The Fort Fisher Hermit

His life has been the subject of a book, a documentary, several articles and countless stories. Thousands of people visited him, some traveling great distances, even paying to have their photo taken with him. Those who have met him are still talking about their encounters more than 30 years later. Movie star? Famous athlete? No, just a man who longed for something we all crave at times — a simple life.

The Fort Fisher hermit himself explained his popularity in an article published in the New Hanover Sun in 1968, "Everybody ought to be a hermit a few minutes to an hour or so every 24 hours, to study, meditate, and commune with their creator... millions of people want to do just what I'm doing, but since it is much easier thought of than done, they subconsciously elect me to represent them, that's why I'm successful…"

In 1956, 63-year-old Robert Harrill, the man now known as the Fort Fisher hermit, moved into an abandoned WWII army bunker in the marshland along Carolina Beach. He wanted to be closer to nature and further from society, an escape that may have been prompted by a painful past (he grew up in a violent, dysfunctional family and his eldest son committed suicide during the Depression). The tiny concrete bunker would be his home for the next 16 years. He furnished the bunker with scraps of wood and assorted debris brought in by the tide. The marshes supplied him with plenty of seafood, which he called a "millionaire's rations." Several stray cats and dogs along with raccoons, skunks and other wild creatures shared the rations and gave him companionship. He told anyone who asked that he was there to write a book about his family, entitled A Tyrant in Every Home.

Although a complete manuscript has never been found, letters to family and friends as well as notes for the book provide some insight into his personal history before he began life as a hermit. During the turbulent '60s, word spread about the small, weather-worn old man who loved to talk and would share his philosophy and the day's catch with anyone who dropped some change in his frying pan. Before long his guest book contained thousands of signatures. The Fort Fisher hermit captivated visitors of all ages with his passionate harangues against the ills of society. He referred to these lectures as his School of Common Sense. Never shy about speaking his mind, the hermit had an opinion about everything. According to his common sense philosophy, "The folks on this old globe live too doggone fast. They should slow down and live… and learn to relax."

Despite what many would like to imagine, life on the beach wasn't always idyllic. Complications came in the form of mosquitoes, brutal heat, hurricanes, drunken teenagers, local authorities who considered him a vagrant, and developers who wanted to utilize the land surrounding the bunker. The Fort Fisher hermit had to struggle continuously to maintain his way of life. He was even kidnapped once by two men who robbed and beat him.

Living in isolation made him vulnerable while his different approach to life sometimes made him the target of violence and cruelty. These hardships only gave the hermit more tales to tell, bolstering his determination to persevere. People continue to be fascinated by the Fort Fisher hermit for many reasons, not the least of which is the individuality and self-sufficiency he has come to represent. Apparently, he was also quite a character. He often used wit and humor to get himself out of trouble. After falling asleep on the beach one sunny afternoon, and subsequently being charged with vagrancy, Mr. Harrill defended himself by informing the judge that perhaps he should lock up the tourists in the area, because they all appeared to be vagrants as well.

More than 30 years after his death, the Fort Fisher hermit still touches the lives of people who met him. Michael Edwards, the President of the Hermit Society and author of The Battle for Independence: The Story of the Fort Fisher Hermit, describes how the hermit's life has become a source of inspiration, "His life is a story made for movies – about adversity and human courage and strength through hardship, failure and disappointment. Robert felt people needed to take responsibility for their lives. He never gave up on himself – that's the story I want to tell adults and the elderly."

The Hermit Society is made up of friends of Robert Harrill and those inspired by him, who get together to swap stories, plan celebrations in his honor and support one another in their individuality. Memories of the Fort Fisher hermit continue to reflect the epitaph on his headstone, "He Made People Think."

Although Robert Harrill died in 1972 (and there are some questions surrounding the cause of his death), the empty bunker remains. While enjoying Kure Beach, take some time out to follow a hermit's path. There's a hiking trail along the Fort Fisher area of Kure Beach that winds through the marshes and past the hermit's bunker. You can enter the trail from behind the Fort Fisher Recreation Center or the N.C. Aquarium. Kayak Carolina, (910) 458-9111, offers a three-hour paddling tour complete with a hike to Harrill's bunker.