May 21, 2013
A newly refurbished National Weather Service tower from the 1900s is adorning the Manteo waterfront. Back before the days of advanced viper radar, and even television, weather service employees would deliver forecasts by telegraph to coastal communities. And if you could decipher the language of the flags, you could tell whether the temperature was expected to rise or fall during the day and what kinds of wind to expect. This tower used to stand at the site of the old courthouse in downtown Manteo and was recently donated by the family of Alpheus Drinkwater, a local meteorologist from the earlier part of the 20th century. A series of lights will be added to the top in coming weeks, which will complete the historic site.
