Chocowinity Bay
Beaufort County, NC

A dinghy lies abandoned on the shore of Chocowinity Bay. Behind it, a wooden bulkhead rises like a castle wall protecting expensive waterfront property from the water.

Some of the most desirable property, and consequently the most expensive, lies along the shoreline. It’s also most vulnerable to erosion. Ironically, wealthy landowners try to protect their property behind high walls from the very thing that made it initially desirable.

In the Tuscarora language, Chocowinity meant the “Bay of Otters.” The Tuscarora people originally occupied the land around the bay but in 1711, they violently objected to white settlers raiding their villages for slaves. As a result, there are no Tuscarora and very few otters remaining.