Thursday, July 31, 2008

An Historical Note

I let yesterday pass without mention of it's local significance. On July 30, two hundred and forty nine years ago, William Howard purchased Ocracoke Island. He was the last person to own the entire island, and the first of the colonial owners to make his home on Ocracoke. In 1759 there was only a handful of people (a few maritime pilots and their families) living here in "Pilot Town" (several acres of public land set aside for their use). Today, of course, Ocracoke is a small, but thriving, coastal community with a rich history and a strong connection to the pilots, seafarers, fishermen, and others who shaped and defined our heritage.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is Lou Ann's account of installing an old-fashioned pitcher pump. You can read it here.

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:25 PM

    Hey! My friend recently found your blog and showed it to me. I recently started blogging about the Outer Banks (as a visitor), and I LOVE reading everything you write! You've written for so many years, so I have a lot to catch up on, but all of it is so enjoyable. It has been my dream since I was 4 to live on the island one day, but I've never really heard/read accounts from locals who just purely love the place they live. It is almost sad to read your posts because you write about them so beautifully, and it makes me miss the place. Anyway, reading about your life has really inspired me to keep my dream of ending up there one day. It has always seemed to me to be a bit of a struggle, wondering if I could only rely on income during the tourist season, etc., but when you talk about just going to see the ocean before you start your day, it reminds me of what I truly love about that place. Your lifestyle seems so ideal and happy to me, so I wish you the best! Keep on writing and have a great rest of the summer. I can't wait to read more of your posts!

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  2. Anonymous7:44 AM

    Ahoy Skippy,

    Making a living off the dingbatters ---now what could you sell that would appeal to the dit-dots that is the question. I think a Dit-dot cafe would be good how about an ice cream shop or write a cook book dingbats love cook books or a pirate walk dress up like a pirate with a peg leg and tell colorful pirate stories on a street corner

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