The Salvo Community Cemetery will soon have its photo exhibit banner reinstalled after the original display deteriorated from years of exposure to the harsh Hatteras Island weather.
The new banner will be added to the soundside site during a small gathering on Thursday, September 5, at 10 a.m., with designer Justin Hook traveling from Durham to attend the event.
The Salvo Community Cemetery, one of the oldest and most well-known burial spots on Hatteras Island, had fallen into severe disrepair by the early 2000s. Graves were obscured by brush, fencing had decayed, and the historic site had succumbed to accelerating erosion.
Community members, descendants, and volunteers began working together more than a decade ago to restore the cemetery, clearing the grounds, repairing markers, and ensuring that the families interred there would be remembered and honored.
That restoration effort culminated in 2023 with a rededication ceremony and the installation of a photo exhibit banner, which featured archival images of the families and history tied to the cemetery. The banner provided both a visual connection to the past and an educational opportunity for visitors who stop at the popular Salvo sound access along N.C. Highway 12.
But the banner fell into disrepair after a couple of years, necessitating a replacement. “The first banner shredded from wind and weather,” said Robin Daniels Holt, an author and descendant of some of the families buried at Salvo. “The new one will be displayed from April to mid-October, barring hurricanes, and then stored. Justin Cooke connected me with the same company in NYC that made the first one. He resubmitted the necessary artwork/files to get a new one printed.”
The replacement banner, like the original, was privately funded, with hopes that more family members across the country will contribute to its continued upkeep. Holt added that the extended family “stretches far and wide,” and support for the project is expected to grow.
With the new banner in place, the Salvo Community Cemetery continues its ongoing journey from near-abandonment to renewed recognition as an important landmark of Outer Banks history.
The post New photo exhibit banner to be installed at Salvo Community Cemetery on September 5 appeared first on Island Free Press.
Add to favoritesCredit: Original content published here.
