Fort Macon has a rich history as a Civil War site, but its story also features an ambitious doctor named Elliott Coues, whose interest in the natural surroundings helped focus attention on environmental science in and around Beaufort.
culture and history
Sometimes, a Boat Tells a Story
The story of the freshly restored Deepwater spans from post-World War II Manteo through the halcyon days of Outer Banks charter fishing out of Oregon Inlet with legendary Capt. Lee Perry at the helm.
Death, Duty and Yellow Fever
A yellow fever epidemic killed hundreds in Wilmington in 1862, including the doctors and ministers who felt duty bound to tend to the sick.
Our Coast: A Shelter During Segregation
For African-Americans in North Carolina, the hotels, restaurants and “juke joints” of Seabreeze, south of Wilmington, were their shelters in time of segregation. There they could enjoy Miss Sadie’s fritters and the swing of Count Basie.
Could Hatteras Be America’s First Colony?
Jamestown Virginia is the site of the first permanent English colony in the New World. Or is it? Recent archaeological findings could give that honor to Hatteras Island, and change history.
This N.C. Christmas Went Down in History
The blizzard of 1989 created the only coastal white Christmas on record for North Carolina. Our naturalist, Sam Bland, recalls Hammocks Beach State Park that day.
Old Hatteras Oil Well Draws State’s Attention
Core samples from a decades old oil test well near the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse that was abandoned as a dry hole in 1946 will get another look as part of the state’s effort to expand oil and gas exploration.
Storms, Whales and Refugees
A great hurricane drove the Ca’e Bankers from Shackleford Banks to Harkers Island, Salter Path and a place they called the Promise Land, but not before they took the most famous whale in N.C. history.
Sanctuary Could Include Almost All Shipwrecks
Expansion of the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary off Cape Hatteras could encompass nearly all of the existing wrecks off the N.C. coast.
Take Climb Up a Lighthouse
Bodie Island Lighthouse is said to offer “one of most commanding views from an Outer Banks lighthouse.” Now, you can go up and take a look for yourself for the first time in the structure’s 141-year history.
Displaying History Rescued from the Deep
Museums are trying to encourage recreational divers to display a treasure trove of historic artifacts that they salvaged from U-boats sunk off the Outer Banks before it became illegal to do so.
Remembering the Ash Wednesday Storm
Fifty years ago this week, one of the worst storms to to strike the N.C. coast dealt a staggering blow to the Outer Banks.
