The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1953-11-06

The settlers ON the island were
English, and through the CEN
turtles the population has re-
manned about as typically Old
English as you'll find, quiet, con-
sentative people, who still speak
with an Elizabethan flavor.
Old World Air
Undoubtedly, there's an old
world air about Portsmouth,; with
the cottages scattered among the
island growth after the way IN
England. And the winding paths,
with narrow, wooden bridges
across the cuts, the winding,
| grassy paths, hedged with yau-
pom and myrtle, make you feel
that you walk the paths of an old
English village.
Ships bringing colonists and
goods to Portsmouth sailed away
with cargoes of tar, pitch, turpen-
tine and lumber. Great, gray
stones, that served as ballast on
these merchantmen, may still be
seen off Portsmouth where they
were unloaded to make room for
heavy cargoes from the colonies.
Large warehouses were built
off shore for handling incoming
and outgoing cargoes. Among
these warehouses was famous
Shell Castle, built in the early
| zoos on a base of shell rock,
where John Gray Blount, merch-
ant prince, owned and operated
a big storage business. Governor
Wallace (the title of Governor
was honorary lived in Shell
Castle and presided over the
valuable shipments that passed
through the warehouse. The cap
tain of a Spanish ship once Of
fered to cover Shell Castle with
Spanish doubloons, but Blount
refused to sell at any price. A
pitcher in the Blount collection
in the Hall of History in Raleigh
bears a sketch of Shell Castle
The building was abandoned
shortly after 1890 and later de.
stroyed by the elements.
On Shipping Route.
Portsmouth was on the trian.
gular shipping route which in
Guided sailings from New Eng
land to Caribbean ports, to South
ern ports. The Carolina island
port increased in Importance, it:
population grew, and the street:
of the village were filled with
sailors, merchants, and othel
citizens of the shipping world.
By 1855 Portsmouth was 81
busting with traffic of one kline
and another that certain Thorn
as Bragg applied for license t.
open his home in Portsmouth tt
entertain travellers and others.
The attractions of Portsmouth
| spread through the Carolinas
| According to "a Guide to the Oh
North State" the place became
the resort of rich planters.
In 1910 a postoffice was estab
lished in Portsmouth. This wa
the second postoffice in Cartere
County, Beaufort being the first
The census of 1850 gave tn
busy Portsmouth District" resi-
dents varied occupations, mostl.
nautical, including mariners, fish
ermen, pilots, boatmen, carpen
tiers, only two farmers. Amonl
those listed were:
Joshua Taylor, fifty-one year
old, collector;
Robert Whitehurst, twenty
three, teacher;
John Rumley, thirty-five, mer
chant.
The government established
hospital at Portsmouth; and Will
lam Cramer, twenty-seven, ant
Samuel Dudley, sixty, born il
New York, were listed as physi
clans presumably with the hos
pitaD in the census of 1850. TIL
hospital was chiefly a marin
institution at that period, sine
Portsmouth was still predomi
nantly port town.
Port Town
Tom Bragg, who has spent hi
seventy-five years in Portsmouth
says his mother recalled as
young girl counting one hundre'
and fifteen sailing vessels il
Portsmouth harbor one mornin
and watching the lighters carry
ing goods to and from the grea
warehouses.
In due time the Civil Wa
descended upon Portsmouth. DC
cracoke, across the inlet, fell
Fort Granville, built at Ports
mouth in 1853, was fired by tn
Confederates. The Yank e
swarmed over Portsmouth, tool
possession of the hospital, provi
sions, cattle and everything else
Old timers today tell that al
| r,or+ry,o,,+b residents loft fha ic