Believe it or not, Portsmouth, the small, now-deserted village on this remote island, was once a bustling seaport. North Carolina's colonial legislature chartered Portsmouth in 1733 to serve coastal trade, and for more than two years it was one of . . . — — Map (db m177229) HM
Completed in 1915 this church was the spiritual and communal center of the island, and like the villagers themselves it weathered many storms. As you enter the building notice that it tilts slightly to the right. The hurricane of 1944 left it this . . . — — Map (db m177424) HM
In the 1900s this building served as general store and post office. Portsmouth villagers called it the "new" store because it was the latest in a series of stores serving the community. At one time in the 1860s there were five. This store was built . . . — — Map (db m177276) HM
The first lighthouse at Ocracoke Inlet was the 1798 Shellcastle Rock lighthouse located on an island in the inlet. In such a location—defenseless against storms, tides, and winds—the lighthouse was often inoperative when needed most. . . . — — Map (db m114469) HM
These gravesites contain the bodies of four British seamen. Their ship, the armed trawler HMS Bedfordshire, was on loan to our Navy by Great Britain to help protect our shores during the early days of World War II.
On May 11, 1942 the . . . — — Map (db m38781) HM
(front)
Fort Ocracoke
The remnants of Fort Ocracoke are submerged in Ocracoke Inlet, 2 miles to the west – southwest, toward Portsmouth Inlet. The last of possibly four forts on Beacon Island, the mostly earthen Fort Ocracoke was . . . — — Map (db m191345) HM WM
In the spring of 1942, German U-boats prowled the ocean off the Outer Banks and sank freighters at will. By June, they had sunk 397 merchant vessels and the area earned the name “Torpedo Junction”. In October, the US Navy responded by building a . . . — — Map (db m191344) HM
Technically part of the mainland, Down East is a larger peninsula made of several smaller peninsulas. Down East communities were once settlements that emerged on the high ground between marches. Small bridges spanning creeks still define . . . — — Map (db m212218) HM
Josiah Collins, Sr., and
partners drained part of
100,000-acre tract near
Lake Phelps with 6-mile
canal, completed 1788;
mouth 2 mi. southeast. — — Map (db m11404) HM
Cisterns have traditionally been used on Ocracoke to collect rainwater runoff from island homes. Before public water was introduced in 1977, they were the only source of fresh water for drinking and household use on the island. wooden gutters . . . — — Map (db m212220) HM
In the 1800s Ocracoke had several working windmills. This stone came from the mill located near the entrance to Silver Lake, a area still known today as Windmill Point.
Donated by Paul and Irene Mosher. — — Map (db m212863) HM
Ocracoke has been a fishing community since prehistoric times, when Croatan Indians fished these waters with hand-woven nets, or weirs, and speared fish out of wooden canoes. They gathered clams ad oysters in the tidal flats, trapped diamondback . . . — — Map (db m212860) HM
This solid oak ship's rudder was found in July 1997 at the South Point of Ocracoke. National Park Service personnel and state officials documented and stabilized the artifact. Identity of the ship is unknown, but it is believed to be from the . . . — — Map (db m212864) HM
The Blanche is a traditional Ocracoke deadrise fishing boat, built in 1934 for Stacy Howard ad named for his daughter, Blanche Howard Jolliff. Master boat-builder Tom Neal began the work, and it was finished by Homer Howard, who added a rounded . . . — — Map (db m212861) HM
[western face:] U.S. Navy Beach Jumpers
Loop Shack Hill
Advanced Amphibious Training Base, Ocracoke (AATB)
December 1943 to January 1946
In December 1943, the U.S. Navy Section Base became the Advanced Amphibious Training . . . — — Map (db m29973) HM
U.S. Revenue Cutter in War of 1812. Patrolled Ocracoke Inlet. Escaped British ships offshore, 1813, to deliver warning of threat to New Bern. — — Map (db m67238) HM
Ocracoke Inlet is the only North Carolina inlet that has remained open since European contact. During the colonial period it was the primary gateway for goods transported between the mainland, England and other colonies.
Because of its . . . — — Map (db m191346) HM
Ocracoke is an overwhelming step back in time, a mix of old traditions and community spirit infused with a steady flow of visitors from around the world. No community loves a good story more than Ocracoke, and locals can tell a tale with great . . . — — Map (db m212919) HM
