shipbuilding yards and a post office. 



But then came the Civil War. This 

 war, Portsmouth didn't fare as well. 

 During the first year, Confederate 

 troops were stationed at Portsmouth. 

 But as the Yankees pressed further 

 South, the rebel soldiers withdrew and 

 most of the inhabitants followed. 

 Legend has it that only one Ports- 

 mouth resident stuck it out — by 

 necessity. Supposedly, she was so fat 

 that she couldn't fit through her door. 

 According to the legend, the Yankee 

 soldiers were kind to her. 



Some say it was the Civil War that 

 doomed Portsmouth. Others blame a 

 major hurricane in 1933. Or, maybe 

 there just weren't any jobs. Whatever 

 the reason, only a fraction of the 

 villagers returned after the war and 

 the population steadily declined. By 

 1870 the population was 323. Just ten 

 years later, that number had dropped 

 by another hundred. 



Those residents who remained con- 

 tinued to depend on the sea for their 

 livelihood. But storms destroyed 

 houses and more residents moved to 



Class of 1916 



Children with familiar Ports- 

 mouth names like Salter, Babb, 

 Gilgo and Dixon pose for their 

 class portrait. After the turn of the 

 century, the number of school- 

 aged children on the island stead- 

 ily declined . A new school was 

 built in the 1920s, but its doors 

 closed for the last time in 1943. 



the mainland. A lifesaving station 

 provided jobs for some residents from 

 1897 until 1938 when it was closed. In 

 1943, the doors to the one-room 

 schoolhouse closed for good. The post 

 office, opened in 1840, finally closed in 

 1959 when permanent residents num- 

 bered less than 15. 



With the death of Henry Pigott, the 

 island's last male resident, in 1971, the 

 last two women left for the mainland 

 (see page 4). 



Portsmouth stands now — the town 

 with no people. But, the village hasn't 

 been ignored. Since 1978, the National 

 Park Service has worked to stabilize 

 the condition of the buildings. Some of 

 the houses received a fresh coat of 

 paint and new cedar shake roofs. 



Bob Patton, the interpretive 

 specialist with the National Park Ser- 

 vice, says that while Portsmouth 

 Village dates back to 1753, there is 

 very little evidence of the early years. 

 The oldest house still standing is the 

 Washington Roberts house, built 

 around 1850. 



While the village is open to visitors, 



the Park Service reminds that it's not 

 easy to get there. You can reach the 

 island by way of two concessioners 

 who operate ferries from Ocracoke and 

 from Cedar Island. Or, you can take 

 your own boat to the island. 



Patton adds that the management 

 plan for the island doesn't call for mak- 

 ing it any easier to get there. He says 

 the Park Service is protecting the 

 island by having limited access. 



If you do plan a trip to Portsmouth, 

 be prepared, says Portsmouth district 

 ranger Dick Williams. Hardy mos- 

 quitoes, 99 percent humidity and no 

 water — just a few of the things you'll 

 be up against. Williams advises 

 visitors to take insect spray, wear long 

 pants and a long-sleeve shirt, and take 

 along a supply of water. 



Patton adds that for all the discom- 

 forts, it's well worth the trip. "It looks 

 and feels just as it once did. And the 

 challenge of getting to Portsmouth 

 makes the visitor more appreciative of 

 what it must have been like years 

 ago," says Patton. 



— Nancy Davis 



National Park Service photo 



