PETER WILLIS CAMPS

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Eddie Willis

phone interview 12-8-20

Eddie’s parents (Peter) had built a camp at the head of Little Banks Bay about a half mile up the shore side from Barden’s Inlet.  It was near Charlie’s Pond which was a source of fresh water.  The camp was about half mile to the Horse Pens.  They also had as fish camp— a simpler structure–on the ocean side.  The  oceanside fish camp was used in fall and winter, when they would stay overnight and in a dory put out nets/pull nets to get trout and mullet for sale.

The shoreside camp was about 11 feet above the water.  You could pull alongside the dock/porch at high tide to unload and load at low tide, hand things up or down.  The camp was built out over the water–having a two stage porch.  Every year they would use the boat to blow out or dig a trench up the creek to the dock and it would hold them from repeated use thru the season.  This camp was in use all summer.  You could wade 50 yards either way and gig a flounder, could gather a tub of clams within the first 100 yards, and of course, you could fish.  The camp was 24×24 overall–16×24 house and 8×24 screened in porch.  No Partitions, two full size beds and bunk beds, a kitchen, no partitions.

Although they were “squatters” in one sense, Peter had called the owners and gotten their permission to build “whatever you want” at that site.  Eddie described it as a simple but “cool home anyway”.  It was “unique”–”that was home”– a special place where “you could do anything–and surrounded by wildlife.  “A lot of fond memories” remain.

One couple who “were down and out” were allowed to stay there one summer–they gathered clams/ got back on their feet and after the summer, were able in October to return to the Island and get their house back.  He believes they were some of the Rose’s crowd fro the east end. (Repeatedly, stories of sharing the camps of the banks with others are a part of Banks memories).

Eddie admits that he “never thought it was going away” and “would give anything for my children to be able to experience it”.

Around Easter week, the family went to the camp and shot Loons.  It felt like a “God-given” heritage or right  that passed down thru the years.

Peter had started as a fisherman, later built boats, and then returned to fishing full-time.  Peter made decoys but almost never sold them–always gave them away–at most sold 5 or 6 in his lifetime.

David Yeomans had a camp 1/8th mile “east of us” that was wrapped in “red brick (designed) tarpaper”–he has seen pictures of that cabin.

Eddie’s grandfather, Rennie Willis, was a meat hunter.  He would prepare fowl after hunting and ship ducks north to restaurants.  Everything about hunting was legal then.  The family had feather beds, pillows, and comforters as side benefits..

“Everything is illegal now.  Fishermen have no chance.  Flounder season used to be 125-140 days and now is 19-32 days.” (“but there are more flounder than ever–though authorities say they are “going extinct”)

Asked about the burning of the Shackleford Banks camps, Eddie disputes some NPS history resources that say the locals burned their own camps–he emphatically states that the Park Service burned the camps.  The only local-triggered event were burning of the two camps that were not burned by NPS. (inferring, being upset that some others were getting to keep their camps when they could not–possibly not knowing they had deeds-rights and agreements that the other camps lacked).

Eddie feels strongly, “Nobody burned the NPS building–that has been a tale from day one.  Someone did burn an old boat nearby near that time–the boat in Gladys Harker’s yard.”

He believes the fire started in an office in the back, maybe from a cigarette, –it burned from the inside.  He and family went down there that night to see the fire, living-as they did nearby.  He feels there is no justification to blame locals for the fire–investigation never found anything and no one went to jail.  He feels persistence of the story demeans locals unfairly.  

There were two other fires on the island at that time.  He believes they were both insurance “jobs”.  One was Barbour’s store–it had been doing a “going out of business “ sale for a month.  The store was going under.  There were 15 sites of accelerants on the floor scattered about.  He feels that it seemed a good time to seem a part of local unrest and events. ( Locals had burned Dr Moored’s and German Holland’s camps on the banks).  The insurance company fought the  Barbour’s claim for 4 or 5 years.  The other fire was a “styrofoam house”–??LR Moore?

Wayne Davis’ camp was west of the Willis’.  Other camps include Bill Guthrie’s, Kerry R___-, Julian Guthrie?, 

“Little Miami” was the section at Bell’s Island where Emma Rose Guthrie and others had campsthere— Tom Nelson, Lennie Smith?, Henry Preston Johnson (also built on/over the water).

He mentioned Clarence and Lois Willis at Bell’s Island as well.

On the west end, the Moore’s and Lewis’s owned their property.

Speaking of how the camps were not just fishing shacks but special places, Eddie related that several of the camps on Core Banks across from Davis were nicer inside than their mainland counterparts of the same owners.  Grady Davis had a camp with knotty pine walls, gas frig and lights and carpets.  Several other houses had sheet-rocked walls.  The Fulcher’s had heated showers and indoor bathrooms.

Jeffrey Smith from Atlantic z9John Weston Smith) had/?has 103 acres near /at the High Hills area.  They got s layer friend who helped with their claim in return for half ownership–contested the land–still contested and “the NPS can’t do anything to it.

has passed on, now brother Mark Smith owns /controls it.  Sleeps 14, has a 45foot   lookout tower, that is 12×12 itself–has a WWII ambulance used to cross to beach to fish etc.  Eddie and friends , not knowing the rules, rode from the camp up to Portsmouth rabbit hunting and sightseeing–only to  have the NPS call ther next day and say they were not allowed off their deeded small section of beach with a vehicle–”you can’t do that” they were told.  Site is 3-4 mi south of Portsmouth.

Weldon E. “Peter” Willis

Dora Willis

Eddie–James Edward Willis

grandsons: Edward ?Ross and Jackson Thomas Willis

Mr. Big Seafood–estab 1976