http://www.nps.gov/caha/index.htm
Here is information on camping:
http://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm
Need a beach permit? You can get one at the NPS Visitors’ Center located near the Swan Quarter/Cedar Island ferry docks:
http://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/off-road-vehicle-use.htm
If you have any interest in Ocracoke’s rich cultural history, the Ocracoke Preservation’s Society David William’s House Museum is a must see when visiting the island. Located on the right side of the large parking lot near the Swan Quarter/Cedar Island ferries.
Chaeli Moyer has been appointed director of the nonprofit Ocracoke Child Care. Hailing from Ohio, she is completing a master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Akron. She brings extensive experience in early childhood education and non-profit administration. She has been an infant, pre-k and kindergarten teacher; managed a home-based, family-centered child care center and has worked in policy planning on initiatives supporting families with young children.
Her primary goal is to ensure the short- and long-term financial sustainability of the center. She loves children, loves Ocracoke, and can’t imagine a better place to be than Ocracoke Child Care.
“My hope is to engage everyone here – and many who visit — in holding the center as the jewel of the island,” she said. “It is the first home-away-from-home for our babies and toddlers. It enables parents of young children to support their families and contribute the economic functioning of the island. We love Ocracoke Child Care, and want it to be here for generations to come!”
If you don’t know Chaeli yet, be sure to introduce yourself the next time you see her!
Editor’s note: This is a three-part series, look for the next installment in the June issue.
Part I: Growing up in Minnesota
Earlier this year, Eleanor Garrish, Ocracoke’s well-loved quilter and OPS volunteer, turned 98.
Nearly 40 of those years she spent at Ocracoke, which became very much her home.
Before that, however, she led quite a different life, growing up on a farm in Minnesota, setting out to see the world on her own, and falling in love with an Ocracoke sailor in far-away Hawaii.
Last year I assisted her in writing her story, and this is a much-condensed version.
It seems as though I wasn’t called upon to talk about my life until I retired and moved down here, to Ocracoke. I was asked to talk about my experiences by family and friends, and sometimes tourists would ask me.
Eleanor’s parents were of English and German descent. They owned a small farm where they raised cattle, horses, sheep, and chickens, along with the crops to feed them and vegetables.
I was born in January of 1916 at home in Nobles County, Minnesota, during a snowstorm. My father went to the neighbors in a horse-drawn sled to telephone the doctor to come or give instructions for childbirth. My father came back home and I was born soon after. I don’t know if the doctor ever got there, or who delivered me.
Eleanor was the eldest of five children, one boy and four girls. She and her younger sister walked to the one-room rural schoolhouse, a third of a mile away. They helped with all the farm work, storing their food in an ice house.
I was called upon to use horse-drawn equipment, such as a drag and a cultivator. I used a team of horses and went over the fields, up and down and back and forth, row after row, to slow down the weeds. There were cows to get in from the pasture and then milk every morning and evening, and I often assisted in doing that. We had a flock of chickens for an egg supply and for fried chicken to eat occasionally. We children took a turn collecting the eggs daily.
Eleanor remembers the Dust Bowl of the ‘30’s, when dust would blow all the way from Kansas into Minnesota, and dust was everywhere.
My father did a special kind of plowing to keep the dust down.
During junior and high school, Eleanor stayed with her mother’s parents, where she studied bookkeeping, typing and shorthand.
I played basketball with the high school team and I was jumping center for a while, as I was considered tall.
She graduated from high school in 1932, at age 16, along with 31 other students.
As a graduation present, my Uncle Ray and Aunt Marge invited me to go with them to the World’s Fair in Chicago. We left from Sioux City, Iowa, and there was a car packed full of us.
She then attended one year of “Normal School,” which prepared her to be a teacher. Those were Depression days, but she says she didn’t really know it at the time.
At the age of 17, I got a job teaching in a one-room schoolhouse with an enrollment of about 12 students, aged eight to 12. I got room and board for one year, one and a half miles from school, which I walked every day. My beginning salary was $45 a month. The school had a furnace that burned wood and coal and it was my responsibility to keep the school warm. I would bank up the fire at night before I left so it wouldn’t go out. One sixth-grader rode a horse to school and the others walked.
Eleanor later taught at another school for two years, before the lure of change drew me away. I wanted to find out what life in the big city was like.
May 2014
By Ruth Fordon
It started with orchids..
In 2008, islanders Kathleen O’Neal and Carol Ritchie’s passion for orchids and desire to view some in their natural habitat led them to Indonesia where they toured Borneo’s rain forests and the Danaan Valley, home to some extremely rare and endangered orchids.
This marked the beginning of travel adventures to off-the-beaten-path destinations for Kathleen and Carol. Leaving the husbands at home worked well for the men, and so far the women have found many mutual interests and enjoy sharing the tours.
The duo has traveled to several continents with an organization called Overseas Travel Adventures (OAT) that focuses on bringing small groups of seasoned travelers into the culture and habitat of the hosting country.
Living with a local family, eating native meals, experiencing the everyday life of the country in a very personal manner is a goal for OAT, and one of the reasons Kathleen and Carol return to their tours year after year.
Destinations since 2008 include visits to Africa touring Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe during one tour, then Tanzania and Rwanda on a subsequent trip. They have also toured Patagonia, Argentina and Chile.
Late last November, Kathleen and Carol traveled to remote Nepal in the mystical Himalayas for a 14-day adventure including a three-night overland trek up mostly vertical terrain in the Annapurna range in the Himalayas, white water rafting, a jungle safari, and visits to Nepal’s capital, Katmandu and to Pokhara, the second most populated city in Nepal.
This trip was planned during the warm season in Nepal because most of the area where they would be traveling was without electricity or other amenities.
Their Brahmin guide from Katmandu spoke English and was well-versed in the mostly Hindu culture and life of the communities to be visited. Kathleen and Carol both commented on the warm hospitality extended to them by the Nepalese people.
In one locale they stopped to speak with a family and were spontaneously invited to share their evening meal baked in a clay oven. The generous spirit and willingness to share a meal was not lost on the American women who commented that there is too little of this in our culture.
Highlights of their trek included visits to over 40 Hindu shrines and temples and a few Buddhist temples.
They participated in the five-day Hindu Festival of Lights, a celebration of life and prosperity. During this celebration a red dot, or Tika, was painted on their foreheads.
Dancing occurred every night and many people invited them to their homes. They also met Kumari, the Virgin Goddess who from the age of three to puberty serves as the incarnation of the goddess Kali and is worshipped by thousands. She rarely appears in public but made a public appearance during this festival.
They also witnessed the native practice of public cremation at funeral ghats and the spreading of the deceased ashes into the river.
Touring Katmandu, a smoggy city of 3 million, was a little crazy as there were no stop lights or stop signs anywhere. Also noted was the use of bamboo as a primary wood for foundations, walls and even scaffolding around buildings. It was a common practice even though structurally the bamboo often left a building off kilter and appearing unsafe.
The populations they visited were primarily female or children since the men often traveled to find jobs in other countries only returning home every two or three years.
Most Nepalese enjoy a robust and natural health, a result of a life lived close to the earth. Many foods were grown locally in this mostly vegetarian culture, grains were hand ground and hand tools were used in carpentry.
Walking miles daily on packed dirt roads was common as paved asphalt does not exist in most of the country. In one area, the local school was one thousand steps up a hill.
So what is next?
“We love Africa of all the places we have visited,” says Kathleen. “So we have already booked a fall tour for 2014 to Namibia.”
Got a bucket list of your own? Their advice, “Don’t wait… plan it now.”
May 2014
By BJ Oelschlegel
In the business of real estate, the listing contract creates the opportunity for a homeowner to sell their property through the services of an agent.
The initial conversation with an agent starts with a tour of the home and a bit of fact finding. How eager the seller is to sell, what renovations have been recently completed, the square footage of the lot and the interior heated space are some of the particulars that provide guidelines for the agent. These details steer the agent’s answer to the primo question of, “what is my house worth?”
Our tax assessments have led many a seller down the wrong path. Though they were based on comparable sales at one point in time, these values no longer apply.
The value of a house is fluid. What a willing, ready and able buyer will pay for a 3-bedroom;2-bath house will not remain constant.
Our assessments are a picture in time and that time has passed. Then let’s modify the assessments you say.
The county has a budget, with a required amount of money to pay the bills. The county’s collection of taxes produces the income. If the assessments go down then the rate of tax has to go up to be able to meet the budget requirements. There is no out.
Many owners have hung onto their tax assessment values as though they were written in blood.
Another wrong turn is the listing price your neighbors put on their houses for sale. Neither source of information is based in current fact.
The only yardstick one should use to gauge the value of a home is a review of comparable sales within the last 12 months or a professional appraisal, which is completely based on the latest comparable sales.
There was a point in time when you could ask whatever you wanted for a parcel on Ocracoke. The appraisals always seemed to be within the range that was necessary for the loan, or the flow of discretionary income for a cash deal was good…and real estate was easy.
Today, the banks are tighter and folks are more protective of their savings. If you need a bank loan, the rule is that the bank will use the appraised value or the contract price, whichever one is LOWER
If no bank is involved and you are working with a savvy buyer offering cash, they will make their contract to purchase contingent on getting an appraisal and being satisfied with the outcome.
Every seller needs to compete within “the market” to realistically sell their property.
The definition of “The Market” is what a ready, willing and able buyer offers and a seller is willing to accept.
The only way to be in line with our Ocracoke “market” is to look at the prices recent buyers have been willing to pay which successfully moved a seller to go to closing.
Without being consistent with the market, you are merely advertising your property and not trying to sell it.
BJ Oelschlegel is a broker w/ Ocracoke’s Lightship Realty
….before we had a lighthouse, there was a lightship to light the way for mariners.
Your right to vote is a precious privilege to be exercised
Tuesday, May 6, is the primary election. Although it is not a presidential election, every election is important because elected officials make policies that affect people at all levels.
While space does not allow us to include backgrounds and statements from every local and statewide candidate, in this issue we are providing some information on three candidates: the two candidates vying Hyde County Sheriff. Two Democrats are running for this office and no Republicans, which makes it a true race for this primary.
Although, there is not a candidate on the ballot for the school board, incumbent Dave Tolson told us he will run as a write-in candidate. We know of no one else who will be a write-in candidate for this important position. You will find statements from these three candidates on page 18.
Three county commissioner incumbents are running unopposed as are the county row officers, but these will not be on the ballot until November. We hope to include information on more candidates in the November issue before the general election.
There are several state and federal candidates on the May ballot. We regret that space does not allow us to include them, but we encourage you to do some homework on them. The website https://www.ncsbe.gov/webapps/ voter_search/default.aspxincludes information about them, especially the statewide candidates since these folks also will be in positions to make policies that affect Ocracoke.
We at the Observer strongly support the precept that all eligible citizens should exercise their right to vote. We also strongly believe that an informed citizenry will make the best decisions.
So, take the time to read the candidates statements which may help with your decision-making. And, yes. Be sure to vote on Tuesday, May 6, in the Community Center: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
If you have a questions about Ocracoke such as what was that plant, bird or turtle you saw, or a question about Ocracoke’s fascinating history, send us a note including a photo if you have one. We’ll try to answer it and post is on our website and possibly in the hard copy monthly. Send inquiries to info@ocracokeobserver.com and use as the subject, Ask the Observer.
Press Release
April 7, 2014
(RALEIGH) – The North Carolina Department of Transportation today named Ed Goodwin to lead the North Carolina Ferry Division as its new director. Goodwin has a long history of leadership in both civilian and military positions that will be vital as the division redoubles its efforts to develop new strategies, operate more efficiently and better serve customers, according to a press release.
Goodwin will be based at NCDOT’s State Shipyard in Mann’s Harbor and will begin his new role April 7. Goodwin most recently served as the Eastern Regional Director in the Office of the Governor. Previously, he served as the chairman of the Chowan County Board of Commissioners and had a 21-year career as a special agent with the Naval Criminal Investigation Services (NCIS).
“The Ferry Division is fortunate to have Ed Goodwin as its new director,” said NCDOT Chief Deputy Secretary Nick Tennyson in the release. “He brings the type of visionary leadership experience that will help guide the Ferry System into the future and secure its place as a safe, reliable and efficient transportation link for Eastern North Carolina and an exceptional experience for the region’s visitors.”
Former Ferry Division Director Harold Thomas will remain as a deputy Ferry Director based out of Morehead City, while Deputy Ferry Director Jed Dixon will remain in his role based in Mann’s Harbor.
The North Carolina Ferry System is the second-largest state-run ferry system in the United States. It serves 2 million passengers annually on seven regular routes with 22 ferries across Eastern North Carolina, from Southport to Knotts Island.
Remembering Wayne Teeter
By Pat Garber
April 2014
Ocracoke old-timers believed that when an Ocracoker was going to die, the island’s roosters would crow repeatedly in mournful tones. On Sunday morning, March 9, the roosters along O’Neal drive crowed non-stop, even as the news arrived that Wayne Teeter, a man who was “as Ocracoke as you could get,” had just passed.
Wayne Teeter was, according to his friend Jerry Midgett, “a true Ocracoker, who didn’t put on airs. What you saw was what you got.” Wayne was involved in all aspects of Ocracoke life, including commercial fishing, taking out hunting parties, running the Pony Island Restaurant, the Tradewinds Bait and Tackle Shop, the Ocracoke Crab Company, and serving as Hyde County Commissioner. While commissioner, he was instrumental in getting the North Carolina Teachers (NCCAT) established in the old Coast Guard Station.
Born the son of Frank and Iona Teeter in 1945, he grew up with his brother Carl “Toad” Teeter and his sister, Linda Boos Garrish in a house near Ocracoke’s British Cemetery. He spent his youth swimming in the Creek, gigging for flounder, fishing in Pamlico Sound and riding Beauty, his Banker pony. He was a member of the Ocracoke Mounted Boy Scout Troop.
He attended Ocracoke School but did not finish his formal education. He often told people that “one of the biggest regrets of my life was that I dropped out of school in 9th grade.” he would add, “I should,have quit in the seventh.”
Wayne served in the Coast Guard for 10 years. He greatly valued his service there and recommends it for all of Ocracoke’s young men. While in the Coast Guard, Wayne married Belinda Styron, an Ocracoke girl with a beautiful voice. They lived in Morehead City until his discharge. They then moved back to Ocracoke and were together until her death in 2002.
Back on the island, Wayne ran several businesses as well as resuming the fishing career he loved.
Rudy Austin recalls that they began pound netting and rock-fishing together in the late ‘70s. Wayne also did beach fishing, using dories to net speckled trout, drum, and rockfish, as well as clamming, and crabbing.
While running the Tradewinds, he took duck and goose hunting parties to Portsmouth Island in his boat. He was the first one, remembers Midgett, to plant clams up behind the island and maintain clam beds.
Ben O’Neal, who drove the fish truck at Wayne’s Ocracoke Crab Company from 1989 until 1999, remembers that “Wayne always liked to give. He wanted to make money at the fish house, but he’d rather have one of the fishermen make money than himself.”
Danny Wynne, who sold his fish at Wayne’s fish house, said that Wayne always had time for everybody, even the small fishermen who only had 50 or so pounds of fish. ”He helped out a lot of fishermen,” according to Danny.
After Belinda died, Wayne eventually began spending time with Ada Fulcher, an island girl whom he had known all his life, and they were married nearly 10 years ago. “One day we took a walk,” she recalls, “and we never stopped walking.”
Along with their home on Ocracoke, Wayne and Ada built a small house, “Teeter’s Camp,” on a piece of land Ada owned at the “Straits” in Carteret County. They also bought a pickup truck camper and began traveling– something that, according to Ada, Wayne had always wanted to do. They went to Alaska, Texas, Arizona and Florida, among other places.
Their yard always sported an impressive raised garden, which Wayne loved. Ada did the gardening, but she did it mostly for him. He also loved to cook, says Midgett: “Fish, ducks, geese, you name it.” And, added Ada, he loved to eat.
Wayne loved children, and always took time with them, according to his friends. He had two step-daughters and two step- grandchildren, along with a niece and nephew and great nephews and nieces, all of whom he adored. He and Ada attended the Assembly of God Church on Ocracoke, where Wayne occasionally chimed in by calling out, “Glory!” his favorite phrase. He liked to greet people by calling out, “Good Morning!” regardless of the time of day. When asked how he was, he would answer, “Just right!”
Always trying new activities, Wayne recently had a crab-shedding business in his garage, selling soft-shell crabs. He had just been out to his pound nets, floundering, says Ada, before his death, and he was getting ready to start shedding crabs again.
“He was one of a kind,” reminisces his friend Earl Gaskins. “He always looked at the bright side of things.”
Wayne’s service was held on March 14 at the Assembly of God Church, and he was buried in the Ocracoke Community Cemetery with a military tribut
