By Miles Layton

SWAN QUARTER — When my wife Nicole drove through Hyde County this past week on Albemarle Commission business, she did what many of us who love small-town eastern North Carolina would do: she slowed down.

Add to that a few words from Angie Kerr about the new Family Resource Center and W.F. (Bill) Plyler about his new book.

Back to Nicole — on the campus of Mattamuskeet School, she stopped long enough to take photos of steel beams rising against a winter sky — visible proof that a long-awaited transformation is no longer just talk, but tangible progress.

Hyde County Schools Superintendent Melanie Shaver says that progress is steady and deliberate.

“Construction on the Mattamuskeet Rising project continues, with significant progress underway on the gym, classrooms, and office areas of Building 300,” Shaver said. “If you drive by, you will see roof decking on the gym, steel beam placement for the hallways, and roofing.”

For a county that has weathered storms — literal and economic — that visible momentum matters.

“Despite recent inclement weather, crews have worked diligently to maintain momentum and keep the project on track,” Shaver said.

FLASHBACK — The Mattamuskeet Rising initiative officially broke ground May 27 on the Mattamuskeet School campus. The ceremony marked the beginning of what school leaders describe as a $36 million transformation of one of North Carolina’s rural educational institutions.

The project consolidates aging structures into a single, modern facility while renewing athletic and community spaces across the school’s 44-acre campus. Funded by the North Carolina Education Lottery and supported by Hyde County Schools and the Board of Commissioners, the effort addresses long-standing structural challenges caused by age and storm damage.

Shaver emphasized that the progress so far is the result of teamwork.

“We are grateful for the strong partnership and professionalism of Stocks and Taylor, whose team has remained focused and responsive throughout this phase,” she said. “We also extend our appreciation to Hyde County Schools Operations Director Jeremy Phelps and architect Mark Kasten for their steady leadership and collaboration in bringing this transformational project to life for our students and community.”

That phrase — “for our students and community” — resonates in Hyde County, where school buildings are more than places of instruction. They are gathering spaces, athletic hubs, and centers of civic life.

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In other news, that sense of community pride was also on full display recently at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Family Resource Center and Round Table Event.

Community Schools Coordinator Angie Kerr captured the moment in a social media post that radiated enthusiasm.

“I cannot begin to describe the amount of love and pride I have for our community!” Kerr wrote. “At the recent ribbon cutting ceremony for our Family Resource Center and Round Table Event we welcomed over 40 community members, partners, parents, children and staff!!! We had to keep getting chairs!”

The exclamation points felt earned.

“Mattamuskeet Cheer Squad, Skills USA, and FFA rocked out the welcoming of guests which set the tone for the evening!” Kerr wrote. “OUR COMMUNITY SUPPORTS.”

In small counties like Hyde, support is not theoretical. It shows up in folding chairs, potluck dishes, volunteer hours and booster club fundraisers. It shows up when construction crews work through cold weather and when local families gather to celebrate a new resource center.

Hyde County’s story this month is not only about construction and ribbon cuttings. It is also about history — and the determination to tell it.

W.F. (Bill) Plyler II has just published Intertwined, a book honoring the people and history of The East Carolina Bank and Hyde County.

“I have just published Intertwined, a book honoring the people and the history of The East Carolina Bank and Hyde County,” Plyler said.

For readers who know him, the project has been years in the making.

“For reference I also covered the history of community banking from 1919 through 2009 including the Savings and Loan crisis and the Morris Plan Banks history,” he said. “I was a part of this having been in banking in NC from 1966 through 2006. From 1995 through 2006 I was the Chief Credit Officer of ECB and a member of the Senior Management Group.”

Plyler’s connection to Hyde County runs deep. “I was recruited in 1995 to build a credit culture at ECB,” he said.

“We did that and through 2006 were a highly ranked community bank growing at 8-10% annually and had credit losses of less than 1/4 percent of loans.”

His account also touches on turbulent years in banking.

“I among others saw the 2007 mortgage crisis coming and positioned ECB to thrive not just survive,” Plyler said. “Greed and incompetence of others lead to my early retirement at the end of 2006, the very best year ever for ECB.”

The motivation behind Intertwined is personal.

“I waited all these years for someone to tell this story and honor the people of Hyde County but since no one did, I tried,” said Plyler, who now lives in Dearborn, Michigan, but remains a North Carolina native. 

Plyler describes the book as a weaving together of personal and regional history: “Intertwined combined my history coming out of the mountains to working and learning with the big banks before enjoying great success with my team at ECB, the history of Hyde, and several major banking and credit events into an intertwined story of triumphs and tragedy.”

On March 28, Plyler plans to return to Swan Quarter for a book signing hosted by the fire department.

“Plans call for me to be in Swan Quarter on March 28, 2026, to sign books sold by the Fire Department with all proceeds going to the SQVFD,” he said. “I will be taking no royalties from these sales and am providing the books at cost.”

I’ll say it again — sometimes, if you slow down while driving through, you can see it taking shape, be that in Hyde County, Herford, Gatesville, little Washington, Columbia, Plymouth, Elizabeth City, Ahoskie — embrace Eastern NC.  

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