Explore / North America / North Carolina
North Carolina
Portsmouth Outer Banks lightering port
Ghost town Documented siteProhibited, look only
What you could find
Reported finds from this ground.
Coins and tokens
Buttons and buckles
Nails and fittingsAlso reported: large cents, fishing gear.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service, Amy Downes, (CC BY-SA 2.0), Unknown (Public domain), North Lincolnshire Museum, Martin Foreman, (CC BY 2.0).
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Why this spot
1753-1971 lightering port and fishing village
Chartered in 1753 to transfer cargo from ocean ships to shallow sound boats at Ocracoke Inlet, Portsmouth peaked at 685 people in 1860. New inlets in 1846, shoaling, Civil War flight, hurricanes and the 1937 closing of the life-saving station drained it, and it was abandoned in 1971.View source →
Before you go
Hazards noted for this site.
boat access only, mosquitoes, storms
Keep exploring nearby
More spots in this area.