The Atlantic Wild Horse Trail
The Pony Pen: Ocracoke, NC​

On March 22, 2010, a Banker mare named Spirit made national news by giving birth to a fuzzy bay-and-white filly named Paloma on the remote Outer Banks island of Ocracoke. The filly’s instant celebrity went well beyond the public’s fascination with whiskery new foals. Before 2009, Ocracoke herd was mostly comprised of elderly horses and those unsuitable for breeding. It appeared that this historic herd was spiraling toward inevitable extinction. Under the advice of Dr. Sue Stuska of the National Park Service, two stallions and two mares from Shackleford Banks arrived to invigorate the genome with new bloodlines from a very old breed. When Spirit became romantically involved with Wenzel, a diminutive bay Shackleford stud, the result was Paloma.
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Free-roaming Banker horses were an integral part of the culture of Ocracoke for hundreds of years. Historically, these horses were born in the wild and spent their lives running free, deliberately handled by human beings only during annual gathers. July Fourth pony pennings were a long-anticipated celebration, a festival of hard work and hard play for the Ocracokers and the visitors that traveled great distances to watch. Each Ocracoke family had its own brand, and foals were matched to mothers and emblazoned with an owner's logo. They were beautiful animals with long flowing manes and tails, easy-going, smooth-gaited, and easy to train.

Gary Dunbar, in his 1958 book Historical Geography of the North Carolina Outer Banks, wrote, “The Ocracoke ponies are quite useful as a tourist attraction. Not to be classed with ‘banks ponies’ and ‘tackies,’ these horses have recently been improved and are eminently photogenic.” “Recently been improved” denotes addition of some outside genes—evidently non-Banker blood was added to the herd some time before this.

Traditionally, the annual round-up began on July 3, when a handful of Ocracoke's skilled horsemen would ride north to where free-roaming horses grazed in places with such fanciful names as Scrag Cedars, Great Swash, and Tar Hole Plains. The horsemen would camp overnight near the sound, and in the morning the round-up would begin. The men swept through the ranges, grouping horses together in one great drive—hundreds of horses damp with sweat and fighting among themselves in the scorching heat of July. Horse Pen Point was the destination for many years, though other locations were favored throughout the 20th century.

Buyers sometimes preferred to have their horses ridden by the cowboys to accustom them to handling before their stressful shipment to the mainland. The riders obliged swiftly and effectively. They would chase the horse into an individual pen, crowd him against the rail, grasp his tail through the fence, tie his head to a post, and place a blindfold over his eyes. Then the men could work a saddle onto his back.
A cowboy would mount to take the ride. Off came the blindfold, and the horse was released. The frantic pony would run, buck, pivot, twist, rear, and sunfish, but the tenacious cowboys could not be dislodged. At last the pony would decide that fighting was futile and acquiesce to carrying a rider.

Homer Howard, a renowned Ocracoke cowboy, was celebrated for his skill in breaking the willful, powerful wild stallions that ruled the herds. Homer would slip between the mares and youngsters until he was close enough to vault to the back of a stallion with a sudden leap. With one strong hand clamping off the airway just above the stallion’s nostrils and the other hand clutching the pony's thick mane, Homer would stay aboard despite the stallion's indignant, infuriated bucking. After about a half-hour, the stallion would admit defeat. At the first sign of submission, Homer Howard would release his grip. If the stallion resumed his battle, Homer would again cut off his wind. It did not take long for the stallion to realize that Homer would stop tormenting him as long as he tolerated a rider on his back. It was an exciting display to watch, and Homer Howard's stallion-breaking was often one of the highlights of pony penning.
Most of the time, though, Banker horses were trained in a gentler fashion, tempted with sweets, petting, and scratching the itchy spots. Sometimes the first mounting was accomplished in the sound, with the horse belly-deep in water. This way, the horse's movements were restricted, and a thrown rider would meet with a soft landing. Horses gentled before riding was attempted often put up no resistance.

Shipping the horses off Ocracoke was not always easy. Ocracoke is thirty miles off the mainland, and the ponies were transported on flat barges, freight boats, and fishing boats. In one incident, two horses broke into the engine room of a fishing boat when a storm panicked them. Sometimes the animals would fall off the barges and drown.
The ponies were pesky at times, but their presence was enjoyed by most of the Ocracokers. The ponies would sometimes wander into town looking for handouts. One apparently developed a taste for fried fish and would reach his head into open windows to devour the family supper. They would intrude into gardens and devour the vegetables if the gates were left open. Occasionally a family would be awakened long before dawn by an odd noise only to find an itchy pony scratching himself on the corner of the house. Occasionally a herd would stampede through town.
In the early 1900s, locals thought that an infusion of outside blood would improve the herd genetically and add some to the population. They also surmised that the fleet, maneuverable Banker horses would make superior polo ponies. Homer Howard rode a gray named White Dandy, reportedly an Arabian from the mainland raised on Ocracoke.

In 1925 Beeswax, the son of the champion polo pony Christopher Columbus, was imported to Ocracoke Island for stud. Beeswax was not hardy enough to handle the rigors of barrier island life, and he had to be penned and fed hay and grain. But his foals were popular, and most were sold to mainlanders for riding and polo. 
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In 1938, more spectators than ever flocked to the pony penning to bid on these foals. At this time there were fewer than 200 ponies on Ocracoke, half of them wild, the rest broken and trained. Jeanetta Henning, who helped to manage the herd in the 1970s, maintains that the blood of Beeswax has been lost to Ocracoke over time, and none of his Thoroughbred genes remain in today's Banker herd.

The Coast Guard used Banker ponies to patrol the beaches during World War II. But the war years of the 1940s marked the beginning of the end of Ocracoke pony pennings. The wild ponies were left alone during the war years, and after the war, pony pennings were never as big or exciting. The number of ponies on the island was declining rapidly as well, from 300–400 in the 1800s to seventy in 1956, to an all-time low of nine individuals in 1976.

Major Marvin Howard retired from his military career to his home on Ocracoke Island and organized the first and only mounted Boy Scout troop. Major Howard, who found great satisfaction in working with both children and horses, founded Troop 290 in 1954, and most of the boys on the island enthusiastically joined. For the next decade, Howard served as Scoutmaster to about fourteen boys at a time and advised them in the care and training of their once-wild mounts.

For the freckle-faced, barefoot boys of Ocracoke, the Scout troop and the ponies were the focus of their lives. Each boy began by selecting a wild pony to catch, train and ride. Each pony, though living free, technically had an owner. The price was $50 per pony, a steep sum for a young boy on a remote island in the 1950s. Fortunately, there were jobs available for any boy willing to work hard mowing lawns or assisting fishermen with the day's catch.

Usually two boys set out after the chosen pony, which had no desire to be captured. The herds evaded the boys at every turn, often venturing out into the water or the muddy marshes to escape. The preferred mount was a stallion, even though young stallions were the most difficult to capture and train. Stallions in general have four things on their minds—dominance, mating, looking out for predators or threats to the herd, and satisfying bodily needs such as hunger and thirst. Gelding a colt allows him to focus his attention on his rider's wishes and makes him more tractable. Most male horses are gelded young, but not the mounts of these boys.

It is a tribute to their skills as horsemen that they were able to ride these once-wild stallions bareback in a group. The feisty ponies were used to having their own way and often resisted domestication, especially at first. Stories abound among current residents. One time, so the tale goes, a rowdy stallion aptly named "Little Teach" bucked a scout from his back, kicking him in the head for emphasis. A vacationing doctor, in a slightly inebriated condition, successfully sewed up the scalp wound with 44 stitches.

The Scouts followed many time-honored Ocracoke techniques of horse breaking, including mounting blindfolded horses as they stood belly-deep in the sound. They experimented with filling an old pair of pants with sand and tying it around the pony so that he could expend his bucking energy on an inanimate object rather than a scout. Unfortunately, the ponies usually dislodged the pants and trampled them. The Scouts realized that it was best not to reinforce the trampling of that which was bucked off, for one of them could be the next victim!

Howard coached the boys in training methods and horsemanship, and they met most of their Scouting requirements on horseback. The boys also had the opportunity to show off their skills at the Pirates’ Jamboree, featuring races and other tests of riding ability. Annually the troop would compete in the horse races held on the beach at Buxton and at Hatteras. This was no small undertaking.

The boys would set out early, for they had to ride a total of 26 miles to get there. To cross Hatteras Inlet, eighteen boys would lead their stallions onto the little ferry and hold them on the open deck for the 40-minute crossing, while the boat rocked and groaned underfoot, a situation that would panic most other horses. After the long ride to Buxton, the boys would race in four quarter-mile heats, often besting stiff competition that included Arabians and Quarter Horses.

About 500–600 head of cattle still roamed Ocracoke Island during this period, and the scouts became skilled at cattle round-ups and pony pennings, showing off their superb horsemanship skills for the benefit of the visitors. Branding was done with a hot iron. The fee for filing a brand with the County Register of Deeds was the same as it had been for 200 years—ten cents.

The Scouts also helped around town and served as mounted honor guards for the Coast Guard. During the summer, the boys helped keep Ocracoke’s mosquitoes at bay by spraying the marshes with insecticide. Astride sure-footed marsh ponies, they were able to penetrate the wide flats of muck far more easily than anyone else.
The Ocracoke mounted scouts often captured national attention. They were featured in Boy's Life magazine and in a children's novel titled Wild Pony Island, by Steven Meader.

Aside from the $50 investment to purchase the pony, it cost the boys little to maintain their mounts. They could be released when not being used and caught later. They remained sleek and well-fleshed on a diet of marsh grass. Most of the boys opted to build stalls in their back yards to keep their horses close at hand, however. It cost about twelve dollars a month to feed and house a back-yard pony, and the boys earned the funds by working odd jobs around town.

When the boys attempted to supplement their horses’ diet with sweet feed, a tasty grain-and-molasses mixture that most horses relish, the ponies were confused. The boys initially had to place it in their mouths until they noticed the sweet flavor and realized that it was food. It was not long before they discovered the pleasure of other flavors as well. Many Scout ponies developed a taste for soda pop. The horses often had a close bond with their owners, and when set loose to run free would often visit them in the village when they wanted human companionship. Many learned to respond to the sound of their owner's whistle.

When Cape Hatteras National Seashore took over Ocracoke Island, it was a mixed blessing. The new status of National Park would allow Ocracoke to remain wild and beautiful and would offer some protection against the condominiums and tourist attractions that had overtaken many East Coast beaches. But the National Park Service did not want free-roaming horses competing with the native wildlife that the NPS was established to protect. Cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats that roamed the island were removed by the late 1950s, and the Park Service saw no reason why horses should be treated any differently. 

Ocracokers loved their horses, and asserted that free-roaming ponies were an important element of the character of the island. Lawmakers argued that not enough was known about their past to support claims that they had historical value. There were high emotions on both sides of the argument. Major Howard put relentless energy into saving the Ocracoke horses. His family had been involved with Banker horses since the 1700s. His primary argument was the lack of juvenile delinquency on Ocracoke, which he saw as a direct result of involvement with the ponies.

When NC Highway 12 was opened on Ocracoke in 1957, the posted speed limit of 50 mph posed a new danger to the horses. The scouts petitioned to fence a large pasture for the horses as a sort of a compromise—the horses would not roam entirely free anymore, but they would remain on the island to be enjoyed as a reminder of Ocracoke's bygone days.

The Park Service eventually granted a special-use permit and provided fence posts. Money for fencing was raised, along with the funds for the first year of supplemental feeding. The State of North Carolina also contributed funds towards the new lifestyle of the ponies for the first year. The animals were finally penned in 1959.

 It was a fairly easy task to fence the herd, but getting them to stay fenced was a different story entirely. When the ponies wearied of confinement, they simply knocked over the posts and broke the wire. The Scouts would be released from school to recover the ponies and mend fences. The scouts enjoyed this task—so much, in fact, that they would often sneak back to the pasture after dark and push over posts, ensuring another holiday from school.

In the mid-1960s, the Boy Scouts of America demanded that the boys carry insurance if they were to persist in riding horses in the name of Scouting. These children could not afford insurance, and without the support of the Scouts, the pony pasture grew too expensive to maintain. Ocracoke's mounted scout troop dismounted after only about ten years.

The Park Service took over management of the ponies in the late 60s. By this time, the herd was on the verge of extinction, having dwindled to a low of nine individuals in 1976. This rare breed was in danger of being lost entirely. In 1973, Park Ranger Jim Henning was transferred to Ocracoke from Bodie (pronounced "Body") Island. He took an interest in the magnificent herd stallion, also named of Jim, and with his wife, Jeanetta, whole-heartedly devoted himself to the resurrection of the herd. The ponies were a sorry bunch when the Hennings first arrived. They were malnourished, full of parasites, and in dire need of veterinary care. Dr. Jasper Needham, a veterinarian on Hatteras Island, vaccinated the animals, trimmed hooves to resolve gait abnormalities, and dewormed them.

With the dwindling of the herd, fertility declined. In one five-year span, no foals were born at all. The last remaining Banker stallion was genetically incompatible with three of his mares. These three would deliver healthy foals, but antibodies in their colostrum, or first milk, would attack and destroy the newborn’s red blood cells, in a condition called neonatal isoerythrolysis. At the time, the Park Service concluded that this reproductive failure was the result of inbreeding, but its assumption was later proven false. The hematological issue probably arose when outside horses were crossed into the herd, according to equine geneticist Gus Cothran. Blood type incompatibility is less likely in an inbred population because closely related horses tend to have similar blood types.

The Hennings saved three foals by bottle-feeding them, but something more had to be done. To save the herd from extinction, the Park Service brought in an Andalusian stallion named Cubanito. Modern Andalusians embody many of the same Spanish characteristics of the Banker horses and resemble the horses ridden by the Conquistadors. Cubanito was a handsome example of the breed.  Although bringing in outside blood plan resulted in live foals, Cubanito has since been criticized as a choice for this role. As it turns out, Cubanito carried both the genes necessary to perpetuate neonatal isoerythrolysis. When he was bred to the three problem mares, however, the resulting offspring were healthy and robust. The herd was on the increase again, but was no longer true to the original bloodlines.

According to Cothran, Andalusians, like Banker horses, are of Spanish bloodlines. But he writes, “the modern Andalusian is probably not directly related to the ancestors of the Ocracoke horses.” The matings amounted to a crossbreeding, moving the genes of the Ocracoke herd away from the original lines. Several Ocracoke horses had been officially accepted by the Spanish Mustang registry, but Cubanito's foals were, as crossbreeds, ineligible for registration. The utilization of a Banker stallion from Currituck Banks or Shackleford would have kept the lines closer to those which their defenders sought to preserve.

They also tried to bring in a horse named Sailor, who was born on Ocracoke and removed to Hatteras by Dale Burrus when the Park Service was selling off Ocracoke stock. The mares wanted nothing to do with Sailor. He did manage to sire three or four foals, all males, but he was never fully accepted by the mares. In addition to the problem with genetic incompatibility, some of the mares simply did not conceive. Hormone therapy was initiated in 1977, and subsequently three of the four problem mares foaled.

Also at this time a run of sheer bad luck befell the healthy foals. One died at birth. Three became sick and died from overeating. One punctured his foot, probably on a reed out in the marsh, as a newborn. His tendon contracted until he was walking on his fetlock rather than his hoof. He underwent surgery and was fitted with a cast, and he ultimately survived.  With veterinary care, the Banker herd began to recover. One mare reached the astonishing age of 40. That would be about 108 in human years. In her 40th year she gave birth to a foal probably sired by Sailor. (Unlike women, whose fertility is finite, a mare is never too old to conceive.) She was unable to rise after the birth, but she lived another six months, hand-fed by the Hennings, until she finally expired.

In 2015, there were 15 horses in the Ocracoke herd. Because of the infusion of outside bloodlines, members of the original strain stands larger than pure Banker horses, 14 and 15.2 hands at the withers. The pure Banker Shackleford and Corolla horses introduced to the herd are much smaller, standing between 12 and 13 hands.
Visitors who return to Ocracoke annually take pleasure in watching the foals mature into adults. The boardwalk and viewing platform allow even the least adventurous tourist to observe and appreciate these animals.

Barrier islands are always new, constantly shifted and rearranged by the elements, yet a feeling of timelessness awaits the visitor who hikes beyond the developed areas of Ocracoke. The island looks about the same as it did centuries ago, when there were hundreds of free-roaming horses and cows beyond the next dune. This changelessness is one of the reasons people keep coming back to Ocracoke. Time is less important here, and anyone who spends time on the island will gradually subside into the ageless rhythm of tides, moons, and seasons.

Ocracoke is an endearing Outer Banks outpost, all the more so for its timelessness. It is a village of working watermen that has escaped the artificiality of resort communities. Most visitors arrive by ferry. The National Park Service manages most of the island, and as a result it remains devoid of homes and businesses along the entire twelve-mile drive from the ferry to the village. The village is home to about 950 year-round residents. There are no high-rises, fun parks, or golf courses—just the authenticity of a working fishing village. All the homes, restaurants, hotels, and shops are concentrated in Ocracoke Village, which is located on the sound side of the island around Silver Lake Harbor.

Ocracoke’s unspoiled oceanfront is internationally renowned. In 2007, Dr. Beach proclaimed the lifeguarded section of its ocean beach the best beach in the country, and Condé Nast Traveler proclaimed all of Ocracoke’s Atlantic frontage the fifth-best island beach in the world. But over the years, the island may have received more coverage for sunbathers’ lack of coverage. Many miles of beach are deserted even in summer, so skinny-dipping without discovery or interference is possible. The Park Service prohibits nudity nonetheless.

Although the pace is slow, there is always plenty to do. You can easily walk or bicycle to all points within the village and explore quiet roads overhung by boughs of sprawling live oaks. You can charter or rent a boat at the marina, take a dolphin cruise or a kayak ecotour, parasail, swim, shell, or shop. There are nature trails, the British Cemetery historic site, and pirate history tours. The pristine beaches are ideal for walking, fishing, and swimming. You can drive your 4WD vehicle along the shore in certain designated areas.

A number of boat charters will take you to the ghost town on Portsmouth Island, where you can explore the old buildings, collect shells, and walk an empty beach. Portsmouth is maintained as a historic site, but be forewarned that the mosquitoes are virulent. Vast numbers of the insects lurk in the grass and rise in dark clouds to envelop visitors. There is a ranger station at Portsmouth Village, but otherwise there are no facilities except rest rooms available, so bring along everything you will need—sunscreen, powerful insect repellent, plenty of water, and food.

Shell collectors find myriad tideline treasures, particularly after a storm. Larger, unbroken shells are most abundant the hour before and after low tide. To collect large shells such as Knobbed Welk, Lightning Welk, and Channeled Whelk, stand in knee high water about 3 or 4 feet from the surfline and use a net to pull shells from the waves. 

Ocracoke can be reached by any of three public ferries, private boat, or private plane. Small aircraft may land at the Ocracoke Island Airport, located slightly southeast of the village. A free ferry carries vehicles south from Hatteras Village, where the paved two-lane road, NC 12, runs from the ferry dock at the northern tip of the island to Ocracoke Village at the southern end of the island. Try taking the Ocracoke Ferry just before dusk—it’s typically less crowded, and the sight of the sun setting over the sound is unforgettable. A second ferry dock, at the southern end of the island, offers toll connections to Swan Quarter, on the mainland, and Cedar Island, near the town of Atlantic. The Cedar Island Ferry runs on a limited schedule and is typically full. The ferry offers an air-conditioned lounge area. The fare is $15—reserve a spot by calling 1-800-BYFERRY or visiting www.ncdot.gov/ferry if you think you might want to take in Cedar Island or Swan Quarter. You MUST show up at least 30 minutes before departure to claim your boarding pass. If you are late, you will lose your reservation. If you cancel your reservation, they will give your place away to someone else, and will not charge you.

Aside from the Ocracoke Village, the entire island is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. None of the lodging in Ocracoke is oceanfront—you will have to drive to the beach. The nearest beach access is 5–10 minutes away, but if you go a little farther you can find a more secluded spot. 

Origins of the Ocracoke wild horses
A brief synopsis of the supposed origins or the Ocracoke ponies stands mounted on
a plaque in front of the pony pen.  As with all Banker horses, legends, theories, and a few definite facts vie to explain their history. Misinformation appears in print so often that many take it as fact. Much is open to speculation.

Some point to the colony of Lucas Vásquez de Ayllón as a source for the Ocracoke horses, but this is extraordinarily unlikely. In 1526, Ayllón established a failed settlement at the mouth of what he called the “River Jordan.". The location of this colony is widely disputed, and various sources place it anywhere from the Chesapeake region to Georgia. Records indicate that Ayllón’s colony was located by a river or estuary that emptied directly into the ocean, or a major arm of the ocean, and no major rivers in the vicinity of Ocracoke fit this description. Ayllón brought Spanish horses, but the colony failed and the horses were probably consumed by starving colonists. 

None of the English settlers said a word about finding horses, goats, or any other livestock grazing in the marshes when they alighted on the Outer Banks.  Thomas Harriot was the scientific advisor for the Lane colony of 1585. His Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia was the first remotely scientific treatise on North America, and it influenced European thought and exploration for two centuries. In it he describes native animals and plants in detail, from the Carolina Parakeet to cacti, but he never mentions horses.

In 1585 Sir Richard Grenville set sail for Roanoke Island in command of a flotilla laden with colonists and the supplies that they needed to survive in the New World. On the way, he lost one ship and became separated from the rest. Upon stopping at Puerto Rico, he built
a ship, reunited with one of his missing ships, and obtained horses, as illustrated in John White’s watercolor of the fortified camp. Continuing to Hispaniola for more livestock, including additional horses, he captured two Spanish ships.

According to the log of Grenville’s flagship Tiger reproduced in David Quinn’s Roanoke Voyages (1955), while in Hispaniola he traded for “horses, mares, kyne [cattle], buls, goates, swine, sheepe . . . and such like commodities of the island.” Spanish accounts add calves and dogs.  Evidently this was not enough to adequately supply the expedition. On September 3, 1585, Ralph Lane wrote, “if Virginia had but Horses and Kyne in some reasonable proportion . . . no realme in Christendomewere comparable to it.” Grenville himself sailed on the Tiger,  so he may have assigned the chore of transporting livestock  to other vessels in the flotilla. Unfortunately, his ship ran aground in Wococon (probably Ocracoke Inlet or its predecessor), necessitating repairs. Some writers suggest that livestock thrown from the Tiger to lighten it escaped to run wild on the Banks. Documents do not mention livestock on the Tiger, however, and there is no evidence to support this conclusion.

On Roanoke Island, under the leadership of Governor Ralph Lane, the 107 male colonists explored a lot of territory, inventoried a lot of natural resources, and antagonized a lot of Native Americans before the colony failed. The dense forests and malarial swamps of the interior were not very hospitable to horses, so the English did most of their exploring
by boat or on foot. By late spring 1586, the colonists were hungry. As in Ayllón’s case,
we can conclude that the starving settlers consumed the horses before there was an opportunity to establish a free-roaming population.

John White and his colony of English families established a settlement on Roanoke Island in 1587, when they were unceremoniously dumped there instead of at their stated destination on the Chesapeake. The arrival of Virginia Dare, the first English child born in the New World, was a hopeful sign. But before long supplies ran short, and Governor John White returned to England to bring over a shipment of goods to sustain the colony. Unfortunately, English politics and the Spanish Armada delayed White’s return. When he finally arrived, three years behind schedule, his colony was gone. The fate of the Lost Colony remains a mystery to this day.

By the end of the colonial period, the only two sizable settlements on the Outer Banks were Ocracoke and Portsmouth. At that time, Ocracoke Inlet was the most important passage to the local shipping trade, and these two towns stood on either side of it. Portsmouth was
founded in 1753, and by 1770, it was the largest settlement on the Outer Banks. Livestock, including horses, roamed this island, too. Like the rest of the Outer Banks, Ocracoke was long utilized for grazing livestock. 1706 records show that Ferdinand Green was permitted
to “settle a stock” upon the banks at or near Ocracoke inlet. At various times, Cape Hatteras and Ocracoke were connected by land, and so Green’s stock probably mingled with the stock of other farmers that ranged freely along the Banks north of present-day Hatteras Inlet, as well as any animals living on Ocracoke before this. Because horses and cattle roamed the rest of the Outer Banks from 1660s to the 1930s, it is likely that livestock was also established on Ocracoke long before records reflect their introduction.
Bonnie Gruenberg

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The Hoofprints Guide to the Ocracoke Pony Pen

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The Wild Horse Dilemma: Conflicts and Controversies of the Atlantic Coast Herds

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Wild Horse Vacations: 
​Volume 2: Ocracoke, NC, Shackleford Banks, NC, Cumberland Island, GA

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Ocracoke Island Links​​

• ​Local Ocracoker’s blog
• Ocracoke’s Corolla Stallion
• Ocracoke's mounted Boy Scout troop
• Ocracoke Preservation Society
• History of Cape Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands