THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 27, 1996 TAG: 9610240179
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: COVER STORY
SOURCE: BY MARY ELLEN RIDDLE, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: 127 lines
IT IS WRITTEN that each September on the first night of the new moon, a flaming ship passes by Ocracoke's shores. And legend has it that a glowing white doe eternally wanders in the thick woods of the Great Dismal Swamp. It is whispered that ghosts inhabit an old lighthouse keeper's quarters, a lifesaving station and a local inn.
Be it hoax or truth, the Outer Banks is awash with legends and stories of ghosts.
Interest in phenomena runs high around these parts. The folklore works of the late Charles Harry Whedbee have sold over 200,000 copies. A Greenville native, Whedbee penned five books filled with Outer Banks legends, including tales of the pirate Blackbeard, Freshponds Will's conversations with the devil and the painful wanderings of Eleanor Dare in ``The Legend Writ on Rocke.''
A former district court judge, Whedbee was also a master storyteller. For years, he held book signings at Manteo Booksellers and captivated audiences with his fantastic tales.
``He was the most engaging man,'' said Steve Brumfield, manager of Manteo Booksellers. ``Everything he said, you'd believe him, which was so funny because they were just goofy stories.''
Whedbee died six years ago, and with him went his magical story-telling ways.
``It was a big loss because he knew all those things by memory,'' Brumfield said.
Fact or fiction? Whedbee explained in the forward of ``Blackbeard's Cup And Stories Of The Outer Banks'' that some of his works were based on historical fact, some on legends and others were pure fantasy. He claimed - or at least he wanted us to believe - that he actually drank from Blackbeard's silver-plated skull in the 1930s.
Got you curious? Head to The Outer Banks History Center on Ice Plant Island.
``People will come and use our books on legends to fill in a particular interest on the legend,'' said Sarah Downing, assistant curator.
Interestingly enough, while one might think that the story of Blackbeard's reign of terror would be the main draw, Downing says more folks inquire about Theodosia Burr. Something about lost women and babies really grabs hold of people.
Legend has it that Burr, the wife of Gov. Joseph Alston of South Carolina, set sail on Dec. 31, 1812, to visit her father, Aaron Burr, in New York City.
She never reached her destination. But a portrait, allegedly of Theodosia, was recovered from a ship that wrecked off Nags Head. That touched off speculation that she was made to walk the plank by pirates. Others say she survived, though crazed, and that for years she was taken care of by an Outer Banks fisherman and his wife. Her spirit might still roam the shores.
The ``Tale of the White Doe,'' which describes the fate of Virginia Dare, the first child of English descent born on Roanoke Island, is a local favorite. Though historians doubt that Virginia Dare ever reached adulthood, the tale has it that she was assimilated into the Croatan Native-American culture and became the target of a jealous suitor who, through magic, turned her into a white doe that now roams the swamps of northeastern North Carolina.
The history center's collection includes plenty of volumes of legends and ghost stories. Downing makes a clear demarcation between the two: ``A ghost story is scary and involves the supernatural and the unexplainable whereas a legend is a story handed down that just doesn't have any factual proof.''
Forget the legends, Nancy Roberts believes in ghosts. The Charlotte resident currently has 12 collections of ghost stories in print with a 13th due out in May.
``I'm convinced that there's life after death because I'm convinced that there is a God,'' Roberts said. ``If you believe or wonder if there is a God, the logical supposition is that the human spirit does not die. So a supernatural presence is a continuance of that spirit.''
Ghosts of varying personalities exist for many reasons, according to Roberts. Spirits return to right wrongs, locate wills and they can even be friendly.
``They are not necessarily evil,'' Roberts said. ``Presences are no more all evil than are people.''
Ada Hadley is convinced that the Roanoke Island Inn in Manteo is haunted, and that the ghost is a bit of a prankster.
Unexplainable footsteps. Doors opening and closing. A crashing flower vase. A mystifying silhouette. All of these phenomena have been experienced by Hadley and her co-workers at the inn.
``I was up in No. 8 and I heard a big crash,'' she said. ``There was a huge vase full of flowers that was thrown from the cabinet to the desk. It frightened me because I couldn't imagine who put it down there.''
Most folks are downright afraid to go on record about experiencing ghosts, for fear they'll be branded as crazy.
``I think most people equate ghosts with some form of life after death,'' Roberts said. ``That could be a burning question, couldn't it?''
While unearthly sightings have been reported in historical structures, Roberts says the age of the building is not the drawing card for the supernatural. ``The number of years the house exists does not necessarily produce a ghost,'' she said. ``It can be a house in a new subdivision.''
So why aren't there ghosts coming out of the woodwork?
``I think it's a case of a strong personality, a dedication to some task, a strong emotion,'' Roberts said of the kinds of spirits that return. ``I think people live on different levels of intensity, and I think there is a special vision that enables certain people to see these presences.''
Ghosts fascinate some folks, and offend others. And religious doctrine can forbid the thoughts of the ``otherworldly.''
``I like to think of myself as a churchgoer, but I don't take it all very seriously,'' the history center's Downing said. ``I still like to believe that Blackbeard's body swam around the boat seven times after his head got chopped off. It's all in fun.''
Fanciful legends and ghost stories - some humorous, some sad - line the Outer Banks like steppingstones, marking a boundary between what is real and what is not. With the blowing of the wind on an Indian summer day or a misty March eve when the line becomes blurred, who's to say? ILLUSTRATION: Photos by MARY ELLEN RIDDLE
A ghost is said to haunt this tower. With the addition of the
Halloween decoration, the number of spirits in residence is now at
two.
This crystal vase was found 11 feet from the counter where it was
placed at the Roanoke Islaand Inn in Manteo. ``I was up in No. 8 and
I heard a big crash,'' said inkeeper Ada Hadley.. ``There was a huge
vase full of flowers that was thrown from the cabinet to the desk.
It frightened me because I couldn't imagine who put it down there.''
Hadley said there have also been occurrances of unexplainable
footsteps, doors opening and closing, and a mystifying silhouette
spotted by Hadley and her co-workers at the inn.
Ada Hadley, innkeeper at the Roanoke Island Inn, is convinced that
the Roanoke Island Inn in Manteo is haunted, and that the ghost is a
bit of a prankster. by CNB