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.
culture and history
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.
The Failed Attempt to Reopen Roanoke Inlet
Many inlets have formed and filled in along the Outer Banks since the Sir Walter Raleigh’s colonists arrived, but the long-closed Roanoke Inlet was once so important efforts were made to reopen it.
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.
Exploring a Piece of Battle of the Atlantic
Researchers are using advanced technology to more fully explore recently discovered wreckage of a German U- boat and an Allied merchant ship that were sunk off Cape Hatteras in 1942.
Of Lifesaving, Life Taking and Ghosts
The Kitty Hawk Lifesaving Station now serves tourists as a dining hot spot on the Outer Banks. No one much remembers its past except for maybe the ghost that roams its rooms.
Back to Square One With Lost Colony?
After digging around Hatteras Island, English archaeologist Mark Horton has returned to the original theory that the Roanoke colonists went to live with the friendly Croatan Indians in what is today Buxton.
A Secret No More: Sam’s Invitation to Lunch
The Salter Path Men’s Club doesn’t advertise it, but the group’s fortnightly feasts, a wintertime tradition since 2005, have attracted a growing number of attendees, as our Sam Bland only recently discovered.
Our Coast: Fort Macon and Elliott Coues
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.
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.

















