Thursday, July 11, 2013

Mercury

Tomorrow is the 200th anniversary of the US Revenue Service Cutter Mercury escaping the invasion of Ocracoke by the British in the War of 1812. A new historical marker will be dedicated at 11 a.m. on NC 12 in the village.

At 2 p.m. the public is invited to the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras for a presentation by US Coast Guard historian Bill Thiesen on USRS cutter service along the North Carolina coast during the War of 1812.

The Museum will also have a model of the Mercury on display as well as an exhibition on USRS cutters. “The Mercury is extremely important,” says Museum director Joseph Schwarzer. “It was built on Ocracoke and on top of that, the Mercury was the only vessel to escape Cockburn’s raid during the War of 1812.”

Model of the Mercury by Jim Goodwin











You can read more about the Mercury, Ocracoke, and the War of 1812 here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news102112.htm.

This month's Ocracoke Newsletter is a photo gallery of past July 4th parade photos. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news062113.htm.

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:24 AM

    How many historical markers dot OI?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think there are only two others -- one commemorating the defeat of Blackbeard in 1718, and one recognizing the construction of the lighthouse in 1823.

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