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Cape
Lookout National Seashore preserves is a 56 mile long section of
the Southern Outer Banks, called the Crystal Coast, of North Carolina.
Running from Ocracoke Inlet on the northeast to Beaufort Inlet on
the southeast. Three undeveloped barrier islands make up the seashore
- North Core Banks, South Core Banks and Shackleford Banks. The
seashore includes two historic villages on Core Banks, Shackleford's
wild horses, and the Cape Lookout Lighthouse, which has a black-and-white
diamond pattern. A visitors center for the seashore is located on
Harkers Island. Core Banks, named after the Coree Indians, stretches
from Ocracoke Inlet to Cape Lookout, while Shackleford Banks, named
after John Shackleford, extends from Cape Lookout to Beaufort Inlet.
Today, the two banks are separated by Barden Inlet.
Core Banks, which currently consists of three islands running Northeast-Southwest for about 45 miles. Settlers came into the territory around Core Sound and North River. Most of these came from the New Bern colony, but others came from tidewater Virginia from Albemarle, and even from New England.
The
northern tip of North Core banks, just across Ocracoke inlet from
Ocracoke Island, is called Portsmouth Island and is the site of
Portsmouth Village. In the first half of the 18th century, Ocracoke
Inlet was the primary route for bringing in goods from England and
shipping the agricultural products of North Carolina. Larger ships
stopped at Ocracoke and transferred their loads to shallow draft
boats for transport to Bath, New Bern, and Washington. To aid shipping,
the North Carolina General Assembly created the village of Portsmouth
in 1753 as the state's official "port of entry" and, by 1842, two-third's
of the state's exports passed through Portsmouth. The residents
of Portsmouth Village did the work of moving goods to several smaller
flatboats and then reloading the larger ships a ways down the water.
Over time, a large community sprang up around this business, with
a post office, two churches, a school and many homes. In 1860, Portsmouth's
population was almost 700. However, in 1846 Hatteras Inlet opened
in a hurricane and was deeper and safer than Ocracoke Inlet. The
shipping route shifted to the north, and the Portsmouth villagers
had to find other ways to make a living. Later, during the Civil
War, many islanders fled to the mainland to avoid advancing Union
troops and never came back after the war. Portsmouth Village’s population
continued to decline until there were only 16 residents in 1956
and only three left in 1970. In 1971, one of them died and the other
two left the island. In 1976, Portsmouth Village was saved when
Cape Lookout National Seashore was established and now the village
is on the National Register of Historic Places. Many of the buildings
have been restored, and visitors can enter the restored Methodist
Church, Coast Guard station, school house and post office. There
is a visitor center in the restored Dixon-Salter house, where there
are restrooms and exhibits on the island’s history.