PORTSMOUTH

The Outer Banks classic, Portsmouth: The Way It Was, by the late Ellen Fulcher Cloud, long almost impossible to find, has been republished in an enhanced edition by Beach Glass Books.

The award-winning work tells the true story of "the ghost village of the Outer Banks."

A small, now uninhabited island southwest of Ocracoke, Portsmouth Island was once a thriving seaport serving the North Carolina coast. In Portsmouth: The Way It Was, 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, also includes more pages and photographs, along with enhanced photo reproduction. A keepsake hardcover binding is available.

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