. J Elwood Cox, II Louise Lee Cox May 15, 1913 January 19, 1916 October 15, 1954 October 15, 1954 Frank W. Armfield Virginia Fraley Armfield January 27, 1913 September 11, 1917 October 15, 1954 October 15, 1954 Linda Willard Jamestown Friends Meeting On Friday, October 15, 1954, Hurricane Hazel, the first and hopefully last category 4 hurricane hit costal North Carolina bringing death and destruction to the coast of North Carolina. Hurricane Hazel also brought tragedy and death to High Point, North Carolina. Hurricane Hazel made landfall near Calabash, North Carolina. The first indication of trouble came on October 5, 1954 with the formation of a tropical cycle about fifty miles east of the island of Grenada. By October 9, 1954, Hurricane Hazel had strengthened to a category 4 storm with maximum winds of 135 miles per hour. On October 11, 1954, Hurricane Hazel hit the island of Haiti leaving hundred dead. Not only was Hurricane Hazel a category 4 storm, she was also very unpredictable making it difficult to forecast her expected path. Landfall occurred on the North Carolina/South Carolina border near Calabash, North Carolina with winds estimated to have been as high as 150 miles per hour. There is never a good time for a hurricane to strike, however, Friday, October 15, 1954 was the worst possible time for a hurricane to make landfall. The night of October 15, 1954 was a full moon and the lunar high tide bringing the highest tide of the year. At 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 14, 1954, the United States Weather Bureau (present-day National Weather Service) had issued a warning for the North Carolina coast despite the fact that the forecaster thought that the center of the storm would remain off shore and weaken. Three couples from High Point, North Carolina were at Ocean Isle, North Carolina enjoying the beach and a having a house-warming beach party. Only two of the six people from High Point, North Carolina would return home and live to tell the harrowing story of Hurricane Hazel. J. Elwood Cox, his wife Louise Lee Cox, Frank W. Armfield, his wife Virginia Fraley Armfield, and John A. Hart, Jr., and his wife Margaret York Hart were all at Ocean Isle Beach for a week- end of fun and sun. These six were among the last people stuck on Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. The three couples soon realized that they were in trouble, they went to the near-by home of a local resident, Sherman Register, to ask for assistance and direction as to what they should do. Register got everyone in his pickup truck and headed west toward Halfway Hills, the highest point on the island, and hopefully to safety. They drove as far as they could before parking the truck facing southwest. As they looked down, they could see houses break in two, cars floating away. The water continued to creep toward them. Register told the women and children to move to the bed of the truck, the men would hold on to the sides. The water continued to rise and the truck began to rock. The water reached the men’s belts. By Saturday, October 16, 1954, it was known and reported in High Point, North Carolina that J. Elwood Cox, II, Frank W. Armfield and his wife had all died in the storm. Louise Lee Cox was listed as missing. Her body would later be found. Hart and his wife were somehow able to reach safety and return to High Point, North Carolina to tell the harrowing story of Hurricane Hazel. The funeral service for Cox and his wife was held at High Point Friends Meeting in High Point, North Carolina. The Cox couple are buried in the cemetery at New Garden Friends Meeting in Greensboro, North Carolina. The funeral service for Armfield and his wife were held at Wesley Memorial Methodist Church in High Point, North Carolina. The Armfield’s are buried in Oakwood Cemetery in High Point, North Carolina. .