Robert E. Harrill, or Harrell, (February 2, 1893 – June 4, 1972) was an American man also known as the Fort Fisher Hermit. He became a

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

in 1955, at the age of 62, having

hitchhike Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their car or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free. Nomads hav ...

d to

Fort Fisher Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865. The fort was located on one of Cape Fear Rive ...

on the North Carolina coast from Morganton,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. He had previously been committed to a

mental hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...

in Morganton, after his marriage failed. Harrill settled in an abandoned

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

bunker A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. T ...

set in a

salt marsh A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is domin ...

beside the

Cape Fear River The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The river is formed at the confluence of the Haw River and the Deep River (North Carol ...

in the Fort Fisher State Recreation Area. Harrill fed himself by fishing and scavenging. He and his bunker became a tourist attraction and visitors would listen to him talk 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, with the official cause of death given as a heart attack. His life has been commemorated with books, films and a theatre production.

Early life

Robert E. Harrill was born in

Shelby, North Carolina Shelby is a city in and the county seat of Cleveland County, North Carolina, United States. It lies near the western edge of the Charlotte combined statistical area. The population was 20,323 at the 2010 census. History The area was originally ...

on 2 February, 1893. He was educated at Boiling Springs High School and then Gardner-Webb Jr. College. His parents were abusive, which led to him spending much of his time in the local woods. He married Katie Hamrick in 1913 and they had five children. The eldest son committed suicide and the family later fell apart in the 1930s due in part to Harrill's mental health problems. He was also known as Robert Harrell.

Hermit

The name "Fort Fisher Hermit" came from

and the Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, where Harrill settled. He arrived in 1955, having left a mental institution in Morganton and then hitchhiking to the coast. At first Harrill lived in a tent near to the Confederate monument by the fort. He then

squatted Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

in an abandoned

era

set in a

beside the

. He collected

driftwood __NOTOC__ Driftwood is wood that has been washed onto a shore or beach of a sea, lake, or river by the action of winds, tides or waves. In some waterfront areas, driftwood is a major nuisance. However, the driftwood provides shelter and fo ...

to furnish his home 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

, 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) and his guestbook recorded thousands of entries.

Attraction

Robert Harrill became the second largest

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural ...

in the state of North Carolina, trailing only the USS ''North Carolina'' in terms of numbers of visitors. Visitors to Carolina Beach would routinely take time to call on the hermit, and 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 met drunk youths and developers who wanted to evict him; two men even kidnapped and robbed him. Once, 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 interested to write about 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 County coroner pronounced the cause of death as a heart attack, yet local rumours suggested Harrill may have been killed after a violent attack by a group of three men, a fisherman alleging that he saw them speeding away in a car. However, there was no autopsy and the case was closed as a natural death. When Harrill's son agreed to a second autopsy in 1984, the body was exhumed but the test results were inconclusive. Harrill was first buried in a cemetery off River Road near Fort Fisher, and then later moved to the Federal Point Cemetery at Dow Road, Carolina Beach.

Memorial and legacy

Harrill's life has been remembered with books, films and a theatre production. A documentary film directed by Rob Hill and narrated by

Barry Corbin Leonard Barrie Corbin (born October 16, 1940) is an American actor. He is best known for his starring role as Maurice Minnifield on the television series '' Northern Exposure'' (1990–1995), which earned him two consecutive Primetime Emmy Awar ...

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 produced ''The Hermit of Fort Fisher'', written by David Wright. It premiered in July 2014 at the Cape Fear Playhouse and had a sold-out run. The Hermit Society was founded to commemorate the life of Harrill; president Michael Edwards wrote ''The Battle for Independence: The Story of the Fort Fisher Hermit''. The society gives out certificates to graduates of the "School of Common Sense". 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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrill, Robert American hermits 1893 births 1972 deaths People from Burke County, North Carolina People from New Hanover County, North Carolina Works Progress Administration workers People from Gaffney, South Carolina Squatters Squatting in the United States