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| Advertisement for Iron Steamer Pier and Motel |
Looking at a
1980’s vintage photograph of the Iron Steamer Pier, I suddenly became nostalgic
for day trips to the beach. Throughout the 70s and 80s, our family and friends
who also lived inland at the time routinely made day trips to Bogue Banks. Without
a beach cottage or connections to someone with one, we would head directly to
the Iron Steamer. There were motel rooms there as well, but we never stayed
overnight.
The pier
was perfect for day-trippers. We would arrive mid-morning and park our cars for
free in front of the pier house. Those in our group who wanted to lounge on the
beach would carry chairs, coolers and swim boards into the pier house and head
out the side screen door, down steps leading to the beach. Others, with fishing
poles, tackle-boxes, buckets and coolers went directly to the counter and
purchased all-day pier passes, which were stapled to their caps.
I was among
the beachgoers and liked the Iron Steamer because the pier provided shade so we
could enjoy periodic respites from afternoon sun. We used the tackle shop for
occasional needs. It had odds and ends, like suntan lotion; provided a bathroom;
and sold food, soft drinks and frozen treats.
The waters
close to the pier were a favorite location for surfers since currents there
often produced perfect waves. No one in our group surfed, but we loved watching
others catch and ride the big ones. Pier owners had put up signs warning
surfers not to come too close, but wave riders were a risky lot.
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| Waves building up along the Iron Steamer Pier |
From the
beach, we could also watch the fishing action. Action, preceded and followed by
lulls, was common at the Iron Steamer. During lulls, watching people was great
entertainment since the pier attracted young and old from all over the
world—all sizes, shapes and complexions.
Fishing was
tiered on the pier. Experienced anglers, whose gear often included sleeping
bags, were on the far end. Using float rigs and live bait, they fished
primarily for King Mackerel. The next tier, those who liked to be as far out as
they could get without going to the end section, were usually bottom fishing
with shrimp. However, early in the morning and before sunset, they would often
cast and reel in slowly, jerking the lure to catch Spanish mackerel and other
fish feeding close to the surface.
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| Pictures like this one of a King Mackerel caught on the pier lined the walls of the tackle shop. |
Then there
were those who stayed near cleaning tables or fished by remnants of the
ironclad Civil War vessel for which the pier was named. The sunken ship served
as an artificial reef attracting a wide variety of fish—desirable food fish
like flounder, spot, pompano, sea mullet, blue fish, drum, sea bass and sea
trout as well as less desirable species like pin, hog, toad and lizard fish,
among others.
Beachgoers
periodically checked out the pier, walking its length to see what was
happening. On my visits, I would stop, ask people what they were catching, lean
over the pier and appreciate the view from above. Sometimes I would be lucky
and see a large stingray swim by, barely getting itself between the pilings. A
sea turtle might surface or dolphins put on a show.
Anglers in
our group always took time out from pier fishing to enjoy a swim and lounge on
the beach. They might even try to change their luck by surf fishing for a
while.
Kids
divided their time between the beach and pier, often spending their pier time
trying to catch crabs with a baited box-trap attached to a rope. The trap
opened flat on the bottom and closed as they pulled it up, an activity
frequently accompanied by shouts of glee as blue crabs appeared.
In those
days, the Iron Steamer Pier was among eight Bogue Banks’ piers, and I’m not
sure why we chose it over the other seven, but doing so gave us a special appreciation
for Pine Knoll Shores, which was growing year by year. In the 1990s, we built a
home about a mile from the Iron Steamer Pier, which closed forever in 2004.
I later
learned that Shelby Freeman, who built the Iron Steamer Pier and Motel, had bought
the land from the Roosevelts late in the 1950s or early1960s. He had been
working for them selling lots in the easternmost part of what is now Pine Knoll
Shores. He said there was nothing along this strand of beach, and the road was
unpaved. He had to hack his way through thick maritime forest, underbrush and
briars, to make a path to the beach.
Perhaps his
knowledge of North Carolina Civil War history had made him select the site.
The
ironclad blockade-runner, SS Pevensey,
had gone aground there after being attacked by the New Berne. Shipwrecks naturally attract fish, and remains of the
Pevensey were close to the pier he built, approximately 220 yards off the beach.
The town
put up a plaque marking it, and there is also a new beach access with parking,
a wooden walkway, and bathroom facilities, so locals and visitors can still
enjoy a day at the beach near the Iron Steamer.
For more information about the blockade-runner, see the post entitled
“SS Pevensey Ties Pine Knoll Shores to Civil War.”
Post Author: Phyllis Makuck
An earlier, shorter version of this post appeared in
The Shoreline.
To contact the author or the History Committee