Memories of Chocowinity,NC

" Some Memories of Chocowinity of Beaufort Counity, NC "
by EDM

In 1958 Beaufort County didn't have much to offer by way of extras. I recall a trip over the bridge to Chocowinity Tastee Freez was very special. I would not even remember Chocowinity in the 1950's if it were not for this Tastee Freez!! Soft walnuts with syrup on sundaes were delicious. I lived in California for many years, and no one there ever put soft walnuts on sundaes. All they used then were those dried hard chopped nuts used as a substitute. I couldn't wait to get back to NC for a real sundae !!

Nearby to the Tastee Freez was a gas station that kept what seemed to me like exotic animals. I remember Monkeys and peecocks. Can someone refresh my memory on what else was there? It was always a special treat to visit those special animals. Does anyone know the name of the gas station? I think it is an antique store today.

In the 60's I recall a visit one night, over to Chocowinity to visit the ghost on the abandoned Railroad tracks. The story was that a Railroad worker had been hit by a train and lost his head in the accident ( I do not know the dates) Anyway, it was said that if you went there at night and sat there on the tracks so that you could see both ways up and down the abandoned railroad track, you could see the railroad worker with his lantern walking up and down the track looking for his lost head. My brother-in-law and a bunch of us kids went down to the spot where it was said we could see the ghost. It was a warm summer night and we had all the window down feeling smug and confident in the 1960's that there where no real ghost to fear. We were sitting there for a while when sure enough there appeared the light. The suspense was building as it was nearing us, when it suddenly disappeared. We looked in both directions, expecting to see it disappear down the track on the other side of the car as the ghost went on with his search. At that moment, however, right next to the car was a horendously terrifying and bloodcurdling scream that reached right to the core of your soul. My brother-in-law, (an adult) frantically got the car started and drove off in a panic. Needless to say, we felt that the ghost had given us his death cry at the moment he had lost his head.

With the changes in Chocowinity, I have trouble locating this spot, but i think it is down the intersection off Hwy 17 where the old Cliff's Restaurants which burned was.

Now while I am at it let me mention that when we got our drivers license in those days, we had to go get tested at the DMV in Chocowinity. I believe the testing site was just beyond the Chocowinity High School on Hwy 17. There was a man there who did the testing that I understand still does the testing at the new DMV in Washington. I guess he has been responsible for giving the drivers license to 90 % of the then population.