Virginian Pilot Article About Mattie Midgette's Store 

 December, 2004 Listing 
in the 

 National Register of Historic Places  




VA PILOT ARTICLE:
 "Placed in the National Register of Historic Places, the First Colony Inn now stands on the coast at Nags Head as the sole surviving “beach-style” hotel, welcoming new generations to the old-fashioned pleasures of the 
Outer Banks." HERE 

FCI NRHP NOMINATION DR0022.pdf FCI NRHP NOMINATION DR0022.pdf
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                 1972 photo of Mattie Midgette's Store
MMS NRHP Nomination DR0574.pdf MMS NRHP Nomination DR0574.pdf
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Encouraging Historic Preservation:
"Historic community buildings, neighbor-  hoods,  and landscapes embody the intentions, assumptions, and lives of 
those who built or lived or worked in 
them. They have stories to   tell about 
what the ommunity was and how it became what it is,  and that help us 
understand who we are. 

Preserving those stories can be an 
important part of building a healthy community  through maintaining the buildings and other elements of the      community that are linked to it."     Here

Official Certification of MMS 2004 Listing in NRHP



1972 photo of Mattie Midgette's Store










Mattie Midgette behind the counter in her 
Nags Head Grocery Store, ca. 1941







Mattie with her granddaughter Carmen 
in front of the store, ca. 1955




Jethro Midgette was a Commercial Dorey Fisherman.
He and his son Buddy set their nets along the beach front cottage line in front of Mattie's Store.









Mattie Midgette’s Store is a rare and compelling historic site. The property presents a singular example of the area's past form, its traditions, and customs. Once a thriving grocery, seasonal tourist home, commercial and retail fishing operation, it served as the nucleus of the resort community. It evokes a palpable sense of "place" that embodies the Outer Banks of a century ago.

The old grocery also served as home to the Beachcomber Museum from 2003 through 2018. It contained a remarkable cache of seaside artifacts collected by Mattie’s eccentric daughter, Nellie Myrtle Pridgen. Like her mother, she was born in their family home in the tightly knit soundside community of Nags Head Woods.

A passionate beachcomber and early environmentalist, Nellie became a local legend as a fierce protector of the beach with a voracious appetite for information about the ocean and all things related to the natural world.

 Beachcombing expert Richard LaMotte, who has visited the museum several times, had this to say about her collection in his 2015 book, "The Lure of Sea Glass":

“Inside a weary 1930s bungalow patiently sits the most extraordinary and diverse collection of seaside relics ever amassed by a beachcomber.” "The Lure of Sea Glass”




The Godfather of Sea Glass...

Few sea glass collectors DON'T recognize the name   of Richard LaMotte. As the author of Pure Sea Glass: Discovering Nature's Vanishing Gems, LaMotte is a nationally recognized authority on sea glass. 

His book is now in its 5th printing, and he is          routinely interviewed by national media including Coastal Living magazine.               HERE


This quote from a long time museum fan with connections to the area gives a look into the 
alure the story of Old Nags Head can hold....

 "Omg this is a treasure photo. Absolutely love this. But what gets me is the pic of Mattie and Nellie; 
I see an adorable older lady with her daughter who resonates high intelligence and style, hobbies and interests that are still relevant."

Photo of some of Nellie's Sea Glass by Chaz Winkler

Mattie Midgette's Store was opened in December of 2003, during the Centennial Celebration of the Wright Brothers' historic 1903 flight at "Kill Devil Hill." This was the first time it was opened as the Nellie Myrtle Pridgen Beachcomber Museum. More than a thousand people visited the store that month to view the collection and discover Mattie's parents' connection to the history of Wright Brothers Monument. 

HERE...


Since that time, thousands more people have visited  the museum to see the artifacts collected locally by Mattie's daughter, Nellie Myrtle Pridgen. Once a local rumor, her collection has now become an internationally recognized beachcomber as well as an inspirational local icon.

Speaking about this site at the time of its listing in the  National Register of Historic Places in December, 2004, preeminent Outer Banks Historian David Stick had this to say:

"Let’s put it this way, I would say next to Jockey’s Ridge and the Wright Brothers Memorial, it is the most historically significant place on the northern Outer Banks. It is an integral part of the Nags Head Cottage Row Historic District."

From the VIRGINIAN PILOT,

November 24, 2004: HERE
~  Nellie Myrtle Pridgen  ~ 
LINKS TO The OTHER PAGES: