Evidence Suggests the Midgetts Were Actually Mighty

The Midgett name is well-known on the Outer Banks for the family’s service in the US Life-Saving Station and eventually the Coast Guard. There is an extensive number of members of the Midgett family who have served in these service positions; however, what gives the family their reputation of being “mighty” comes from members of the Midgett family in the 19th century whose herculean rescue efforts were nationally recognized. Revisiting the story of the Midgett family, ECU maritime studies graduate student Jillian Schuler will take an in-depth look at how this family came to be known as the Mighty Midgetts of Chicamacomico.

The presentation is part of the museum’s 2022 Salty Dawgs Speaker Series, which features 23 presenters on North Carolina maritime history and culture. These talks are scheduled at 11 a.m. on Tuesdays from May through September at 11 a.m. They run 30-45 minutes. The public is invited, and reservations are not necessary. Call 252-986-0723 for more information.

About the speaker: Jillian Schuler is a master’s student in the maritime studies program at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. She specializes in American Revolutionary and late 18th-century British history and material culture. Having spent the summer of 2021 interning at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, Jillian is looking forward to returning and sharing some of the research she completed while working at the museum.