Mattamuskeet Lodge

Contact the Greater Hyde County Chamber of Commerce
Swan Quarter, NC 27885

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Mattamuskeet Lodge is a three-story steel-framed brick and wood structure, consisting of approximately 15,000 square feet, situated on the south shore of Lake Mattamuskeet, North Carolinas largest natural lake. The lake is near the geographic center of Hyde County, North Carolina, a coastal county on the north shore of the Pamlico Sound.

The original building was known simply as the Pumping Station. It was built in 1915-1916 by the Mattamuskeet Drainage District and when completed, was the largest capacity pumping plant in the world. Morris Machine Works of Baldwinsville, NY and Charlotte, NC, was the contractor for the original building and pumps. The plant had eight cross-compound centrifugal pumps, each with two 48-inch diameter impellers. The four 850-horsepower engines that drove the huge pumps were powered by coal-fired steam boilers. When the plant was operating at full capacity, it consumed 30-40 tons of coal during each 24-hour period. Between 1916 and 1932, the pumping plant removed the water from 50,000-acre Lake Mattamuskeet three times. The last time, the pumps kept the lake drained for six years.

In 1934, the United States Government bought Lake Mattamuskeet and created Mattamuskeet Migratory Bird Refuge. The purchase included all physical structures and improvements on the land, including the Pumping Station. The Mattamuskeet Drainage District ceased to exist and the lake soon refilled. Between 1935 and 1937, the government converted the Pumping Station into a hunting lodge and headquarters building for the new refuge. Company 424 of the Civilian Conservation Corps did much of the conversion work, with 17 to 23 year old CCC boys working side by side with civilian contractors. The transformed building opened to the public in November 1937 and operated as Mattamuskeet Lodge until 1974.

Between 1937 and 1974, sports writers often described Mattamuskeet Lodge as the premier hunting lodge in the Atlantic Flyway of America and dubbed Lake Mattamuskeet the Canada Goose Hunting Capital of the World. Guests who stayed at Mattamuskeet Lodge and hunted on the refuge came from the United States, Canada, and Europe, and included many notable dignitaries.

In 1974, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service closed Mattamuskeet Lodge to public use, and the building deteriorated with no annual maintenance until 1991, when a local grassroots group calling themselves The Friends of Mattamuskeet Lodge Committee organized a community effort to repair and preserve the historic structure.

In 1995, Mattamuskeet Lodge re-opened its doors as an environmental education facility and community center. Following the re-opening, thousands of national and international visitors toured the historic structure and it has been the site of scores of meetings and events. Of greatest importance, Mattamuskeet Lodge once again became a proud and vibrant symbol of Hyde County's heritage and its future.

In November 2000, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service closed Mattamuskeet Lodge to the public due to the continued deterioration of the structural steel that bears the weight of the building. Mattamuskeet Lodge must be preserved for its architectural uniqueness, history of use, the embodiment of the regions character, and its inseparable connection to the history of Lake Mattamuskeet. However, Mattamuskeet Lodge is not just a relic of the past for interpreting Lake Mattamuskeet history. It is the embodiment of several generations of American dreams, spanning several distinct periods of history, each with enough uniqueness to warrant bold efforts to save this building from destruction:

1916-1934 ~ Served as worlds largest pumping station
1935-1942 ~ Civilian Conservation Corps Era
1937-1974 ~ Premiere hunting lodge and headquarters for Mattamuskeet Migratory Bird Refuge
1974-1989 ~ Period of non-use; building deteriorated
1989-1995 ~ Local community groups began grassroots efforts to save Mattamuskeet Lodge
1995-2000 ~ Mattamuskeet Lodge reopens and thrives
November 2000 ~ Mattamuskeet Lodge closed to public use and in danger of being lost as an American treasure

It is an understatement to say that Mattamuskeet Lodge is an important landmark to virtually everyone in Hyde County, as well as a significant percentage of the population of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia. Mattamuskeet Lodge holds so many memories and so much promise that its loss is widespread. Given the thousands of people who stayed at Mattamuskeet Lodge years ago or who have visited in more recent times, knowledge of its permanent loss would be a devastating blow to the morale of the region, and a major setback for the emerging heritage tourism industry in northeastern North Carolina.

In 2006, the Federal Government passes legislation to deed Mattamuskeet Lodge and approximately 6 surrounding acres to the State of North Carolina. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission will be responsible for overseeing the repairs and maintaining the building and grounds. It is anticipated that Mattamuskeet Lodge will be reopened as a environmental education and community facility within three years. In the meantime, brochures detailing its rich history are available, and the site provides ample photography opportunities. Nearby Lake Mattamuskeet and Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge offer glimpses of Hyde County's natural beauty and wildlife.