The Fort Fisher Hermit
My mother, Colleen, took this photo July 5, 1961, showing my dad, Steve “Buck” Belk, and the hermit, Robert Harrill.
My parents used to take my brother and me to Carolina Beach in the summer. We looked forward to visiting Fort Fisher and having Daddy point out to us where the mysterious "hermit" used to live. We always wished we had seen him, but he had passed away. To us kids, the Civil War museum was fun, but there was just something really intriguing about the thought of a real hermit having lived nearby.
We lost my dad unexpectedly last year and are left with an emptiness time can never fill. However, I can look forward to visiting Fort Fisher soon with my children and sharing my memories of "Tater Buck" and the hermit.
-
Share this story:
