Outer Banks Reader

Book Overview

For half a century, David Stick has been writing books about the fragile chain of barrier islands off the North Carolina coast known as the Outer Banks. Two of his earliest, Graveyard of the Atlantic and The Outer Banks of North Carolina, were published by the UNC Press in the 1950s, and continue to be best-sellers.

More recently, Stick embarked on another project, searching for the most captivating and best-written examples...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807847267
• ISBN13: 9780807847268
• Release Date: June 1998
• Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Enjoyable, but not what I really expected

I ordered the book in preparation for a first-time visit to the Outer Banks. I found the book interesting and enjoyable, but I think I was hoping for an overview of the history of the area so I would know more about the places we would see. I do recommend the book, but I still need something a bit different. The failure to find what I need is probably my own, so I can't fault the book.

Life-Saving Service and Other Reports

Nags Head became a summer resort in the 1830's. Ocracoke and Silver Lake are described in a piece written in 1956 concerning spending vacations on that island. Tea is made from the leaves of yaupons. Commercial hunters and others gravitated to Currituck Sound as a paricularly rich hunting area in the 1880's. Rachel Carson describes the plenitude of the life forms on the barrier islands. Blue fish have a histroy of population surges. A 31 pound blue was caught in 1972. Early settlers on the Outer Banks told of large areas of lush forest. Logging and grazing denuded many acres of the banks. From a geological viewpoint the Outer Banks are one of the most dynamic areas under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. Nags Head Woods is the most diverse forest on the Atlantic coast. Cape Hatteras National Seashore was conceived in 1933. It is only a third as large as the original plan. It is interspersed with development. Cape Lookout National Seashore, by contrast, is an unstructured experience. There are no camp sites, no life guards. The attraction is surf fishing. Portsmouth Island remained populated into the 20th century. The hurricanes of 1933 and 1944 were devastating. In 1956 the population was 17 and by 1971 only two people remained. In 1874 the Life-Saving Service opened. (The Outer Banks are known as the graveyard of the Atlantic.) Initially there were seven stations, later there were twenty five. Pea Island at Roanoke Island was manned by an all Black crew. Etheridge, the leader, ran the station with military precision. Confederate privateers used Hatteras Inlet as a rendezvous. Hatteras was captured by federal forces in 1861. In 1862 at the Battle of Roanoke Island, the Burnside Expedition gained control of the northeast quadrant of the state. There are articles on whaling and on the 'banks' ponies. The 19th century visitor would have seen windmills used for grinding corn. The sharpie, the shad boat and spritesail skiff are among the sail-powered work boats used in the 19th century. Fishing, an independent way of making a living, is fraught with physical danger and financial risk. The Midgetts were legendary surfmen and stations keepers. Now, (1937), three Coast Guard stations are headed by Midgetts. The Elizabethan Gardens endure as a memorial to the English settlers as does the Lost Colony dramatic production. Until the 1990's Ernie Bowden was a rancher on Currituck Banks. Most of the crab houses are in Engelhard on the Pamlico Sound. There are also several in Wanchese. In 1864 a Freeman's Colony was established on Roanoke Island. The volume is chock full of history and trivia enabling the visitor to enjoy the area from his regular residence after the end of the vacation period.

Proof that true stories are more fascinating than fiction

David Stick has compiled a fascinating collection of stories, essays, letters and reports to bring to life many of the tales which have become near legend on the Outer Banks. From heroic rescues to the lives of everyday "Bankers" -- from the famous to the unhearalded -- from the first settlers to events in the 20th century -- the Outer Banks Reader paints a fascinating picture of the joys and sorrows, failures and triumphs and lives of the brave and hardy people who have lived and made their living on this ribbon of sand 23 miles out in the ocean. It is a richly woven tapestry of the stories that bind together those who love the Outer Banks. Each chapter contains a brief introduction which further places the persons or events in their proper perspective. This volume provides readers with some history and factual information about events on the Outer Banks in an easy-reading, anecdotal format which often quotes the original source. Whether you are a serious student of maritime history or just have a personal fascination with the region known as the Outer Banks, this is a must-read.