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Exploring Oriental and the Inner Banks
of NC
At the mouth of the Neuse River on Pamlico Sound is the village
of Oriental. Although Oriental is in the far east area of coastal
North Carolina, its name has nothing to do with its location
or relationship with the Orient. The town was named by the wife
of Oriental's founder and first postmaster. She saw the name
on the transom nameboard of a steamship that sank off Hatteras
in 1862.
The nameboard washed ashore and was displayed in a residence
in Manteo where she was visiting. She learned that the steamship,
headed from New York to blockade the Wilmington harbor, was
in the service of Union forces when it sank during the Civil
War. Passengers and crew aboard were saved, but the steamship
was never salvaged. Its legacy is preserved in the name of
the village now known as the "Sailing Capital of North
Carolina."
Back in the 1870s, Louis B. Midyette escaped a gale by anchoring
his sailboat in the waters of Oriental. While there he went
ashore, climbed a tree and fell in love with the beautiful
landscape and waterfront. When he returned home to Dare County,
Midyette persuaded others to join his family and move to the
area. Since that time, sailors from across the globe have
followed "Uncle Lou's" example and have made Oriental
"The Sailing Capital of North Carolina." Today it
is estimated that the town is home to 900 permanent residents
and roughly 2,700 sailboats, sport fishing boats and commercial
trawlers.
Learn more about our Inner Banks
neighborhoods.
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