St. Andrew’s by the Sea Restores Windows to the Past
St. Andrews by the Sea’s Chapel’s front porch being extended during renovations. Photo courtesy of St. Andrews by the Sea.
By Emmy Trivette
Dark wooden walls, creaky floorboards, and the rich scent of incense that hangs in the air of St. Andrews by the Sea are hints of the beloved church’s storied past.
And, in order to honor that past, the church is getting a facelift, thanks to the Charles Whedbee Endowment Fund managed by the Outer Banks Community Foundation (OBCF).
Renovations to the small wooden chapel—the original 109-year-old building facing the ocean—began January 2, 2025, with plans to restore the windows to their original historical standards, replace the window shutters, enlarge the front porch, replace and repaint chapel doors, and reinforce ADA access.
“They pulled off the cedar shakes that needed to be replaced and discovered the original pine shiplap from the original chapel in 1916. It almost felt a little archeological,” said St. Andrew’s by the Sea Rector Nathan Finnin. “Every little bit of work you do pulls back a little piece of history, and it was a great reminder of what builders on the Outer Banks were able to do 110 years ago. I have never worked at a church that has been as connected to its history as this one.”
A historic photo of the original Chapel. Photo courtesy of St. Andrews By The Sea.
The building itself has had many incarnations over the past few centuries. At a time when it was still known as All Saints, the church began as a summer residence for Episcopal congregations hailing from northeastern North Carolina in 1849. A decade or so later it was used as a shelter for runaway slaves during the Civil War.
When St. Andrews by the Sea was consecrated in 1916, the building was soundside. The church was later moved to its current beachside location in 1937.
And come Easter Sunday 2025, the local congregation can head back to the chapel to enjoy the additions and renovations, all thanks to Charles Whedbee and the fund he created.
Local to Greenville, NC, Whedbee was a judge who’d studied at UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law, a television host on WNCT-TV’s Carolina Today show, the owner of an old seaside cottage in Nags Head, a lifelong visitor to the Outer Banks since his birth in 1911, and a prolific writer.
Immersed in the history of North Carolina, especially the Outer Banks, Whedbee began chronicling the barrier island’s many folktales and mysteries. His books are likely familiar to patrons of local bookstores, with titles like Blackbeard’s Cup and Other Stories of the Outer Banks and Outer Banks Mysteries and Seaside Stories—books which now support the very fund preserving and restoring St. Andrew’s.
The endowment fund for the church began in 1997 when Whedbee’s widowed wife Rachel passed away. Her will indicated that royalties from his books should directly go toward the fund, and only be used to repair infrastructure of the chapel.
Thanks to the Charles Whedbee Endowment Fund the windows at St. Andrews By The Sea’s Chapel are being restored to their original historical standards. Photo courtesy of St. Andrews By The Sea.
“The way we kind of talk about it colloquially inside the church is that if we were to pick up the chapel, and turn it upside down, and shake it, anything that didn’t fall out we could use the Whedbee fund for,” said Finnin.
The church managed the fund until 2005 when they established the Charles Whedbee Endowment Fund at OBCF with $125,000 in earned royalties, says Teresa Osborne, St. Andrew’s by the Sea’s Treasurer. Since the time the fund was transferred to OBCF through 2024, it has grown to $430,000. The current project is estimated to cost $250,000, which will leave the church $180,000 in the fund to continue to grow and use for future building restoration and renovation projects.
And because of the Charles Whedbee Fund, churchgoers can continue to enjoy a chapel with history thick in its walls—quite literally—for years to come.
It has never been easier for you to make a real impact in our community! At the Outer Banks Community Foundation, there are countless ways to get involved in philanthropy, and one of the simplest and most effective is by creating a donor-advised fund. Start your journey today and make a lasting difference in the lives of those around us.
For more information about creating a fund, please visit OBCF.org.
About the Outer Banks Community Foundation: The Outer Banks Community Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization committed to fostering philanthropy and supporting local causes. Through its charitable funds and grant programs, the Foundation strives to enrich the quality of life for residents of the Outer Banks.
