The North Carolina ferry service is currently changing schedules and prices.  Please contact them directly for the latest information, schedules and prices – Ferry Number:  1-800-293-3779, or online at www.ncferry.org. 

The boats to Portsmouth load at the NPS docks at Ocracoke.  Park your car and follow the crowd!  Return ferry reservations should be made on the last state ferry to Cedar Island if you are not planning to stay on Ocracoke Saturday night.  Dress for the weather and for the boat ride, and bring bug spray and good walking shoes!

Events for the day include a ribbing cutting for the newly restored Henry Pigott House, hymn singing in the Methodist church, a special stamp cancellation at the Post Office, homecoming program under the tent in the village, and dinner on the grounds immediately following the program.  Ice, paper products and tables will be provided.  Everyone needs to bring food to share and your beverage.  Please label your food containers and coolers.  ATV carts will meet you at the dock to carry your items into the village for you. 

Boats returning to Ocracoke will run as long as needed to get everyone off Portsmouth.

For the strong of heart and 4WD owners, Portsmouth Village is also accessible by ferry from the beach.  Contact Morris Marina at Atlantic (252-225-4261) for reservations and prices.

In case of inclement weather, Homecoming will be held at the Assembly of God Church on Lighthouse Road at Ocracoke.

For more information about Homecoming, contact Richard Meissner at 252-2250, Ext. 3008 (Cape Lookout National Seashore), or click on the “Contact Us” link on this website.  We will do our best to answer your questions.

Core Sound Waterfowl Museum at Harkers Island

10:00 a.m.

P.O. Box 2303

Morehead City, NC 28557

UPDATED JANUARY 26, 2012

HOMECOMING 2012!

Please click on the “Events” section of this website for information on the Portsmouth Village Homecoming scheduled for Saturday, April 28.  Check back often for updates!  The Homecoming Committee is hard at work preparing for this event.  Remember that Homecoming is open to the public, so if you have never been to Portsmouth, this is a great time to plan a visit!  We look forward to meeting lots of new folks and seeing old friends again!

Our State Magazine Article

Be sure to check out Our State Magazine’s article on Portsmouth in their January 2012 issue!  If you can’t find it locally, go to www.ourstate.com and you should be able to find it there!

Photo Gallery

A big thank you to Frances Eubanks and Hank O’Donnell for getting our Photo Gallery up to speed!  Be sure to check it out! 

Fall Membership Meeting Update 

We had a good fall meeting at Harkers Island with 35 people attending.  Ranger Wouter Ketel reported on the results of Hurricane Irene and the immediate plans for reopening areas of the park, including Portsmouth Village (now open).  Herb Stanford presented a program on the history of the Cape Lookout Lighthouse.  A trip to the lighthouse was planned after the meeting, but was not possible due to the weather.  Wouter and Herb are both FPI members and we appreciate their participation in the meeting.   A light lunch was served and several door prizes were awarded.

Please note that 2012 is a homecoming year (April 28!) so the regular spring meeting will not be held in lieu of homecoming.   

Doctor’s Creek Journal 

Contact editor Jim White (info@jamesedwardwhite.com) for questions relating to the newsletter or if you would like to submit photos, articles, etc.   Be sure to keep your membership current so you don’t miss any issues of the Doctor’s Creek Journal.  The next one should be arriving in your mailboxes in late March or early April 2012.  Members should use the form on page 11 of the last DCJ to send in with your membership renewal, or you can click on the “Contact Us” link to request a form.

Henry’s House Project

FPI’s newest project is the renovation, furnishing and opening to the public of the Henry Pigott House in Portsmouth Village.   The house has been under lease for many years and considered a private residence.  In December 2010 the Friends of Portsmouth Island received a Special Use Permit from the NPS to renovate the house and associated buildings on the lot.  When the restoration is complete, the house will be open to visitors as a museum with emphasis on the last residents, Henry and Lizzie Pigott (1930-1971).  The cost of the project is being funded by contributions to the Friends of Portsmouth Island-Henry’s House Project fund.  A lot of work has already been done to the house, and we plan to schedule a work day in the fall for members who expressed an interest in participating.  We hope to have the house ready for Homecoming 2012!   A letter will be mailed to each member who asked to volunteer to work on the house as soon as we get a date lined up.  At the current time, a ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for Henry’s house during Homecoming.

Membership Renewals

Annual memberships expire at the end of December each year.  If you haven’t sent yours in yet, please do so in January to avoid interruption in your membership.  Your membership renewal form is on page 11 of the Doctor’s Creek Journal, and this is the only notice you will receive to renew your membership.  If you are not a member and wish to join, please click on the “Contact Us” link to request a membership form, and we will get one to you.

Located here are the graves of two seamen who died either aboard ship or at the Marine Hospital located on the Island. There may be other unmarked graves at this location. This cemetery is located on what was then property of the Collector of Customs for Ocracoke Inlet. It is located across the creek from the U.S. Life Saving Station. I find it fascinating that the families of these two men managed to have tombs sent to and erected on Portsmouth Island where most graves were marked with ballast stone or wooden markers in 1810 and 1821.

GREEN, Capt. Thomas W. of Providence, R. I. in his 32nd year d. 1-17-1810

HILZEY, Capt. William, d. 10-4-1821 , age 36 years 2 mo. 27 days

Near the church and behind the Jesse Babb home.

DIXON, Arthur Edward b. 1-14-1888 d. 10-31-1945

DIXON, Nora Elizabeth b. 3-5-1892 d. 9-12-1956

BABB, Lillian M. b. 7-30-1896 d. 1-8-1996

PIGOTT, Elizabeth b. 8-28-1889 d. 9-12-1960

PIGOTT, Henry b. 5-10-1896 d. 1-5-1971

A Fishing Hamlet

Portsmouth´s days as a center of commerce were over. Fishing replaced shipping as the primary occupation for the islanders that remained. In 1894, the U.S. Life-Saving Service was established on Portsmouth and for nearly 50 years played a vital role in the community. Steadily the population declined. In 1956 only 17 residents remained. The walls of time closed in on Portsmouth. Isolation, a depressed economy, and the constant threat to life and property from storms prompted the final abandonment of Portsmouth . With the death of Henry Pigott in 1971, Portsmouth´s last two residents, Marion Babb and Elma Dixon, reluctantly moved to the mainland. Another chapter in Portsmouth´s history had come to an end.

A Quiet Historic Village

In 1976 with the establishment of Cape Lookout National Seashore, new life came to Portsmouth. The 250-acre historic district of Portsmouth is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, an honor roll that recognizes outstanding historic buildings and districts throughout the United States. As one walks the lanes and trails of Portsmouth´s lost lifestyle, the buildings display a close knitted community which was typical along the Outer Banks. The modest houses speak of a working class community.

The People

Buildings alone cannot tell the Portsmouth story. Its history is not so much of ships, wharves, and fishing, but of the people who once lived there. Portsmouth is Miss Mary Dixon, a teacher in the island´s one room schoolhouse. For 37 years Miss Dixon taught readin´, ´ritin´, and ´rithmatic to all the island´s youth. Portsmouth is Sam Tolson. A waterman by trade, “Uncle Sam” and his “dancin´ slippers” highlighted many a Portsmouth social event. “Uncle Sam”, it was said, could balance a glass of water on his head and dance for hours without spilling a drop. Portsmouth is all the proud individuals who have called this seafaring village home.

Glimpses of Portsmouth

The United States Life-Saving Service Station was a leading influence in the community from the turn of the century until its decommission in 1937. Often the local people made up the crew members. Life was disciplined, drills harsh, and respect in the community widespread. The first appointed keeper was F.G. Terrel. From the watchtower, a nightly guard scanned the seas for vessels in trouble. Patrols walked the beach. Behind the large doors of the boathouse, oar powered surf rescue boats waited; ready to be rushed down the ramp and out to sea at a moment´s notice. While the Life-Saving Service played an important role for the islanders, the church filled another niche in their lives. The “Bankers” existence was at the mercy of the sea; their faith was placed in God for guidance. At one time the island had two churches, a Methodist and a Primitive Baptist. Both churches were destroyed in a 1913 storm. The Methodist church was rebuilt the following year and it still stands today. In the center of Portsmouth stands the town´s information and social hub, the United States Post Office, established in 1840. As far back as memory goes, the Post Office also served as a general store. Political discussions, fish tales, and croquet matches were typical afternoon affairs outside this structure. As Portsmouth declined, the Post Office remained one of the village´s few links with the outside world. In 1956 a postage stamp was the town´s only purchasable commodity. In 1959, the Post Office closed its doors for the last time. Summer kitchens and dairy houses provide views of an earlier time without generators or electricity. The kerosene stoves of the past could leave houses sweltering in the summer. Thus cooking was restricted to separate kitchen buildings. With no refrigerators on the island, residents used a shaded-screened dairy house and a cooling sea breeze to keep perishable items fresh.