Amy Howard is fundraising
Save Ocracoke's Island Inn Odd Fellows Lodge
The Ocracoke Odd Fellows Lodge, commonly known around town as the Island Inn, was built by Mr. Charlie Scarborough in 1901. The 120 year old building has an amazing, sometimes spooky, history associated with it. It is currently being purchased by the Ocracoke Preservation Society (OPS), but we need your help to make our dream a reality. Over the next 6 weeks, we will share the history of the property through video vignettes on Facebook Live and You Tube. These personal tours will introduce you to this meaningful island structure, and how you can join our vision to bring it back into the lives of our visitors and residents.
The Story: The dream to own the Island Inn property had been long brewing, but it wasn’t until spring of 2018 that urgency struck when the property was listed for sale with no value attributed to the building. That assessment meant that whoever bought it would most likely tear it down and repopulate the property with, well, anything. Ocracoke is a historic community, and the Ocracoke Preservation Society was anxious to keep this structure from being wiped off the map of the village. We created a community-based committee and negotiated a 5-year promise that the 3% and 2% occupancy boards would together cover the cost of the mortgage while OPS worked to find more permanent and secure funding for raising and restoring the building.
Flash forward a year and a half. The project was taking shape when Hurricane Dorian slammed into Ocracoke Island, shocking us all with a record tidal surge 2.5 feet higher than any previous storm. The Odd Fellows Lodge as well as over 400 other houses on the island experienced catastrophic flooding. Suddenly all available financial and physical resources shifted to aid island residents. The Ocracoke Preservation Society gladly deferred attention during this time. Clearly, resident recovery was vital.
Six months after Hurricane Dorian, Covid entered everyone’s life, shutting down tourism to Ocracoke, revenue to the museum, and reconstruction plans for the Odd Fellows Lodge. Now, three years after we began our journey, we are starting to make visible progress on the restoration. But we need your help.
The Vision: OPS sees the Odd Fellows Lodge and grounds as community space. We are envisioning a Visitor Center where local nonprofits can showcase their mission and goods to visitors and as a starting point for cultural orientation to the spirit of Ocracoke. The accompanying green space, the Island Inn Park, would have room for outdoor events, a fig tree garden, public restrooms, and more. Think of it as an oasis for community activities in the heart of the village.
The goal: We need to raise at least a million dollars to make this project a reality. We are starting this campaign to raise $60,000 to make progress toward that goal. It is a critical starting point to secure and stabilize this historic property and building. Your support can make the difference in the success of this project. Please join me in helping to make this dream a reality for our entire community of residents and visitors.
Lifetime resident & OPS board member,
Amy Howard
#islandinnoddfellows
Listen to Philip Howard tell some history of the Island Inn Odd Fellows Lodge
The original Odd Fellows Lodge, the 1901 section that we are planning to restore. Photo credit, Ocracoke Preservation Society
Perks (1 winner per category, winner drawn and announced on Sunday after the eligible week):
Week 1, 3/14/2021-3/20/2021:
Persons donating $25-$99 entered to win a signed copy of "Digging Up Uncle Evans" by Philip Howard (includes a ghost story of the Odd Fellows Lodge)
Persons donating $100-$499 entered to win a mystery gift basket of 4 Ocracoke themed/inspired goodies.
Persons donating $500-$1499 entered to win a mystery gift basket of 8 Ocracoke themed/inspired goodies.
Persons donating $1500 or more entered to win a mystery gift basket of 8 Ocracoke themed/inspired goodies plus a private ghost and history tour with one of the Ocracoke Ghost and History Tour leaders (must be scheduled at a mutually agreeable time and may include up to 15 people).
Week 2, 3/21/2021-3/27/2021:
TBD
Week 3, 3/28/2021-4/3/2021:
TBD
Week 4, 4/4/2021-4/10/2021:
TBD
Week 5, 4/11/2021-4/17/2021:
TBD
Week 6, 4/18/2021-4/24/2021:
TBD
The Story: The dream to own the Island Inn property had been long brewing, but it wasn’t until spring of 2018 that urgency struck when the property was listed for sale with no value attributed to the building. That assessment meant that whoever bought it would most likely tear it down and repopulate the property with, well, anything. Ocracoke is a historic community, and the Ocracoke Preservation Society was anxious to keep this structure from being wiped off the map of the village. We created a community-based committee and negotiated a 5-year promise that the 3% and 2% occupancy boards would together cover the cost of the mortgage while OPS worked to find more permanent and secure funding for raising and restoring the building.
Flash forward a year and a half. The project was taking shape when Hurricane Dorian slammed into Ocracoke Island, shocking us all with a record tidal surge 2.5 feet higher than any previous storm. The Odd Fellows Lodge as well as over 400 other houses on the island experienced catastrophic flooding. Suddenly all available financial and physical resources shifted to aid island residents. The Ocracoke Preservation Society gladly deferred attention during this time. Clearly, resident recovery was vital.
Six months after Hurricane Dorian, Covid entered everyone’s life, shutting down tourism to Ocracoke, revenue to the museum, and reconstruction plans for the Odd Fellows Lodge. Now, three years after we began our journey, we are starting to make visible progress on the restoration. But we need your help.
The Vision: OPS sees the Odd Fellows Lodge and grounds as community space. We are envisioning a Visitor Center where local nonprofits can showcase their mission and goods to visitors and as a starting point for cultural orientation to the spirit of Ocracoke. The accompanying green space, the Island Inn Park, would have room for outdoor events, a fig tree garden, public restrooms, and more. Think of it as an oasis for community activities in the heart of the village.
The goal: We need to raise at least a million dollars to make this project a reality. We are starting this campaign to raise $60,000 to make progress toward that goal. It is a critical starting point to secure and stabilize this historic property and building. Your support can make the difference in the success of this project. Please join me in helping to make this dream a reality for our entire community of residents and visitors.
Lifetime resident & OPS board member,
Amy Howard
#islandinnoddfellows
Listen to Philip Howard tell some history of the Island Inn Odd Fellows Lodge
The original Odd Fellows Lodge, the 1901 section that we are planning to restore. Photo credit, Ocracoke Preservation Society
Perks (1 winner per category, winner drawn and announced on Sunday after the eligible week):
Week 1, 3/14/2021-3/20/2021:
Persons donating $25-$99 entered to win a signed copy of "Digging Up Uncle Evans" by Philip Howard (includes a ghost story of the Odd Fellows Lodge)
Persons donating $100-$499 entered to win a mystery gift basket of 4 Ocracoke themed/inspired goodies.
Persons donating $500-$1499 entered to win a mystery gift basket of 8 Ocracoke themed/inspired goodies.
Persons donating $1500 or more entered to win a mystery gift basket of 8 Ocracoke themed/inspired goodies plus a private ghost and history tour with one of the Ocracoke Ghost and History Tour leaders (must be scheduled at a mutually agreeable time and may include up to 15 people).
Week 2, 3/21/2021-3/27/2021:
TBD
Week 3, 3/28/2021-4/3/2021:
TBD
Week 4, 4/4/2021-4/10/2021:
TBD
Week 5, 4/11/2021-4/17/2021:
TBD
Week 6, 4/18/2021-4/24/2021:
TBD
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118 supporters
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