Davis was first settled by four families in the early 1700s, and although farming and fishing were its main occupations, it became especially known for its waterfowl heritage. Market hunters supplied waterfowl meat to urban America until diminished wild stocks led to that work being outlawed in 1918. The decline of available wild game helped spark an elite sports hunting craze during the 1920-30s, and Davis became an easy access point to the waterfowl migratory path on Core Sound. From early November to February, visiting hunters kept residents busy as guides, boatmen, inn keepers, cooks, and decoy carvers. Davis hunting guides were beloved and respected both by the community and by wealthy seasonal hunters, who returned year after year because of lifelong friendships as well as for the sport. Babe Ruth also came to Davis, and when he returned to the mainland from hunting on the banks, young boys eagerly met him to carry his guns ashore. Davis Ridge, an area of Davis, was one of the few black settlements in eastern Carteret County, where residents were successful fishermen and boat builders with plentiful gardens supplemented by hogs and chickens. They built one of the first menhaden plants in the county, but the 1933 hurricane completely destroyed their houses and they lost everything, though no human lives were lost. Families from Davis Ridge later resettled in North River and Beaufort.