Ca'e Banks descendants pay tribute to their families during a service at Shell Point on Harkers Island. 



surrounded by sea water," writes Stick. 

 "It washed over the stones in the 

 graveyards and uncovered the bones of 

 the folks buried there; it killed most of 

 the big trees, and flooded the gardens 

 with salt water and cut the beach down 

 so low in spots that almost every high 

 tide would come over." 



After the storm hit, residents 

 scurried to find new places to live. They 

 moved across the sound to Harkers 

 Island. They also migrated to a five- 

 block area in Morehead City, dubbed 

 the "Promised Land" because it was 

 much safer than the Banks. A few 

 families went to Marshallberg and 

 Bogue Banks, to a place now known as 

 Salter Path. 



"They took houses apart and 

 stacked them on boats and took them to 

 the Promised Land," says Humphreys. 

 "As some of the Bankers were leaving, 

 they sang 'I'm Bound for the Promised 

 Land.'" 



Phyllis Gentry lives in Morehead 



City in a restored white frame house 

 brought over by Kilby Guthrie in 1 892. 

 "The house was brought over by a 

 sharpie — a flat-bottom boat — from 

 Diamond City when the weather got 

 bad," says Gentry. 



By 1900, most residents had 

 vanished from Shackleford and Ca'e 

 Banks. As they arrived on the mainland 

 and Harkers Island, they brought with 

 them their affinity for working the water. 



On Harkers Island, many descen- 

 dants became boatbuilders and fishers. 

 The boatbuilders developed a special 

 style, known as the Harkers Island or 

 Carolina design, recognized for its 

 wooden hull and flared bow. 



"My ancestors brought with them 

 some of the traditions of old English 

 boatbuilding," says J.A. Rose, a model 

 boatbuilder. "Some of the designs came 

 from old England in the 1500s." 



For years, Rose, who is nicknamed 

 "Captain" and wears a white sailor hat, 

 worked as a fisher and boatbuilder. 



"I started fishing for a living when I 

 was 12 years old," he says. "It was 

 dumped on me. I have done a lot of 

 commercial fishing. I got out about 15 

 years ago and sold my boat." 



Since retiring from fishing, Rose 

 has built more than 3,000 model boats 

 — from traditional Harkers Island 

 workboats to old-time oyster schooners. 

 He builds the boats at his Harkers Island 

 home about 1 50 feet from Back Sound. 



Today, there are only a handful of 

 full-time boatbuilders and commercial 

 fishers left on Harkers Island. 



Most of the descendants on the 

 island and across Carteret County 

 have gone on to other occupations, 

 including teaching, the ministry 

 and insurance. 



Some, like Willis, a hairdresser in 

 Morehead City, also work in traditional 

 crafts. During the fall and winter, Willis 

 carves gunning birds that he displays at 

 shows along the East Coast. Carving 

 decoys is a Down East tradition. 



10 HOLIDAY 1999 



