The Fort Fisher Hermit

What causes a 62 year-old man to travel from his lifelong home in the mountains to the coast of North Carolina and spend the remainder of his life without the responsibility of a house, a job, or any other physical means of support, and in the process becomes the second largest tourist attraction in North Carolina" of the late 1960's?

Robert E. Harrill, who became known as the Fort Fisher Hermit, lived for 17 years under the stars, living off the land and the contributions of visitors who came by the thousands every year to meet "The Hermit." A misnomer from almost the beginning, "The Hermit" treated anyone who came by with a warmth and friendly appreciation that was contagious.

Many people came year after year to sit and listen to Mr. Harrill’s philosophies at "The School of Common Sense." He was a man who had finally come home.

His first 64 years were a completely different story, though. Growing up with a tyrant father and an overly strict stepmother, Robert lived in an abusive home. Later moving in with relatives, he often found peace in the woods and streams around his home. His adult life was spent chasing one failed business idea after another. He was even committed to an asylum for a time until his escape. Disappointing career choices a disintegrating marriage and the suicide of his oldest son, led Robert to look for a simpler life on the beaches of Carolina Beach. Life wasn’t so ideal, and in the end, the questions surrounding his death created an even more compelling story .