Wine and Cheese with Rodney and Alice

          A sold out crowd reveled in the delights of Rodney Kemp, noted local historian and ‘fish house liar’ as he brought back memories of Alice Hoffman, The Queen of Bogue Banks, through unmatched humor and colorful stories during a wine and cheese party sponsored by our History Committee at town hall Friday, October 11, 2019. 

History Committee Member Michelle Powers welcomes guests to the
program and introduces speaker, Rodney Kemp.  Photo by Susan Phillips.

    Mr. Kemp guided the attendees along a timeline connecting Alice Hoffman and various members of the Roosevelt family to the uniqueness Pine Knoll Shores enjoys today. He shared with the eager guests much of who Mrs. Hoffman was and her journey from her life as a New York socialite, an international traveler, a property owner who lived in Paris for a time, and her comfort before royal courts of England, Sweden and Italy, to her estate on Bogue Banks.

Photo by Susan King.

        Mr. Kemp stepped us through the many events culminating in the eventual founding of Pine Knoll Shores. Attendees wanted to hear more about Mrs. Hoffman’s business dealings, her farming endeavors, her litigious reputation, her entertaining German troops, her home on Bogue Sound and her relationship with the Salter Path fishermen. She was a talented, well educated, outspoken, feisty woman living and flourishing in a man’s world in the late nineteenth century. Was Carteret County ready for her?

Over 90 guests enjoyed Mr. Kemp's stories of Alice Hoffman and the early days of
Salter Path through history and humor.  Photo by Susan Phillips.

     It is well known Mrs. Hoffman treasured the maritime forest she found on Bogue Banks when she first arrived in 1915. She was an early environmentalist buying and protecting as much of Bogue Banks as she was allowed. 

        We need to be grateful for Alice Hoffman's monumental contribution to Pine Knoll Shores. She diligently protected her 2,900 acres of our beautiful maritime forest from all sorts of development schemes. Her 35-year stewardship left our land intact for the gradual and gentle development that followed much later.   

  

Kathy Werle dons jodhpurs, a pistol and a parrot to portray Alice's spirit of adventure. 
Photo by Susan Phillips.

Rodney Kemp does not disappoint. He is a talented, well-loved storyteller. His tales were rich in detail about a time, a place and a cast of personalities unique to Bogue Banks.

Rodney Kemp and Alice Hoffman, aka Kathy Werle.  
Photo by Susan King.

        If you were unable to attend this outstanding and very entertaining wine and cheese party with Rodney and Alice, the History Committee invites you to enjoy the many stories of the town's fascinating history that have been researched and posted on this history website and referred to as "the Blog."

History Committee Member Ted Lindblad closes the program
and invites guests to learn about the Town's history on the
Blog and in the Shoreline and to contribute artifacts or
historical knowledge when possible. Photo by Susan King.

Post Author: Kathy Werle, October 2019.

Published:  January 31, 2021