The harbor was, and still is, a tidal creek that is connected to Pamlico Sound by "the ditch," the narrow opening used by ferries and other water craft. In the 1930s, and again during WWII, the Creek was dredged to provide a suitable harbor for larger boats and US Navy vessels. In the process, the two streams were filled in.
Local oral history suggests that native islander and entrepreneur Stanley Wahab re-christened the harbor "Silver Lake" after the initial dredging operation in order to attract tourists. There is no doubt that Stanley Wahab popularized the more colorful name in order to promote his new "Wahab Village Hotel" (now Blackbeard's Lodge).
The designation "Silver Lake" is older than that, however. In an 1890 newspaper promotion in The Daily Journal (New Bern, NC), the Spencer brothers, new owners of the Ocracoke Hotel (1885-1900), refer to "Silver Lake, a beautiful sheet of water...immediately in the rear and offer[ing] a sail for the timid who fear the sound or ocean, a bath for those who dread the surf, and fishing for any one who prefer to angle for perch rather than trout or blue fish."
|The Ocracoke Hotel, 1898|
The Spencer brothers were from Washington, NC, and it took many years for islanders to feel comfortable with the new name for our harbor. Even today, most O'cockers continue to call the harbor "The Creek."
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the curious story of Vera/Charlie Williams. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052114.htm.