Homecoming 2024!

Homecoming 2024 was a huge success! Look at this crowd, and this was not everyone. We are so thankful for the great weather we had and that so many could gather again. There were a lot of first timers and we hope they come back! Many thanks to the FPI volunteers, the Cape Lookout National Seashore staff under the leadership of Superintendent Jeff West, and all attendees who made the trip. We are indebted to the Austins, who somehow seem to get everyone there and back for the day. We were happy to see lots of folks who came on their own boats as well.

The winners of the two raffle items were Suzanne Williams (antique coverlet) and Marshall Hamrick (framed original drawing of the Portsmouth Lifesaving Station by Bruce Tarkington). Congratulations to these winners, and thank you to Jeanne Robertson and Bruce Tarkington for these incredible donations.

We’ll have more to come, but enjoy the group picture above taken by Ann Ehringhaus of Ocracoke.

HOMECOMING SCHEDULE OF EVENTS – APRIL 27, 2024

Don’t forget to make your ferry reservations to Portsmouth with the Austins! Also, be sure to get your ferry reservations to Ocracoke now if you are coming via Swan Quarter or Cedar Island – ferries are filling up fast! If coming from Hatteras, plan to be on the earliest one you can to get over in time to be with us. Be sure to stop by the sign in table to pick up your Homecoming 2024 pin!

All descendants are invited to bring family photographs, scrapbooks, displays, etc. to the McWilliams-Dixon house (next to the church). Your items will be safely displayed and can be picked up on your way back to the boat at the end of this fabulous day.

FERRY RESERVATIONS!

The Austins are now taking reservations for their ferry to Portsmouth from Ocracoke for our April 27th Homecoming! The fare is $25 round trip per person. Please give them a call at 252-928-4361 to reserve your spot. We look forward to seeing everyone!

HOMECOMING RAFFLE!

MEMBERS – your raffle tickets are in the mail! If you haven’t received them yet, you should be getting them soon. Read the instructions on your flyer, fill out the appropriate part of each ticket that you wish to purchase, and send those and a check for your payment in the enclosed envelope. Tickets will also be available for purchase at Homecoming for all who attend, of course! We have a couple of wonderful prizes this year!! Below are photos and descriptions of these prizes.

HOMECOMING 2024 – APRIL 27

We are pleased to announce that Portsmouth Homecoming will be held on Saturday, April 27, 2024. We’re giving you the date now to put on your calendars so you can talk to friends and family and plan to come! All are welcome and you do not have to be a member or even a descendant to join us on this special day, but we hope you will come! We will provide updates as they become available, but do start planning to attend this very special event in 2024!

The 2024 Homecoming will be focused on the Lifesaving Station – stayed tuned for updates and announcements!

Homecoming – 2022

We are so sorry and incredibly sad that we had to cancel Homecoming 2020 in April due to the Coronavirus. The next Portsmouth Homecoming will be scheduled in April 2022 – two years from now. We felt this was best to keep it on the regular schedule of every two years which is also in keeping with our by-laws. We will hold the Homecoming raffle at our September 19 meeting at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum for those who already purchased their tickets. You do not have to be present to win but we hope you will come! Stayed tuned to this website and to our Facebook page for further details. Thank you!

Homecoming Cancelled

We regret to inform you that Homecoming 2020 has been cancelled due to the new government mandates regarding events for 50+ people. If you have purchased raffle tickets, we will hold the raffle at a later date after we get all this sorted out. Stay tuned to this website and our Facebook page for any future details. This was a most difficult decision but we had no choice. Thank you!

PORTSMOUTH 2018 HOMECOMING REPORT

HOMECOMING 2018

April 21 was very special indeed.  We counted 425 people who attended Homecoming, and those are only the ones we could match up with the register and our own memories of who we saw. But it’s not about the numbers, it’s about the sweet spirit of Portsmouth families coming together to remember home and family.

The day started early with the first boats leaving Ocracoke at 7:00 a.m. to take  the volunteers over, then following with others beginning at 8:00.   Thanks to Rudy, Pat, Donald and Wade Austin, and Marjorie and Dallas Spruill and Richard Meissner for coordination of the transportation.  Our loaders at the dock stayed very busy!  We appreciate Lee McKeithan and  Marshall Hamrick for heading up the Portsmouth side.

Everyone toured the post office and the t-shirt table inside the Visitor Center before heading down to the church,  school, and all the open houses.  Thanks to Ann Shipstedt and Simona Spickett for manning the busy t-shirt table and to Evelyn and Donna Mink for helping with the notecards and postcards.  Thanks to the Ocracoke Post Office, visitors were able to mail their cards and letters from Portsmouth again this day.

For the first time in many years we were allowed to tour the houses that had been shut up for years.  The Park worked to replace porches and steps and windows to make the houses safe to enter.  It was wonderful to see the families gathered around “their houses,” sharing memories and stories.  The Tom Gilgo house, Wallace/Grace House, Cecil Gilgo house, Carl Dixon house, Styron-Bragg house, McWiliams/Dixon house, the Wash Roberts house, the Jesse Babb House, and the Harry & Lida Dixon house were all open for touring.

Gaye McKeithan and Ben Brinson were two descendants with wonderful displays to share who helped man the descendant area which was located in the Roy Robinson/Lionel Gilgo house.  Jean Webber and Ann Foley were there to welcome new FPI members and hand out membership packets, and to sell raffle tickets for door prizes. Descendants Barbara Eugene and Debra Penny greeted visitors at the Visitor Center. On down the path Justine Paul and Johanna Huber and Janice and Bob Vogel helped register folks and hand out the coveted homecoming pins.   It wasn’t long before our food tent volunteers, headed by Jeanne Robertson,  were busy unloading coolers and setting the food out! We thank Jeanne, Glenn and Brenda White, Pat Winstead, Ann Adkins, Cheryl Thompson, and Fred and Karen Dixon for what is probably the hardest job during homecoming. The line was long but it moved quickly due to the great set up by these folks!

Connie Mason led the hymn singing in the church helped by Janice Smith and Justine Paul.  It wasn’t complete until Kenneth Burke led the singing on “Throw Out the Lifeline!” There were not many dry eyes in the house.  The singing was beautiful and just added to the glorious day.

Jim White, FPI board member and Portsmouth descendant, emceed the program under the tent.  Colt Goodwin, Salter descendant, led the Pledge of Allegiance.  Rosanne Penley, President, welcomed the group and called for the number of first time visitors and the number of FPI members. The families of Portsmouth were recognized by Jim White during the roll call of families, as each family member stood up when the names were called. Reverend Richard Bryant presented the Reflection. Jeff West, Superintendent of Cape Lookout National Seashore, spoke to the group and received a very warm welcome.  Connie Mason’s traditional singing of Marian’s Song was very special to a lot of people.

Borden Wallace of New Orleans , a descendant of the Wallace family, was the happy winner of the antique quilt donated by Jeanne Robertson.  Anne Eastman of Morehead City won the painting of the Lifesaving Station donated by Doris and George Stein.  Colt Goodwin and Ann Taylor each won canvas photos of  Henry Pigott by Bruce Roberts and donated by Ed and Rene Burgess.  This painting was also the design of this year’s Portsmouth pin.

We can’t thank enough those who drove the gators and golf carts to haul food and people thoughout the village all day, and those who loaded and unloaded the seemingly endless coolers of food. These folks are Lee McKeithan, Bobby Hill, Phelps Forrest, and Gregory Gilgo.

Delores Gaskins handed out programs, Hazel Arthur handed out hymnals in the church, and Ann Ehringhaus took the famous group photo of all who gathered around the church.

Many of the people mentioned above also worked at Portsmouth the 3 days before Homecoming to ready the village and to begin work on the Jesse Babb house in preparation of a future painting date. Thanks to Gregory Gilgo, Suzanne McWilliams, Julius  Coronel, and various others for the prep work they did on the house, and all those who helped set up tents, swept out and cleaned houses, cleaned the church, prepared lunch for three days, and got everything in order for the special day.  Phil Cunningham and Glenn Dunn weedeated around each house and cemetery, helping Ed and Rene Burgess with the mowing.

Our very special thanks to the Homecoming Committee, chaired by FPI Vice President Kathy McNeilly, Ed & Rene Burgess, Jason Jeanette, Jeanne Robertson, Evelyn Mink and Lee and Gaye McKeithan. They have worked on this for over a year and their time and efforts are much appreciated. We thank BG Horvat of CALO for his involvement with the committee on behalf of the Park, as well as Jeff West and all the staff at CALO. We appreciate the help of the Ocracoke Preservation Society and the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum for their support and efforts in several areas.

It was a wonderful day! If you were there we are glad you were, and if not, we hope you will come to the next Homecoming in 2020.  The date has not been set yet but we will announce it once it is finalized.

Homecoming this Saturday!

Reminder to all who are coming Saturday to gather at the Park floating dock down by the ferry at your scheduled time.  Due to construction at the Community Square, no boats can run from there.  Dress warmly for the trip!  See you there!