Inspired by a pirate movie and David Stick’s Outer Banks history book, Kevin Duffus and his friends Gary Snyder and Bob Thurber rolled out of Greenville 50 years ago on a biking expedition that was brutal, exhausting and transformative.
Our Coast
Geographer explains origins of Outer Banks place names
Roger Payne recently published his second reference guide to the names of places along North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
Our Coast’s History: Remembering 1930s Sneads Ferry
Through Charles Farrell’s photographs of Sneads Ferry in the 1930s, historian David Cecelski learned the stories and people of the Onslow County fishing village.
Aviation, history buffs to celebrate Orville Wright’s birthday
In honor of National Aviation Day, Aug. 19, the public can purchase rides on one of the famous “Warbirds,” or World War II aircraft, the Avenger “Doris Mae.”
Coast Guard commissions cutter named for NC native
A recently commissioned Coast Guard cutter bears the name of an enlisted Coastguardsman from Carteret County, who received the Silver Star for his heroism during World War II.
Our Coast’s History: Menhaden Fishing Days
David Cecelski looks further into the work of photographer Charles A. Farrell, who documented fishing communities across the North Carolina coast in 1930s, including the menhaden industry in Beaufort and Southport.
Family researcher discovers Bertie County ancestor’s secret
John Bunch of Tampa, who spoke Saturday at the 10th Family History and Genealogical Fair at Hope Plantation, found answers in his research that confirmed what his relatives had long denied.
Figs to take center stage on Ocracoke Island this weekend
Ocracoke is set to host its eighth annual, three-day Fig Festival this weekend on the island, which has been home to fig trees for centuries.
David Stick was an example of the ideal coastal historian
David Stick, who literally wrote the book on Outer Banks history and founded the Outer Banks History Museum, represents an endangered species of local historians in the modern publishing world.
Hard times: Voices from the Great Depression on NC coast
Historian David Cecelski found interviews from the Great Depression from a seaman from Ocracoke, a country doctor from Lake Mattamuskeet, a Norwegian dredge boatman in Beaufort, a washerwoman in Elizabeth City and others.
Park Service to support Gullah Geechee corridor project
The National Park Service’s selection of a project to connect the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor with the East Coast Greenway in Brunswick County will bring national exposure, proponents say.
Marvin Jones’ Winton Triangle research a personal journey
Marvin Jones, Chowan Discovery Group executive director, has made it his life’s work to document the history of a northeastern North Carolina community of color.
For first time, Hatteras museum on track for state funding
For the first time since becoming a state museum, an appropriation of $4.2 million to implement an exhibit plan has been included in both the governor’s and the state Senate’s proposed budgets.
Our Coast’s History: The Herring Workers
Charles Farrell’s photographs of herring workers from 1937-1941 remind us of a different time and perhaps give us a vision of what could be again if the Chowan River is restored to health, writes historian David Cecelski.
The other coup d’etat: Remembering New Bern in 1898
New Bern in 1898 could have easily experienced a coup similar to the massacre that took place in Wilmington the same year, writes North Carolina historian David Cecelski.
Outer Banks ties inform photojournalist’s climate reporting
Photojournalist Justin Cook shares a personal story of discovering his Outer Banks connections and how this shared history and the Salvo Community Cemetery are being lost to tides and time.
