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Before Portsmouth became a place to visit, it was a place to call home. Families with names including Babb, Dixon, Gilgo, Pigott, Roberts, Salter, and Styron raised children, worked the surrounding waters, and rebuilt after storms. Today, the village’s quiet lanes, preserved houses, and little Methodist church offer a glimpse into their lives, and a chance to discover connections that may still reach into our own families.
Photo credit: Charles A. Farrell Photo Collection, State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh. Salter Path, circa 1935-1940.
Salter Path’s Remarkable History: The Court Case That Helped Shape a Community
Long before beach houses and condos lined Bogue Banks, Salter Path was a small fishing community where families built homes, raised children and made their living from the water - even though many of them did not legally own the land beneath their feet. Then, in 1923, a dispute involving wandering cows helped set off a court case that would shape the community for generations.
Historic image courtesy of the Town of Atlantic Beach archive. Promotional poster, c. 1928-1929. Public domain.
When Atlantic Beach Had a Pagoda Casino
A Pagoda Casino. A seaside Midway. A brand-new bridge carrying motorists onto Bogue Banks. Atlantic Beach looked very different in 1928, and the story of that first resort is one of the most fascinating chapters in Carteret County history.
Photo: Menhaden fishermen working a purse seine near Beaufort, North Carolina, June 1968. Bob Williams, courtesy of NOAA.
When the Waterfront Smelled Like Money: Remembering the Shad Boats, Fish Factories and Families That Helped Build Carteret County
Ask someone who grew up around Morehead City or Beaufort about the old fish factories, and there is a good chance the memory will begin with the smell.
When the wind carried it across town, there was no mistaking it. Millions of small, oily fish were being cooked, pressed and processed along the waterfront.
Visitors sometimes complained. Local people knew it meant something else.
The boats were catching. The factories were running. Men and women were working. Paychecks were coming home.
It was the smell of money.
Devine Guthrie, Diamond City boatbuilder, whaler and preacher, circa 1880s–1890s. Guthrie family photo. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Long before Shackleford Banks became known for its wild horses and untouched shoreline, it was home to a thriving community called Diamond City. Discover how its fishermen, whalers, boatbuilders and families survived the storms, moved their homes across the water and carried their remarkable coastal heritage into communities throughout Carteret County.
Captain Styron’s Olde Fish House stands along Taylor’s Creek as a treasured reminder of Beaufort’s working-waterfront heritage.
Photo courtesy of Eric L. Russ
Along the edge of Taylor’s Creek stands one of Beaufort’s most beloved landmarks, Captain Styron’s Olde Fish House. Behind its weathered boards is the story of a local fishing family, a disappearing way of life and one daughter’s determination to preserve an important piece of Beaufort’s working-waterfront history. Read the story behind this treasured Crystal Coast landmark.