history – NC-Culture

Great Dismal Swamp in North Carolina: Brief History: Part One

Posted on Thu - Aug 24th, 2017 by NC-Culture Posted in Coastal, Of Special Interest .

Our recent small series on the Dismal Swamp was so well received on our Facebook page and there were so many requests for reprints, that we’ve decided to repost the series here for those who missed part of it.

Please be sure to visit the Facebook page for the Welcome Center, also.

Great Dismal Swamp
Pungo River
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There is some debate as to who exactly discovered the swamp and when. When the state line was surveyed in 1728, Colonel William Byrd II provided the first description. George Washington visited in May of 1763, and advocated for draining and digging a canal that would connect Albarmarle Sound with Cheasapeake Bay. Two syndicates, Dismal Swamp Land Company and Adventurers for Draining the Great Dismal Swamp, were formed to accomplish this. The goal was to drain, harvest the trees, and then use the land for farming. Many cypress trees were cut for shipbuilding, and Washington Ditch connected Lake Drummond with the western edge of the swamp. In the late 1700s, Riddick Ditch was completed.

Great Dismal Swamp
Washington Ditch
Google Free Images

in 1796, Washington sold his share to “Lighthorse” Harry Lee, who was the father of Robert E. Lee. However, Harry Lee was unable to raise his part of the funds, and the land eventually passed to the Washington heirs in 1799.

“Lighthorse” Harry Lee
Commons

In 1909, the land came under the ownership of Camp Mfg. Company (predecessor of Union Camp). After acres of trees were removed, Union Camp donated their part to the Nature Conservancy, who eventually turned it over to the Department of the Interior. At this point, it became the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.

Please note: the majority of this information comes from the brochure put out by State Parks..with a little other random research thrown in.

To access the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center:

2356 US Hwy 17 N.

South Mills, NC

27976

toll free: 877 771 8333

Portsmouth Island: a little history

Posted on Tue - Jun 28th, 2016 by NC-Culture Posted in Of Special Interest .

In our last post, two weeks ago, we addressed “what to expect” if visiting Portsmouth Island. This week we will learn a little about the history of the island.

Cape Lookout National Seashore
North Carolina
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Portsmouth Island is part of the Cape Lookout National Seashore, acquired in the sixties. Cape Lookout itself is part of our Outer Banks, and consists of three barrier islands: North Core Banks, South Core Banks, and Shackleford Banks (where the Shackleford ponies can be found). Portsmouth Island is in Carteret County, and you can see several areas across the water, including Ocracoke and Atlantic, NC.

Core Banks and Core Sound are believed to be named for the Coree Indians, who resided in this area of our state.

The Coree Indians were also known as Coranine, Cores, Connanox, Neuse River Indians, or Commamocksocks.

** “The name Coree may be the singular form of the Carolina Algonquian name Cwareuuoc.” Wikipedia

Although I was unable to find a direct reference to the meaning of this word, I did find this:

“Before the arrival of the white man, the lands adjacent to Cape Lookout, mainly Core Banks, were inhabited by the Coree Indians, who hunted and fished on the banks near the cape, although they mainly resided further inland, in a village named Cwareuuoc, several miles behind Core Banks.”

credit: Coastal North Carolina

At one time, the Coree Indians resided south of the Neuse River. Little is known about this tribe, due to the small numbers (my understanding is that they had only thee villages: most sources did not mention Cwareuuoc). Their survival was primarily based on agriculture and our Atlantic Ocean.

Coranine, believed to be coastal Carteret County.
Narhantes, near New Bern.
Raruta, also believed to be coastal Carteret County.

The first official mention of these Indians was in 1701. During the Tuscarora War (1711-1713) the Corees joined Tuscarora to fight.After the war ended, some transplanted to New York to settle.

The remaining Corees merged with the Tuscarora and the Algonquian Machapunga into a single village on Lake Mattamuskeet of Hyde County in 1715. Others settled into nearby areas such as Indian Beach, Harker’s Island, and Alantic Beach.

The Coranines are associated with the only cannibalism reference of Indians in our state.

For more about this, please see “The American Indian in North Carolina“, written by Douglas Rights, page 56.

Also please note: according to the information on page 259 of this reference, the numbers of the Coree were approximately 1000 at the time of first contact with settlers. However, NCpedia quotes a number of 100 in 1701. Another source, Carolina Native Americans, mentions a war that decimated the population before 1696.

Further information:

Wikipedia

Dickshovel

Originally, Portsmouth Village, located at the south end, was what was called a “lightering” port. It is a historic district, and no camping or cabin rentals are available in this area.

Lightering port essentially means that deep draft vessels, unable to access the shallow waters of the sounds, would lay off-shore, and shallow draft boats would take on their cargo to transport across the waters. While speaking with one of the ferry people, I was told that most of the sound only averages around 2-3 feet of water, so you can see why this was necessary.

Portsmouth Village was established in 1753, and at one time, was at a peak population of 685 (1860). After hurricanes contributed to the shoaling of the port waters, and the onslaught of the Civil War, people began to relocate to the mainland, and many never returned. In 1937, the life-saving station was decommissioned, and the small post office official closed in 1959. In 1971, the last two residents, Marian Babb and Nora Dixon, left the island after the passing of their caretaker, Henry Pigott.

Although many may not realize it now, a large amount of the population was African American, having been brought in as slaves. Most of these people also left Portsmouth Island due to the war, but some residents remained. At this time, segregation was wide-spread, and due to the fact that the island did not have a school specifically for the African American population, many never received a formal education.

Below is a variety of village photos, and you can also download photos and an audio tour at this link

Audio Tour

Portsmouth Village
Portsmouth Island, NC
May 2016

Ed and Kate Styron House
Portsmouth Village
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Church: Portsmouth Village NC
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Standing water in Portsmouth Village, which is a mecca for biting flies and mosquitos
Commons

Side view of Life Saving Station, decommissioned in 1937

Life Saving Station, Portsmouth Village, Portsmouth Island, NC
Adina Stewart

Portsmouth Village Post Office
Portsmouth Island, NC
Adina Stewart

Theodore and Annie Salter House and Visitor Center
Portsmouth Village, Portsmouth Island, NC
NC Culture

Under the Park Service, Portsmouth Island and the village have maintained both the isolation and close relation with nature that many of us crave. The Park Service has cabins that can be rented (please see other post mentioned above for more details on this ), although they are very basic, and most do not even offer a refrigerator. However, if you want to walk for hours in quiet with the ocean, this is the place for you. You can even camp directly on the beach, and the cabin area also offers a shower/bathroom building for those who decide to camp out.

Along with the fishing available, not only on the shore, but also sound-side, you will also see lots of small animal life. The island boasts a strong population of Eastern Cottontails, in particular, and you will see them everywhere, including right in the cabin area.

Birds are also a big attraction on the island. While there, we enjoyed viewing the unusual looking oystercatcher. Following is a few of the other endangered birds you might enjoy:

Black Skimmers

Black Skimmer
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Piping Plovers

Piping Plover
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Brown Pelicans

Brown Pelican
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For sea turtles, the most common on Portsmouth Island is the Loggerhead.

Loggerhead Sea Turtle
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However, chances are you might luck out and see any of the following:

Leatherback

Leatherback Sea Turtle
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Greens

Green Sea Turtle
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Kemp’s Ridley

Kemps Ridley Sea Turtle
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Shell lovers might well decide that Portsmouth Island is the mecca for shelling in NC. You may find, in addition to the usual fare, some of the following:

Whelks

Whelk
Core Banks
Commons

Scotch Bonnets (our state shell)

Scotch Bonnet
Emerald Isle
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Sand Dollars

Surf Sand Dollar
Portsmouth Island, NC
Adina Stewart

Helmet Conchs

Helmet Conch
Commons

Along with the Park Service, there is an active organization, Friends of Portsmouth Island, who help maintain the village and also host a homecoming every two years. You can also find them on Facebook, too

To learn more or visit Portsmouth Island, the following information might be helpful:

Cape Lookout National Seashore

Portsmouth Village

Portsmouth Island Fishing and Morris Marina

please note: to access Portsmouth Island or the village from Ocracoke, your best bet is to use Austin Boat Tours. You can reach them by phone and my understanding is that it’s roughly a fifteen minute boat ride on a skiff that can handle up to fifteen people.

252 928 4361

The Bells of Fine’s Creek by Dean Rathbone, with photos by John Kimball

Posted on Tue - Dec 29th, 2015 by NC-Culture Posted in Mountains .

Fine’s Creek, NC John Kimball, photographer

When NC Culture first heard the “Story of the Bells”, we were fascinated with this insight into our NC history. Dean Rathbone had this to add:
“I grew up listening to these stories, passed down from generation to generation. I want to keep our mountain heritage alive by sharing them with those that want to hear. Hopefully, people can learn from them.”
At the time that Dean was writing this history, a favorite photographer of ours, John Kimball, began sharing photos of Fine’s Creek. John kindly allowed us the use of his photos to help show the remoteness of Fine’s Creek, which is located far back in the mountains in Haywood County, NC. A little more about John follows:
“Welcome, I am John Kimball, a Photographer from Balsam, North Carolina and Ridgeway, Ontario Canada. My main loves are Landscapes and Abandoned farm buildings but you never know where I may end up.”
More of John’s work can be found on Facebook and on Artists Websites.

“The Story of the Bells”

The warm sunshine and the serene view beckoned me to my mothers’s front porch this afternoon. As I rocked gently in a rocker, she slowly made her way, shuffling behind her walker, to join me. We sat there silently, enjoying the warmth and the peaceful view across the Fines Creek Valley. We hadn’t been sitting there long when we thought that we heard the soft sound of the church bells ringing. Hard of hearing, my 88 year old mother listened intently. “Can you make out what they are saying?” she softly asked me. Someone not from the valley would have thought the she was suffering from dementia, but I knew the story behind her words.

Fine’s Creek, NC John Kimball, photographer

Before the Civil War, there was only one Methodist church in the Fines Creek Valley. The congregation was divided. Some families supported the North, and others supported the South, brother against brother. The congregation met and decided to split peacefully. They agreed never to harm each other, and to my knowledge they never did. The two churches developed a code by ringing the bell a certain way to warn of danger. If soldiers or bushwhackers entered the lower end of the valley, someone would ring out the message. The message would then be passed on to the upper end of the valley. The church located at the upper end of the valley would do the same if danger entered from that direction. All the able bodied men were fighting on one side or the other, so the women, children and the old looked out for one another regardless of political views.

Fine’s Creek, NC John Kimball, photographer

Over the years, the code of the bells has been lost. My mother is one of the few that still remembers parts of it. She has taught me what she remembers. Thankfully, I didn’t have to decipher a message this afternoon. My cousin appeared from the shadows: he had been repairing the metal entrance gate to his farm. The peace of the valley was not disturbed.

Old store in Fine’s Creek, NC John Kimball, photographer

My family has attended The Lower Fines Creek United Methodist Church since the Civil War. This church was sympathetic to the South. There is a large field to the right of the church called the southern mustering ground. Men from the valley trained there before they went away to fight in the bloody war. The northern mustering grounds is located about 3 miles up the valley. I had ancestors training in both fields. Every Sunday, as I sit in this little church, it seems I can hear them whisper, “Tell our story so that it will not happen again.”.