Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About the Joe Bell Flower
But Was Afraid To Ask
There are legends and there are historical accounts....the truth lies somewhere in between.
How did the Joe Bell plant get its name?
According to one story and this is my favorite, Joe Bell was a jilted lover from a prominent family in Little Washington. Grieving the loss of his love, Bell moved to Ocracoke around 1920 and became a hermit of sorts forever licking the wounds of his loss. In his yard he scattered blanketflower seeds that he collected years before from a trip to the western US. The islanders pitied his incessant grief and self imposed isolation. As an act of consolation every evening until his death neighbors took turns leaving a basket of food on his porch. In gratitude, the next morning Bell returned the basket this time filled with a bouquet of blanketflowers. As a result, the seeds became widely dispersed by him, his neighbors, and the forces of nature, and his name and the legend became forever intertwined. Today the Joe Bell flower as it became known grows in luxuriant profusion on both Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands.
....and the legend continues to live in local art and music.
In Art:
In Music:
After Hurricane Isabel the Methodist Church under went a much needed restoration. To help raise money to pay for the work, a local stained glass craftsman volunteered his time and energy to build a series of windows (3 feet by 6 feet in size) for the sanctuary that spoke to the culture and heritage of Hatteras Village. Sponsors donated the price of the window to honor someone or to remember a family member. There were 13 windows in all. One of those windows reflects the story of compassion one neighbor should have for another through the legend of the Joe Bell flower....
So what does a local historian have to say about all this?
Follow this link...
A talented songwriter and musician who lives in the Village has put his slant on the legend of the Joe Bell flower using his creative license. Click on the play button for an entertaining treat and another version of the Joe Bell legend.
The Flower of Love