Following is a transcript (very slightly edited for ease of reading) about growing up on Ocracoke Island from an interview with Ellen Marie Fulcher Cloud (1940-2016). Ellen Marie, who loved Ocracoke and collected much island history, was interviewed March 30, 2016, by Barbara Garrity-Blake for...
In the mid-1990s I was in downtown Beaufort, North Carolina, walking along Front Street when I noticed a slender, gray-haired woman dressed entirely in black. “Yvonne,” I said, to attract her attention. She stopped, and I introduced myself. “Philip Howard, from Ocracoke,” I offered. She extended...
The OcraFolk Music and Storytelling Festival in June, the Ocracoke Independence Day celebration, and the Ocracoke Fig Festival in August are opportunities for islanders and visitors to come together on the dance floor. As many couples as can comfortably fit in the room form a circle. When the...
The Howard family of Ocracoke is linked by a tradition of love for their island home. Ever since William Howard, who historians believe may have been Blackbeard’s quartermaster, bought the island in 1759, it’s been a Howard family tradition to reside here. At least 10 generations of Howards have...
One of the happiest journeys in life is the ferry ride to Ocracoke for a magical vacation. When you finally have to bid farewell to the island, it is gratifying to...
People fall in love with Ocracoke Island for so many reasons — the ocean waves, calm sound waters, weather, history, people, wildlife and on and on. Another element of the island that stirs people’s hearts is the trees...