Bear Island has continued to hold 

 special significance for African- 

 Americans. When the park opened in 

 1961, it was the only beach where 

 blacks were welcome. While whites 

 freely enjoyed more than 300 miles of 

 the state's seashore, African-American 

 beachgoers were relegated to this 

 beautiful, yet ironically inaccessible, 

 sliver of North Carolina coast. This 

 remained until federal law mandated 

 public integration in 1964. 



In its history, Bear Island's 

 ownership has changed hands many 

 times. The chain of title of this parcel 



of land is complex. But the story of 

 how it came to be a park for black 

 citizens is a simple tale of friendship 

 and loyalty. 



A black hunting guide named John 

 Hurst scouted this island for one of his 

 clients at the Onslow Rod and Gun 

 Club in 1914. The white sportsman, 

 William Sharpe, was a New York 

 neurosurgeon who wanted a place of his 

 own to hunt, fish and relax. He bought 

 4,600 acres, which encompassed the 

 mainland "hammocks" and the island, 

 and hired Hurst as his caretaker. His 

 faith in Hurst as an employee was not 



shared by many local whites, who 

 viewed the relationship between the 

 Hurst and Sharpe families as scandal- 

 ous. But the relationship endured for 

 decades, after which Sharpe announced 

 his intentions to will the coastal land to 

 the Hursts. But Hurst's wife Gertrude, a 

 schoolteacher, persuaded the doctor to 

 donate a portion of the land, including 

 the island, to the all-black State Teach- 

 ers Association. She believed the place 

 could be developed as an educational 

 and vacation retreat for black teachers, 

 whose meager salaries limited their 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 7 



