Salter-Battle Hunting and Fishing Lodge
Also known as: Portsmouth Hunting and Fishing Club
Why it's listed
Built around 1945 on Sheep Island in Pamlico Sound, the Outer Banks lodge is a simple one-story frame building set on concrete piers, with a screened porch added by the Battle family after 1948. The Salter family relocated the building from a military installation at Atlantic and rebuilt it on the island as a replacement for an earlier lodge that a 1938 hurricane partly destroyed. Local men and women of the Salter family used it for commercial waterfowl hunting and guiding, and members of the Portsmouth Hunting and Fishing Club later shared it on weekends. The lodge is important for its association with the waterfowl hunting and fishing culture of Carteret County, which flourished from about 1870 to 1950. It is regarded as one of the few surviving historic hunting lodges on the northern Core Banks. A nearby cemetery holds the graves of John Wallace, a former governor of Shell Castle Island, and his wife, Rebecca.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the lodge is significant for its association with the recreational waterfowl hunting and fishing tradition along the Core Banks from about 1870 through the 1950s. It is presented as one of the few remaining historic lodges on the northern Core Banks islands and as a continuing example of the hunting lodge's shelter function. The period of significance extends to the late 1950s to include a contributing outbuilding built c. 1957.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 05000381, listed May 5, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Sheep Island, Ocracoke |
|---|---|
| County | Carteret County |
| Listed | May 5, 2005 |
| Reference number | 05000381 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1945-1957 |
| Architect / builder | Salter, John Wallace, builder |
| Architectural style | Bungalow/Craftsman |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Entertainment/Recreation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used seasonally as a retreat by the Battle family under a lease with the National Park Service; the building remains in use. |
| Acreage | 8 |
| Coordinates | 35.05807, -76.07977 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 05000381.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18157662
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.