During the 1960s, Wilson Davis commuted 

 back and forth by boat between Straits and the 

 Cape while his wife and children lived at the 

 cottage all summer. 



"It was nothing to come here from work and 

 have four young'uns waiting for their daddy on 

 the porch," says Davis. "Whenever my children 

 come here now, they feel close to the Cape." 



Over the years, the house has withstood 

 numerous hurricanes and nor'easters. The only 

 destruction has been shredded roofs and other 

 minor damage, says Davis. 



"I remember a nor'easter that threw a boat 

 on the sand dunes," he says. 



The Coca-Cola house is one of the few 

 houses still occupied by seasonal residents in the 

 Cape Lookout Historic District on the southern 

 end of Core Banks. There are no permanent 

 residents on the island, which is accessible only 

 by private ferry or boat. 



"Each of the remaining cottages has a 

 different story," says North Carolina Sea Grant 

 marine education specialist Lundie Spence. "I 

 love the architecture and how they were designed 

 for that location, including the Coca-Cola house 

 with its porches and interior openness. It is a great 

 example of a 'design with nature.' " 



Special Leases 



Fourteen houses in the historic district are 

 under lease from the National Park Service, 

 which owns the 28,243-acre seashore that 

 stretches more than 56 miles — from Beaufort 

 Inlet to Ocracoke Inlet, including Shackleford 

 Banks and North and South Core Banks. 



Core Banks — a single island from the late 

 1800s until a 1933 hurricane cut an inlet through 

 it — is divided at New and Old Drum inlets into 

 South Core Banks, Middle Core Banks and North 

 Core Banks. Barden's Inlet came as a result of the 

 1935 hurricane. 



In August 2001, some property owners on 

 South Core Banks initiated a legal battle over 

 expiring leases. When Core Banks was 

 transferred from the state of North Carolina to the 

 National Park Service in 1976, some cabin 

 owners who did not want to sell were given 25- 



year leases that allowed them to use the houses 

 TOP: The wood-framed life Saving Station has gables on the front. after the official transfer. 

 BOTTOM: Ben Dawsey and his family often retreat to The Sea Dollar. Recendy, the Park Service settled the 



8 WINTER 2003 



