The
Ocracoke Preservation Society is a non-profit, community-based organization
dedicated to the preservation of Ocracoke Island’s rich historical and
cultural heritage.
Founded in 1983,
OPS has maintained a free admission museum at the century-old David Williams House
since 1992. This traditional two-story house was built around the year 1900. Its
owner, David Williams, was the first Chief of the U.S. Coast Guard station on
Ocracoke. The house is a contributing structure in the Ocracoke Historic District.
In 1989, it was moved to its present location on National Park Service property to
prevent its demolition and was subsequently restored.
We first
opened our doors to the public in June of 1992. The ground floor rooms have been
converted to serve as our museum, and the second floor contains a research
library and administrative offices. The house and surrounding Ocracoke Historic
District property are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Our
Volunteers
The Ocracoke
Preservation Society Museum is grateful to the many people who volunteer their
time and services as well as those who loan or donate items to the museum. These
contributions make the David Williams House a wonderful place to visit. Our
sincere thanks to you all!
How You Can
Help
As with any
historical museum, we are always interested in expanding our collection of
artifacts. If you have photographs, documents or items from Ocracoke’s
past that you would be willing to share, please contact
us.
We are
always looking for new and returning volunteers at OPS. Whether it be in the
Gift Shop, helping with collections, special projects or special events, please
inquire directly at the OPS Museum or contact us if you would like to become a
more active member of the community striving to preserve Ocracoke.
Mission
Statement
The Ocracoke
Preservation Society was incorporated as a non-profit group existing under the
laws and regulations of the state of North Carolina and dedicated to:
a)
Encouraging, assisting, advising, and participating in the identification,
preservation, and restoration of significant structures, buildings, districts,
objects of local interest, historic charm, distinctive character and natural
endowments of Ocracoke Island:
b)
Facilitating and encouraging public participation in preservation programs and
activities;
c)
Cooperating with other agencies, organizations, and individuals, public and
private, including the extension of such technical and financial assistance as
may be available;
d)
Purchasing, accepting, holding, and administering gifts of money, securities or
other property of whatsoever character for the purpose of carrying out its
program;
e) Carrying
out any other function related to its overall purposes not otherwise
inconsistent with the law.
Policy of OPS
Executive Committee Regarding Restricted
Funds
Ocracoke
Preservation Society welcomes donations, and thanks all friends of Ocracoke and
the Society who so graciously contribute money, documents, photos and artifacts
for the preservation of island history and culture. We strive always to be good
stewards of all donations.The majority of monetary donations are unrestricted.
Ocracoke Preservation Society uses these funds at the discretion of the
Executive Committee with input from various special committees.
A portion of
donations made to the Society are restricted. Special accounts may be set up by
the Executive Committee for specific projects (e.g. to restore an historic boat,
to digitize photos and documents, or to fund educational events). Sometimes
these projects are initiated by the Executive Committee. At other times members
of the Society or friends of the island may offer to donate money or artifacts
for a project of the donor’s choosing. In this case, prior to accepting the
donation, the Executive Committee (with advice from relevant committees) will
decide if the project both promotes the mission of the Ocracoke Preservation
Society and can be implemented adequately.
Once a
restricted fund is established, money in that account will be used only for the
express purpose for which it is designated. In the unlikely event that
restricted funds are remaining after the completion of a project or the project
is incapable of completion, as determined by the Executive Committee after
receiving a recommendation from the relevant OPS Committee, every effort will be
made to contact the donors to determine their wishes for the redistribution or
return of their contributions. If the donors cannot be reached after a
reasonable period of time, the Executive Committee, after receiving a
recommendation from the relevant OPS Committee, will make a determination for
the redistribution of remaining funds.
Funds
General
Fund
Do you enjoy all our
Facebook posts? Do you want to keep learning about Ocracoke history and see new
exhibits when you come to the museum? This is the fund that keeps our doors
open, the programs happening and our posts updated. Money from this fund can be
used to help any of the other funds achieve their goals too.
Building Fund: This year we
need our railings replaced and our museum washed. One year we needed a new roof.
Over time, the building needs upkeep and this fund was created specifically for
maintaining, with historical accuracy, the integrity of this lovely old island
home.
Collections
Management
How do we come up with the
amazing old island photos we’ve been posting? Generous folks share their
collections with us, we scan them on hi-tech equipment, label them according to
donor, and research their origins and subjects. We also have an extensive
collection of household artifacts that require storing, labeling and research.
All this requires people power and funds to keep things organized, displayed,
and researched.
Historic
District
Maintaining a data base of
the historic homes on the island is a challenging job. Over the years, houses
change ownership and even location. In order to be able to help prospective
house preservationists, we need to keep an accurate list of what houses still
exist in the historic district and which ones are eligible for the valuable
historic district tax credits.
Historic
Preservation Projects
This fund started with a
vision and a generous endowment from the David and Jerry Beveridge estate. This
fund gives us at least a starting point to save historic structures that are at
risk of being lost. Our goal is to keep historically significant structures in
the historic district from being changed beyond recognition or destroyed. Our
first project with the money from this fund is the Simon & Emma O’Neal House
at 458 Lighthouse Road.
Land
Trust
Sometimes it’s not just
structures that we need to preserve. Occasionally donors give us land to take
care of. Sometimes we keep that land for public use (Robbie’s Way) and sometimes
we use that last in conjunction with other like-minded organizations to further
the access and appreciation of greater island areas. With the Lampe Tract, we
are working with the NC Coastal Land Trust in conjunction with the Ocracoke
Youth Center and the NPS in order for a walking trail to be built and accessible
to the general public.
Outdoor
Exhibits
Occasionally we receive
gifts that are simply too big to be displayed in the museum, so we set up an
area for outdoor exhibits. One example is the large brick and concrete cistern
off the back porch. Not only do we have to get the donations to the property, we
have to prepare the location for display and we have to maintain the artifacts
as they age and weather. We also have a large restored boat, the Blanche, that
needs continual painting and basic upkeep. Hopefully in the future we can add
another boat to our fleet that kids (and adults) will be allowed to climb in and
learn from.
Springers’
Point
Though we don’t actually
own this section of land, we do work with the NC Coastal Land Trust to keep
funds flowing into this historically significant area.
Visual
Arts
Occasionally we work with
an artist who features a limited time exhibit in our museum. The subject of the
work is usually either focused on Ocracoke or Portsmouth Island life. In order
to afford these special exhibits, we need funds to help offset the costs
incurred by the artists setting up these exhibits. In 2017 we will have an
exhibit of local Ocracoke Artists and their work in the Parlor Room.
