Down East

Down East is the local name for the land that stretches from the North River on the east side of Beaufort to Cedar Island, which marks Carteret County's northeastern boundary. Here you'll find picturesque scenery — marshes, canals and undisturbed places filled with wildlife, particularly as you get closer to Cedar Island. The portion of U.S. 70 that runs through Down East is a N.C. Scenic Byway, so designated by the N.C. Department of Transportation because it offers incomparable scenery and a chance to observe something different from the fast traffic and commercial areas along major interstates.

In the past, the livelihood of almost all Down East people depended on the water. Whether they made a living at commercial fishing, crabbing or boat building, people in this part of the county have a heritage tied to the water. The majority still rely on the water to make a living, though more and more residents are finding employment in Beaufort or Morehead City or at the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in Havelock. The love for the water remains obvious, however, by the number of boats, fish houses and seafood businesses found in Down East villages.

Currently no Down East community is incorporated, so the area is governed by Carteret County.

After leaving Beaufort on U.S. 70, Bettie is the first Down East community you reach. It lies between the North River Bridge and Ward's Creek Bridge. The next community is Otway, named for famous Swansboro privateer Otway Burns.

As you turn off U.S. 70 onto Harkers Island Road, Straits is the community you see flanking the road to Harkers Island. The Straits is also the name of the body of water that lies between the community and the island. The spelling of Straits is shown on early maps as "Straights." Later cartographers probably noticed the name was not applicable to a water course and changed the spelling to Straits, meaning narrows. Years ago Straits was a farm community and a substantial amount of cotton was grown here. Straits United Methodist Church, c. 1778, was the first Methodist Church built east of Beaufort.

Originally called Craney Island, Harkers Island once was the home of a thriving tribe of Tuscarora Indians. By the turn of the twentieth century, all that remained of the Native American settlement was a huge mound of sea shells on the island's east end, now called Shell Point. Hisorians say the Native Americans were attempting to build a shell walkway through the waters of Core Sound to Core Banks. Standing at Shell Point today, you can see the Cape Lookout Lighthouse and nearby islands.

In 1730 George Pollock sold the island to Ebenezer Harker of Boston. Harker moved to the island and later divided it among his three sons, using the divisions "eastard," "westard" and "center." These have remained unofficial dividers, at least for the natives of the island. The Harker heirs did not part with their land for years, so the island population remained sparse for some time. In 1895 fewer than 30 families lived there. The population grew when folks from the Shackleford Banks community of Diamond City abandoned their town due to the devastation of hurricanes. Some loaded homes on boats and brought them to the safer ground of Harkers Island. With this new surge in population, schools, churches and businesses sprang up. Still, the island remained isolated until ferry operations began in 1926, with the ferry leaving from the island's west end and docking in the Down East community of Gloucester. A bridge to the island was built in 1941. Today, Harkers Island is home to the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum, the famous Core Sound Decoy Festival and the Cape Lookout National Park Visitor Center. See our Crystal Coast Attractions and Annual Events chapters for more information on these fascinating places and events.

As you leave Harkers Island and re-enter U.S. 70 headed east, Smyrna is the next Down East town. It was named in 1785 from a deed that conveyed 100 acres from Joseph Davis to Seth Williston. The land was on Smunar Creek, and the spelling was later changed to Smyrna.

Marshallberg is just off U.S. 70. Originally named Deep Hole Point, Marshallberg is built on a peninsula formed by Jarrett Bay and Core Sound. Folks say that clay was dug from the area and used to fill ramparts and cover easements at Fort Macon on Bogue Banks, leaving a large hole, thus the original name. It was later renamed for Matt Marshall, who ran the mailboat from Beaufort.

In 1880 W. Q. A. Graham established Graham Academy at the head of Sleepy Creek in Marshallberg. The school prepared its students for college, and students who didn't live in town stayed in the school's dormitories. Monthly board was about $5.50 per student, and the school's attendance in 1892 was 126. The academy was destroyed by fire in 1910.

Between Marshallberg and Straits is the small community of Gloucester, so named in the early 1900s by Capt. Joseph Pigott for the Massachusetts town he loved. Back on U.S. 70 and a little way past Smyrna, you will find Williston, named for John Williston who was one of the area's first settlers. Williston has long been nicknamed "Beantown," though why is still a point of confusion. Some say it was because of the large quantities of beans grown in the community, and others say it was because residents had a reputation for loving to eat beans. The Williston United Methodist Church was built in 1883.

The village of Davis was settled by William T. Davis in the 1700s. People worked the water and the land to make a living. Farm crops, such as cotton and sweet potatoes, were taken by sailboat to Virginia to be sold or traded for flour, sugar and cloth. Davis residents were known as "Onion Eaters," either because of the number of green onions grown there or because Davis people simply liked onions. An Army camp was opened in Davis during World War II, and some of the old camp buildings remain along the water's edge.

Stacy is made up of two even smaller communities: Masontown and Piney Point. The post office was opened in 1885. Stacy Freewill Baptist Church is more than 100 years old.

Originally called Wit, Sea Level is still the fishing community it has always been. In 1706 the King of England granted Capt. John Nelson about 650 acres, with Nelson's Bay on the west and Core Sound on the east. That land is today's Sea Level. Sailors' Snug Harbor, the oldest charitable trust in America, opened a facility for retired Merchant Marines there in 1976. (The original facility of its type opened in 1833 on Staten Island.) The Snug Harbor center is now open to men and women from all walks of life. Taylor Extended Care Facility is a nursing home on Nelson's Bay. A satellite clinic of Carteret General Hospital operates alongside the nursing home.

U.S. 70 ends, or begins depending on how you look at it, in the township of Atlantic. This community was settled in the 1740s and was originally called Hunting Quarters. The first post office opened in 1880, and the name was changed to Atlantic. The community's nickname is Per, and old-timers refer to their home as Per Atlantic. In the 1930s progress arrived in the form of paved roads. Today, Atlantic is home to two of the East Coast's largest seafood dealers, Luther Smith & Son Seafood Company and Clayton Fulcher Seafood Company, as well as a 1,500-acre Marine Corps Outlying Landing Field.

From Atlantic, N.C. 12 takes travelers to Cedar Island, seemingly the end of the earth, where you'll find the North Carolina State ferry landing to Ocracoke Island and North Carolina's Outer Banks. Cedar Island was known by that name until two post offices were established in the early 1900s. Then the east end of the island became known as Lola and the west end as Roe, each with its own post office and school. In the 1960s, the two post offices closed and a new one was opened. The whole island became known as Cedar Island again, but locals still use the old names. Some homes on the island date back to the 1880s.