Portsmouth: The Way It Was

OBX ‘Ghost Village’ Classic Re-Published in Enhanced Edition

The late Ellen Fulcher Cloud’s Outer Banks classic, Portsmouth: The Way It Was, first republished in an enhanced hardcover edition by Beach Glass Books, now is available in paperback, as well.

A small, now uninhabited island southwest of Ocracoke, Portsmouth Island was once a thriving seaport serving the North Carolina coast. In the award-winning Portsmouth, first published in 1996, Ellen Fulcher Cloud recreates the island’s early history based on previously undocumented information: records of storms, wars, and Federal occupation during the Civil War, along with numerous personal letters and photographs. Here, too, are the stories of America’s first marine hospital, established on Portsmouth in 1820; of Dr. Samuel Dudley, the wealthy physician later in charge; and of John Wallace, the businessman “Governor of Shell Castle.” We meet the brave members of the Life-Saving Service, the island’s one Black family, and Mrs. Mattie Gilgo, whose daylong interview describes Portsmouth life a century ago. We go inside the island’s mail service and village school – and learn why this flourishing village emptied out after two centuries of existence.

Portsmouth: The Way It Was, which includes a new foreword by award-winning coastal author Ray McAllister, is available in both hardcover and now paperback. This enhanced 2nd Edition includes more pages and photographs, and enhanced photo reproduction. It should find its way onto the shelf of any Outer Banks lover.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ellen Fulcher Cloud is the author of three books, including Ocracoke Lighthouse and Old Salt, which have been republished in a combined edition. A native of Ocracoke Island, she was a local historian, preservationist and genealogist, as well as an accomplished sketch artist. Ms. Cloud, who was involved in the early phases of the Portsmouth republishing project, passed away in December 2016. The book was completed with the assistance of her daughters.