The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1953-06-12
BUFFALO CITY, IT'S
HISTORY SINCE IT
BEGAN IN THE SOS
An Old Residents Recollec-
tons of Dare County's
Big Lumber Camp

A most interesting account OF
the history of Buffalo City and
nearby logging operations some
go years ago has been written
by Joseph Connery of Baltimore,
former resident. Writing re-
Gently to the State Magazine,
Mr.. Connery says he believes he
and his brother Ed Connery Of
| Elizabeth City are the oldest
! living survivors of the early days
of the place, and that he re-
collects its vicissitudeS from the
year 1889 on. Along about 1913,
the Dare Lumber Company as
it was last known, before the
Metropolitan Life Insurance got
the property, bought 1t, and
operated it for some years.
The Buffalo City Postoffice
was discontinued about five
years ago. There is still some
logging in this section, and
Duvall's store is in operation.
Mr.. Connery writes as follows:
In October 1888, when we
were living in Tennessee, my
father, Edmund Connery, was
sent by the Eastern Carolina
Land and Lumber Manufacture
ing Company of Buffalo, New
York, to Dare County, to assist
in beginning a timber and mill
operation. The first work was
started at South Lake, Dare
County, but that location was
soon abandoned for site on
Mill Tail Creek, about five miles
from South Lake, and called
Mill Tail by the people living
there. The high land was about
1000 feet from the creek and
surrounded by swamp. One
family by the name OF Sanderlin
lived on the cleared high land.
This community eventually be-
came Buffalo City"
''In 1889, with my mother and
the rest of the family, I went to
Buffalo City, and am familiar
with it from that time on. The
name of the Company having
been changed to Buffalo City
Mills, the village growing up
around the mill was known as
Buffalo City, also. The town"
consisted of several dwellings, /
an office building (for the lum- 1,
Der company, general store,
and hotel At that time a two
mill was in opera
ton. This mill burned in 1891,
however, and one-circmar-saw /
MIL was built IN its place.
AT first there was no post /
office, mail being received at |
East Lake, about five miles dis |
tant. On October II, 1889. post .
office was established, under the
name of Buffalo City. The first
postmaster was Charles a. VIVA
len. 1t was discontinued August
Is, 1908, and re-opened FebrI
ary %, 1908, at which time l be-
came the postmaster, and re-
manned so until June q 1912. |
The post office was again dis
continued June Is, 1921 reeSta-
thsned September II, 1922, and |
finally discontinued May 81, !
1947. These exact records were !
obtained from National Archives
and the Post Office Department |
in Washington, D. c. They have
complete records there and if
anyone is interested in other
names and dates, they may OBJ
tain them direct.
About 1912 or 1918, Buffalo
City Mills, Inc, sold out all tim
Der lands, mills, transports tug
boat, barges, etc. in Dare Coun-
ty, as we'll as all its property in
Elizabeth City, where they also
had interests. There were other
operations there in the interven-
ing years, but to the best of my
knowledge Buffalo City no long
er exists as it was during the
time l have described. The ques-
ton was whether or not it was
a post office, which T have shown
it was, and it can be found on
maps"