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Enroute to Roanoke Island, Sir Walter Raleigh's 1585
colony in their flagship, "Tiger" ran aground on a sand
bar in Ocracoke Inlet and was forced to land on the
island for repairs. The name Ocracoke is undoubtedly
Indian in origin. It was shown on the earliest maps as "Woccocon".
In 1715, the name had become Ococcock and soon after
shown on maps as Ocracoke.
Established as a port in 1715, Ocracoke grew in
importance until 1787, when 697 vessels reached North
Carolina through Ocracoke Inlet. Ships had to be brought
over the bar.
Around
1715 the Colonial Assembly set aside over 20 acres of
land for the use of pilots. These pilots were greatly
hampered in their work by pirates, who made peaceful
commerce almost impossible along the
North Carolina
Coast.
The
most notorious was a Captain Drummond, who used the name
Edward Teach or Thatch, but those aware of his past knew
him as the infamous pirate Blackbeard. He was a tall man
with a bushy black beard that inspired his name.
Blackbeard roamed from the Caribbean to the Virginia
Capes robbing ships. In November 1718, Blackbeard was
finally captured near Ocracoke by Lt. Robert Maynard of
the British Navy. Commanding a sloop sent by the
Governor of Virginia, he killed the pirate in a bloody
duel and captured 15 crewmen. Blackbeard's death marked
the end of large scale piracy on the Atlantic Coast.
Ocracoke was not recognized as a town until 1753, when
20 or 30 families lived there. It was a favorite place
for sports fishermen and hunters who delighted in its
isolation. During the revolution, the hazardous waters
of the Outer Banks prevented British warships from
guarding the inlets. Many supplies for Washington's army
were shipped to Ocracoke for "lightening", or transfer
to light craft which could ply the shallow waters of the
sounds.
The
first lighthouse was built in 1798 on
Shell
Castle
rock, abreast of the inlet. It was destroyed by
lightning in 1818. The present lighthouse, one of the
oldest still in use on the
Atlantic
Coast,
was built in 1823 by Noah Porter for $11,359.35. At
seventy-five feet, it is the shortest lighthouse on the
North Carolina coast and can only be seen for 14 miles.
During
the Civil War, the fourth-order lens was destroyed but
the new lens installed in 1864 remains working today.
The Ocracoke Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse still
in operation on the
Eastern
Coast
of the United States. It has survived numerous storms
over the years. While the lighthouse is not open for
climbing, you can walk up along the fence, close to the
light.
For
many years wild ponies, numbering up to a thousand,
roamed the Island. Their origin is unknown to us. Many
legends exist about how the Banker Ponies came to
Ocracoke Island. One story credits Spanish explorers
De Soto or Cortez as having brought them as they searched for gold
on their way to
Mississippi
and Mexico. Another story suggests that the ship "Black
Squall" was carrying a circus troupe and animals when it
went through the area during a storm. All circus workers
and all but two horses survived. Historians say the most
probable story is that the ponies arrived with Sir
Walter Raleigh and were left on Roanoke Island at the
time of the mysterious Lost Colony disappearance.
As the
Outer Banks became more accessible, many ponies were
sold. Cape Hatteras National Seashore was established in
1953 and only 12 ponies were in existence at that time.
A pen for the ponies was established where they are now
kept on a range about 7 miles north of the village.
In the
center of the town of Ocracoke is a beautiful little
harbor, originally called "Cockle Creek" known now as
"Silver Lake". Many sandy lanes and streets remain
throughout the village. The National Park Service has
preserved over 5,000 acres on the
Island, including 16 miles of beach, for the enjoyment of
visitors.
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