With the approach of the 300th anniversary of Blackbeard’s death, theories abound about the mysterious pirate, but an N.C. author posits that the killing was part of a failed coup attempt.
culture and history
Our Coast’s History: NC’s Oyster War
Back in the 1880s, as the Chesapeake Bay oyster fishery declined from overharvest, out-of-state shellfishermen moved into North Carolina waters, prompting swift response from Tar Heel legislators.
Marines: Last Days of a New River Village
State historian David Cecelski writes about the visit of Greensboro photographer Charles A. Farrell to Marines in 1941, soon before the Onslow County village was displaced to make way for Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.
Our Coast’s History: Winslow’s Oyster Maps
Navy Lt. Francis Winslow’s 1887 survey of oyster populations in N.C. waters provided data and insight still useful today, but his groundbreaking work did little to endear him to local watermen.
‘Rising’ Exhibit Documents Coastal Change
“Rising: Perspectives of Coastal Change,” a collaborative multimedia exhibition featuring photography and oral histories, is on display at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center on Harkers Island.
‘Secret Token’ Casts New Light on Lost Colony
Our Kip Tabb interviews journalist and science writer Andrew Lawler and reviews his new book “The Secret Token: Myth, Obsession and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke.”
Pitch Pines and Tar Burners: A 1792 Account
North Carolina historian David Cecelski shares an historical account of what he thinks might be the best description of tar making in the state he has ever read, written by an English merchant from a 1792 visit to coastal North Carolina.
Our Coast’s History: Plans for Carteret Town
About 130 years after the original Lost Colony, a concentrated effort by the legislature to develop a Colonial port town on Roanoke Island never found success.
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.
Newspaper Archives: The Turpentine State
North Carolina historian David Cecelski discusses how the British press covered North Carolina in the 18th and 19th centuries, and their focus on the vital products of its vast pine forests.
The Birth of NC’s Coastal Wildlife Refuges
Historian David Cecelski came across in the Denver Public Library a collection of letters and maps from the 1930s that provide insight into the origins of some of the state’s coastal wildlife refuges.
Documentary to Focus on The Hammocks
The nonprofit Friends of The Hammocks and Bear Island and UNC-TV are teaming up to produce a documentary on the history of the area near Swansboro and seeking help from those who remember.
Core Sound Museum Set to Mark 25th Year
The Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center will celebrate its 25th anniversary with decoy carving, exhibitions, music and seafood June 23- 24 on Harkers Island.
Our Coast: Honoring British Allies of WWII
Since 1942, the lives of British soldiers who defended the Atlantic coast, including North Carolina’s, during World War II have been honored during ceremonies on the Outer Banks.
Progress Marked in Restoration of Sylvia II
The new owner of the Sylvia II, a round-stern, wooden work boat that may be the oldest charter vessel in North Carolina, recently celebrated a milestone in its overhaul.
Taste of Core Sound Focuses on Carvers
This year’s Taste of Core Sound program, set for Feb. 24, will celebrate the legacy of the Core Sound Decoy Carvers Guild and will feature the three surviving members of its “Original Seven” founding board members.
