One-of-a-Kind Boat Returns to Watercraft Center

N.C. Maritime Museum Boat Builder Tim White works on repairs to Periauger, a historic replica of a long-lost Colonial boat of the same name. The work is being done at the museum’s Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center in downtown Beaufort.

A historic boat that is literally one-of-a-kind has made a temporary return to the Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center.

Periauger, a historic replica of the long-lost Colonial boat of the same name, was recently brought back to Beaufort for refurbishment. Originally built at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort’s working watercraft center, Periauger sits there once again as repairs continue on the vessel, the only known boat of its kind.

“The boat itself, in its historic context, was really important to North Carolina,” the museum’s maritime curator, David Bennett, said. “In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was a popular coastal transport, especially in North Carolina’s inner waters.”

Construction on the historic replica began in 2003 under the Periauger Project, a partnership of the museum, the Perquimans County Restoration Association, Perquimans County and East Carolina University’s Program in Maritime Studies to reintroduce the periauger to North Carolina’s waters. The design provided a bit of a challenge, however, since no examples of what at the time was a common style of boat are known to exist.

“A lot of people had these boats,” Bennett said. “But North Carolina’s climate is an inhospitable environment for the long-term survival of wooden boats.”

When approached at the time about the project, Mike Alford, the museum’s former maritime researcher, and boat builder Geoffrey Scofield had already been trying to learn as much as they could about the periauger — using the only sources available: historical records and illustrations.

“There weren’t even a piece of one to look at,” Alford said. “We just wanted to get it on the record. We didn’t have any plan to build one.”

But that chance eventually came along, and their years of research and thinking paid off in the form of the design and plan for the historic build, which was completed in 2004. The boat, which belongs to the Perquimans County Restoration Association, is housed at the 1730 Newbold-White House in Hertford. Housed, that is, when she’s not going in front of the camera. Periauger has been featured in both historic documentaries and on the big screen, most notably in the filming of the 2019 movie “Harriet.” In the film, abolitionist Harriet Tubman rides in Periauger as she leads Union troops on a river raid of South Carolina plantations.

But with time, climate and wear taking a toll on the boat, its owners worked with Bennett on bringing the boat back for the repairs. The museum’s boat builder, Tim White, is doing the work in sections, cutting out one piece of the cypress floor at a time, replacing the damaged portions with new cypress before moving on to the next. It’s a slow process, White explained, working bit-by-bit out of necessity.

“I don’t want to damage the integrity of the floor,” White said.

Public operations are currently suspended at the Watercraft Center. However, while work is being done on Periauger, and weather permitting, the Watercraft Center’s double doors facing Front Street will be open for those who’d like to see the progress.

“It should be there through the end of August, easily,” Bennett said.

For more information, call 252-504-7791 or visit ncmaritimemuseumbeaufort.com.

mayor's notes

Pine Knoll Shores

Mayor John Brodman

Getting Settled in a New Role

By the time you read this, I will have been in office for just under and access to the great outdoors? How do we manage these changes two months, and what a two months they have been. Thank and still preserve the “beach town in a forest” image that makes us you for the words of support many of you have given me. It so unique? means a lot to me during this time of uncertainty. Despite the These are just some of the important issues that our Strategic extra precautions we are taking during the pandemic, many of you Planning Committee, Planning Board, Community Appearance have made the effort to schedule an appointment, come by to say Committee and homeowners’ associations, all composed of citizen hello, get acquainted and share your concerns with me. It is this kind volunteers, are beginning to wrestle with. It’s difficult for our active of communication that makes our community a special place, and I citizen committees to meet and conduct business when town hall want you to know that I am generally available by phone, email or in remains closed, and indoor gatherings are limited to no more than 10 person, whichever suits your needs and schedule best. people wearing masks and abiding by social distancing. Unfortunately,

Several people have asked me about my priorities for the town. unless there is a major break-through in dealing with the virus, we I want to assure you that I don’t have a personal agenda, and that may have to conduct business this way for many months to come. We your agenda is my agenda. I came into office just after our board of are learning quickly about electronic meeting options, and we will be commissioners passed the new budget for fiscal year 2020-2021, upgrading the equipment in the boardroom at town hall to allow and which, by itself, is an annual statement of our priorities. Of course, new encourage continued citizen participation in the affairs of the town, issues are constantly emerging and existing priorities are constantly that has become a hallmark of our community. changing. I believe in representative government, and while the powers In closing, I want to say a few words about hurricane preparation. vested in the mayor in our town manager/council form of governance While we were spared somewhat by Isaias’s track, our town staff are limited, I assure you that I will do my best to listen to opposing went about the business of preparing for the emergency in a very viewpoints and promote consensus on the most effective solutions to professional manner, and they deserve a hearty thank-you from all of the problems that do arise. us. As you read this, we will be approaching peak hurricane season

Covid 19 is affecting how we conduct our daily business, and it and we can’t let our guard down. As the saying goes: “keep your will most likely have profound impacts on our town in the longer-term. fingers crossed, pray for the best, but prepare for the worst”. On a As people learn to work and educate their children from home, many lighter note, our beaches and new vegetation came through Isaias with of our second-homeowners are spending more time here and others flying colors, and we only had one tire wash up on the entire length are planning to become permanent residents. Homes are selling fast, of our beach. If we’re lucky, the scourge created by the 650,000 tires building permits are up and people are realizing that Pine Knoll Shores placed offshore to create artificial reefs between 1975 and 1983, may is truly a great place to live. How will our infrastructure handle this finally be behind us. growth? What will be the impact on our natural resources, environment Stay safe, respect the virus, and don’t let your guard down.

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pks club news

PKS Women’s Club

Since March this has been an unusual year for the Pine Knoll Shores Women’s Club. We are used to socializing, enjoying food and programs at the monthly meetings. We’ve had to adjust our lives and it looks like we will be continuing to do so. As of this printing I am not sure if or when we will return to face to face meetings. The board is doing behind the scenes activities to keep our business running and to determine when members will be able to meet again. In the meantime, we thought a little history about the club would be interesting.

In the Beginning…

There was one Women’s Club in Pine Knoll Shores in 1983 and that was the Garden Club. There wasn’t anything to appeal to women who didn’t love to garden so an idea came up with a group of women in the Garden Club. What about a Women’s Club where you could socialize, have speakers come to talk and get to know the women in Pine Knoll Shores? This idea was presented to the members of the Garden Club through a survey. Would you like to join a Women’s Club? The response was positive so an invitation to come to an organizational meeting at town hall was placed in the Shoreline on February 24, 1984.

This first meeting of the Pine Knoll Shores Women’s Club was at town hall and representatives from the Morehead City Women’s Club presented the National Federation of Women’s Club activities and responsibilities. This helped point the direction of the club. At the March meeting, the women decided to form an independent, non-Federated Club. Their purpose was “Social Unity and Interest Groups.” It was to be an informal group that would meet monthly on the fourth Friday. Today, the club still meets in the same time slot at town hall.

In June of that first year officers were appointed. They included: Verna Armstrong as President, Betty Harmon as Vice President and Wanda Lettan as Secretary. These women met and created the first byLaws. They needed a Treasurer so Connie Browne was appointed. The club was off and running! It was exciting to begin a new club and they

(Continued from page 35)

Hunter never pitched in the minor leagues. He went straight to “the bigs.” His pitching record for his first three seasons at Kansas City was so-so, but he caught fire after Finley moved the A’s to Oakland, Calif., for the 1968 season.

Hunter pitched a perfect game on May 8, 1968, skunking the Minnesota Twins, 4-0. It was the ultimate “no-no” – no hits, no walks, no runs, no errors.

Hunter struck out 11 batters and helped himself at the plate by driving in three runs with three hits. Teammate Jack Aker told the Oakland Tribune, “There was just one thing he did wrong. He flied out to center field once.”

Since 1903, only 21 perfect games have been recorded in Major League Baseball. Hunter was the seventh pitcher to accomplish his feat. No pitcher in history has thrown two perfect games.

The A’s, buoyed by Hunter, became unstoppable, winning three consecutive World Series championships from 1972-74. Hunter was the American League’s Cy Young Award winner in 1974 – the best pitcher of the year, selected by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Hunter made history off the field as well. A contract dispute with Finley was eventually settled, with a ruling in Hunter’s favor, granting him status as a “free agent.”

Matt Kelly, communications specialist at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., said: “For the first time since the 1870s, a major league player was free to offer his services to the highest bidder … a sweepstakes for baseball’s best big game pitcher, Catfish Hunter.”

Kelly reported that Hunter inked a five-year deal worth about

quickly established committee chairman and developed some interest groups that we still have active today.

Supper Club, Lunch Bunch and Book Club were formed in the first year. They also had a Travel Club and Antiques Club. There were trips to Winterthus in Wilmington, Delaware with stops in Brandywine and Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, The Biltmore Estate in Ashville and Charleston, S.C.

The club needed a logo so, there was a contest. Members created a logo design and Wanda Lettan won. This is the same logo used today.

Some of the programs that first year were “Life Behind the Iron Curtain” by Helen Julien, a journalist from the Canadian Press Club, “A Travelogue on Egypt by Charlotte Cade. The Club members even had a trip to the Big Star Market and the program was “Getting the Most for Your Food Dollar.”

One month they met and the program was “Activities to Entertain Your Grandhildren” and “Problems Newcomers Encounter.” These were not big problems, but small things like places to shop for your favorite spices or brans you used “back yonder” and can’t seem to find here. Many can relate to having to adjust to a new place and things are so different. It can be frustrating.

As time went on the club made more of an impact on the community. To raise money for giving to the community, they started selling reflective shoulder sashes to use when exercising. Their first charity was the Bogue Banks Library for their permanent book collection. We still give to them today. As time went other charities were added the largest being the Scholarship Fund to Carteret Community College which is given to a nontraditional student who is returning to school.

During that first year friends were made, programs were interesting, by-laws were accepted by the membership, and committee and interest groups were formed. At the very first meeting in February, 1984, 23 women attended and in June of 1985 the club had grown to 52 members. As one member put it “We were starting to walk.”

$3.2 million, along with a $1 million signing bonus, to join the New York Yankees for the 1975 season. The deal was engineered by Clyde Kluttz, who was then employed as the Yankees’ “director of scouting.”

Thus, Hunter became baseball’s first multi-million-dollar player. Kelly quoted Hunter as saying: “I was probably the first player who broke it open for other players to be paid what they’re worth.”

Hunter helped the New York club win back-to-back World Series titles in 1977-78. Hunter retired at the end of the 1979 season. His five World Series rings, earned over the course of a 15-year career, is quite impressive.

Jimmy Hunter returned to his roots in Hertford, a town of about 2,000 people located at a bend in the Perquimans River, which flows into the Albemarle Sound.

He and Helen Overton had been high school sweethearts; they were married in 1966 and raised three children. The Hunters’ goal in life was to make their hometown proud.

In September 1998, Jim Hunter was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He died at home about a year later on Sept. 9, 1999, at the age of 53.

Prior to his death, he and the Hunter family established the Jim “Catfish” Hunter ALS Foundation to assist patients and caregivers, thereby easing the burden of ALS and improving quality of life.

The Perquimans County Chamber of Commerce in downtown Hertford houses the official Jim “Catfish” Hunter Museum. Call 252- 426-5657.

Bob Ruegsegger simply suggests: “Go.”