Geraldine Bush, who demonstrates the folding table used to build crab pots. . . And Marco Gibbs, who is one of the most skillful trappers in the county. 



Jack Thigpen, Sea Grant extension 

 director, says that supporting such initiatives in 

 low-wealth coastal communities is one of Sea 

 Grant's top priorities. 



He points out that much of the ground- 

 work in assessing Hyde County's cultural assets 

 was done with Mansfield's folklife survey. 

 Moving from the region's historical hunting and 

 fishing traditions to heritage tourism is not a 

 stretch. 



"There is an overlap of interest. History 

 and culture rank as top interests of those who 

 come to North Carolina for nature programs," 

 says Thigpen, who is a specialist in ecotourism. 

 "Local people often take their traditions for 

 granted and don't see their economic potential." 



Plans are on the horizon to develop a 

 Maritime Heritage Trail map that would guide 

 visitors to historic places in the county. 



One stop might be the newly renovated 

 Octogon House in Englehard, says Jackie 

 Peoples Woolard, executive director of the 

 Partnership for the Sounds. "It's a unique place 

 that is very close to the hearts of the people," 

 she says. 



Another "must see" place is the Lake 

 Mattamuskeet Wildlife Refuge, Peoples says. 

 "The architecture of the lodge is unique in itself, 

 but it also represents a unique part of our history 

 that typifies the Hyde County experience." 



Brooks would like to see the lodge 

 become a folklife center for the county and 

 region. 'Travelers are looking for that kind of 

 experience," she says. 



Sea Grant also is involved in a multistate 

 study to determine the economic impact of the 



Intracoastal Waterway on local economies. 



Though the waterway traverses the county, 

 connecting the Alligator River with the Pungo 

 River, there are no stopping-off places along its 

 route. "We need to give people a reason to stop. 

 Big boats mean big money," says Brooks. 



»n Pe °P' e ' S 



Mansfield's book. Brooks says, is a real 

 shot in the arm for Hyde County. "We will get 

 people's attention. It takes someone like Bill to 

 record and preserve a way of life, culture and our 

 history. Hopefully, it also will get our own 

 young people's attention." 



Brooks plans to put passages from the 

 book on the chamber's Web site, and would like 

 to see it used in the public schools so that young 

 people will learn to appreciate their heritage. 

 "There are so many great stories in the book," 

 she says. 



Mansfield says, "I loved hearing the 

 stories. Some just cracked me up to hear the 

 telling." 



Bird hunting attracts hunters from all parts 

 of the country to Hyde County and guides direct 

 the lucky ones to local women who "pick and 

 clean" the birds for a nominal price. 



Mansfield says that Martin Amrstrong tells 

 an amusing story concerning some men with an 

 unusual method for dressing their geese: 



"We had some hunters from Santee, South 

 Carolina. There were eight oftliem, and they 

 were a rough group. ... They killed tfieir limit 

 and I asked them what tliey wanted to do with 

 their geese. ... 



Tliey didn 't want their geese cleaned. After 

 about three days I said, 'If you don 't clean these 

 geese, damn if they ain 't going to rot. ' The first 

 one they Iwd killed liad done turned green! 

 That's the way tliey were going to carry them 

 liome. 



I said, 'What are you going to do with them 

 damn rotten geese?' They said, 'We're going to 

 eat them. We '11 pack them in clay just like they 

 are, then we '11 cook them. We 'II take them out, 

 tear them open, and pick the meat right off them. ' 



I said, 'Danvi if it don 't kill every damn one 

 of you! ' Arid it must liave. I ain 't seen one of them 

 since. ... " 



Does Mansfield have a favorite story? 

 Without hesitation, he answers, "All of them. I 

 feel privileged to have met and learned about 

 their lives. I will take what they had to teach me 

 and integrate it into doing a better job as a 

 folklorist." 



He is convinced that he has the best of all 

 jobs. "It's so much fun, it's like getting paid to eat 

 ice cream." 



Mansfield currently is working in Atlanta 

 with National Park Service Cultural Resources. 

 He is documenting the oral history of the famed 

 Tuskeegee Airmen. Interviews include all 

 personnel from fighter or bomber squadrons, 

 including pilots, navigators, instructors, clerks 

 and parachute packers. □ 



Photos from the book are used with 

 permission from Coastal Carolina Press. For 

 more about Song of an Unsung Place, go to 

 www.coastalcarolina press.com. Or visit your 

 local bookstore. 



COASTWATCH 15 



