The ninth annual Ocean City Jazz Festival, July 7-8 on Topsail Island, was created to draw people of all walks of life together through music and promote the beach community’s African-American history.
Culture & History
‘Harm’s Way’ Exhibit Shows Century of Storms
Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center is set to open June 21 a collaborative exhibit, “Harm’s Way: How Storms Have Shaped Our Communities, Our History and Us.”
Our Coast’s History: Crew of the Bedfordshire
A solemn observance held Friday at Ocracoke’s British Cemetery honored the men of the H.M.T. Bedfordshire who died on May 11, 1942, in a World War II battle off the N.C. coast, but a few islanders got to know some of the crew before their deaths.
Deserted Island Village to Come Alive Again
The historic and normally quiet Portsmouth Village will be awash in voices and music later this month as island descendants and others gather for the biennial homecoming celebration.
Women’s History: Notable Coastal Women
March is Women’s History Month and today we take a look at a few of the significant women of the North Carolina coast and their contributions to history.
Operation Drum Roll: Ocracoke During WWII
World War II battles off the N.C. coast were for years kept secret from most of the American public, but Ocracoke residents saw firsthand the horrors of and the U.S. response to the Germans’ deadly Operation Drum Roll.
New Painting Brings Surfmen’s History to Life
The James Melvin painting honoring Capt. Richard Etheridge and his African-American crew of the U.S. Life-Saving Service Station at Pea Island was unveiled Sunday during a special performance of “Freedmen, Surfmen, Heroes” in Manteo.
NC Coast Home to Abundant Black History
Recognizing February as Black History Month, we explore a few of the many sites on the state’s coast where the important contributions African-Americans have made to North Carolina are honored and celebrated.
Our Coast’s History: North Carolina’s First Fish
Striped mullets, or jumping mullets, North Carolina’s first commercial fishery, provided sustenance and income and were a big part of life for coastal residents.
Our Coast’s History: Drawing The Va-NC Line
The border between North Carolina and Virginia was delineated by an expedition of Virginians led in 1728 by William Byrd II, whose dim view of Tar Heels was made clear in a “secret” history.
Our Coast’s History: A WWII Outer Banks Spy
Carol Dillon of Buxton remembers the time during World War II when a mysterious visitor with a German accent arrived at the local post office to mail a suspicious package.
Historic Wrightsville Beach Cottage Relocated
The 1924 Ewing-Bordeaux Cottage in Wrightsville Beach now has a new location and purpose as an added feature of the town’s history museum, with space for exhibits and events.
Birth of Two Inlets: Accounts of 1846 Storm
Firsthand accounts provide vivid detail of the deadly storm in September 1846 that created Oregon and Hatteras inlets and brought dramatic changes to North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
Our Coast’s History: Shell Castle Island
Shell Castle Island in Ocracoke Inlet wasn’t much more than a cluster of oyster beds, but for a couple decades in early U.S. history, the wharves and warehouses that stood here were the center of maritime trade for northeastern North Carolina.
Harkers Island To Celebrate Heritage, Decoys
An exciting weekend is ahead on Harkers Island with the 30th annual Core Sound Decoy Festival at the elementary school and the annual Waterfowl Weekend at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center.
Wash Woods at 100: Coastal History Saved
Congressman Walter Jones attended the recent celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Wash Woods Coast Guard Station, a preserved historic landmark on the northern Outer Banks.
