Weird, ghostly noises were reported on Church Island, North Carolina in 1928. Locals pointed to the spirits of pirates and buccaneers who once sailed the region.
Weird Spooks Visit Carolina Isle House
Elizabeth City, N.C. — Two hundred years ago, the children would have whispered “pirates” when doors slammed mysteriously at night on Church Island. Today the grown-ups shout “spooks.”
George Brice, who, with his family, lives in a frame house on the island, has brought word to the mainland that strange noises, as of heavy weight dropping, or of a woman shrieking, come at intervals from the walls of his home.
Brice is a fisherman, staid in appearance. Mrs. Brice and the children corroborate his story.
The noises are said to occur in broad daylight or in the wee hours before dawn. The entire family has been aroused by moans and gurgles, emanating sometimes from the attic, again from the cellar.
Search after search has failed to show a natural cause, Brice claims.
Recently, word of the strange happenings spread to the mainland and scores each Sunday go by boat to the island, which is steeped with traditions as a pirate rendezvous, and visit the house.
The coast of North Carolina near here 150 years ago was a favorite gathering place for buccaneers. They hove their swift ships to in the inlets and sailed out at night to raid the shipping along the coast.
Source: New Britain herald. (New Britain, Conn.), 07 Sept. 1928.
