Culture & History

  • 1891 Strathairly Wreck Bell to be Donated

    Following the weekly beach apparatus drill at the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station Thursday, the ship’s bell from the 1891 wreck of the Strathairly steamship will be donated.

  • When World War II Was On the Outer Banks

    Once the United States entered World War II, the battles fought in the Atlantic off the North Carolina coast changed the way of life for those that called the Outer Banks home.

  • Mapping Pamlico Sound: The Secotan Site

    In our continuing series on the July 1585 circumnavigation of Pamlico Sound, historian Kevin Duffus shares his evidence pointing to the Native American village of Secotan’s location.

  • The 1585 Circumnavigation of Pamlico Sound

    Historian Kevin Duffus writes in the first part of his Crossing The Threshold of History series about the 1585 circumnavigation of Pamlico Sound by the English to create a map of the estuary and a visual record of those who lived there.

  • Navy’s Ocracoke ‘Loop Shack’ Was Ineffective

    During summer 1942, the Navy built a secret underwater magnetic loop station on Ocracoke Island to detect the presence of German U-boats off the North Carolina coast, but the station made no contribution to the war effort.

  • Effort On to Link Heritage Corridor, Greenway

    Brunswick County commissioners have agreed to support a plan to connect the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor with the East Coast Greenway, which would showcase for hikers, cyclists and paddlers the history of enslaved Africans here.

  • Escapist ‘Outer Banks’ Confronts Real Issues

    Stars from the fictional Netflix series “Outer Banks” and its viewers who call the Outer Banks home recently spoke to Coastal Review Online about teenage stereotypes and other issues the show portrays.

  • History Rediscovered: NC’s First Lighthouse

    What did the first lighthouse on the Cape Fear River look like and what really happened to it? Documents that maritime historian Kevin Duffus found in the National Archives shed some light.

  • The Story of Shad Boats

    Historian David Cecelski introduces his 12-part series, “The Story of Shad Boats,” that explores the origins, construction and history of the workboats found on the North Carolina coast in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

  • Historic Outbreak: Spanish Flu on NC Coast

    The call to end the practice of shaking hands was urged by the publisher of the Elizabeth City newspaper way back in 1919, as the Spanish flu was on track to claim nearly 14,000 lives in North Carolina.