When you are exploring Ocracoke, pause to look at street and place names. Some may have you pondering how they came to be.
Howard Street. Ammunition Dump Road. Old Church Lane. Cat Ridge.
Visiting Ocracoke is like traveling through history. Many place names are breadcrumbs left behind by previous generations, their lives and stories lingering in the landscape.
Nowhere is that more evident than on Howard Street, once known simply as Main Road. This sandy lane originally extended from the sound (where the NPS Visitor Center sits today) to present-day School Road. Stores lined this road in the “Around Creek” area where the post office and mailboat dock were located.
In the mid-1950s, the state paved many island lanes, including the section of Main Road from its starting point, and extended it around the harbor. As a result, the western end (in front of the Community Square) was now paved, and the eastern end remained a one-lane sandy path.
Since the state bypassed them, Stacy Howard “officially” declared that the unpaved section would henceforth be christened by the families living on the lane, and with a flourish, he nailed a hand-painted sign to a tree in front of his house proclaiming this path East Howard Street. The new name stuck since most of the residents there were Howards.
Today, the official name is simply Howard Street, the East designation lost years ago as the story faded. This sandy path is one of Ocracoke’s most picturesque and historic walks in the village.
As you stroll along Howard Street, you will discover Village Craftsmen, a beloved fine craft gallery nestled among the trees. Founded by Philip Howard more than five decades ago and now run by his daughter, Amy Howard, Village Craftsmen honors the island’s stories and carries them forward.
The Howard family’s connection to Ocracoke runs 10 generations deep. Today, Philip and Amy, along with her husband, David Tweedie, and their son, Lachlan, are proud to be some of the Howard descendants living and working on the road that bears their family name. That sense of place infuses everything at Village Craftsmen, from the art to the stories shared across the counter. Many items found here have connections to Ocracoke’s place names and history.
Another street name that might cause reflection is Ammunition Dump Road, known today by its more poetic name, Sunset Drive. During World War II, the U.S. Navy established a classified base on Ocracoke, tasked as defense against the U-boats that were attacking allied ships daily off the N.C. coast. The Navy built Ocracoke’s first paved road, which led to guarded live ammunition storage sheds.
Many of today’s visitors use this road daily to visit Ocracoke Coffee Company. The road Ts into Back Road. New visitors and residents call it Sunset Drive. Islanders from the ’80s call it Fire house Road (the volunteer fire department station was here), but if you are a true old-timer, the road is Ammunition Dump Road. Some maps (the “correct” ones, depending on who you ask) still show it that way.
In recognition of that once-secret chapter of history, Village Craftsmen carries unique items including rings, cuffs and money clips, crafted from brass WWII shell casings.
There’s also Old Church Lane. In 1883 a schism erupted in the local Methodist Church on Howard Street over the use of hymn books. Congregation members who split off built a new Methodist Church where Zillie’s, a popular wine bar, is now located (an irony not lost on locals). This narrow private road is named in memory of the church that stood there.
The congregations reconciled in 1939 and remerged into one church. In 1943, repurposed lumber from both churches was used to build the present United Methodist Church on School Road. Village Craftsmen toasts that history with a collection of hand-crafted glassware, perfect for marking special occasions and island moments.
An area of Ocracoke dear to every one’s hearts is Cat Ridge. It has indistinct borders, but includes the Ocracoke Lighthouse. Here, feral cats have long ruled the streets and yards, with Thurston reigning as the unofficial Lighthouse cat until his passing in 2020. A nearby Ocracats feeding station is lovingly tended to by official volunteers. Village Craftsmen stocks a variety of distinctive lighthouse and cat items to pay tribute to these iconic symbols of Ocracoke.
Island stories continue once you step inside the gallery. Philip is widely known as one of Ocracoke’s great storytellers. He has preserved many stories in his four books, Digging Up Uncle Evans, Howard Street Hauntings, Ocracoke Island Eccentrics, Innovators, and Free Spirits and Sailors, Musicians, Luminaries, and Weathered Old Rascals. These are all available at Village Craftsmen.
Amy shares Philip’s love of Ocracoke’s stories and history and is honored to be continuing traditions her father began. She carefully curates the gallery, filling it with treasures, many of which are made by artists who have strong personal connections to Ocracoke. Amy and David also continue to lead the popular Ocracoke Ghost and History Walks that Philip started 20 years ago. Visitors gather to soak in tales of the past as they make memories of their own.
Exploring the hidden gems of Ocracoke is where your memories take root.
(252) 928-5541 (text)
villagecraftsmen.com
info@villagecraftsmen.com
170 Howard Street, Ocracoke
About the Author Molly Harrison
Molly Harrison is managing editor at OneBoat, publisher of OuterBanksThisWeek.com. She moved to Nags Head in 1994 and since then has made her living writing articles and creating publications about the people, places and culture of the Outer Banks.
