Robert E. Harrill, or Harrell, (February 2, 1893 – June 4, 1972) was an American man also known as the Fort Fisher Hermit. He became a hermit in 1955, at the age of 62, having hitchhiked to Fort Fisher on the North Carolina coast from Morganton, North Carolina. He had previously been committed to a mental hospital in Morganton, after his marriage failed. Harrill settled in an abandoned World War II bunker set in a salt marsh beside the Cape Fear River in the Fort Fisher State Recreation Area. Harrill fed himself by fishing and scavenging. He and his bunker became a tourist attraction and visitors would listen to him talk about his "School of Common Sense", leaving donations in a frying pan. After living as a hermit for 17 years, he died under mysterious circumstances in 1972, with the official cause of death given as a heart attack. His life has been commemorated with books, films and a theatre production. Early life Robert E. Harrill was born in Shelby, North Carolina on 2 February, 1893. He was educated at Boiling Springs High School and then Gardner-Webb Jr. College. His parents were abusive, which led to him spending much of his time in the local woods. He married Katie Hamrick in 1913 and they had five children. The eldest son committed suicide and the family later fell apart in the 1930s due in part to Harrill's mental health problems. He was also known as Robert Harrell. Hermit The name "Fort Fisher Hermit" came from Fort Fisher and the Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, where Harrill settled. He arrived in 1955, having left a mental institution in Morganton and then hitchhiking to the coast. At first Harrill lived in a tent near to the Confederate monument by the fort. He then squatted in an abandoned World War II era bunker set in a salt marsh beside the Cape Fear River. He collected driftwood to furnish his home and was able to gather much of the food that he needed from the marsh. He ate fish, clams and oysters, and planted a vegetable garden to supplement his diet. Harrill learned many of his survival skills from Empie Hewett, a true hermit, who also lived in the salt marshes of the Fort Fisher area. Harrill loved to talk to visitors (who left donations in a frying pan) and his guestbook recorded thousands of