Events

3 hours ago

On this day in 1542 Sir Richard Grenville is born in Bideford, Devon, England. In 1585 Grenville was admiral of a fleet that brought English settlers to Roanoke Island, (a second expedition for Sir Walter Ralegh, the first voyage took place the previous year, led by Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe).
Grenville carried two natives of the Carolina region back to their home land on his late spring voyage, they were Manteo and Wanchese of Roanoke Island. They had spent the year in England, willingly, in an attempt to learn about the English visitors led by Amadas and Barlowe that appeared the previous year in their land of Ossomocomuck (what we know as North Carolina).
Grenville did not stay at the attempted settlement at Roanoke long that summer in 1585, he left but returned the following summer in 1586 with more supplies and men. This second visit only lasted about two weeks, he found a body of one Native and one Englishmen at the fort on Roanoke Island, though about 108 men were left there the previous year (most of these men apparently evacuated with Sir Francis Drake shortly before Grenville arrived). When departing from his second visit, Grenville left 15 men behind at Roanoke. He also captured a native and returned to England with the man, giving him the name Ralegh in honor of Sir Walter Ralegh. Grenville planned to return him to Roanoke in 1588 but never made the voyage. The group of settlers led by John White, the ones we refer to as the lost colony, arrived at Roanoke in July 1587, they found no sign of the 15 men left by Grenville in 1586. Portrait of Sir Richard Grenville. ... See MoreSee Less

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19 hours ago

Fish Friday!
Blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) season is ramping up. The commercial harvest has historically been North Carolina's most valuable fishery, with the Albemarle and Pamlico sounds being the top producers. Eighty eight percent of the harvest occurs from May through October. The three main market categories of blue crab include hard crab, peeler and soft crabs. Combined harvests average $26 million per year. This image shows a fisherman checking pots set out in the water that are used to catch blue crabs. They are baited and marked with a buoy so the crabber can return later and find the pot to see if any crabs got trapped inside. We are not sure on the date of the image but are guessing 1960s or maybe early 1970s. ... See MoreSee Less

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1 day ago

On this day in 1941 the Navy Department awarded Barbour Boat Works of New Bern a contract to build two 136 ft wooden minesweepers. They were constructed out of wood, plastic and non-magnetic alloys to minimize their vulnerability to magnetic mines being used in WWII. Image from East Carolina University archives. ... See MoreSee Less

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2 days ago

Did Blackbeard eat sea turtles? Pirates and others who sailed in the late 17th and early 18th century frequently turned to sea turtles and other large reptiles for sustenance. Though most maritime dishes left a lot to be desired, sustenance of some type was a necessity that could easily be satisfied by readily available wildlife. Without food stores, an extended voyage at sea would otherwise not be possible. Join Associate Curator Benjamin Wunderly for a presentation that will discuss the food sourced by mariners during that time — including some dishes they relied on and even desired but that we would consider peculiar today. The presentation will also look at how our taste for sea turtle has changed over the last century. ... See MoreSee Less

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2 days ago

In June of 1858 the first train made its way into Morehead City on the Atlantic and North Carolina Rail Road. If you wanted to get to Beaufort you had to sail the rest of the way. Loaded with fresh fish, the train would head west from Morehead City, making stops along the way to Goldsboro and selling the catch of the day. The main supply would have been mullet, giving the route it’s nickname the “Mullet Line”.
This circa 1857 map shows the plan for the railroad ending at the wharf of Shepard’s Point. ... See MoreSee Less