Year after year, a little more of the visual history of Cape Lookout National Seashore on the Outer Banks of North Carolina is lost. Hurricanes and nor’easters take their toll on the structures in two small villages there, slowly erasing the reminders of what was once a thriving shipping and fishing hub.
The constant struggle between what can be saved and what must be surrendered weighs heavily on the minds of park officials, and too often the choice winds up being Mother Nature’s…and not theirs. The Traveler’s Lynn Riddick spoke with Cape Lookout Superintendent Jeff West to learn more about this seashore and the efforts to save whatever historic structures they can.

The Styron Bragg home following Hurricane Dorian/NPS

The Bragg home after repairs were completed/NPS

The Armtec-TT Potter House could not be saved/NPS