Harkers Island

Harkers Island, settled in the early 1900s but families from Shackleford Banks, is today Down East's largest community. Known around the world for its skilled boatbuilders, across the country for its churches and locally for its rich music traditions, Harkers Island is an interesting place to visit and a wonderful place to live.

Harkers Island

  • Harkers Island is a nationally-recognized boat building community.
  • Harkers Island is the largest Down East community, with approximately 1500 residents, a large percentage of them being part-time.
  • At one time, Harkers Island was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as having the most churches per capita. Currently, there are seven churches located on Harkers Island.
  • Harkers Island was given by Kings Grant to Thomas Sparrow in 1714.
  • Electricity was established on the island in 1939 and the bridge opening in 1941. Before that time, a ferry to Gloucester served Harkers Island as well as a mailboat to Beaufort.  The last mailboat serving Harkers Island was named “The Pet.”
  • Many island residents trace their ancestry back to whalers living on Shackleford Banks.
  • Native Islanders are well-known for their love of hunting, cooking and eating loons.
  • Harkers Island is home to two NC Heritage Award winners: 1. Julian Guthrie, boatbuilder and 2. James Allen Rose, boatbuilder, model boatbuilder and musician.
  • Harkers Island is also known for its strong music tradition.  Ivey Scott, legendary fiddle player from the mid-1900s played for dances up and down the coast of NC and made famous the ballad, “The Booze Yacht.”
  • Harkers Island’s Island Born & Bred cookbook (published in 1987) captures many of the stories, legends and history of Harkers Island.
  • The National Park Service came to Harkers Island in the 1960s and has greatly affected the economy of the Island.  The CSWM&HC is located on NPS property and works w/ Cape Lookout National Seashore to provide education, interpretation, documentation and preservation of the cultural and natural resources of this region.
  • A County Harbor of Refuge is located on Harkers Island, just over the drawbridge.

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