Ocracokers

by Alton Ballance

Book Overview

North Carolina's Ocracoke island has produced a remarkably cohesive community of islanders. For more than two centuries, these Ocracokers lived in relative isolation, enjoying the beauty and battling the destructive forces of the Atlantic. In the past two decades, tourists discovered this "unique fishing village by the sea," and the tiny island was forever altered. Alarmed at the dramatic changes in the island's character over the past generation,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807842656
• ISBN13: 9780807842652
• Release Date: August 1989
• Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
• Length: 271 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

The People of the Outer Banks

"Ocracokers" describes the people, the village, and the island of Okracoke on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It's about as isolated a place as can be found in the eastern United States, still reachable only by ferry. Traditionally, a few hundred people eked out a living on the island by fishing, piloting vessels, and salvaging wrecked vessels -- of which there were plenty in the treacherous waters off Cape Hatteras. Blackbeard the pirate raided in these waters. In recent decades, Ocracoke has become a tourist destination, but it's still relatively unspoiled by the standards of ticky-tacky beach resorts. Most of the island is now a National Park The author, a high school teacher, is a descendant of the early residents of Ocracoke and he interlaces stories of his own experiences with interviews of old-timers, historical accounts, and descriptions of present day (1980s) trends and issues. His chapter-long account of his mullet fishing expedition with a pair of old time fishermen is superb. He has chapters on hunting, churches, the school (94 students from K to 12), hurricanes, and history including World War II and the growth of tourism. He also devotes a full chapter to a bittersweet interview with the matriarch of the only African-American family on the island. "Ocracokers" is a complete and authoritative account of life in a small unique community. The text is enhanced by black and white photographs, mostly of people, and maps of the village and island, although a better map showing places mentioned in the text would be welcome. It's worth your time to read the book and to visit Ocracoke. Smallchief