The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1955-12-23
| VETERAN MOVER OF
BEACH HOUSES, 81.
| IS GOING STRONG
Steve j. Irvine Had Something
To Do With Most Of Old
Homes at Mays Head
By EARL DEAN

/
Still active and spry in spite of
the fact that he was 81 years old
last January, Steve ]. Irvine, the
veteran builder and house mover
at Mays Head is one old-timer who
has kept abreast of the times, and
who thinks that all the many
changes and modern improvements
on the Dare County beaches have
helped make pleasant living at old
Mays Head even more enjoyable.
There wasn't much to Mays
Head when he saw it from the
deck of the old steamer New
Bern" for the first time early in
the summer of 1897. From that
day to this he has been a familiar
figure on the beach; moved many
a cottage back from the ocean,
some of them two or three times,
opened and closed scores of cot
tages and kept them in repair all
year around for summer visitors.
He doesn't do much nowadays
but he is still active with saw
and hammer on minor jobs and
can get around as quickly as
man half his age. He recalled the
other day that he began building
cottages at Mays Head back in
1909 when he built one for him
self and j. ]. White, of Hartford,
over on the Sound Side, the same
year he built one for J. H. Leroy,
ST., of Elizabeth City. He also re-
called that the first cottage he
built on the beach was one for the
late Clay Foreman, of Elizabeth
City, the following year, 1910,
which is as years ago. He also
installed the first septic tank at
Mays Head. That was in July,
1922, for Frank Wood, of Edenton.
These were busy years for Mr..
Irvine who then lived in a cottage
which stood over the water on the
Sound shore. Few people then liv-
ing in Elizabeth City, Hartford
and Edenton who were regular
summer residents at Mays Head
thought of coming down this way
without first writing to Mr.. Irvine,
For he was the unofficial custo-
dian of their property, opened and
closed their cottages for them and
made what minor repairs as were
necessary before they arrived.
4 native Of fe4Qusmans County,
he moved to Elizabeth City to live
in 1923 and has had home there
ever since although he spends
greater part of each year at Mays
Head in his cottage which has
been moved over to the ocean
front. He and his good wife, Miss
Sophronia, celebrated their Goth
wedding anniversary last Deem
Der 10 and although both of them
are we'll along in years they are
as active a couple as you'll find
anywhere in Dare County, interest
ed in the present and what's going
on but not unmindful of the fact
that the more tranquil old days
have passed so far as Mays Head
is concerned.
Folks who have cottages on the
ocean front don't have to have
them moved back as much nova
days as they used to, says Mr..
Irvine. He first began moving cot
tages back as the ocean swallowed
up the beach before them as early
as 1917. Some of them had to be
moved several times, notably the
Nixon cottage, which has been
moved back from the beach three
times so feet or more each time.
It's his opinion that the beach at
Mays Head has become more stable
so few people have to worry about
moving their cottages.
The old days before Mays Head
began to boom were all right, he
SAYS, but he doesn't think he would
like to live them over. Modern
conveniences have changed it all
beyond his widest dreams, he says,
l,,4 L. l;l,oe - &c - ic now