The Core Sound Waterfowl Museum hosted this reunion of Coast Guardsmen as part of the museum mission for the preservation and the sharing of the story of Core Banks and the Downeast cultural history. Over clam chowder and chili, Guardsmen had the opportunity to share their memories of service with one another. From the first…
We are blessed by our community connection to the sea and sound. Efforts to protect this resource and, at the same time, sustainably protect the efforts of local fishermen has been ongoing for a long time. This blog post is not directly about the threats to fishermen and our access to quality seafood but it…
A Spiritual Touchstone for the culture of the Banks and Downeast– Curt and Martha Salter, most every evening, would drive down to Shell Point at sunset to look across Barden’s Inlet to the touchstone of their lives. Like the rhythmn of a porch swing, the pulse of the Cape Lookout Light was a precious part…
Kept from the national public for fear of anxiety and panic, the locals–the Bankers–knew, and they did something about it…. Core Bankers and coastal citizens brought their knowledge and experience to the war effort. The Coast Guard and Navy benefitted especially from seaworthy and self-sufficient recruits. Many who served at Portsmouth, the Banks, and Cape…
Being a fellow “from off”, please allow me latitude as I relate the story the Banks and the C’ae bankers have been telling me. This is just a taste of the story I have accumulated but my hope is that it will be a fair partial representation of the Banks story. Where are the Core…
Coast Guard Stations and their preceding Life-Saving Stations along the Banks were central to community life there. Stations at Portsmouth Vilage, Station Atlantic #189 (northern tip of South Core Banks), and Cape Lookout contributed greatly to life events and financial opportunity of each location. Ocracoke and Fort Macon stations flanked each end of the Banks.…
The Portsmouth Marine Hospital was completed in 1847 following the 1842 Congressional appropriation of $8,500 to provide the two story structure. Though now deserted, Portsmouth Village was an important port and community with special issues needing solutions. This resulted in the island building the first structure in N.C. designed and dedicated to use as a hospital.…
“ I want to climb that hill one more time!”—he said to his son. Then Leslie Rose began stripping to his boxer shorts and climbed over the gunnels into the shallows near the shore at the Cape– and began wading ashore to ascend the hill that still sat, and sits, as a landmark of the site…
“SEAGIRT”–“surrounded by the sea.” Origin of the camp–1945–as listed on insurance policy documents. The original camp burned in 1953 and was rebuilt alongside the site of the destroyed camp remains. SEAGIRT–(click red text to see more)– sat about 8 and a half miles north of the lighthouse and set back from the sound. It was…

The Beaufort Connection to the Southern Outer Banks “Beaufort is the Gateway to the Outer Banks.” –Glenn Adair told a News and Observer reporter in 1957. He added–But, to the discerning visitor, Beaufort is the end of the rainbow. Why go to the Outer Banks?” {{The Southern Outer Banks stretch from Ocracoke to Emerald Isle–this…