A 1957 Sports Illustrated profile would dub him “The Commodore of Bimini,” but that was after the prolific inventor and successful businessman had enjoyed the simple pleasures of a sportsman’s life on the Outer Banks and his Gooseville Gun Club in Hatteras Village.
Culture & History
Ocracoke a beacon of maritime history, quiet attraction
Accessible only by water or small aircraft, the barrier island and its villagers see the population swell each summer as visitors flock to its history, restaurants, nature and beaches.
Dare puts ‘OBX Folklore’ on the map in time for Halloween
Dare County gets in on spooky season with its new interactive map that features more than 30 tales, legends and ” mysterious occurrences” connected to the Outer Banks.
Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station observes its 150th year
Photo essay: The crew’s heroic legacy was lauded during a recent program commemorating the 150th anniversary of the station opening October 1874 in Rodanthe.
October therapy: Grow your own ‘Little Shop of Horrors’
As Halloween nears, garden centers stock up on Venus flytraps, and a gardener of any skill level can attempt to cultivate their own tiny Audrey II.
Maps may yield clearest clues to ‘nation’s oldest mystery’
Archaeologist Eric Klingelhofer of the First Colony Foundation says a review of historic maps indicates that the Croatan tribe who had befriended the Roanoke colonists did not live year-round on Hatteras Island, so the missing English settlers likely just crossed the sound.
Preserved Skinnersville church bears builders’ handprints
Rural Washington County is home to a restored 170-year-old house of worship on the National Register, and the nonprofit group formed to restore the structure likely built by enslaved people says it offers revealing glimpses into our past.
A Forgotten People: Bohemian oyster shuckers on NC coast
“By drawing especially on coastal newspapers, and with help from some wonderful librarians, archivists, and museum curators, I will try to sketch the best portrait I can of the Bohemian oyster shuckers and their lives on the North Carolina coast between 1890 and 1914,” historian David Cecelski writes.
Lost riverfront destination, Bayview Hotel nearly forgotten
Bayview on the Pamlico River is best known these days for its ferry terminal used by phosphate mine employees, but nearly a century ago, it was starting to gain attention for its grand hotel.
Museum to mark 125th anniversary of Ca’e Bankers’ exodus
The Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center is host for the Diamond City Homecoming, a celebration of the hearty Cape Banks residents forced inland by storms 125 years ago.
Murfreesboro poised for growth balanced with preservation
This perhaps lesser-known older coastal town’s embrace of its history, scenery, significant architecture and long tradition of educational excellence is driving both its economy and its push for preservation.
Behind NC coast’s range lights, buoy depots, gas works
This collection of photographs captures what historian David Cecelski calls “a rare view of the behind-the-scenes work that was necessary to maintain a functional system of navigational aids on the North Carolina coast.”
Researchers shed light on Native Tribes’ English encounter
A two-day program in Manteo last week brought together researchers who study the Indigenous people of the late 16th century in what is now northeastern North Carolina and their short-lived relationship with colonists.
‘As Long as a Star Can Be Seen’: 1864 Plymouth Massacre
Historian David Cecelski, who recently gave the keynote address at an event commemorating the Plymouth Massacre of April 1864, shares his remarks from that day.
‘People’s museum’: Hatteras Islanders welcome reopening
After decades of work to establish a maritime museum in Hatteras, villagers were there to celebrate the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum reopening Monday with a new exhibit gallery awash in centuries of dramatic maritime history.
New nonprofit, inaugural event to celebrate Chief Wingina
Gray Parsons of Frisco formed an organization and planned a May 30-31 event in Manteo to celebrate Chief Wingina, the first indigenous leader on the continent to be murdered by English colonists.
