OPS Porch Talks are Free, Fun, and Informative!
OPS Porch Talks are free and everyone is welcome!
Today at 11:00am, NPS Ranger Dave Frum will be doing one of the things he loves most in this world: talking about “Life on Portsmouth Island.”
Portsmouth was established in 1753. Within twenty years, it was one of the largest villages on the Outer Banks and a major seafaring port for the colony of North Carolina. Nearly two hundred years later, the last residents left Portsmouth Island, and it became part of the Cape Lookout National Seashore. Dave has worked on Portsmouth for over twenty years, and knows its history well. He’ll be sharing stories of the people who made their home on the island many years ago.
On Thursday at 11:00am, local historian and popular blogger Philip Howard will present a Porch Talk on the U.S. Lifesaving Service, one of his favorite topics.
The U.S. Lifesaving Service was established in 1848 and morphed into the U.S. Coast Guard in 1915. In between, there’s quite a story to be told.
“This is a part of our history that seems to have been forgotten,” Philip says, “And it needs to be remembered. The bravery of those men was phenomenal and we need to be reminded about what they did.”
Philip will share stories of some of the Lifesaving Service’s most amazing rescues along the Outer Banks.
OPS Administrator DeAnna Locke says that the Porch Talks each year are one of her favorite parts of her job.
“I learn so much from them,” she said. “Even if I’ve seen a particular Porch talk before, I learn something new every time."
This week’s porch talks are part of a long tradition of informal and informative gatherings at OPS to celebrate Ocracoke’s history and culture.
The Museum opened its doors for the first time in the summer of 1991. It was only open part-time back then, but it hosted the first Porch Talks with book signings by local authors and a presentation on Ocracoke seashells. Early Porch Talk volunteers included the director of the Elizabeth II project at Roanoke Island, a hurricane specialist, members of the US Coast Guard and staff from the Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station. Local Porch Talk volunteers were Larry Williams, who told stories about old Ocracoke and James Barrie Gaskill and Rex O’Neal, who gave presentations on commercial fishing.
Even before the Museum was a reality, OPS provided heritage exhibits and demonstrations. In July 1983, OPS hosted Ocracoke History Days, a three-day long exhibit held at the Berkley Center over Independence Day weekend. Over 900 people visited History Days, which included displays on the Coast Guard’s role on Ocracoke, shipwrecks and ship models, fishing and hunting, hurricanes and weather, quilting and other needlecrafts, WWI and WWII on the island, Ocracoke map, deeds and wills, island livestock (including the Wild Ponies), and antiques. There were also lectures and slideshows about Ocracoke’s olden days.
The History Days event was so successful that OPS offered it again 1984. This time, hoping for some cooler weather, they scheduled it for October. In spite of the off-season timing and the presence of Hurricane Josephine offshore stirring up the wind and surf, over 500 people attended. New exhibits at the 1984 History Days included Ocracoke seashells, National Park Service, and showing old home movies.
Museum visitors will recognize the History Days displays as laying the groundwork for what would become the Museum’s permanent exhibits, and many of the topics from those days are still presented in their Porch Talks.
Over the years, the Porch Talks (which are sometimes more accurately called “back yard talks”) have become much-anticipated and well-attended events for visitors and residents alike. Their focus has ranged from books signings (local and off-island authors) to entertainment (storytelling and music and the Rumgagger) to nostalgia (Mounted Boy Scouts) to wild Ocracoke (shelling, birdwatching, ponies) to conservation and preservation efforts (NC Coastwatch; saving the Fish House) with liberal doses of history and culture (Portsmouth, WWII, British Cemetery, figs, quilts, square dancing.)
Donald Davis, a world-famous storyteller who makes his home on Ocracoke, offers two weeklong storytelling workshops on the island each year. His students got some practice telling stories to an audience at Porch Talks over the past few weeks. These storytelling workshops have become some of the most popular talks, bringing good-sized crowds every time.
DeAnna is working on another great schedule of Porch Talks for this summer, and there’s something for everyone:
(All programs begin at 11:00 a.m.)
Tuesday, July 3rd – "Museum Tour" with Al Scarborough
Thursday, July 5th –“The Rumgagger” with Capt. Rob Temple and Fiddler Dave Tweedie
Tuesday, July 10th – James E. White, III will be talking to us about Portsmouth Island and signing his books, Portsmouth Island: A Walk in the Past and Paradise Lost An Oral History of Portsmouth Island
Thursday, July 12th – “Oysters on Ocracoke” with Gene Ballance
Tuesday, July 17th – Book signing by John Amrhein, Jr. author of Treasure Island:The Untold Story
Thursday, July 19th – “Ocracokers” with Alton Ballance
Tuesday, July 24th –“The Ocracoke Brogue” with Walt Wolfram
Thursday, July 26th – “Ocracoke Figs” with Chester Lynn
Tuesday, July 31st – “The Mailboat Aleta” with Chester Lynn
Thursday, August 2nd – “Birds of the Ferry” with Elizabeth Hanrahan
Tuesday, August 7th – “Life on Portsmouth” with David Frum
Tuesday, August 14th – "Ocracoke Shells" with Julie Howard
Check the Ocracoke Current calendar for additions or changes to the Porch Talk schedule or call the Museum at 928–7375 or click here.
The OPS Museum is open Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
