The Man, The Myth, The Hermit

For more than 15 years, the region's most popular resident didn't live in a historic home in the heart of Wilmington but in a tight concrete bunker in the marsh of Fort Fisher. Robert E. Harrill is now known widely as The Hermit of Fort Fisher, who lived off the land, entertained tourists and died mysteriously -- all of which have created one of the region's most circulated legends.

On this week's episode, local filmmaker Rob Hill, who directed a 2006 documentary on the Hermit, joins the conversation to talk about his research and the growing myth surrounding Robert's death.

Cape Fear Unearthed is written, edited and hosted by Hunter Ingram.

Additional editing by Adam Fish. Recorded at WHQR in downtown Wilmington.

A StarNews Media Production, sponsored by Northchase Family Dentistry.

Sources:

"The Hermit of Fort Fisher" documentary, directed by Rob Hill

"The Story of Robert E. Harrill, the Fort Fisher Hermit," by Michael F. Edwards

"The Last Battle for Independence: The Story of the Fort Fisher Hermit," by Michael F. Edwards

"The Reluctant Hermit of Fort Fisher," by Fred Pickler

Adverse Possessions: The True Story of Robert E. Harrill," by Michael F. Edwards

"Memoirs of Robert E. Harrill," by Michael F. Edwards