This fall and winter the NPS has been making repairs to the Ocracoke lighthouse
The repair work includes Renovation of metal work on the interior and exterior; Correcting the lightning protection and Painting the interior of the lighthouse.

Portsmouth Island

Last week I took a trip to Portsmouth Island. This Island is a 20 minute boat trip from Ocracoke Island, NC. The weather was warm and their were no mosquitoes! It was a beautiful day. Portsmouth Island was once a thriving shipping port town with many residents. It is now a ghost town. The last residents left the Island in 1971. The Island is owned by the National Park service.
You can visit the village, the visitors center, post office / general store, the church, the school house, and the life saving station are all open to the public. The village still has many of the original houses.
It is a peaceful place and I can imagine how life was once nice on this barrier Island. The beach is long and wide and mostly empty. Portsmouth Island is a great place for shelling.
If you are interested in discovering Portsmouth Island call Rudy Austin 252-928-4361 or Donald Austin 252-928-5431 and they'll take you out to the Island. www.PortsmouthNC.com They are native Ocracokers and will also tell you lots of good stories. Austin boat tours leave twice a day from the community docks in Ocracoke, NC. Enjoy this peaceful place!