There were dozens of individuals and organizations to thank at a May 18 dedication ceremony for Ocracoke’s Island Commons, a vibrant new park and attraction that has sprung to life over the past two years.
Stemming from a years-long project to restore the 1901 Island Inn, the expansive grounds that are sandwiched between N.C. Highway 12 and the Island Inn used to be barren, with patches of sand and grass that were unremarkable and ignored.
That all changed when force of nature Debbie Wells volunteered to launch a massive landscaping project in the spring of 2023, creating a complex design plan that seemed too elaborately good to be true.
But that initial illustration that was shared at a March 2023 open house has been actualized, alongside concurrent projects which include new public restaurants, a community storage shed, parking areas, and the first stages of the restoration of the inn itself.
These waves of progress at the Island Commons were celebrated in full on Sunday afternoon, where attendees gathered at the outdoor benches that bordered the site’s newest additions – the towering pergolas and the native fig garden.
The first phase of the Island Commons, which is the highway-facing gardens, wrapped up in early 2024, but it was the next stage of the project – creating the event space close to the Inn – that proved to be more challenging in both labor and expenses.
This phase required the construction of the pergolas and pathways, the installation of 19 local fig trees, and a constant eye on the details to make an enticing space for private and community events.
Ray Stotesberry and crewmember Harry Clark, alongside longtime Island Inn & Commons contributor Raul Campos and his team, set the first pergola pilings in the ground in the summer of 2024, and thanks to the above-and-beyond contributions of a handful of donors, the new space took just months to complete.
“In 2024, the challenge for the gardens was big,” said Debbie Wells at Sunday’s ceremony to honor these donors. “We wanted to build a structure to serve as a focal point for the space, move the fig garden to a more central location, and create an event space that could be used by the [Ocracoke Preservation Society], individuals, and other organizations.
“We knew it was going to be a huge undertaking. The people honored here today came together and offered the valuable assistance needed to make it happen, with leadership, financial support, advice, and counsel.”
Thanks to Greg and Eden Honeycutt, and Tommy Hutcherson and his family, the Island Commons crew was able to build the Honeycutt Hutcherson Pergola, a striking structure designed by Garick Kalna.
“The pergola anchors the entire garden with a dramatic presence,” said Wells. “Offering shade, seating, and beauty, it is the crucial link, the connection, which makes the whole thing work. So, it is fitting that the Honeycutts and the Hutchersons – two families so central to Ocracoke life – made this particular project possible.”
Another recent addition is Pokey’s Fig Garden, which came to fruition because of the generosity of the Towers family. The Towers, who flew in from Florida for the May 18 celebration, have deep roots in the community that began with the four siblings’ mother, Jean, who was affectionately known in local circles as “Pokey.”
Now grown up with decades of Ocracoke Island memories, the four siblings – Betsy, John, Bill, and Agnes – contributed to the Island Commons in their mother’s honor.
“Her children stated the one thing they would want you to know about Pokey is her quiet, loving, and self-effacing nature,” said Wells. “She would never imagine a garden being established in her name.”
The last Island Commons contributor to be honored was Ocracoke’s resident “Fig Ambassador,” Chester Lynn, who donated and nurtured all of the trees that now comprise the new fig garden.
“A life-long resident of Ocracoke and descended from original Portsmouth settlers, Chester is known on and off the island as a plantsman, historian, and advocate for all things Ocracoke,” said Wells. “He even ran the Island Inn for many years!”
Wells had an additional and very long list of folks to thank on Sunday, from landscapers Kathy Koss and her team at Southern Rain, to the behind-the-scenes volunteers who staffed fundraising bake sales and events.
“Clearly, the Ocracoke community far and wide supports the vision of a public green space in the heart of our village,” said Wells. “If there is one thing my experience with the Commons has revealed, it is how important this island is to so many people, both on and off the island. If you love Ocracoke, it settles deep inside of you. This garden is a physical manifestation of the love so many people have for this community.”
As Ocracoke Preservation Society (OPS) President Ken DeBarth noted in his opening remarks, however, none of the volunteers, donors, and countless other people who contributed to the Island Commons’ success would have come together if it wasn’t for Debbie Wells.
The OPS purchased the property in 2018 after multiple islanders approached the nonprofit organization and asked for help in saving the site. After the complex purchase was completed, the OPS faced a long and difficult road ahead to find the funds and labor to transform the deteriorating building and the surrounding landscape.
“I’ve been involved since the beginning of the project, and I had envisioned the space around the restored building sort of like a golf course – just a big flat green. Fortunately, it has not turned out that way,” said DeBarth. “My daddy told me, ‘delegate the work to good people, and get out of their way.’ [That’s] Debbie Wells.”
How you can help the OPS and the Island Inn project
In 2024, the OPS created personalized bricks as a fundraising initiative, (which were recently added to the Island Commons’ walkways), and in just a few weeks, all 357 bricks were sold.
Due to the fundraiser’s popularity, roughly 525 additional personalized bricks are now available for sale, which will create the walkways that lead to the Island Inn’s front porch. Bricks can be purchased and personalized online, and will also soon be available locally on Ocracoke Island
Donations are always accepted for the ongoing Island Inn and Island Commons projects, and can be made via the OPS website.
More information on the OPS, which includes a link to the online gift shop, can be found at https://www.ocracokepreservationsociety.org/shop.
