Robert E. Harrill was an American man known as The Fort Fisher Hermit. He became a hermit in 1955, at the age of 62. Harrill hitchhiked to Fort Fisher on the North Carolina Coast from Morganton, North Carolina, a distance of. He had been committed to a mental hospital in Morganton, after his marriage failed. Harrill lived in an abandoned World War IIbunker set in a salt marsh beside the Cape Fear River in the Fort Fisher State Recreation Area. Harrill fed himself by fishing and scavenging. He became a tourist attraction and visitors would come to hear about his "School of Common Sense", leaving donations in a frying pan. After living as a hermit for 17 years, he died under mysterious circumstances in 1972. The official cause of death was a heart attack. His life has been commemorated in book, film and theatre.
Early life
Robert E. Harrill was born in Shelby, North Carolina on 2 February, 1893. He was educated at Boiling Springs High School and then Gardner-Webb Jr. College. His parents were abusive and he spent a lot of time in the local woods. He married Katie Hamrick in 1913 and they had five children. The eldest son committed suicide. The family fell apart in the 1930s due in part to his mental health problems.
Hermit
The name "The Fort Fisher Hermit" came from Fort Fisher and Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, where Harrill settled. He arrived in 1955, having left a mental institution in Morganton and hitchhiking. At first Harrill lived in a tent near to the Confederate monument by the fort. He then squatted in an abandoned World War II era bunker set in a salt marsh beside the Cape Fear River. He collected driftwood to furnish his humble house and was able to gather much of the food that he needed from the marsh. He ate fish, clams and oysters, and planted a vegetable garden to supplement his diet. Harrill learned many of his survival skills from Empie Hewett, a true hermit, who also lived in the salt marshes of the Fort Fisher area. Harrill loved to talk to visitors, who left donations in a frying pan. His guestbook recorded thousands of entries.
Attraction
Robert Harrill became the second largest tourist attraction in the state of North Carolina, trailing only the USS North Carolina in number of visitors. Visitors to Carolina Beach would routinely take time to visit the hermit. He would talk about his philosophy, which he termed the "School of Common Sense". He told people who came to see him that he was writing a book entitled A Tyrant in Every Home. Alongside the curious, Harrill also met drunk youths and developers who wanted to evict him; two men even kidnapped and robbed him. After falling asleep on the beach, Harrill was arrested and charged with vagrancy, defending himself in court. Harrill also attracted a large number of journalists to his bunker with his lifestyle and beliefs. He explained his popularity in 1968:
Death
After living as a hermit for 17 years, Harrill died under mysterious circumstances on June 4, 1972. The New Hanover Countycoroner pronounced the cause of death as a heart attack, but Harrill may have been killed after a violent attack by a group of three men. A fisherman alleged he saw the men speeding away in a car, but there was no autopsy and the case was closed as a natural death. He was first buried in a cemetery off River Road near Fort Fisher, then later moved to the Federal Point Cemetery at Dow Road, Carolina Beach.
Memorial and legacy
A documentary film directed by Rob Hill and narrated by Barry Corbin was released in 2007. It was called The Fort Fisher Hermit: The Life and Death of Robert E. Harrill. Hill filmed 35 hours' worth of material and interviewed 16 people who knew Harrill. Fred Pickler knew Harrill and with Anne Russell co-authored the book Life and Times of the Fort Fisher Hermit, Through the Lens of Fred Pickler A local theatre company producedThe Hermit of Fort Fisher, written by David Wright. It premiered in July 2014 at the Cape Fear Playhouse and had a sold out run. Michael Edwards is president of the Hermit Society and wrote The Battle for Independence: The Story of the Fort Fisher Hermit. The bunker where Harrill lived is still standing and can be reached by following the Basin Trail at the Fort Fisher State Recreation Area. A plaque on the bunker commemorates his occupation.
