North Carolina: A Maritime State
Happy National Maritime Day! North Carolina‘s coast has been making waves for millennia, and to celebrate we’re highlighting some of the maritime traditions and stories from our state.
By Karl Galloway
Maritime Forests
While we often focus on human activity to understand our coastline, natural features are essential to its evolution. Among the most important of these are maritime forests. Estuaries that grow along coastal barrier islands, these forests comprise shorter, scrubby trees and bushes that can withstand wind and sea spray. The Currituck Banks Preserve is a great example of this kind of forest and is home to American holly, beach olive, ironwood, loblolly pine, red maple, and live oak. While the North Carolina coast is always shifting, these forests have been holding the coastline together for thousands of years, and are a unique part of our state.
Pirates
Argh! Well you knew we had to mention those dastardly do-badders! These terrifying figures moved up and down the North Carolina coast, taking advantage of its relatively wild and uninhabited nature to hide and rest. While their deeds were often random, these buccaneers represent a rudder in colonial history. Many fled their European places of birth where they were wanted, making for European colonies and taking advantage of the opportunities that low regulation afforded them. Others operated with the blessing of their birth-countries, carrying letters of marque that designated them as privateers, charged with collecting wealth for their homelands. Also known as corsairs, they acted with the same viscousness as their outlaw cousins and remind us that the piratical past is not so easily cast in terms of legality. Nor were all pirates men, Mary Read and Anne Bonny being among those who stalked the North Carolina coast during the “Golden Age of Piracy.”
Traditional Economy and Little Boats
For those who live there, the North Carolina coast has always provided opportunities to survive. However, the economy as we understand it has changed considerably. While much of the coast now survives on vacation rentals and the revenue that surrounds them, the past saw an almost exclusive focus on reaping the bounty of natural resources. Fishing and hunting have been practiced for thousands of years, and around the early 1800s these pursuits eventually would specialize in jobs like decoy makers, net hangers, and boat builders. For areas like Carteret County (comprising 821 square miles of water and 520 square miles of land) boats were part of subsistence living. Specifically the sharpie (see above), brought from the Chesapeake Bay, had its bottom flattened by NC boatbuilders to adapt to the region's shallow waters. While these days it’s easier to learn about these traditional pursuits in museums than out on the water, they made it possible for North Carolina to develop as it has, and it couldn’t have happened without boats.
Hoi Toiders and the Ocracoke Brogue
Ever heard of a ding batter? If not, you might just be one! Many of the early settlers on the Outer Banks were Scottish, English, Irish, and Scots-Irish. Because of their isolation from the interior of the state, they remained very independent, relying on the sea and ingenuity to survive, and also maintained a unique “brogue.” They have been dubbed “Hoi Toiders” a brogue pronunciation of “high tiders,” referring to the coastal tides. Their way of speaking may soon be gone, but despite that they have left their mark. They were some of the first lifesavers, and their relationship with the sea goes back many generations. Make a visit to Ocracoke Island to learn more, and don’t be offended if you get called a “woodser.” It just means you are from inland where, of course, there are woods.
Forgotten Fruit
Ever wonder what those corsairs, boatbuilders, and ancient fisherfolk might have snacked on? Well, chances are it included the tasty pawpaw. The closest thing to a tropical fruit grown in the state, it’s also the largest edible fruit native to North America. Creamy, and with a taste like banana, mango, and pineapple, the PawPaw is making something of a comeback, appearing in local farmers’ markets and craft brews. But don’t let those hipsters make you think they discovered it. The pawpaw has been fueling humans for millennia all along North Carolina’s coast. It’s time we give it its due.
Graveyard of the Atlantic
While the NC coast is home to vibrant natural life and cultural traditions, it also is the site of multiple maritime mishaps. Often referred to as “The Graveyard of the Atlantic,” this is where the warm waters of the northbound Gulf Stream meet the cold Arctic current at Diamond Shoals. This confluence creates wild unpredictable currents, making it doubly difficult to navigate the myriad inlets, capes, and bays. The steamer Pulaski, the ironclad Monitor, and the U.S. gunboat Huron are among the buried. Check out the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum to learn more!
Pea Island Lifesavers
The dangerous nature of the North Carolina coast and increasing sea activity throughout the nation eventually led to the establishment of the U.S. Lifesaving Service, which began operating in NC in 1874. Following the wreck of the Huron in 1877, federal funding was established to support year-round operations. In NC, the most famous lifesaving crew may well be that of the Pea Island Life-Saving station. In 1880 Captain Richard Etheridge was appointed as keeper of the station. An African-American man, he led the only all-black crew in North Carolina. As a team, they battled racial prejudice and segregation even as they fought the weather and waves to make daring rescues. These included saving the entire crew of the E.S. Newman, which required two of the team’s strongest surfmen making 10 trips by rope from the scuttled schooner to dry land.
Marine Archaeology
The NC coast and nearby waters are full of remnants from civil war battles, pirate wrecks, and victims of the Atlantic’s changeful weather. Such a wealth of artifacts requires highly specialized experts to find, extract, and preserve the treasures that inform our history. The field is marine archaeology and in North Carolina this practice falls under the Underwater Archaeology Branch. These intrepid researchers dive deep to explore such wrecks as the Condor Heritage Dive Site and USS Huron Historic Shipwreck Preserve. Do you have what it takes to join the team?
The Ghost Ship
The many wrecks up and down North Carolina’s coast can generally be explained. Records describing cargo and destination provide important clues, and archaeologists are able to piece together narratives through artifacts. The fate of the crew of the Carroll A. Deering however, remains a mystery. In 1921 the ship was found, having run aground on the rocks of Diamond Shoals. The crew was nowhere to be found. Gone also were personal belongings, key navigational equipment, some papers, and the ship’s anchors. Despite the FBI’s best efforts no trace of the crew or why the ship was abandoned has ever been found.
Whaling
In North Carolina, whaling was practiced until 1916, when the last capture was recorded near Cape Lookout. This practice provided a lucrative, if dangerous, living to practitioners and came along with many strange customs. Whalers would name their prey, giving such monikers as the “Big Sunday,” “Lady Hayes,” and even “Hain’t been Named Yit.” Today whale hunting is outlawed and seafarers can glimpse humpback whales swimming peacefully off the North Carolina coast.
We hope you enjoyed learning about our waters, and that you get out soon to learn more! For more North Carolina maritime history visit https://ncmaritimemuseums.com/.
