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February 2, 2009
New book weaves Ocracoke history into ghostly tales By SUNDAE HORN  If you were visiting Ocracoke for the first time it probably wouldn’t take you long to discover the appeal of a casual stroll along some of the village’s quiet lanes. And you wouldn’t have to stroll very far before you’d notice a few small cemeteries either fenced off in separate lots or tucked away in side yards. (They’re hard to miss since there are more than 80 of them.) And as you read some of the ancient weathered inscriptions on the gravestones, you might suspect that there is a wealth of stories behind them, some perhaps, bordering on the ghostly. Since his early childhood, Philip Howard has been captivated by the stories – ghostly and otherwise – told to him by Ocracoke friends and relatives. As a result, he has become quite an authority on the island’s history, as anyone who has visited his shop, The Village Craftsmen, and chatted with him can tell you. Fifteen years ago, it occurred to Philip that Ocracoke’s trove of oral history was in danger of extinction, so he began to collect stories in earnest and to write them down. As his story-telling reputation grew, Philip became a regular feature of the Ocrafolk Opry, a summer variety show at the Deepwater Theater, where he has entertained audiences for the past several years. In 2000, he began publishing some of his tales online in his Village Craftsmen newsletter. Four years ago, he began conducting evening “ghost walks” through the village. The 90-minute walks quickly gained popularity and participants began to pressure Philip to publish the stories so they could take them home. Last winter he began writing and the result is finally here. His book is “Digging Up Uncle Evans: History, Ghost Tales & Stories from Ocracoke Island.” It’s available for $14.95 not only at the Village Craftsmen but also at most of the Ocracoke shops where local books are sold. While the main focus of the book is on ghost stories, there is a wealth of Ocracoke history as well as a scattering of interesting photographs. Julia Hutcherson, owner of the Ocracoke Variety Store, is impressed at how copies of Philip’s book have been selling. “Looking through it when it first arrived, I could tell right away that it was going to be a big hit with the locals, and it certainly has been,” she said. The book begins with an eerie story about a recurring nightmare that has haunted Philip since he was a boy, and then easily segues into a brief history of the island. Other chapters work in the same way. In between the ghostly tales are earthly stories of shipwrecks and schoolteachers, lighthouses and pirates. Dreams, and the old island tradition of taking them seriously as portents of death, play an important part in the book. It’s not giving anything away to say that Philip’s childhood nightmare is related to the book’s title, but to find out how, you’ll need to read the book. One Ocracoke native who enjoyed “Digging Up Uncle Evans” was Peggy O’Neal who, unaware that the book was coming out, happened upon it in the Variety Store, where it’s prominently displayed on the counter. She took it home and read it all in one day. “I enjoyed reading about the bridges along the creek crossing the two guts which I remember from my childhood,” she said, referring to the island’s geography before Highway 12 was built. O’Neal was reminded of places and events from her childhood, but she also learned things she’d never known before. “I lived across the street from Bunia Foster’s house growing up but hadn’t heard her story because I was too young,” she said. Peggy knew Philip’s father, Lawton, of course, but never knew about Lawton’s brother, Evans. She said she loved the book and bought several copies for family members. It meant even more to Philip that she called him and told him how much she enjoyed it. “It means a lot to me that some of the older islanders have thanked me for writing the book,” Philip said. “They’ve been so generous with their stories, and I’m glad they like the result.” Lisa Caswell is another local who was impressed by the book. She remembers walking down Howard Street with her friends as a middle schooler. “On our way down Howard Street after school,” she said, “we used to hang our book bags on the fence by Evans’ grave and ask him to look after our stuff while we went to the Community Store for snacks. We always spoke to him and laughed about it, but it wasn’t until reading Philip’s book that I understood who Evans was.” It’s not just islanders who are buying the book. Even though it’s the off-season, “Digging Up Uncle Evans” has been selling well to longtime island visitors and folks new to Ocracoke who want to know a little more about this magical place. And for off-islanders who are missing Ocracoke over the winter, Philip sells copies on his new Web site, http://www.blacksqaullbooks.com. Jean Temple has been visiting Ocracoke since the ‘60s. She was happy to get a copy of Philip’s book. “I didn't realize how little I knew about Ocracoke and am glad to know a bit of history as well as the fun stories,” she said. Combining the fun with the history was the challenge Philip put to himself. “In writing the book,” Philip said, “I had two goals in mind. First, I wanted to preserve as much as possible of the history of Ocracoke, complete with names and dates, but my second goal was not to sacrifice the entertainment value of the stories.” These two goals often present a dilemma. On the one hand, Philip is a serious historian with a skeptical mind and a reverence for accuracy. On the other hand, he’s a storyteller who can spin a bone-chilling ghost yarn with the best of them. He shakes his head sadly at the late Charles Harry Whedbee’s entertaining but inaccurate account of Old Quork, which, Philip says, “begins with the wrong date (Feb. 6 rather than March 16) for ‘Old Quork’s Day’ and proceeds to make it Whedbee’s own story with little connection to history.” But this is the same Philip Howard who often likes to quote an old timer who told him, “Buck, it’s a damn poor piece of cloth that can’t take a little embroidering!” This balancing act between historical accuracy and entertainment value calls to mind a comment made by Jim Fineman of Manteo who proofread Philip’s first draft. “Philip’s knowledge and love of Ocracoke are evident on every page of this wonderful book,” he said. The “knowledge” comes through in the form of remarkably detailed facts. The “love” comes through in the warm human interest of these time-honored tales. Philip’s older brother, Lawton “Bud” Howard, Jr., was 12 years old when the “digging up” occurred. He’s an avid reader and says “Digging Up Uncle Evans” is a great book ¬– and not just because the author is his brother. When asked if Philip had told the stories the way Bud remembered them, there was a short pause before he said, “Let’s say . . . ‘yes.’” “Digging Up Uncle Evans” is Philip’s first collection of Ocracoke stories, but he has plenty more up his sleeve and is already at work on another book. |
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