The Island Inn Park Restoration Project

The Island Inn Park Restoration Project. History of the Odd Fellows Lodge, also, Island Inn. 1900, Land purchased by the Ocracoke Lodge of the International Order of Odd Fellows from James and Zilphia Howard., 1901, The upper floor of the main section was used as the meeting room for the Odd Fellows Lodge and the lower flower was used as a school house., 1917, A new schoolhouse was built, the lodge disbanded and the building was sold as a private residence., Over the next 117 years, the "Lodge" as it came to be called, was added to and modified. Over the years it variously served the island as: a private home, inn, restaurant, coffee shop, world war two officers' quarters and a gift shop. In 1940 island native and businessman, Stanley Wahab, bought the structure and used it as a popular island gathering place, the Wahab Coffee Shop. After the war, Wahab moved the former Navy barracks to his property and attached them to the building. He now called his enterprise the Silver Lake Inn., 1940s, During World War II when the Navy appropriated land near the Coast Guard Station for the naval base, and dredged the harbor to accommodate their large draft vessels, quarters were situated on the upper floor of the lodge and became known as the "Crow's Nest"., Some years later, Doward Brough purchased the property and renamed it the Island Inn which became a popular destination for Ocracoke visitors., In the mid-20th century it was the center of community social life. Islanders gathered there for Saturday night square dances accompanied by the music of fiddle, banjo, guitar and triangle. The Ocracoke Preservation Society purchased the former Island Inn property in May 2018 using OPS revolving funds, owner financing, and the commitment of two occupancy tax boards to cover payment for the purchase loan. The Island Inn property sits in the middle of the village. The two story 1901 Odd Fellows Lodge, listed on the National Historic Register of Historic Places, will become a visitors center with the second floor reserved for community use. We also have secured money to build public restrooms adjacent to the historic building.