Sterling Dixon

Story
Decoys
Credits

🟡 AVERAGE RESEARCH VOLUME

OWNERS

Sterling Dixon 1950s onward

OTHER ASSOCIATIONS

Davis Island Fishing Foundation D.I.F.F.

Carlie Willis

Algier Willis

Pam Morris

LOCATION Great Island Camp area–
Southern Core Banks–

Story

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Sterling Dixon

Sterling Dixon –fishing camps on South Core Banks.

Pam Morris Interview

3-4-21

Sterling Dixon established the first ferry service to the banks from Davis.

A native of Salter Path, who moved to Davis after marrying Bernice-of Davis

(Bernice was Pam Morris’ grandfather’s sister).

Sterling had camps he rented out on Core Banks. Dixon preceded the Algier Willis camps. He had camps there with friends–Tom Davis and Dennis Piner.

Sterling sold his ferry and camps to Cariie Willis—who was the son of Ammie Willis, a hunting guide whose claim to fame was guiding Babe Ruth and other prominent northerners on hunts.

The camps were a “hodge-podge” of structures.

Carlie sold the camps and ferry service to Algier Willis (owner of the camps, rentals and ferry service when the Park Service took over). Now, this is the site of the Great Island Camps..

Terry Baxter Dedmon interview 3-25-2022

Terry had prepared a map from memory of the description he related–see map.

Leaving Davis, from Sterling Dixon’s dock-reaching the banks, the water was shallow–channels led to different sites—about one mile down from Sterling Dixon was Marvin Murphy’s camps–off the first channel to the south.

Sterling Dixon had more than 30 camps at his landing–more density because he had taken a well rig over and dug a deep well to provide water–not for drinking but for other uses–if you had a cabin from him, youi could have water for showers, bathroom etc–there was a large tank elevated and connected to a gasoline engine powered pump that kept the tank filled.

Terry showed me the wash-pot from Mr Whitehurst which had been used to melt leads for decoys and nets–Whitehurst weights.

Carlie Willis had camps set off to the north on a seperate channel branch—there were about 10 cabins.

Sterling, and later Algier, positioned cars in an arc between surf and camps–to catch sand and develope dunes–he would stack other cars atop cars for developing dunes—thus this caused wash to be deflected around the camp area and to the sound at the camps margins—”the NPS removed the cars at takeover and “the next storm took things away”

Terry Dedmon and friends placed their camp 600 feet or so to the south—away from the others and outside the man-made dune–they elevated their camp on pilings for protection. The cabin was built by Leonard Aluminum Products in his hometown near Mocksville and with special permit- it was carried to Davis. Marvin Murphy was completing his new shrimp trawler and the deck was completed without its rigging as yet–the camp was loaded onto the trawler and taken over–the truck was loaded onto Sterling’s boat and taken over to the Banks–offloading on the Banks and ready to move the camp structure to its site.

After the task, Terry went to pay up and Sterling said: “just give me $20”—-Terry replied-—”I’m not going to give you $20”—Sterling responded, —”why, do you think it’s too much”—Terry—”N0, I’m going to give you $200”—a fee split between he and other owners.

Pictures of loading, offloading and passing the trawler loaded with the camp were shared.

Other optics and a story was generated by a reporter for the Salisbury Post about Terry’s camp.

Algier rented rooms in his home for fishermen and hunters coming in–in the morning , you went down to the kitchen for breakfsst. If you didn’t stay there, you could still walk-in for breakfast. This is what Terry and friends did–often arriving at 3-4 am for the trip. Waiting for the second load so their jeep could go across, they went up thru the path from Sterling’s landing for breakfast.

Mike Wagoner and George Jordan are seen in the camp with Terry on one of the photos.

You could rent a cabin for $3 per head and a beach buggy for $10-$15 per day—while providing your own gas. Once they owned their cabin, they could pay $2 per head for having supplies brought over and the camp being looked after.

Terry’s camp constructed an add-on bathroom and shower to the structure initially carried over. They dug into the sand and buried their garbage.

Sterling developed heart trouble in his 50s and offered Terry the sale of his camps. Algier eventually bought them, expanding his holdings.

Photo of Sterling with a boat loaded with fishermen was typical of a Saturday morning trip. Vehicles had to wait for later trips. Sterling kept a waterproof structure on a pole at the dock–a book inside was a site to write what you needed–bread, etc.–later that day, it would be on your porch or your steps.

Terry was an Army Special Forces member, picked by Pres. Eisenhour to become the precursor of our Navy Seals. 44 soldiers were packed onto a suib–hot bunk procedures kept 50% on the bunk every 12 hours rotating–Navy and Army conflict existed in this seting. They did nite manuvers-paddling into Cuba to carry out missions.