John Morgan is president of the Beaufort County Mental Health Association which was organized in the early 1960's as an advocacy mental health program for the citizens of this area. The mission of this agency is to promote mental health awareness, provide mental health education, and improve the care and treatment of the mentally ill. Its primary focus is on educational advocacy in behalf of the mentally ill in the community, while trying to eliminate the stigma that surrounds mental illness.

If you would like to make a contribution to this organization, you can do so by purchasing John's new book, A Pleasant Gale on My Lee.  All proceeds from the sale of the book (above the cost of publishing) will go directly into the Beaufort County Mental Health Association's Endowment Fund.  You can use the secure, encrypted credit card facility of our website to purchase the book by clicking here.

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      I was what some people call a "free spirit" during my upbringing in the late 20's and on through the Great Depression of the 1930's, being streetwise and alleywise and generally getting along well with everyone.  All of us had our "happy times" during childhood.  My "happy times" consisted of hanging around the Washington waterfront, swimming at the Vandemere and Norfolk-Southern trestles, camping out on the bluffs overlooking Blounts Bay on the south side of Pamlico River, and most of all, summer vacations at Hatteras with my maternal grandparents, John Irvin and Janette Stowe.  I was named for my maternal grandfather who was known all his adult life as "Cap'n Irv " Stowe.  In the late 20's and early to mid-30's, he was captain of the "Ethel", a supply boat that ran from Hatteras to Elizabeth City once a week with the cargo consisting of boxes of iced-down fish on the trip up, and store goods, lumber and hardware on the return.  She also carried passengers.
      Travel to and from the Outer Banks was for the most part by water because of being isolated from the mainland by Oregon Inlet to the North, Hatteras Inlet to the South, Pamlico Sound on the West, and the Atlantic Ocean on the East.
      Other freight boats during this time included the "Kathleen" which took turns with the "Ethel" on weekly voyages up the Pasquotank River to Elizabeth City and return.  Billy Stowe was skipper of the "Kathleen" and Mr. Horton Austin was mate and later captain when Mr. Bill retired.
      The "Mary Fletcher" ran from Hatteras to Washington each week and was captained by Randolph Stowe and Sammy Neal as mate.  Alternating with the "Mary Fletcher" on trips to Washington was the "Flossie Muir" captained by Johnny O'Neal with Herbert Oden as mate.  The first three mentioned boats were powered with large deisel (parafin) burning engines, while the Flossie was a two-masted sharpie with a large auxiliary gasoline engine for power, and a yawl boat which hung from stern davits.  Later the "Ethel" burned and was replaced by the "Mallison."  After the "Mallison" came the "Sterling."
      Uncle Edward Scarborough of Avon, married my Aunt Agnes.  Edward operated a small freight boat named the "Ruth" out of Avon harbor, trading with merchants in Elizabeth City and Norfolk.  He later secured a larger boat named the "Iowa".  When the new highway was completed in 1950, Edward purchased a truck for hauling merchandise and fish and traded between Avon and Elizabeth City and Norfolk.
      Most folks would say that Ocracoke was more isolated than Hatteras.  This Outer Banks village had contact with Washington fish houses and merchants through a series of freight boats that plied regularly over Pamlico Sound, up the Pamlico River and into the port at Washington.  The "Preston" was captained by Dave Williams and his brother Phil.  She was a two-master of much the same build as the "Flossie Muir".  Another was the "Relief" operated by Capt. Isaac "Little Ike" O'Neal and his brother, Walter.  The "Dryden" was a motor-driven freight boat operated by Capt. Ike O'Neal.  Jesse Garrish and Sid Tolson served as mates on the "Dryden".  The "Bessie Virginia" was the last freight boat serving the Ocracoke-Washington run until the early 1960's She was captained by Vann Henry O'Neal and Powers "Red" Garrish was mate.  Vann Henry later served as Port Captain for the N. C. Ferry Service at Ocracoke.
      Ryon Day operated a freight boat between Washington and ports of call including Durham's Creek, South Creek, Hoboken and points in between.  He operated a fish market and crab factory located on Water Street in Washington.  His boat caught fire and burned at the mouth of Durham's Creek when going to dry dock for repairs sometime in the early 1950's.  Day never replaced this vessel and operated trucks to haul fish and crabs.
      The Hatteras and Ocracoke freight boats would dock at various locations along the Washington waterfront including S. P. Willis & Sons, located adjacent to the City Market at  the foot of Market Street; Sterling's Fish Market located adjacent to the Maola Ice Cream and Coca Cola Bottling plant on Water Street; the dock located immediately behind the City Market; docks located to the rear of the Crystal Ice Co.; Fowle's Dock at the foot of Respess Street, and the Pamlico Chemical Co. dock, commonly called "The Pea Dock", at the foot of Gladden Street.  These boats would take on cargoes of block ice used in icing boxes of fish coming from Hatteras and Ocracoke, drums of oil which took up space on the decks, food supplies, lumber and hardware items, and other orders which came from merchants and builders along the Outer Banks.
      If one had an automobile and wanted to drive to Hatteras from Washington, the route usually was up Highway 17 to Elizabeth City, on over to Sligo and down through Currituck County to Point Harbor and over to Kitty Hawk where a plank road would take you to Whalebone Junction.  This would take the better part of a full day of driving.  At this point you took a right turn and headed into Manteo to spend the night, arising early the next morning to drive through the sand to Oregon Inlet where Toby Tillett operated a four-car ferry.  Tillett would drop the ramp on the beach, his fares would drive on, the ramp would then be hoisted up and in about 20 to 30 minutes you'd be on the south side of the inlet, where you debarked on the beach.  Going down on low tide, you could take the low-water mark on the ocean side and make much better time; otherwise you had to drive the sandy road where more than likely you got stuck three or four times before arriving at your destination. Prior to starting on a trip down the beach one would always slacken the tires by letting out air.  All autos of this era carried a hand pump and a patch kit for repairing flats.

This is a continuing series of historical events and tales of Hatteras as seen through the eyes of "John Irvin".  Return to HatterasOnMyMind.com for future episodes.