Abandoned Record
About Portsmouth
Portsmouth was a fishing and shipping village located on Portsmouth Island on the Core Banks in North Carolina, United States. Portsmouth Island is a tidal island connected, under most conditions, to the northern end of the North Core Banks, across Ocracoke Inlet from the village of Ocracoke.
This is a site record: what public sources say about Portsmouth, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.
Map
Where Portsmouth is
Historic maps
5 historic USGS maps cover Portsmouth
Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.
- 1948 Portsmouth sheet, 1:24,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1950 Portsmouth sheet, 1:24,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1953 Rocky Mount sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1954 Rocky Mount sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1985 Bayboro sheet, 1:100,000 · GeoTIFF download
Directions
Getting there
Before you go
- Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
- Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
- Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.
Nearby
Other sites near Portsmouth
Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our North Carolina index.
- Diamond City39.9 mi SW · Carteret
Sources
Sources
- ghosttowns.com, "Portsmouth": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
- Wikipedia, "Portsmouth, North Carolina": coordinates and summary.
- Wikidata Q7232418.
- USGS GNIS 1002761.
- USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).