Historic Ocracoke Home for Sale

The Ocracoke Preservation Society has recently purchased an historic island home that is now for sale with protective covenants. An open house is scheduled for Saturday, December 12 from noon to 2 pm. The house is located on Lighthouse Road across from the Assembly of God church.

The photo below shows this charming house. OPS has also prepared a press release which is included after the photo.



The Ocracoke Preservation Society Historical Trust Purchases Historical Simon O’Neal Home, Ocracoke North Carolina

December 8, 2009

Bill Jones, President of The Ocracoke Preservation Society on Ocracoke Island, NC has announced the purchase of The Emma and Simon O’Neal Home ca. 1900.The home is the first to be bought through a newly established Preservation Project Fund.

The Historic/Land Trust Committee of OPS is committed to preserving historic buildings and to promoting the history and heritage of Ocracoke Island. The goal of the committee is to identify endangered historically significant property, option or purchase it and place protective covenants on the property. These protective covenants will ensure the continuance of the historic integrity of the property when it is sold.

The committee will work with prospective buyers to assist in the use of the Federal and North Carolina Historic Preservation Tax Credits. In consultation with Preservation North Carolina and the NC Department of Cultural Resources, the committee will also work with buyers to provide information, resources and restoration guidelines. They are looking for buyers who have a love of Ocracoke and a love of the history and architectural heritage of this historic home.

The Emma and Simon O’Neal Home is a fine example of an Ocracoke “story and a jump” style architecture. This frame house features a steep gabled roof with an open hipped porch and turned posts and cedar shake covering. The O’Neal home has its original staircase, wooden two over two sash windows, the original corbelled chimney and interior bead board walls and ceilings. It sits on a large lot consisting of 8,963 square foot with an abundance of native vegetation. The house is one and a half stories and features 3 bedrooms, a living room, plus the kitchen and bath rear addition and has 1,056 sq. ft. of living space.

This historic home has been in the O’Neal/Gaskins family for over 100 years. The Gaskins sisters have memories of the lighthouse beaming into their bedroom window and spending many a summer evenings sitting on the front porch. The home was originally built for their grandparents at the time of their marriage. The land was given to them by Emma’s family, who were Styrons.

The property is for sale and can be viewed on line at Preservation North Carolina’s web page or on the Ocracoke Preservation Society web page.

The Simon O’Neal Home is located on 458 Lighthouse Road and has an Ocracoke Preservation Society sign in the front yard.

For more information and viewing, contact:

• Paula Schramel -252-921-0290 email- natmaddie@yahoo.com.

• Trudy Clark - 252-928-8029 email-trudyclark@edwardsofocracoke.com.

The Ocracoke Preservation Society, Inc is a non profit organization established in 1983. It is a volunteer led organization, with a local board of 10 members. The current President is Bill Jones. The Historic /Land Trust Committee is comprised of Chair Trudy Clark, Frank Brown, Ed Norvell, Paula Schramel and Betty Shotton.

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Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter discusses place names on Ocracoke. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news113009.htm.

Click on the photo below to view pottery by Holly & Bill Stewart: