Carteret County native Bill Lewis has spent the last few years digging through records to corroborate what he’s always heard: that 13 of his ancestors are buried in unmarked graves in the Old Burying Ground.
Culture & History
Mock pound cake: Guilty pleasure or culinary crime?
The first printed recipe for true pound cake dates to 1747, but the debate over the definition of mock pound cake continues to this day.
New Bern sailor killed at Pearl Harbor identified decades later
Navy Fireman 1st Class Edward Bowden, who was aboard the USS California on that infamous morning in December 1941 and interred as an unknown for more than 80 years, was laid to rest last week at Arlington, bringing closure for his surviving family.
Our Coast: In my great-uncle’s sweet potato fields, 1942
This installment of historian David Cecelski’s photo-essay series, “Working Lives: Photographs from Eastern North Carolina, 1937 to 1947,” is more personal than usual for the author. They were taken at his great-uncle George Ball and his brother Raymond Ball’s potato farm in Harlowe.
Our Coast: On the James Adams Floating Theatre in 1940
Historian David Cecelski in this installment of his photo-essay series, “Working Lives: Photographs from Eastern North Carolina, 1937 to 1947,” goes behind-the-scenes at the James Adams Floating Theatre in 1940, when the vessel was docked on the Pamlico River in Washington.
Our Coast: Sawmill workers of the Roanoke River, 1938-1939
The next installment in historian David Cecelski’s “Working Lives: Photographs from Eastern North Carolina, 1937 to 1947″ series takes the reader to a sawmill, a handle mill, and a veneer plant on the banks of the Roanoke River in 1938 and 1939.
Our Coast: In the peanut fields of Edenton, 1937-1942
“Working Lives: Photographs from Eastern North Carolina, 1937 to 1947″ series begins with a group of 21 photographs that chronicle threshing time on a peanut farm near Edenton in the years just before the Second World War.
Cape Lookout Lighthouse set for $15 million renovation
The 163-foot-tall tower will soon shed its distinctive black-and-white diamond pattern, expose its red bricks not seen since 1873 and don newly refurbished ironwork, safety improvements and breathable paint as part of the preservation effort.
Historian explores the working lives of eastern NC 1937-1947
Historian David Cecelski introduces a series of photo-essays focusing on the working lives of people in eastern North Carolina just before, during, and after the Second World War.
Hatteras Village, long sparsely inhabited, retains quiet charm
Historic Hatteras Village is a popular destination for tourists and North Carolinians alike, yet its residents and the National Park Service help to maintain its adaptive, peaceful character.
Our Coast: Remembering Betty Town
Historian David Cecelski has “devoted a fair bit” of historical research to the people of Betty Town, how their land was taken, and how the community’s people were driven out of their homes to make room for the new town of Aurora, but there is much he doesn’t know.
How coastal Carolina shaped 20th-century poet AR Ammons
A.R. Ammons, the heralded, mid-20th century poet was known as “Archie” during his formative years working the family farm in Columbus County.
Groups dedicate marker for historically Black fairgrounds
A William G. Pomeroy Foundation Hometown Heritage marker recognizing the Atlantic District Fairgrounds, founded by people of color in 1920, was dedicated last month as part of a Juneteenth celebration in Ahoskie.
Rik Freeman’s art examines America’s segregated beaches
An exhibit opening this weekend in Jacksonville features paintings by artist Rik Freeman of Washington, D.C., that depict stories of African American beach communities during the Jim Crow era.
Ocean City’s culinary traditions a beacon in turbulent past
Ocean City’s two community cookbooks are filled with recipes from families that spent their summers in the beach neighborhood on Topsail Island where Black residents could own property in the 1950s.
Coastal Cohorts cast off for 40th season with Carson tribute
Don Dixon, Jim Wann and Bland Simpson, collectively known as the Coastal Cohorts, are bringing “King Mackerel and the Blues Are Running” back for its 40th year and debuting their musical homage to Rachel Carson.

















