Editing Harkers Island, North Carolina (section)

===Nineteenth century===
Harkers Island remained sparsely populated until the latter part of the 19th century. The island saw no direct military conflict in the [[American Civil War]]; however, [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] warships anchored near the island to control access to [[Bogue Sound]] and Core Sound during the [[Battle of Fort Macon]]. The besieged [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] garrison at [[Fort Macon]] surrendered on April 26, 1862. Harkers Island and the surrounding area remained under Union control for the duration of the war.<ref name="angley"/> The few, if any, descendants of the Harker slaves still living on the island likely left soon after [[Emancipation Proclamation|emancipation]]. The vast majority of the freed slaves in the coastal societies of Carteret and [[Craven County, North Carolina|Craven]] counties either emigrated to other parts of the state, or moved into their own, separate communities, such as Davis Ridge, the North River Community, and Craven Corner.<ref name="cecelski">Cecelski, David (2001). [http://www.ecu.edu/history/whichard/DCecelski.htm "The Last Daughter of Davis Ridge: Slavery and Freedom in the Maritime South"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060716150911/http://www.ecu.edu/history/whichard/DCecelski.htm |date=2006-07-16 }}. [[Greenville, North Carolina|Greenville]]: Department of History, College of Arts and Sciences, [[East Carolina University]].</ref>

In 1864, the first school on the island was established when Miss Jenny Bell came to Harkers Island from Boston, sponsored by the [[Methodist Episcopal Church|Northern Methodist Episcopal Church]].<ref name="coop">Harkers Island Electric Cooperative (2006). [http://www.harkersislandec.com/BeforeElectricity.html A Brief History of Harkers Island and the Dawn of Electricity] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061109033924/http://www.harkersislandec.com/BeforeElectricity.html |date=2006-11-09 }}.  Retrieved July 28, 2006.</ref>  A [[fish oil]] factory was built on the island in 1865 and remained operational until 1873.<ref name="angley"/> A small [[gristmill|milling facility]] was built on the west end of the island in 1870 by Louie Larson, an immigrant from [[Norway]], but it closed before the turn of the 20th century.<ref name="murphrey"/> Most island residents continued to earn a subsistence living from boat building or fishing.