Portsmouth Island Trip

Our Ocracoke Sampler Class (part of the 2010 OcraFolk School) left Silver Lake harbor yesterday morning at 9 o'clock aboard Donald Austin's boat. There were eleven of us -- Tom, Sandy, Kathie, Gloria, Nick, Pete, Annie, & Spencer (all students)...and Rob, Dave, & I (the instructors).

Donald stopped along the way to explain the pound nets out in Pamlico Sound that are an age-old method used by commercial fishermen to catch flounder and other fish.

We spent more than four hours exploring the village, including the Salter house (now used as a Visitors Center), the Post Office, the Schoolhouse (we didn't stay long there...the mosquitoes ran us off), the Methodist Church, the Gilgo house, and the US Life Saving Station. As many of our readers know, no one has lived permanently on Portsmouth Island since 1971. The buildings are now managed and maintained by the National Park Service.

I only took two photos (click on them to view larger images).

This is a few of our number crossing the lawn to visit the church:



Dave Frum (one of the Cape Lookout Park Rangers) climbed the ladder to ring the church bell (if you're visiting the island please don't ring the bell...leave that to the rangers):




It was a tiring day, but everyone enjoyed our visit to one of the most unique villages in the country.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is an article, with a number of photos, documenting the history of water cisterns on Ocracoke Island. Click on the following link to go directly there: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news102110.htm.