Simpson is the featured carver at this year’s Ocracoke Waterfowl Festival set for Saturday and president and cofounder of the Ocracoke Island Decoy Carvers Guild.
Our Coast
Our coast’s history: From Aguascogoc’s ashes
In 1585, English explorers twice visited a Native American village called Aguascogoc, destroying it on their second stop. Historian David Cecelski traces North Carolina’s coastal tribal legacy.
Historians at OBX event reveal enigmatic Thomas Harriot
He was chosen to be a part of Sir Walter Raleigh’s first expedition, and although little is known about scientist and mathematician Thomas Harriot, his written depictions of the New World say much about the author.
Small, rural Hertford County has an identity all its own
Hertford County is a vibrant, successful county in the otherwise economically challenged region of northeastern North Carolina, writes historian Eric Medlin.
Swansboro to resurvey its historic districts, buildings
The town and its historic preservation commission have been awarded a federal grant to update its outdated architectural survey, which will documents buildings and landscapes at least 50 years old.
Elizabeth City civil rights, suffrage pioneer to be honored
A planned historic marker on the National Votes for Women Trail will honor Annie E. Jones of Elizabeth City.
Rural character has defined Gates County for centuries
Its rural character, plantation history and natural beauty make it similar to other northeastern counties such as Chowan, Pasquotank and Camden but has famous residents, plantation homes and a state park.
For some, Pamlico River was part of underground railroad
“Freedom seekers used this river,” says Leesa Jones, executive director of the Washington Waterfront Underground Railroad Museum.
Our coast’s people: Last daughter of Davis Ridge
Historian David Cecelski shares the story of Nannie Davis Ward, who grew up at the now-uninhabited Davis Ridge in Down East Carteret County, and her description in an interview before her death of the remote community of formerly enslaved watermen and island women.
Community races against time to restore dilapidated church
Half of the $1 million needed has been raised to restore the mid-1800s Reaves Chapel, which has fallen into disrepair over the last 15 years since a congregation last worshipped within its walls.
Forgotten message in a bottle washes up 25 miles away
The message a South Dakota family put in a bottle and tossed in Corolla waters in 2016 was not an SOS, but a note asking to be contacted when and where the bottle washed up, which Steve Jarvis with Kitty Hawks Woods Reserve was happy to oblige.
‘They have got hold of the Bible’: Beaufort and the Civil War
The letters between an anti-slavery pastor and his daughter give a glimpse of Beaufort during the Civil War era, where escaped and liberated enslaved people could “come out of the shadow of slavery,” David Cecelski writes.
Red knots, northern gannets highlight Christmas bird count
The totals are now in from when dozens of birders flocked to Ocracoke in late December to join in the annual nationwide Christmas Bird Count.
Currituck County: More than a vacation destination
The Outer Banks county has a rich history of agriculture, political leadership and intriguing people, writes historian Eric Medlin.
The weary diamondback terrapin’s latest foe: phragmites
The diamond terrapin population, which has not fully recovered from the turtle soup trend of the late 19th century, faces a new challenge to its survival: phragmites.
Lost photographs: Remembering NC’s fishing communities
Historian David Cecelski illustrates with a series of photographs life in the 1930s and 1940s fishing communities as well as the man who took the photos, Charles Farrell.
