Fishing tools are art in
“Down East village neighborhoods.”
Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum
Good grief! 1,500 ships wrecked along
the coast where the rest of us vacation.
Lighthouses are such a pleasure to spot
on the horizon that it’s easy to forget their
purpose: they offer serious warnings to
seamen.
With four to see along the Byway, and a
fifth recreated for Roanoke Island Festival
Park, I was prepared for lighthouse lessons
in the museum in the village of Hatteras.
Time on the 1585 Elizabeth II connected me to this history in a personal way,
imagining myself on a turbulent sea in that
little vessel, desperately hoping to spot a
light indicating land and guiding the captain away from dangerous shoals.
Underwater archeology is the key to
The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum,
launched by local folks and today part of
the professional North Carolina Maritime
Museums network. Even the Facebook
page is interactive with video of real-time
presentations and snippets of shipwreck
and lifesaving history.
Exhibits felt to me like down-home
Hatteras wrapped in high tech technology
and design. Plus, the beach is just across
the street.
Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station
Stroll the Graveyard beach contemplating the sunken ships, and the one in
Rodanthe at Chicamacomico appreciating
that lifesaving was an art and a passion, and
incredibly hard, dangerous work.
“The book says you gotta go out. It don’t
say nothin’ ‘bout coming back,” is the historic somber quote from a station keeper.
1874 was the start of this station, to
rescue those in peril from the sea. Clearcut mission, would you say? The visit also
allows guests to walk seven acres and enter
eight buildings furnished with artifacts.
This is feeling the rush, standing next
to a rescue boat, looking toward the ocean
and remembering the lessons from the
Graveyard Museum. Plus Chicamacomico
presents workshops, lectures, re-enactments and summer camps for immersing
in this very particular history.
Christine Tibbetts
Christine Tibbetts is a high-energy veteran journalist known for writing engaging,
compelling tales about people
in places, enabling travelers
to better experience the rich
dynamics of a destination.
She serves as Destinations editor of TravelingMom.com, writes
travel features on assignment for southern
regional print magazines and for the web
zine American Roads.
A member of the International Food,
Wine and Travel Writers Association, she
earned a Bachelor of Journalism from the
University of Missouri in 1970.
CHRISTINE TIBBETTS
the edge of nearby Fort Raleigh National
Historic site are calm and quiet.
Ten acres of ever-changing blooms are
maintained by the Garden Clubs of North
Carolina. Tip: pack a picnic and relax on
the Great Lawn. Pay tribute to Virginia
Dare, revered here as the first child born of
English parents in this new colony.
She’s depicted as a grown woman in
white Carrara marble sculpted by Massachusetts artist Louisa Lander.