TOP: Lundie Spence, North Carolina Sea Grant education specialist, looks at seashells piled along 

 railings at the former U.S. Coast Guard station, now used as a N.C. Maritime Museum field station. 



BOTTOM: Fishing is a popular activity along Core Banks. 



For the rest of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, 

 Core Banks was a retreat for seasonal residents, 

 many of whom were connected to the Cape by 

 deep family roots. 



June Long, who has been coming to her 

 cottage since the 1950s, says it was a "closeknit 

 group." 



"My father came to the Cape from the 

 1920s until his death in 1972," says Long. 

 "There were still horses and cattle on the island 

 in the 1950s." 



Long-rime seasonal residents were over 

 here like David Yeomans, who still has a home 

 at the Cape, she says. "The Coast Guard was 

 active. Everybody was friendly. If your car got 

 stuck in the sand, the Coast Guard would come 

 and help you get out." 



From the 1950s to 1970s, the Cape also 

 was abuzz with real estate activity, including the 

 state of North Carolina's purchases for a 

 proposed state park. 



When the Park Service took over the island 

 from the state in the 1970s, many changes began 

 occurring, including the legal status of the 

 cottages. 



"We couldn't land our plane on the island 

 anymore," says Long. 



In the 1980s, the Coast Guard station was 

 decommissioned. The building is now being 

 used as a field school for the N.C. Maritime 

 Museum in Beaufort. Different shaped seashells 

 adorn the railings. Clusters of ratdebrush speckle 

 the yard with their fiery red petals. 



Island Tour 



To get to North Core Banks, you have to 

 take the Alger Willis ferry from Davis. After 

 arriving, you need a four-wheel drive vehicle or 

 truck. 



While bumping along the sandy back road 

 from North Core to South Core Banks, you pass 

 miles of barren beaches with sand dunes. The 

 first landmark is the diamond lighthouse that 

 overlooks the Atlantic. Soon, you cross a small 

 wooden-planked bridge and see the first cottages 

 in the historic district 



One of the oldest landmarks is the Life 

 Saving Station, which was built in 1888. The 

 two-story building — now a retreat for Samuel 

 and Sara Daniels of Morehead City — has a 



10 WINTER 2003 



