its wings, then crawled onto a tree branch before flying off.

As Pat Garber explains in her book Ocracoke Wild, "300 million years ago giant dragonflies with wingspans approaching three feet hovered over swamps and bogs, the largest flying insects of all time."

Ocracokers welcome dragonflies (called "skeeter hawks" on the island) every summer. They thrive in the vicinity of wetlands and are a sign of a healthy environment.

Our latest Ocracoke Newletter is the story of Augustus Cabarrus, early inlet pilot, and the present day d'Oelsnitz family. Click here to read the Newsletter: Ocracoke...The French Connection.  

Greetings

A friend alerted me to a recent article in the New Yorker magazine about an isolated, indigenous tribe in Peru, the Mashco. According to the article, "The Mashco had a ritual greeting: they hugged visitors, put their heads on their shoulders, and then felt inside their clothing, as if to ascertain their sex."

This reminded me of an Ocracoke Newsletter I published in February 2013: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news022113.htm.

If, in the unlikely event, you visit the Mashco in the Peruvian jungle you may experience this ritual greeting, but rest assured, you will no longer encounter a similar ritual on Ocracoke. It has been forty years since I have witnessed Ocracoke's variation.

By the way, I just learned that tomorrow is International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. 

Our latest Ocracoke Newletter is the story of Augustus Cabarrus, early inlet pilot, and the present day d'Oelsnitz family. Click here to read the Newsletter: Ocracoke...The French Connection.  

Fig Festival

The 3rd Annual Ocracoke Fig Festival and Fig Cake Bake-Off will be held Friday, August 12th in the Community Square. Additional Fig Festival activities will take place on August 13th in the Square.

You can find details about the Festival here: http://www.ocracokevillage.com/Ocracoke-Fig-Festival.html

Ocracoke Fig Preserves

Schedule:

Friday August 12, 2016

At the Historic Community Square on Silver Lake Harbor

10am–5pm Booths of local vendors selling fig preserves, fig trees, cookbooks, and all things fig-tastic! Face painting and other fun activities for the kids! 

2pm Ocracoke Figs Presentation by local expert Chester Lynn – with fresh figs to taste!

3pm Fig Cakes on Display! 

4 pm Judging begins and will be broadcast live on WOVV 90.1FM (wovv.org) with Daphne Bennink!

Free samples for everyone after the judging!  

6pm Fig Cake Bake-Off Awards and Announcements

6-8pm Traditional Ocracoke Square Dance with caller Philip Howard and live music with Molasses Creek

Saturday, August 13th, 2016

3-8pm Booth and Food Vendors in the Community Square

6–10pm Dance Party in the Community Square with Ocracoke Rockers and more!

The Ocracoke Fig Fest is a family-friendly, community celebration. 

Our latest Ocracoke Newletter is the story of Augustus Cabarrus, early inlet pilot, and the present day d'Oelsnitz family. Click here to read the Newsletter: Ocracoke...The French Connection. 

Concert in the Park

Cape Hatteras National Seashore has scheduled two family-friendly events this summer on Ocracoke. The first ‘Concert in the Park’ was held on Monday, July 11th (unfortunately I missed it). The next event will be on Monday, August 8th, on the grassy picnic area adjacent to the National Park Service boat docks, alongside Silver Lake Harbor.

Visitors and residents are invited to take in the fabulous sunset while enjoying live music provided by local Ocracoke musicians. You are invited to bring blankets, chairs, and picnic food. Music will start at 7:00 pm and continue until 9:00 pm.  August 8th will feature the Madam Presidents (Kate MacNally, Kim Franz, and Katy Mitchell).

At 5:30 pm Seashore personnel will be present to answer any questions about the park and provide some literature about the park. Junior Ranger booklets and badges will also be available for kids of all ages. Come join our rangers in celebrating the National Park Service Centennial!

Our latest Ocracoke Newletter is the story of Augustus Cabarrus, early inlet pilot, and the present day d'Oelsnitz family. Click here to read the Newsletter: Ocracoke...The French Connection. 

Bees

Imagine my surprise yesterday when a friend called to tell me about a colony of honey bees that was attached to a large live oak tree on Ocracoke.

When a colony starts to feel crowded, which usually happens in the springtime as the queen lays more eggs and the number of workers increases, the colony will prepare to swarm...which is their way of reproducing.  The workers make new queens and when they are about to hatch, the old queen leaves to start a new colony elsewhere.

Typically about 60% of the worker bees leave the original hive with the old queen. This particular colony appears to contain about twenty-five-thousand bees, and is estimated to have been in this location for several months.

Luckily we have a friend who is a dedicated and competent beekeeper. She says the colony will not be able to survive a cold winter, and she has offered to use a bee vacuum (with just the right amount of suction to collect the bees alive) to capture the bees in a hive body. They will then be transported to a new, protected hive.

According to https://beespotter.org, "It is estimated that in North America around 30% of the food humans consume is produced from bee pollinated plant life. The value of pollination by bees is estimated around $16 billion in the US alone."

It is only fairly recently that these endlessly fascinating honeybees have taken up residence on Ocracoke. I wondered why the island was without honey bees for so long, and was told they will not fly over large bodies of water.

Our latest Ocracoke Newletter is the story of Augustus Cabarrus, early inlet pilot, and the present day d'Oelsnitz family. Click here to read the Newsletter: Ocracoke...The French Connection.  

Front Porches

"Nobody thought much about the front porch when most Americans had them and used them. The great American front porch was just there, open and sociable, an unassigned part of the house that belonged to everyone and no one, a place for family and friends to pass the time."
--Rochlin, The Front Porch, in Home, Sweet Home (Quoted in The Evolution of the American Front Porch)

"Elsie's House" with open porch, on Howard Street

Nowadays "reverse floor-plan houses" (bedrooms on the first floor; living & kitchen areas and lofty decks upstairs), privacy fences, and air conditioning do not lend themselves to that "open and sociable" front porch.

Margaret Ruth Little, in her book Carolina Cottage, quotes a South Carolina writer who equated the piazza (on Ocracoke it is called a pizer) with southern hospitality:

"The most friendly thing about them [the old houses] is the piazza. Suggested by the climate, it expressed the character of the people. For piazza life combines the private life of the home and the public life of the world beyond; and to a remarkaable degree the private and public life of the South was one."

Let's hope front porches continue to play a significant role in the vitality of Ocracoke community life. If you stroll by Lawton Lane, and see us visiting on our pizer, please give a wave, and call out a friendly "hello."

Our latest Ocracoke Newletter is the story of Augustus Cabarrus, early inlet pilot, and the present day d'Oelsnitz family. Click here to read the Newsletter: Ocracoke...The French Connection.              

Molasses Creek

Ocracoke's popular Roots band, Molasses Creek, has recently been up to some exciting adventures, and they just published their latest blog. Early in the summer they teamed up with an Italian film crew, and shot a fun video (below is a still shot of David, Kim, Gary, and Gerald).

The blog post also includes information about an upcoming concert at the Buck County Cabaret in New Hope, Pa. on Friday, September 23rd & Saturday, Sept 24th. Also, Gary & Fiddler Dave give a tutorial on making fig muffins. You can read all about their latest adventures here: http://soundsiderecords.blogspot.com/2016_07_24_archive.html.

Our latest Ocracoke Newletter is the story of Augustus Cabarrus, early inlet pilot, and the present day d'Oelsnitz family. Click here to read the Newsletter: Ocracoke...The French Connection.   

Octopus vulgaris,

Unless you are a diver or a fisherman, you probably won't encounter an octopus while visiting Ocracoke Island. Nevertheless, they frequent our coastal waters in respectable numbers. Ocracoke resident Pat Garber has written an engaging article for the Ocracoke Observer titled Alien in the Waters of Ocracoke: The Octopus. She observes that "Octopi are considered the most intelligent invertebrates on earth and were, according to Dr. Brenner of the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, the first intelligent beings on the planet."

After Hurricane Irene in September, 2011, I went to the beach with family and friends, collecting seashells. Amy walked up to me with an armful of whelk shells she had gathered in the surf. Suddenly a small octopus emerged from the opening of one shell.

Jennifer wanted to hold the octopus, and then was startled when it squirted black ink. She quickly put it down in the water.

 

Lachlan, of course, was fascinated.

This enchanting critter quickly swan away in search or another shell to hide in.

Our latest Ocracoke Newletter is the story of Augustus Cabarrus, early inlet pilot, and the present day d'Oelsnitz family. Click here to read the Newsletter: Ocracoke...The French Connection.  

Gaskins/Gaskill

Two days ago a reader left this comment: "E.M. Cloud has...written about the names Gaskill and Gaskins being interchangeable in some records. Do you know anything about that?"

Readers may have noticed that in my Ocracoke Newsletter for November, 2012, I wrote, "When Lindbergh arrived at Cedar Hammock the men had already finished their supper meal and Uncle Ben Gaskill, the station cook, was cleaning up the large kitchen when he was told to bring a serving of food to a lone visitor."

However, the text under Ben's picture, from a newspaper clipping, reads, "BEN GASKINS of Ocracoke was the cook at the Cedar Hammock Coast Guard station at the time Charles A. Lindbergh dropped down out of the skies and landed on the beach to spend the night on the island.

Ben Gaskins/Gaskill

This is what Ellen Marie has written on an Ancestry.com Message Board:   

"Research of the names GASKILL and GASKINS calls for a lot of patience and common sense. These two names were continuously intertwined. One wonders if the two were at one time the same, and because of difference in pronunciation and, or, spelling, they became two separate names. One example is ADAM GASKINS, one of the earliest settlers, was referred to as GASKILL in many documents. This happened to many families as they were called GASKILL and later referred to as a Gaskins.

"In Carteret County Reg. of Deeds Book pg the names changes from Gaskins to GASKILL and back to Gaskins several times in the same record.

"On the marriage bond of BENJAMINE D. GASKILL (son of William F. GASKILL and SARAH E. OWENS dated located in the Reg. of Deeds office in Swan Quarter, Benjamine is listed as a GASKINS. On the bond his name appears as Benjamine Gaskins three times.

"His son Benjamine GASKILL, Jr. married my Grandmother's sister. They had all sons, Gaskills of course and speaking of any one of them my mother distinctly called them Gaskills, but when ever she spoke of their father, she called him Uncle Ben GASKINS. When I questioned her about it, she said 'I don't know why but I always called him that,' and was quite puzzled about the whole thing. She had never realized that she had been wrong. Talking with other residents I found many people called him Gaskins."

Our latest Ocracoke Newletter is the story of Augustus Cabarrus, early inlet pilot, and the present day d'Oelsnitz family. Click here to read the Newsletter: Ocracoke...The French Connection.  

Jake's Place

In the 1950s Jake (Old Jake) and Myra Alligood, along with their son, Little Jake, ran the island's teenage night spot. Everyone just called it "Old Jake's Place" although the sign above the porch advertised it as the "Channel Bass Inn." One side was half a quonset hut from the decommissioned Navy Base; the other side was a wood-frame addition.

Inside was a small store where Old Jake sold soft drinks, ice cream, cigarettes, and a few other items. Wooden benches lined the walls, and a Wurlitzer juke box played popular records of the day. Dancing the jitterbug, and occasionally an island square dance, contributed to the merriment.

Old Jake's Place was the most popular hangout when I was a teenager. When it closed at 10 pm we roamed the sandy lanes, went gigging for flounder in the Sound, or headed home.

(Photos courtesy Ocracoke Preservation Society)

Our latest Ocracoke Newletter is the story of Augustus Cabarrus, early inlet pilot, and the present day d'Oelsnitz family. Click here to read the Newsletter: Ocracoke...The French Connection.  

1837 Map

In 2009 I wrote about the 1837 murder of Willis Williams:

On March 1, 1837, "[Ocracoke Island] Justice of the Peace, Jacob Gaskill and his cousin & local tavern owner, Willis Williams, were involved in an altercation on a foot bridge that spanned the 'Ditch,' the narrow channel that connects Cockle Creek (Silver Lake Harbor) with Pamlico Sound. When it was over Williams lay mortally wounded from a musket ball to his neck. Gaskill was tried on the mainland and convicted of 'felonious slaying.' His punishment was the letter 'M' branded in the palm of his hand.

"Many of the details of this event are lost to history, but one can't help but wonder what the dispute was about, why it escalated as it did, and what the jury learned that kept Jacob Gaskill from the gallows, convinced them to return a verdict of less than murder, and led them to impose a relatively light (light, considering the alternatives...but admittedly barbaric) punishment. We will probably never know."

In 1993 Ellen Fulcher Cloud discovered a map of Ocracoke in the John Herritage Bryan (a New Bern lawyer) Collection in the NC State Archives. The map appears to be related to the trial of Jacob Gaskill.

(Click image to see a larger view.)

The map is interesting because it shows several stores (T. S. Blackwell, J. Pike, and W. Williams), as well as the bridge across the Ditch.

For more information about the murder of Willis Williams, see http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news112114.htm.

Our latest Ocracoke Newletter is the story of Augustus Cabarrus, early inlet pilot, and the present day d'Oelsnitz family. Click here to read the Newsletter: Ocracoke...The French Connection.  

Pay Voucher

Jacob Gaskill (1785-1862) served as Justice of the Peace on Ocracoke Island in 1822. In that same year he sold to the US government, for $50, two acres of land where the Ocracoke lighthouse was built in 1823.

During the War of 1812 Jacob Gaskill served as a private in the Hyde County Militia, commanded by Capt. Gibbs. 

Image from NC Dept. of Cultural Resources

Jacob Gaskill received the above Pay Voucher in October, 1814. Vouchers were issued in lieu of cash by the governor after the auditor had validated a claim. The voucher was issued for military service performed by Jacob Gaskill who was called out to defend the coast in 1813. When a voucher was redeemed, it was cancelled by punching a hole through it. 

Our latest Ocracoke Newletter is the story of Augustus Cabarrus, early inlet pilot, and the present day d'Oelsnitz family. Click here to read the Newsletter: Ocracoke...The French Connection. 

Artis Comes Home

Immediately after the Civil War Hercules (Harkus) Blount (b. ca. 1820) and his wife, Winnie Bragg Blount (Aunt Winnie), former slaves, moved to Ocracoke. Their daughter, Jane, married Leonard Bryant who came to Ocracoke in the early years of the 20th century looking for work. Leonard and Jane had nine children, the only post Civil War black family to call Ocracoke home.

Aunt Winnie

In her book, From Whence We Came, Ellen Fulcher Cloud includes this interesting paragraph found on a typewritten page in an old scrap book:

"On the Island of Ocracoke there is only one Negro family, which has maintained at least one branch on its few acres of land since 1865. Artis Bryant, one of the sons of Leonard Bryant, present head of the family, went to sea 18 years ago and none of the family ever heard from him. In July, 1942, the SS Chilore, got involved with a mine, and Artis who was boatswain of an all-negro deck crew, rowed with six others onto a lonely beach. 'Where are we?' asked Artis of the first Coast Guardsman they met. 'Ocracoke," replied the guardsman. Artis has been castawayed within a few hundred yards of his home, and there was great rejoicing in the Bryant cabin that night."

I also found this article from the Beaufort News, July 23, 1942:

"Negro Ab Pays His Parents A Surprise Visit -- Artis Bryant, a Negro AB Seaman paid his folks on Ocracoke Island a surprise visit recently. It was the first time he had been home in over 20 years . He probably would not have made his recent visit, except that the ship on which he was a member was torpedoed somewhere off the east coast. Artis and several of his fellow crew members sailed off in a lifeboat looking for land. It so happened that the first landfall was Ocracoke Island. The survivors landed there and it was not very long until Leonard his father, Jane his mother, and several brothers and sisters whom he had not seen for many years were having a sort of family reunion. News of Artis' visit to the one and only negro family on Ocracoke was brought to the mainland by an employee on the Section Base project now underway on the island."

Our latest Ocracoke Newletter is the story of Augustus Cabarrus, early inlet pilot, and the present day d'Oelsnitz family. Click here to read the Newsletter: Ocracoke...The French Connection. 

Newsletter

Visitors to Ocracoke soon learn that most of the earliest European settlers on this island hailed from the British Isles. Those who research 18th century island history discover that one of the first inlet pilots, Augustus Cabarrus, was a Frenchman. Today, at least one prominent Ocracoke family has deep roots in France.

To learn more, click here to read our latest Newsletter: Ocracoke...The French Connection.

Wagon Trains

According to Rinker Buck, in his book, The Oregon Trail, "[t]he era of the canvas-topped wagons crossing the American plains lasted about fifty years. During the peak migration years of the 1840s and 1850s, more than 400,000 pioneers crossed, in about sixty thousand wagons...."

We don't often associate eastern North Carolina with covered wagons, but a wagon train bound for Alabama left Carteret County in 1823 . Another departed about 1840.

http://idahoptv.org/productions/images/bts_wagonTrain.jpg

In 1834, Ocracoke sea captain Elisha Chase and his wife, Thurza Howard Chase, sold their island property to Thurza’s brothers, gave up life by the sea, and with their three children, left Ocracoke to join a wagon train heading west. According to oral history, somewhere in Tennessee both Elisha and Thurza fell ill, and lay unconscious or in delirium for several days. When Elisha awoke he learned that his wife had died. Distraught, he claimed to have medicine in his satchel that would have cured her. Thurza was buried alongside the trail.

Eventually Elisha and his three children settled in Callaway County, Missouri, not far from Boonville. He soon became a merchant in the town of Portland, Auxvasse Township. Elisha married again, this time to Anne (surname unknown), and they had one child, Henry L. Chase. Elisha Chase is buried on a farm near Portland, Missouri. 

For more information, please see my article about Ocracoke's Soundfront Inn: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news102113.htm.

This month's Ocracoke Newsletter is an article about one of the early July 4th Parades written by Alice Rondthaler in 1953. It is accompanied by vintage photos.You can read the Newsletter here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news062116.htm.

An Internet Shroud

We've all been told, "Don't believe everything you read on the Internet!"  Here is an example:

I have been reading Samuel Taylor Coleridge's masterpiece, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." There are a few archaic words in the poem that I was unfamiliar with (e.g. eftsoons and ivy-tod), so I went on line to do a little research. I came across Vocabulary.com with a list from Coleridge's poem.

For "shroud" Vocabulary.com gives this definition: "burial garment in which a corpse is wrapped."

Of course, this is one definition of "shroud," but not the meaning in the poem.

"And a good south wind sprung up behind;

The Albatross did follow,

And every day, for food or play,

Came to the mariner's hollo!

   1876 Engraving by Gustave Dore

"In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud,

It perched for vespers nine;

Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white,

Glimmered the white Moon-shine"

Shroud is a nautical term for any of the taut ropes or cables forming part of a ship's standing rigging supporting the mast, and steadying it against lateral sway. Clearly this is the meaning in the above stanza.

This month's Ocracoke Newsletter is an article about one of the early July 4th Parades written by Alice Rondthaler in 1953. It is accompanied by vintage photos.You can read the Newsletter here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news062116.htm.  

Wilbur

Two years ago I posted a few paragraphs about Ocracoke native Wilbur Gaskill (1912-1980) and the artist JoKo. Wilbur was a colorful island character, and a regular fixture at Corkey's Store. He could often be found on the porch carving small birds with his penknife.

You can read that post here: https://villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com/2014/07/wilbur-jo-ko.html.

A few days ago Outer Banks photographer, Michael Halminski, posted a couple of photographs of Corkey's Store and Wilbur on his blog: http://photoblog.michaelhalminski.com/?p=3477.

Wilbur died 36 years ago. I wonder if any of our current readers remember Wilbur.

I recall one evening 40 or so years ago when I went to Corkey's about 8 o'clock in the evening. Two off-island college-age young ladies were there trying to shoot a game of pool. Wilbur, who had been imbibing, kept reaching onto the table (without saying a word, but gesticulating in his unique manner) and re-positioning the cue ball. The young ladies got to laughing so hard they couldn't even remain standing. It was one of the funniest encounters I have ever witnessed in a public place. I suppose they are still telling their story of visiting Ocracoke when so many unique island characters called this island home.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an article about one of the early July 4th Parades written by Alice Rondthaler in 1953. It is accompanied by vintage photos.You can read the Newsletter here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news062116.htm.

Updates

Blanche Howard Jolliff: A reader recently inquired about Cousin Blanche. Blanche is a resident at Spring Arbor of the Outer Banks (803 Bermuda Bay Blvd, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948). Amy, Lachlan, and I visited her just last week. We had a delightful chat. Amy shared photos of this year's July 4th parade, and I showed her pictures of the 1953 event. Although Blanche has some mobility issues (she is 96 years old), she exhibited almost no cognitive disabilities. We shared stories, and laughed about one thing and another.

When we left the facility several residents stopped us to explain that Blanche must be one of the most loved people in the world since she has so many visitors. She loves to receive cards and letters, as well as visitors, and enjoys reading articles about her island home. 

Makers Market: I wrote about this new island venture several days ago. This continues to be a work in progress, and the organizers are working to figure out the best day and hours for the event. As a result, the Market is now scheduled for Wednesdays from 10 am - 5 pm.  Click here for more information. 

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an article about one of the early July 4th Parades written by Alice Rondthaler in 1953. It is accompanied by vintage photos.You can read the Newsletter here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news062116.htm.

James Wahab

The following "Instrument of Protest" dated July 10, 1741 (see yesterday's post for more information) copied from Ellen Marie Fulcher Cloud's web page (http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/c/l/o/Ellen-F-Cloud/FILE/0028page.html) mentions one of Ocracoke's early inlet pilots, James Wahab:

"And then did take on board the sloop, in order to pilot and conduct her to Ocracoke Barr, one JAMES WAHAB, a man usually employed to pilot vessels through many channels lying between said town of Edenton and the Barr and Inlet of Ocracoke.Having proceeded with various winds, tides, currents, and weather till the 25th.At that time got as far as a shoal called the HORSE SHOE, distance from inlet 5 miles, at which time with a fresh gale of wind from the South, Southwest about 2 of the Clock in the afternoon, ran on a Shoal of land with vessel, which she struck with great violence, the tide running its last quarter Ebb."

James Wahab is most probably the progenitor of the Wahab family of Ocracoke. He was listed in the tax roll of 1754 living on Hatteras Banks.

For more information about early Ocracoke pilots: https://villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com/2011/06/early-pilots.html.

For more information about the Wahab family of Ocracoke: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news022115.htm.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an article about one of the early July 4th Parades written by Alice Rondthaler in 1953. It is accompanied by vintage photos.You can read the Newsletter here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news062116.htm.

Dead Lights

Every now and then I come across an unusual nautical term. In the following Public Instrument of Protest*, dated Oct 30, 1749, the term "dead light" is used:

"Nevertheless the violence of the wind and seas kept sd ship from driving her anchor not holding, which obliged master and crew cut away the cable to prevent the, ship driving on the north breaker of Ocracoke Bar, a dangerous shoal, notwithstanding all their endeavors, the sd ship was drove on the north breaker of Ocracoke Bar, where she beat her rudder off, and part of her sheathing, that the sea being very high and boisterous popped them several times and tore in their dead lights, that the ship malting [making??] a great deal of water, obliged them to keep both pumps going.In this condition and - where they continued until one o'clock of 8th of October, when sd ship Dolphin was drove by the violence of the wind and sea on shore on Ocracoke Island."

According to Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition, a dead light is:

1. a bull's-eye let into the deck or hull of a vessel to admit light to a cabin
2. a shutter of wood or metal for sealing off a porthole or cabin window

*Ellen Marie Fulcher Cloud, on her web site (http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/c/l/o/Ellen-F-Cloud/FILE/0028page.html), notes that, "In the early days of shipping, there was no insurance to cover damages and loss of ships or cargo.The Masters of ships, being hundreds of miles from homeport, and having no way to report such damages to the owners, would enter port at the nearest courthouse.They would record such damages with the register of deeds, so as to protect themselves from being sued or imprisoned when returning to homeport.

"These protests are in most cases the only records of severe storms that hit our coast and of piracy at sea.These records have also been found in private journals, attorney's files, Colonial Records, and loose papers."

This month's Ocracoke Newsletter is an article about one of the early July 4th Parades written by Alice Rondthaler in 1953. It is accompanied by vintage photos.You can read the Newsletter here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news062116.htm.   

Uncle Homer

In the late 1930s island native, Stanley Wahab, built the first modern hotel on Ocracoke.

The Wahab Village Hotel (now renamed Blackbeard's Lodge) included a movie theater and roller skating rink as well as guest rooms with indoor plumbing. You can read more about the hotel here.

Ever the promoter, Stanley hosted gala events, especially on July 4th, to complement the annual Pony Penning. One function that drew enthusiastic crowds was a greased pig contest. Pictured below is one year's contest winner, my Uncle Homer, holding his pig.

Photo courtesy Chip Stevens

Homer was quite a colorful character. You can read more about him here.

This month's Ocracoke Newsletter is an article about one of the early July 4th Parades written by Alice Rondthaler in 1953. It is accompanied by vintage photos.You can read the Newsletter here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news062116.htm.  

Aycock Brown

Aycock Brown (1904-1984), native of Happy Valley, NC (about 80 miles NE of Asheville, NC), budding journalist and small time bootlegger, came to Ocracoke in the late 1920s, fell in love with islander Esther Styron, and spent the rest of his life promoting the Outer Banks.

 In May, Lorraine Eaton of The Virginian-Pilot wrote an informative tribute to Aycock Brown: "An Outer Banks legend: How one man turned obscure barrier beaches into an international tourist destination" (http://pilotonline.com/life/travel/an-outer-banks-legend-how-one-man-turned-obscure-barrier/article_4c302a54-9c8f-5fbe-bcd5-5e1e53dce910.html).

Eaton relates how "a sport fishing guide and motel owner on Ocracoke Island [Capt. Bill Gaskill of the Pamlico Inn] offered Aycock a free vacation if he came down to promote the island." That was all it took!

In addition to writing numerous articles about Ocracoke and the Outer Banks, Aycock was a prolific photographer, and founded a small newspaper, The Ocracoke Beacon. The Outer Banks History Center has posted 20 of Aycock's iconic photos on line. Titled "Ocracoke in the 1940s and 19..." they can be viewed here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/obhc/sets/72157622634247818/.

The History Center includes this information about Aycock Brown:

"Aycock Brown (1904-1984) was a publicist in Beaufort, North Carolina prior to moving to Ocracoke Island where he landed a job promoting the Pamlico Inn. He met and married an island native, Esther Styron.

"Brown served as a civilian intelligence agent on Ocracoke during the war. He had the unenviable task of identifying bodies of torpedoed ships and interviewing survivors.

"After the war Brown continued as a publicist, photographer and reporter along the coast. He was the first director of the Dare County Tourist Bureau, a position he held for a quarter century."

Tellingly, in his later years Aycock questioned his own promotion of the Outer Banks. Eaton writes that "shortly before his death in 1984, Aycock confided to historian David Stick that he was 'worried about what he had done.'”

This month's Ocracoke Newsletter is an article about one of the early July 4th Parades written by Alice Rondthaler in 1953. It is accompanied by vintage photos.You can read the Newsletter here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news062116.htm.   

Makers Market

There is an exciting new opportunity on Ocracoke to sample island produce and art...Makers Market.

Photo by Roger Meacham

Makers Market takes place on Monday afternoons from 3 pm to 8 pm on the Wahab Estate lawn in Downtown Ocracoke Village [update 7/14/16: the Market is now scheduled for Wednesdays, 10 am - 5 pm. For up-to-date information please visit https://www.facebook.com/makersmarketonsilverlake/). Come out and enjoy Ocracoke Island’s latest creative venture.

Wonderful local and regional artists, makers, photographers and culinary creators have been offering fresh produce, watercolor prints, local CDs, handcrafted painted bags, handmade organic soap, island photography, and more...all available for your outdoor shopping pleasure!

The Wahab Estate Lawn is located at 161 Irvin Garrish Highway. Parking is available at the nearby NPS Parking Lot and admission is free. Coastal Farmer Cooperative will be participating with a wide array of organic vegetables and produce. For more information about the Makers Market on Silver Lake, contact Kim Meacham at 252-588-2205 or email milkstreetsoap@gmail.com.

This month's Ocracoke Newsletter is an article about one of the early July 4th Parades written by Alice Rondthaler in 1953. It is accompanied by vintage photos.You can read the Newsletter here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news062116.htm.   

Passenger Ferries ?

In May of 2015 I posted information about a proposal to run passenger ferries across Hatteras Inlet.

That proposal led to much discussion on Ocracoke. Many islanders and visitors questioned the plan, wondering how many visitors would take advantage of the service.

On June 29, the Ferry Division unveiled the results of a study conducted to determine the feasibility of initiating passenger ferry service at Hatteras Inlet. The study recommends two 100 passenger ferries that would make eight round trips a day between Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Village.

You can read more from the Island Free Press here. The article includes a link to the full copy of the Passenger Ferry Feasibility Study.

This month's Ocracoke Newsletter is an article about one of the early July 4th Parades written by Alice Rondthaler in 1953. It is accompanied by vintage photos.You can read the Newsletter here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news062116.htm.  

Parade

For our readers who missed the 2016 July 4th parade, here are a few photos, courtesy of Jim Fineman:

To see photos of Ocracoke's first Parade, and read an article by Alice Rondthaler in 1953 click here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news062116.htm. 

Island Fig Trees

Figs are beginning to ripen in the village. Chester Lynn, native islander and proprietor of Annabelle's Florist on the Back Road, is an expert on Ocracoke figs.

A Ripening Ocracoke Island Fig

A recent episode on WRAL TV titled"Fig trees have roots in Ocracoke Island family's history " featured Chester talking about his love of these fascinating trees.

You can watch the WRAL episode here: http://www.wral.com/news/local/video/15811605/

And you can read more about Chester here: https://ocracokeobserver.com/2015/06/15/chester-lynn-an-island-original/ 

This month's Ocracoke Newsletter is an article about one of the early July 4th Parades written by Alice Rondthaler in 1953. It is accompanied by vintage photos.You can read the Newsletter here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news062116.htm. 

Happy Independence Day!

All of us at Village Craftsmen wish you and your family a happy, festive, and safe Fourth of July!

Today's activities begin with the flag-raising at 9 am at the School Circle. You can see the full schedule of events here: http://www.ocracokevillage.com/4th-of-July.html.

This month's Ocracoke Newsletter is an article about one of the early July 4th Parades written by Alice Rondthaler in 1953. It is accompanied by vintage photos.You can read the Newsletter here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news062116.htm. 

The Revolutionary War

Years ago I discovered an old magazine. The cover and other identifying information was gone, but it contained this paragraph:

"Less well known, perhaps, than the area's fishing appeal, is the fact that Ocracoke Inlet was vital to the armies of General George Washington during the Revolutionary War. Ocracoke Inlet seemed to the British to be too small and insignificant to require a blockade. The shoals were dangerous, and skillful pilots were needed to navigate the waters with safety. Ocracoke, through the help of the area's loyal patriots, became a great channel of supply for American troops."

As the authors of The Story of Ocracoke Island write, "The part played by Occacock Inlet in the Revolutionary War was vital indeed to the armies of General Washington."

The Story of Ocracoke Island includes six paragraphs about Ocracoke and the Revolutionary War, as well as 64 pages of island history, stories, and photos. It is a perfect introduction to island history.

This month's Ocracoke Newsletter is an article about one of the early July 4th Parades written by Alice Rondthaler in 1953. It is accompanied by vintage photos.You can read the Newsletter here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news062116.htm.   

July 4th Celebration

For the first time since the deadly explosion of 2009 Ocracoke Village will again host an Independence Day fireworks display. It will begin at 9:15 pm on Saturday, July 3.

Full Independence Day Schedule:

Click on the image above (follow directions on the right to view a larger image) for more information about fireworks, storytelling, music, square dance, sand sculpture contest, sky diving demonstration, beach fire, parade, and more.

If you are planning to be on the island for the Celebration, please take note of the following:

• The NPS parking lot and boat ramp will close at 5pm on Saturday, July 2nd. The parking lot should re-open on Monday, July 4th. Bill Gilbert has offered to let boaters use the boat ramp at the Anchorage Inn while the parking lot is closed. Please contact the Anchorage Marina at 928-6661.

• Highway 12 will close at 7pm on Sunday July 3rd, starting at the corner of Hwy. 12 and British Cemetery Road. Only ferry traffic and resident/renter traffic will be allowed through. The last ferry leaves for Cedar Island at 9pm. The fireworks will start at 9:15-ish after that ferry has left. (Travel tip: if you or someone you know has to leave on the 3rd, recommend that ferry departure. They will have a great view of the fireworks!)

• Tommy Hutcherson will be playing tunes at the NPS docks next to the ferries starting at 8pm, July 3rd. Bring a chair or blanket and claim a space on the docks or grassy area for the best view of the fireworks. 

• The Community Center parking lot will be available for visitors after 7pm on July 3rd. The Community Square parking lot will be available after 8pm. 

• Please walk, bike, or if you must, use a golf cart. We expect a big crowd.

And, if you haven't already done so, take at look at this month's Ocracoke Newsletter. It is an article about the 1953 July 4th Parade, and it is accompanied by vintage photos.You can read the Newsletter here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news062116.htm.  

The Days of Sail

The 19th century was the Great Age of Sail, and the Outer Banks played a major role in maritime traffic of the era. According to a History of Portsmouth Village (https://www.nps.gov/calo/planyourvisit/upload/Portsmouth2007.pdf) "in 1842, over 1,400 vessels and two-thirds of the exports of the state passed through Ocracoke Inlet."

Charles T. Williams, II (born prior to the turn of the twentieth century), in this book, The Kinnakeeter, describes the Kinnakeet Atlantic Anchorage Basin, just north of Cape Hatteras as "a peaceful and restless anchorage for the sailing ships of all nations." He writes, "I remember when I was a boy the wind during one summer blew from the southwest forty days, and during that forty days two- or three-hundred sailing vessels, barks, barkentines, fully rigged square-riggers, two-, three-, and four-masted shooners of all description were anchored in the Kinnakeet Anchorage Basin.

Sketch by Philip Howard

"People that never saw the anchorage filled with ships can only have an artist's conception of what it looked like. During the night a brisk shift of wind to the northwest [blew up], and in the early morning the ships, with all sails spread, sailing in a southeast direction, were a beauty to stir one's memory forever."

This month's Ocracoke Newsletter is an article about one of the early July 4th Parades written by Alice Rondthaler in 1953. It is accompanied by vintage photos.You can read the Newsletter here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news062116.htm.