'Tis a Gift to be Simple
Follow the luminaries that will lead you from the Emma and Simon O'Neal (c. 1900) house to the Fleig house (c. 1950), both of which will be open to the public on Saturday, December 5, from 3–5pm, for the annual Ocracoke Preservation Society's Historic Homes Tour. Both homes are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
OPS director Amy Howard and her staff decided to simplify this fun holiday tradition for 2015, and select just two homes for the event. The good news is that it's FREE (although donations to OPS will be happily accepted), and the even better news is that there will be festive food and drink – hors d'oeuvres and wine – at both locations. These homes will be decked out in their Christmas finery, and their doors thrown open for guests to enjoy old-fashioned village hospitality and to satisfy their curiosity. (Everyone wants to see inside!)
"We wanted the event to be simple and focus on the two houses that we want to highlight this year," Amy said. "It will be a fun Open House atmosphere."
The Emma and Simon O'Neal house, located across from the Assembly of God Church at 458 Lighthouse Road is a classic story-and-a-jump, built for fisherman Simon O'Neal near the time of his marriage to Emma Styron. In 2009, OPS purchased the house with money from the David and Geraldine Beveridge estate designated to help preserve an island structure. Five years later, OPS sold the house (complete with conservation easements) to new owners Will Purvis and Jamie McGaskill, who undertook the renovation project. This year, the historic restoration was complete, the house was habitable again, and entered the rental market with Blue Heron Realty. OPS will use the proceeds from this sale to purchase another historic property and continue preservation efforts.
"We are very please with what happened with the Simon and Emma O'Neal property," said OPS president Philip Howard at the organization's fall membership meeting. "It was rehabilitated to North Carolina historic standards and it's beautiful." OPS recognized and gave special thanks to Will and Jamie for their work in saving this old island home.
At the OPS fall membership meeting, president Philip Howard presented the Historic Preservation Award to the owners, Wayne and Trudy Clark. The award, which was established in 1989, is given annually to homeowners of a "contributing structure" (a building that makes Ocracoke's National Historic District historic) who have maintained or restored historic features to the house. In the past year, Wayne and Trudy completed an historic renovation to the Fleig House (which they call Light Keeper's Duck Cottage) with the services of contractor Tom Pahl and his crew.
"What a pleasure it was to work with Wayne and Trudy on this project," Tom said. "Historic renovation is a team effort."
Tom said it was a different kind of job for him as a contractor who specializes in historic renovation. "It was a bit of a jump for me to do a house from the 50's because I usually worker with older houses," he said. "But the beauty of the Department of the Interior specs is that they are flexible and allowed us to end up with a good project. There was historic character in that house that we didn't even know existed."
In accepting the award, Wayne remarked that "We started with a small project, which became a big project!" He also mentioned that the feeling was mutual with Tom, and that he and Trudy were happy to have Tom's input on all the decisions that needed to be made.
OPS is excited to welcome friends and neighbors into these two beautifully-restored island homes. All are invited to stop by between 3–5pm on December 5th for a cup of good cheer and a peek into the past.
Parking for the event is available at Ocracoke Assembly of God Church and Corkey's Store.
And the fun doesn't end there! On Tuesday, December 8th, the OPS Museum will host their annual Wassail Party and Community Christmas Tree Lighting from 5–7pm. Live holiday music, oodles of cookies, and more good cheer! They'll also draw the winning quilt raffle ticket that night, so it's not too late to buy yours!
The OPS Museum and Gift Shop will close for the season after the Wassail Party. Until then, hours are Monday-Friday 11 – 4, and Saturday 11 – 3.
