GINA demonstrates to visitors how farm people cleanedtheir hands before running water: by keeping wooden containers outside and washing their hands in them.

  JOHN demonstrates a wooden vise, known as a shaving horse, at the 1850’s Island Farm , administered by Outer Banks Conservations. The farm is complete with demonstrators such as John and many of the buildings and activities you would find on a farm 160 years ago.

  THE ETHERIDGE HOMEPLACE, built about 1847 housed generations of the family as they farmed the acreage they leased and eventually bought on the north end of Roanoke Island. The farm can be found by turning at the signjust south of Etheridge Rd. (also known as Cloth Barn Road).

  THE TABLE in the Etheridge house is ready to be set for a sumptuous farm meal.

 GINA SHOWS off Island Farm’s three-hole outhouse, a relative large one for its time.

  TIFFANY DEMONSTRATES a farm ”appliance” in the kitchen at Island Farm. The big fireplace has glowing coals ready to heat a pan to make fried cornbread. The three-legged pan was not placed directly over the fire; rather, it was placed near it and the food was cooked with that indirect heat. She was also cooking a pan of figs for preserves in the fireplace.

  GINA stands in front of a loom that would have weaved the household goods in the 1850’s. She is holding a skein of wool that would have been taken from sheep raised on Island Farm. The loom is located in the farmhouse.

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  TIFFANY demonstrates a ”toaster” in the kitchen of Island Farm.

  A TYPICAL BEDROOM of the 1850s would have included a corn shuck or feather bead and might have slept a mother and several children. There were few closets because people of that time did not have many clothes

  A trip to Island Farm

On the north end of Roanoke Island is a farm that has existed there since the first Adam Etheridge leased 1,500 acres to range his livestock. In 1783, his son bought 150 acres of this land and established a farm which ”forms the core” of Island Farm.

  A true history demonstration, the farm has a farm house, which has just recently been vacated. The house has two parlors, a servants chamber, travelers chamber and two other bedchambers. It also has a slave cabin with furnishings that would have been typical of the day, an outhouse, cookhouse, smokehouse and dairy building. A barn and chicken coop, cow barn, blacksmith shop and woodshed complete the picture. A windmill is to be constructed across from the farm.

  Island Farm has chickens, a cow and a horse with feeding and grazing room for all. Raised here are corn for feed, figs, okra, gourds and more, which will supply the farm with some of the food needed for the animals and demonstrations.

  The family counts its lineage on Roanoke Island’s north end to 1757, and eleven generations have lived there.

  The farm is administered by Outer Banks conservationists Inc. Admission is $5 which helps support the farm.

  CHICAMACOMICO LIFE-SAVING STATION Historic Site and Museum boasted the tri-village’s July 4 celebrations which were sponsored by Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Civic Association. About 150 folks -a balanced blend of locals and visitors – enjoyed the various festivities. After the traditional patriotic sing-alongs and the impressive reading of the Declaration of Independence in its entirety, the crowd was treated to the modern music of the U.S. Army’s TRADOC Rock Band from fort Monroe, Va. The final treat, of course, was watermelon served up by the RWS Civic Association. (CLSS photo)

  IN THE BOAT ROOM of the Portsmouth Island Life-Saving Station with a volunteer from the Cape Lookout National Seashore after outfitting their new beach cart are helpers BM1 Rob Shay, Coast Guard Station Hatteras Inlet; Linda Molloy, Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station (CLSS) staff; BM3 Joe Habel, Station Hatteras Inlet; James Charlet, CLSS staff; and Mike Daughtery, currently president, Chicamacomico Historical Association and former drill team member.

Life-saving stations meet

  Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station personnel were happy to venture over to Portsmouth Island recently to outfit the new reproduction beach cart their station just received. The 1894 Portsmouth Island Life-Saving Station completed restoration in 2008 and has since been undergoing the development of displays, exhibits, and in this case, of period-accurate equipment. Friends of Portsmouth Island hold a reunion every two years and it is open to the public (see www.friendsofportsmouthisland.org).

  The Friends, in conjunction with the National Park Service, Cape Lookout National Seashore, plan to have the Chicamacomico Drill Team do the full Beach Apparatus Drill (aka Breeches Buoy Re-enactment) from time to time during events. Currently, U.S. Coast Guard teams from Motor Life Boat Stations Hatteras Inlet and Oregon Inlet perform this full drill at Chicamacomico every Thursday at 2 p.m. during June, July and August. It is the only place anywhere that the full drill is regularly performed. The Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station Historic Site & Museum is located in the village of Rodanthe on Hatteras Island which is actually two islands north of Portsmouth Island, but in their day, it was common for neighboring stations, or even ones in the same area, to assist one another. so the tradition continues, just stretched a bit.

  Chicamacomico Life-Saving station Historic Site is one of the many sites on the Historic Albemarle tour as well as the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway, part of America’s Scenic Byways Program. For more information about this particularly interesting site and its exciting activities and offerings, visit www.chicamacomico.net, email clss@embarqmail.com or call 252-987-1552.  (From Chicamacomico Life-saving Station)