Sarah Downing - Chronicles of the Outer Banks: Fish Tales and Salty Gales

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC

www.historypress.com

Copyright 2019 by Sarah Downing

All rights reserved

Front and back covers: Color photos courtesy of Aycock Brown Collection, Outer Banks History Center; black-and-white photo courtesy of North Carolina Department of Conservation and Development Photo Collection, State Archives of North Carolina.

First published 2019

e-book edition 2019

ISBN 978.1.43966.656.2

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018966263

print edition ISBN 978.1.46714.091.1

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

Most everyone who falls in love with the Outer Banks does so by accident. A surf trip. A fishing weekend. A family vacation. A college job between semesters. For most, thats all it will ever bea romantic summer fling with a stunning coastline. A stormy, passionate tryst full of cherished memories that linger forever. For others, the relationship becomes a lifelong love affair, where the more time you spend, the more you appreciate. Before long, scoring waves, gaffing fish and earning tips proves less rewarding than the bonds you make with your fellow beach addicts.

Stick around long enoughtwo consecutive winters according local loreand you might find yourself so tangled up in the super-tight community that you find you cant leave. But if you mean to stay, you best be willing to work hard. Surviving here means giving it your all. Sacrificing for others. Working together to stay afloat. Do that, and you cant help but leave some sort of mark.

Perhaps thats why such a tiny community claims such a robust history. In fact, our one hundred miles of coast might just boast more landmark achievements than any place of similar size. Roanoke Islands home to both Americas first attempted English settlementa.k.a. the Lost Colonyand a settlement for refugee slaves during the Civil War, known as the Freedmens Colony. Notorious pirate Blackbeard made Ocracoke his second home. The Wright brothers made repeated visits to pioneer aviation. All follow a similar pattern of a discovering a place, then doing whatever it takes to survive. (Albeit with differing results.)

And while achievements may stand among our most noteworthy moments, theyre hardly alone. Between the major events, local lore is littered with smaller, but compelling historical notes that show the same commitment to our gritty abode. Moments where a shared adversity turned into potential opportunity for our community to shine and help others in the process.

Like the way making ice changed the whole way folks could harvest fish resulting in a multi-million-dollar commercial industry that sends bushels of seafood all over the world and keeps local families pockets full.

Or the summer a visit from a royal princess that sparked a regal makeover for the small town of Manteo, prompting an economic boom for the quaint downtown.

Or the winter Mac Midgett paid tribute to the history of wrecking along the coast, by claiming salvage rights on a late-70s shipwreck and ended up starting his own successful business and political career.

Or any number of long-forgotten traditionsfrom sturgeon fishing to sweet potatoes to flattop cottagesthat once defined our area and influenced our region, only to give way to newer, greater means of staying alive. The events may not make international headlines. The players are far from famous. But they fall into the time-tested tradition of local people making a difference for the place they love most.

Its a phenomenon so commonso collectively sharedit in inspired the concept for both a local magazine, Milepost, and its motto: Stuck here on purpose. A proud statement that the people who live here are the ones who chart its course. And theyre willing to suffer all its many challenges to stay put. Nasty weather. Near-isolation. Nonstop economic diversity. When I started that humble rag in 2011, I knew wed want to dig into those tales. And after one visit to the Outer Banks History Center, it was clear whod do the telling. Sarah Downings love for her home of thirty yearsnot just its past, but its present and futureyielded the perfect combination of experience and passion. As a result, she culls the most interesting stories of real, local life. They may never ripple across the planet like the achievements of Sir Walter Raleigh or the Wright brothers. But they surely resonate with the people who have a passion for the Outer Banks. And every story is an opportunity to share and solidify that passion for any reader who loves this placewhether they live here or not.

Matt Walker, Kill Devil Hills

INTRODUCTION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Most articles in this book, or similar versions of them, were published previously, chiefly in Milepost magazine, but also in My Outer Banks Home, Outer Banks Visitors Guide and Hatteras Monitor. A revised and updated version of The Dedication of the Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge appears courtesy of the Friends of the Outer Banks History Center, State Archives of North Carolina. These works span the authors writing career from its earliest days to the present. Many people were helpful in providing photographs, permissions, tidbits of knowledge and contact information. Thank you!

Rob Crawford, Nags Head, North Carolina, friend

Matt Walker, Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, colleague, friend and editor of Outer Banks Milepost

Jamie Lanier, friend and colleague, archives technician, National Park Service at Fort Raleigh

Eric McCrory, George W. Bush Presidential Library

Matthew Hanson, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library

Kim Andersen, colleague, State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh, North Carolina

Ian Dunn, colleague, State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh, North Carolina

Sara Brewer, National Archives and Records Administration, Atlanta, Georgia

Carolyn Morris, friend and former neighbor, town clerk, Town of Nags Head, North Carolina

John Ratzenberger, Nags Head, North Carolina, friend and mentor

Cecelia Winslow, Raleigh and Nags Head, North Carolina

Samantha Crisp, Outer Banks History Center, Manteo, North Carolina

Stuart Parks, Outer Banks History Center, Manteo, North Carolina

Jake Hays, librarian, Virginian-Pilot newspaper

Kate Jenkins, editor, The History Press

Mary Ann Williams, Three Dog Ink, publisher of My Outer Banks Home and others

Jeff Donohue, friend and colleague, Outer Banks Visitors Guide

Brent McKee, friend and colleague, the Living New Deal

Barbara Snowden, friend, colleague and mentor, Currituck County Historian, North Carolina Historical Commission

David Miller, friend, Roanoke Island Festival Park, Manteo, North Carolina

Eric Blevins, photographer, North Carolina Museum of History, Raleigh, North Carolina