Charles H. Whedbee

Charles Harry Whedbee (born May 13, 1911 in Greenville, North Carolina, and died there on September 21, 1990), was a noted lawyer, judge and author of local history and the lore, legends and ghost stories of the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Early life and education He was educated at the University of North Carolina, taking his law degree in 1932. He has been Solicitor of Pitt County Court and served as a Municipal Court Judge in Greenville, in Pitt County, North Carolina. He and his wife, Rachel, and their dog, Chief Manteo of Roanoke, spent a large part of their summers at Nags Head, North Carolina, where Judge Whedbee had been a regular, if sometimes part-time, resident since infancy.

Folklorist He classed his tales in three areas: stories he knew were true because they happened around him; those he heard about from people who he trusted as being honest and reliable people; and stories which he heard second or third hand, and that may have only a seed of truth. He began telling legends of the coastal area on WNCT-TV in Greenville, originally as a guest host on the "Carolina Today" program. . Following this, his storytelling prowess caught the ear of John F. Blair, a publisher in Winston-Salem (now Blair), who requested he write some of his stories down for a book. The success of that volume led to four more and an anthology of his best stories.

Many of his stories document the legends of the Outer Banks. "In 2004, the staff of John F. Blair, Publisher, collected 13 of Judge Whedbee's finest stories for the volume titled Pirates, Ghosts, and Coastal Lore." His other stories have also been reprinted in other books, such as An Outer Banks Reader Edited by David Stick, UNC Press Books, 1998 and even a homeowners association on the Outer Banks repeats his tales.

Death He died on September 21, 1990, and is buried at the Cherry Hill Cemetery in Greenville, NC.