summer kitchens that were separated from 

 the main houses. Screened dairy houses 

 were the only form of refrigeration. 

 Electricity via generators came late to 

 Portsmouth and only to a few homes. There 

 were gardens and livestock to tend, clothes 

 and fishing nets to make and mend, and 

 weather to contend with. 



Winter winds can be bitter and 

 relentless. Hurricanes and nor'easters 

 periodically flood the village. The ferocious 

 storms are blamed for some of the exodus 

 from Portsmouth. A 1913 hurricane 

 destroyed the island's two churches. 



The Methodist church, rebuilt the 

 following year, was left leaning after a 1944 

 storm that also sent water swirling nearly a 

 foot deep into Portsmouth living rooms. The 

 church leans less since the park service 

 recently straightened and stabilized the 

 foundation. 



Though Portsmouth life had its simple 



appeals, it also had hardships. 



Most means of livelihood — 



fishing, clamming, the rescue service — 



could be difficult and hazardous work. 



Though less dramatic than hurricanes, 

 the daily assault of salt air, sun and wind 

 takes a heavy toll on the aging buildings. 

 Portsmouth's main ally in the battle against 

 decay is Dave Frum, who spends three 

 days a week in Portsmouth as maintenance 

 man for Cape Lookout National Seashore. 



"I'll never work myself out of a job," 

 he says cheerfully. He is perhaps the 

 epitome of job satisfaction. He fell 



instantly in love with Portsmouth on his 

 first visit long before he went to work there 

 eight years ago. Every day he spends 

 intensifies his affection. 



"This is the prettiest place in the 

 world," he says. "Every day is an adven- 

 ture." 



He patrols the lanes in an all-terrain 

 vehicle, tools at hand. He stops to hammer 

 a board on the side of the church, where 

 nails have crumbled to rust. "This is 

 historic preservation," he says. 



On another front, he combats fast- 

 growing vegetation, kept at bay by 

 roaming livestock in Portsmouth's earlier 

 days. Frum recendy has cleared much 

 underbrush, restoring the view that 

 islanders once enjoyed. The clearing also 

 reduces the scourge of mosquitoes long 

 synonymous with Portsmouth. Every 

 island stoop used to bristle in summer with 

 leafy switches to brush away the bugs. 



Frum commutes a half-hour by boat 

 from Ocracoke every Monday, Tuesday 

 and Wednesday. Winter on the water is 

 sometimes so harsh it mandates survival 

 gear. He doesn't mind. 



"When I leave on Wednesday," he 

 says, "I can't wait until I come back on 

 Monday." 



He ponders for a moment why 

 Portsmouth has such a pull on him, and on 

 others. "I have the feeling there's the spirit 

 of 200 years here," he finally says. "It feels 

 so calm in a busy world." 



Cape Lookout National Seashore 

 enlists help from other quarters in keeping 

 the structures intact. Several homes are 

 leased to individuals to use as vacation 

 retreats. Besides a few thousand dollars per 

 year in rent, the long-term agreements 

 require leaseholders to maintain and 

 improve the buildings. 



The Friends of Portsmouth Island also 

 works with the park service to preserve 

 village buildings. The group plans to 

 restore the church windows. The park 

 service recently rehabilitated the exterior of 

 the post office; the friends group will 

 refurbish the interior. 



The Friends of Portsmouth Island 

 coalesced about a decade ago, says current 

 president Chester Lynn of Ocracoke. 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 11 



