Grandaddy's Beach Fishery
An excerpt from the book, The Beginning and Development of Holden Beach 1756-2000, by John M. Holden.

Salted mullets and salted spots were a very reliable source of food before refrigeration became available, especially along the North Carolina coast and coastal plains. In Brunswick County they were commonly called 'salt fish.' The people in many towns like Raleigh, Fayetteville, Lumberton, Whiteville and Elizabethtown depended on salt fish for a source of food. There were several large beach fisheries along the Brunswick County coast during the early part of this century. The Swain brothers had a large beach fishery on Long Beach before that beach was developed; Granddaddy had a fishery on Holden Beach and the Brooks family had a big operation at Seaside, near Sunset Beach. These were some of the larger operations.

Several things were necessary to have a successful beach fishery: (1) the location had to be suitable for the operation; (2) the operator had to have manpower (back in those days there was no machinery to do such work); (3) necessary equipment included boats, nets, baskets, and barrels. Granddaddy, at that time, owned the beach from Lockwood's Folly Inlet to Mary's Inlet (where Holden Beach Fishing Pier is today); he had a choice of locations.

During the early part of this century, there were three different locations on Holden Beach that were used for commercial beach fisheries. Beginning at Mary's Inlet, there was a fishery located about one-half mile east; another fishery was located three or four hundred yards east of Old Ferry Road. Granddaddy abandoned this one during the early 1920's and moved farther toward Lockwood's Folly Inlet. This location was just east of the end of Hillside Drive and was the location used the year he passed away in 1932.

The success of a beach fishery depended on the men (crew). They had to be healthy, strong, honest, and willing to apply their strength and knowledge as a group.

These men had no guarantee of any pay; they received shares of the catch as their pay. The crew was made up of men who lived in the community. If a man was lazy and did not do his part, the others did not hesitate to vote to replace him with a more energetic man.

Eighteen men were required to operate Granddaddy' s beach fishery during the 1920s and 1930s, when fish were plentiful and there was a big demand for salt fish. The value of the catch was divided into 32 shares and the number of shares a crewmember drew was determined by his responsibility. The 32 shares were divided in the following manner: (a) Granddaddy received 8 shares; he furnished the location, built and maintained the large shed which was necessary for shelter and storage, purchased and repaired the two big nets, two boats, oars, baskets and the 60-gallon wooden barrels used to salt -cure the fish before packing and shipping. (b) The captain drew two shares; his responsibility was to coordinate and direct the action of the crew. He rode in the stern of the boat when they were making a haul, threw the net overboard and gave orders to the crew.

Mr. T. Hendrix Phelps, better known to people of this area as Captain Phelps, began fishing at Granddaddy's fishery in the fall of 1920. He was voted to be captain by the crew, and approved by Granddaddy that year. Captain Phelps's judgment was respected and honored by the crew; he was captain at the Holden Beach Fishery for forty-five years. The quantity and the demand for mullets and spots had diminished when he retired in 1965. I do not know any man in this area who was responsible for catching as many pounds of mullets and spots in his lifetime as was Captain Phelps.

(c) The lookout man drew 1 shares; his duty was to look for fish and to signal to the captain when fish were approaching. He stayed down the beach 300 or 400 yards from the fishery toward Lockwood's Folly Inlet sitting up on a small portable scaffold such as a lifeguard uses. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred the fish would be traveling south. (d) Each member of the boat crew drew 2 shares. Three men were required when using the small boat, but four men were required when using the large boat. The boat crew got the odd fish like trout, drum, flounders, etc., if they wanted them. (e) Each regular crewmember received one share.

Ten and fifteen thousand pounds was not considered a big catch for a mullet fishery. Several of the older fisherman said they had, on many occasions, brought in more than forty thousand pounds at one catch. The last 'big catch' of spots that I know to have been caught on this beach was in 1956. A group of fishermen from South Carolina was fishing about one-half mile west of Maces Mobile Home Park. There they brought in seventeen thousand pounds at one catch. I know this to be true, because they came and got me to go with my four-wheel-drive truck and haul the fish off the beach strand. We loaded two big tractor-trailers. The fishermen received pay from the purchasers for seventeen thousand pounds.

The last week in November was considered the last of the fishing season, which had begun in July with the 'first shift' in the weather. The older fishermen knew that it was then time to start looking for mullets. The change in weather usually occurred after an electrical storm or heavy rain. Fish reacted to weather changes by moving southward.

It was the duty of the crew to take all equipment off the beach at the end of each fishing season. The nets, fish baskets, oars, etc., were taken to Granddaddy' s home and stored in the 'seine house' until another season. The boats were stored under the big fish shed so that the sun would not damage them.

The big shed at the beach fishery was 32 feet wide by 75 feet long.

It was built about 40 or 50 feet from the average high water mark, with the length parallel to the beach. The large heart pine posts that supported the roof were dug down as deep as possible leaving 8 feet above ground level. The shed had a gable-type roof, with each gable closed from the plate. The north wall was enclosed to the ground (sand), and also half of each end adjoining the back wall. The side wall on the ocean side and one half of each end wall was left open for ventilation and visibility .It did not have wood flooring, just the natural beach sand.

The roofing used on this large shed attracted my attention. It was made of cypress boards 3 feet long, V2 or 3/4 inches thick, and ranging in width from 6 to 10 inches. These boards were split (rived) from the large cypress trees that grew in river swamps here in Brunswick County. It was a mystery to me why the roof did not leak, for I could see the sky through the cracks in some places. A 4-inch open space next to the ridge pole on the ocean side was left open for ventilation purposes. All the crew cooked their dinners at the fishery on an open fire and this open space allowed the smoke to escape.

There were five or six picnic tables under the shed for the crew to prepare and eat their meals; usually three or four would share a table together. Each group had its own little cabinet to store food supplies. This cabinet was 20 by 36 inches, attached to one of the big posts near their table where they would be cooking and preparing their food, and was about 4 feet from the sand. In this cabinet was a supply of staple food items: coffee, sugar, salt, pepper, and a can of milk, flour, meal, and pure lard. (Vegetable oil was not available.) They had a reserve supply of eggs and a slab of bacon to use in case they did not catch any fish some day. Sugar- cane syrup, made in the community, with some hot biscuits fresh from the open fire, made a perfect dessert for a tired fisherman. The plates, cups, forks, and spoons were kept in the cabinet when not in use. This cabinet had a door to protect the supplies from hungry opossums and cats at night.

All their cooking was done on an open fire. Utensils included a coffee pot (no percolator) and some heavy cast-iron pans; most of these pans were 10 or 12 inches in diameter. They were 4 or 5 inches deep and had three legs 1 1/2 inches long; when the pan was set on three bricks, these legs would provide space underneath so that the heat could be controlled with the amount of fire around the pan. The pan had a handle eight inches long. A heavy cast iron lid, with a one-inch rim around the top edge of the lid, made it useful for several purposes. The rim around the lid retained the coals so the heat could be controlled on the top.

I cannot say I enjoyed the coffee down at the "Old Fishery" because it was too strong for me. The fishermen often made the remark it was' 'strong enough to float buck shot. Some of the best stewed fish I have ever eaten was down at the Old Fishery during the late 1920s and 1930s. Yes! The fish were cooked with the heads on; this gives them a flavor not to be bought at a grocery store! Most of the fishermen could cook, and many of them took pride in their ability to make and bake good biscuits. In fact, several of them might win a biscuit-making contest against most of us today, even with our modern conveniences.

Fresh spring water for drinking and cooking purposes at the fishery was obtained two or three hundred yards behind the fishery, in the sand dunes. One thing which was standard equipment at fresh water springs along the beaches was a near-by stake with a clean conch shell; if someone wanted a drink of water, the conch shell was used as a dipper.

Granddaddy kept two boats at the fishery; one was seventeen feet long and the other was twenty-one feet long. Each was a clinker -built boat, with pointed bow and stern. This type of boat was the safest to use in the surf. Two nets were ready at all times: one 250-yard net for the small boat and a 350 yard net for the large boat. It was necessary to keep ten or twelve boat oars in stock; several were broken during each fishing season. These oars were sixteen feet long and were made from select ash wood by craftsmen in the community.

Also made locally for the fishery were the large heavy-duty wooden baskets made of selected fine-grained strips from white oaks. They had rounded oval handles on top; the bottoms were woven in an oval-round shape.

There was no substitute for them because the sand and blood had to be removed from the fish by washing them in the ocean. These baskets would hold about fifty pounds of fish, and they did not deteriorate in salt water if they were made of white-oak wood. Fifteen or twenty of these baskets were always available at the fishery.

There was more demand for salted fish during the 1920s and 1930s than there was for fresh fish. Since rural people did not have any refrigeration, they could not buy more than one or two days supply of fresh fish at a time. All fish that could not be sold fresh were salt-cured and sold later. Fish to be salt-cured were split on the back, beginning at the head; after the insides and gills were removed, they were taken down to the ocean and washed. Then these fish were placed split side up in one of the large wooden barrels. A "salt pickle," strong enough to float a raw egg was made, and the fish were covered with this pickle for three days. After three days the fish were removed and placed, split side up, in a shipping barrel. These barrels were factory made and were designed to hold one hundred pounds of salt fish. After the salted fish were placed in the shipping barrel, they were covered with a new salt pickle. When the head of the barrel was tightened, the fish were ready for market. They would keep in the new pickle about three months.

When the depression came in 1929, many people wanted salted fish for their family but did not have any money. However, some of these same folks had a surplus of other raw products, such as corn. It was not unusual for farmers from Robeson County, Bladen County or Columbus County to bring corn down to the fishery and trade for fish. This was good business for farmers and for the fishermen. I was down there one day when a farmer drove up with five pigs in his truck. One of the fishermen wanted some pigs, so they made a trade.

During the 1920s Granddaddy decided that a telephone would help him in the operation of the Beach Fishery. A telephone from his home to the fishery on the beach would keep him informed of what was needed or when fish had been caught. He sponsored a community telephone corporation; several people in Varnum Town and Silver Hill Community did install telephones. All those who installed telephones enjoyed the convenience, but when the depression came in 1929, they could not afford to keep the system operating. One of my brothers was given the telephone that was in Granddaddy's home. We do not know what happened to the one that was attached to a support post under the old fishery shed at the beach.

Twenty-five years elapsed from the time Granddaddy had a telephone at the Old Fishery before Holden Beach had another telephone system.