From pirate antics to legends of old lighthouse keepers and tales of shipwrecks and early natives, history runs through Ocracoke Island. The old stories and cultural influences are immortalized in the things to do on Ocracoke in the island’s historic sites and attractions. Explore a nature preserve that served as Blackbeard’s hangout before his demise. Step onto English soil when you visit a graveyard. Check out the state’s second-oldest lighthouse. Explore the ghost town remaining on a deserted island. Almost everywhere you turn on Ocracoke Island, there’s history to encounter!
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Historic Sites in Ocracoke
49 Water Plant Road, Ocracoke
For a peek into Ocracoke’s past, visit Ocracoke Preservation Society’s Museum. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to preserving the island’s history and cultural heritage and to protecting its environment. Housed in the turn-of-the-century home of Coast Guard Capt. David Williams, the museum lets visitors glimpse island life in the early to mid-1900s. Many of the architectural elements are intact, and a bedroom, living room and kitchen are decorated with period furnishings donated by island families. The museum has photographs, artifacts and exhibits that pertain to island life and culture. A favorite is a video on the Ocracoke brogue. The museum also houses special rotating exhibits and a gift shop. Upstairs is a small research library that can be used by appointment. In the yard of the museum you can find outdoor exhibits including an old-style cistern and the traditional fishing boat, Blanche, circa 1934. During the summer, OPS hosts free porch talks and museum tours with a variety of islanders sharing their knowledge, stories and history. The museum also offers a mid-week Kids Kraft program for kids. This interactive program is fun and informative and the children leave with a handmade island souvenir. Stop at the OPS gift shop for a schedule of these events. It’s free to visit the museum, though donations are encouraged. It’s open from the end of March through the first week of December.
For a peek into Ocracoke’s past, visit Ocracoke Preservation Society’s Museum. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to preserving the island’s history and cultural heritage and to protecting its environment. Housed in the turn-of-the-century home of Coast Guard Capt. David Williams, the museum lets visitors glimpse island life in the early to mid-1900s. Many of the architectural elements are intact, and a bedroom, living room and...read more
For a peek into Ocracoke’s past, visit Ocracoke Preservation Society’s Museum. The nonprofit organization is...read more
Historic Sites in Ocracoke
49 Water Plant Road, Ocracoke
For a peek into Ocracoke’s past, visit Ocracoke Preservation Society’s Museum. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to preserving the island’s history and cultural heritage and to protecting its environment. Housed in the turn-of-the-century home of Coast Guard Capt. David Williams, the museum lets visitors glimpse island life in the early to mid-1900s. Many of the architectural elements are intact, and a bedroom, living room and kitchen are decorated with period furnishings donated by island families. The museum has photographs, artifacts and exhibits that pertain to island life and culture. A favorite is a video on the Ocracoke brogue. The museum also houses special rotating exhibits and a gift shop. Upstairs is a small research library that can be used by appointment. In the yard of the museum you can find outdoor exhibits including an old-style cistern and the traditional fishing boat, Blanche, circa 1934. During the summer, OPS hosts free porch talks and museum tours with a variety of islanders sharing their knowledge, stories and history. The museum also offers a mid-week Kids Kraft program for kids. This interactive program is fun and informative and the children leave with a handmade island souvenir. Stop at the OPS gift shop for a schedule of these events. It’s free to visit the museum, though donations are encouraged. It’s open from the end of March through the first week of December.
For a peek into Ocracoke’s past, visit Ocracoke Preservation Society’s Museum. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to preserving the island’s history and cultural heritage and to protecting its environment. Housed in the turn-of-the-century home of Coast Guard Capt. David Williams, the museum lets visitors glimpse island life in the early to mid-1900s. Many of the architectural elements are intact, and a bedroom, living room and...read more
For a peek into Ocracoke’s past, visit Ocracoke Preservation Society’s Museum. The nonprofit organization is...read more
Historic Sites in Ocracoke
When you are driving to the village from the lifeguard beach, look for a large black granite marker on the right side of N.C. Highway 12 just before you reach the village boundary. Behind the marker, up past the dunes is an area of the island called Loop Shack Hill, the site of a little known WWII U.S. Navy project called the Beach Jumpers. This...read more
Historic Sites in Ocracoke
On May 11, 1942, about 40 miles south of Ocracoke, a German submarine torpedoed and sank the British vessel HMS Bedfordshire. The 170-foot ship was one of 24 antisubmarine ships loaned to the United States by Winston Churchill. The entire crew of four officers and 33 crewmen drowned. U.S. Coast Guard officers found four of the bodies washed ashore three days later. The soldiers were...read more
The first national seashore in the country, Cape Hatteras National Seashore stretches more than 70 miles along parts of three islands: Bodie Island (just south of Nags Head), Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island. It is a place for recreation, immersion in nature and inspiration for humans as well as a safe haven for a variety of wildlife. The beautiful barrier island environment is a place...read more
Historic Sites in Ocracoke
This marker is a little hard to find, but it’s worth seeking out. It’s on a grassy patch behind the National Park Service Visitor Center and next to the boat ramp. Park the car and walk out to the sound and you’ll see it. The marker commemorates Fort Ocracoke, the remnants of which lie submerged in Ocracoke Inlet toward Portsmouth Island. The fort was constructed...read more
Historic Sites in Ocracoke
Ocracoke Civic & Business Association Contributor
Family operated by native islanders possibly descended from pirates, these 90-minute, 1.5-mile walking tours are sure to entertain and educate. The tours explore either the Around Creek or Down Point areas of the island, leaving from the Village Craftsmen store on Howard Street at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday nights. Cost is $20 for ages 13 and older, $10 for ages 5 to 12 and free for ages 4 and younger. Space is limited, and online reservations are required.
Family operated by native islanders possibly descended from pirates, these 90-minute, 1.5-mile walking tours are sure to entertain and educate. The tours explore either the Around Creek or Down Point areas of the island, leaving from the Village Craftsmen store on Howard Street at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday nights. Cost is $20 for ages 13 and older, $10 for ages 5 to 12 and...read more
Family operated by native islanders possibly descended from pirates, these 90-minute, 1.5-mile walking tours are...read more
Historic Sites in Ocracoke
The second-oldest lighthouse in North Carolina, Ocracoke Lighthouse is celebrating its 200th birthday in 2023! The 75-foot, whitewashed tower and its surrounding buildings were completed in 1823. The light is still in operation, and its beam can be seen 14 miles out to sea. While it's not open to climbing, Ocracoke Lighthouse sits on a lawn of flawless green surrounded by a white picket fence, outbuildings...read more
Historic Sites in Ocracoke
There are many theories about how ponies found their way to Ocracoke Island. Some say they arrived on English ships during 16th-century exploration, others say they were victims of Spanish shipwrecks and some say they were simply livestock for the locals. However they got here, the ponies roamed the island freely for at least two centuries and were very much a part of the island...read more
Historic Sites in Ocracoke
Ocracoke is one of the few remaining working maritime communities. Round out your Ocracoke cultural education and learn about the life and history of the local Ocracoke watermen at this exhibit. Located at the former Will Willis Store & Fish House, ca. 1930, on the Community Square docks, the exhibit explores the traditions and daily lives of island watermen, past and present. The mission of...read more
Historic Sites in Ocracoke
Portsmouth Island, just across the inlet from Ocracoke Island, is an enchanting place to visit. This uninhabited island is rugged and remote, one of the last Atlantic coast islands that is free of development, thanks to its status as part of the Cape Lookout National Seashore. There is much to do on this island, all of it free and simple, filled with history and the...read more
Historic Sites in Ocracoke
Springer’s Point covers about 120 acres of maritime forest, tidal red cedar forest, salt marsh, wet grasslands and soundfront beach bordering Pamlico Sound near South Point. In 2002 after 10 years of research and negotiation, the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust purchased a 31-acre tract of this land and established a nature preserve. A high point of land overlooking the inlet, Springer’s is believed to...read more
