Welcome to Harkers Island…

Welcome to Harkers Island…. The Outer Banks National Scenic Byway. In 1895, fewer than 30 families lived here. The residents of Shackleford Banks, across Back Sound and south of Harkers Island, began an exodus after the 1899 hurricane hit. The majority settled here. These relocated bankers were shore whalers February through May. Harkers Island then became one of only two locations along the Atlantic Seaboard where whore whaling was practiced., Harkers Island is best known for its strong, family-based tradition of wooden boat building. Devine Guthrie started on Shackleford Banks and resumed his craft on Harkers Island, building skiffs in his backyard. His son Stacy picked up the trade, as did other island builders of the mid-twentieth century including Brady Lewis and his famed “flare bow” design and the Rose Brothers with their workboats and party boats. Today the tradition lives on in family boathouses scattered throughout the island., Harkers Island was served by its beloved mailboat, “The Pet”, until the bridge was opened in 1941. Capt. Kelley Willis brought the mail, travelers and supplies to Harkers Island and Cape Lookout from Beaufort daily., Shackleford Banks whalers named their catches. The “Mayflower” whale was caught in May. Its skeleton hangs in the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. Once, when all the adults were away, a whale was caught by the young children and was called, “The Little Children’s whale”., The Coree Indians, for which Core Bank is named, inhabited the eastern end of Harkers island. After many centuries of eating fish, oysters and clams, they created shell piles or middens which once rose 20” above the landscape. That end of the island today is called Shell Point., (captions) , Devine Guthrie with whale dory. | CSWM&HC Collection , Brady Lewis Boatyard. | CSWM&HC Collection , Shackleford whalers extracting oil by removing the blubber. | NC Department of Agriculture , “The Pet”. | CSWM&HC Collection , Indian shell middens at Shell Point, 1915. | CSWM&HC Collection, A Taste of Harkers Island… , Stewed Shrimp , 3-5 lbs. shelled and deveined shrimp , 3 cups AP flour for “dodgers” , 1.5 lbs. peeled, 1 in. cubed potatoes , 3 tsp. salt, ¼ cup oil, ½ tsp. garlic salt , 5 lbs. chopped onions , 3 gals. Water , 1 large thick bottomed pan , Boil water adding 2 tsp. salt, ¼ cup oil, ½ tsp. garlic salt. Add onions. Boil 1 hour until onions are translucent. , Add potatoes and reduce heat to low boil, stirring frequently. Cook one hour. Stew will begin to thicken. , During that hour prepare the “dodgers”, or flour dumplings. Combine flour and 1 tsp. salt and enough water to make dough. Mix thoroughly – set aside. After 10 min., add enough flour to make dough easily handled. Pinch off small pieces the size of quarters and pat flat. Drop in to stew. Cook for 15 minutes. The stew needs frequent monitoring, and stirring. Ready to serve when the stew is thick. Add water if broth is too thick. Add shrimp 15-20 minutes before serving. Salt to taste. , Keep stirring! , Susan Hancock, The Outer Banks National Scenic Byway , The Outer Banks National Scenic Byway traverses one of the nation's great coastal landscapes. Tidal marshes, wind-swept dunes, lonesome beaches and beautiful sounds line the 138-mile route. Two national seashores are home to four lighthouses. Two national wildlife refuges highlight the region's rich biological diversity. You are invited to experience the maritime heritage of 21 traditional villages and communities.