Boats And Blinds

Boats And Blinds. . Currituck Outer Bankers depended on the land and the water for their livelihoods. Besides waterfowl hunting and fishing, the Sound provided an important transportation route to and from the Currituck mainland and up and down the Banks. The first public paved road to Corolla did not exist until 1984. Boat sheds similar to this one stored the paraphernalia important to making a living here., A variety of boats would have been kept in a building like this. Small flat bottomed skiffs used for ease of handling in the Currituck Sound and more seaworthy dories for ocean fishing are typical to this area. The two large boats on display are shad boats which were the local work boats of their day. They were built with a wide center and narrowed bow that both enabled larger loads to be carried while still maneuvering the shallow waters of the sounds. This innovative style of boat was designed at the end of the nineteenth century on Roanoke Island by a local boat builder, George Washington Creef, to better catch the many shad fish that traveled through the sounds. These boats became very popular in the area and other ship carpenter families continued the tradition until the 1930s. The Shad boats on display were made by Walter Otis Dough of Roanoke Island. They were owned by two hunt clubs in the area, Monkey Island and one in Back Bay, Virginia. The boat used in Back Bay was later purchased by Ambrose “Hambone” Twiford and used in the Currituck Sound. The shad boat was designated the official State Boat of North Carolina in 1987., Along with boats, Currituck County was famous for wildfowl hunting. Some of the items used for hunting would have been kept in sheds such as this. On display is a float rig from the former Pine Island Hunt Club. This is a type of floating blind that was transported to where the ducks flocked that day., More detailed information about the items on display here can be found at the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education., Artifacts on Display , Shad Boat from Monkey Island Hunt Club, 1919. Made by Walter Otis Dough of Roanoke Island. Gift of Levie Bunch, Clifton Perry, Earl Perry, Charlie Spruill, and Foster Spruill., Shad Boat from Back Bay, Virginia, 1st quarter of the Twentieth Century. Later owned by Ambrose "Hambone" Twiford and used in the Currituck Sound. Made by Walter Otis Dough of Roanoke Island. Gift of Levie Bunch., Float Rig from Pine Island Hunt Club, 2nd quarter of the Twentieth Century. Gift from the Family of Earl and Jane Slick., (sidebar) , Monkey Island Hunt Club Bell , To the right of this building sits a bell from Monkey Island Hunt Club which is located in the middle of the sound just north of here. This bell came from a locomotive and was placed on the island to be rung on foggy days to help guide hunters back to the Club from the sound., (captions) , A gas boat on Currituck Sound with the Whalehead Club or “Corolla Island” as it was originally called seen in the background, circa 1925. Courtesy Robert Goss, Walter Otis Dough's sons posing in front of a boat being built by the family, circa 1900. Courtesy of the Outer Banks History Center., Roanoke Island ship carpenter, Walter Otis Dough, in front of the Bodie Island US Life Saving Station, circa 1900. Courtesy of the Outer Banks History Center., Monkey Island Bell in front of the Monkey Island Hunt Club, 1974. Courtesy Travis Morris, Aerial view of Monkey Island, circa 1980. Courtesy Travis Morris, Bell: Gift of Levie Bunch in memory of Horace Barnett, who worked at the Club.