Island Farm

06/02/2026

We are hosting TWO special activities this Saturday, June 6! 🐑⚒️

From 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. we invite visitors to stop by for our “Meet the Sheep” program to meet our heritage-breed sheep and listen to a sheep story read by our historic interpreters.

Chat with interpreters about how the Etheridge family used these wonderful animals on their farm – and how we steward the Hog Island breed today.

Additionally, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. stop by the Blacksmith shop to make your own mini-swords! Test your mettle, and see if you can take the heat in the forge. 🔥

All activities are included with admission. Activities are weather dependent and subject to change. 🌦️

06/01/2026

Jo Anne Mathus, one of our longstanding volunteers, has been awarded a 2026 North Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Service award!

On Monday, May 4, the 2026 North Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards were presented to five individuals during the Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting. Jo Anne received the award through her dedication to preserving the culture and history of Roanoke Island and Dare County through her work at Island Farm.

Jo Anne works closely with Island Farm’s livestock staff to care for the site’s heritage breed sheep. The flock members serve as ambassadors for the Hog Island breed, to the history of the Mid-Atlantic states in the Antebellum period, and help connect Island Farm visitors to the agricultural practices of the Outer Banks’ early settlers.

From her nomination, “Jo Anne’s initiative and the level of responsibilities she carries put her in a class all her own.” We appreciate Jo Anne’s spirit, dedication, and enthusiasm immeasurably. Way to go, Jo Anne! 💕🌸

05/20/2026

🐑🌿 Fiber Day at Island Farm was a success! Visitors enjoyed a full day of fiber arts, from fleece to finished thread.

Wool was washed, carded, and spun, and one of the Farm's lambs was happy to make new friends along the way. 🐑 Flax was broken on a wooden brake, combed, and spun — a process largely forgotten today but essential to 19th-century life.

One of our favorite highlights? Natural dyeing using marigolds grown right here at the farm AND lichen harvested from a tree we had removed on the property — dried for six months and yielding a stunning deep red. Nature's own color palette. 🌼❤️

And over in the blacksmith shop, the forge was hot and the little ones went home with their very own mini swords. ⚒️

Thank you to everyone who came out and experienced the skills that sustained families like Adam and Fannie Etheridge and their children right here on this land. We hope to see you at our next event!

05/13/2026

The Farm was on the Hampton Roads Show this morning! Thanks to Jane for making the trip to Portsmouth and representing the Farm! And thanks to Aaron Tule from Visit The Outer Banks for reaching out to us recently.

OBX Week on HRS: Conserving the history of the OBX

05/11/2026

A recent visit from Ocracoke School first graders. What a fun day this was! 🥰

05/06/2026

In mid-March we partnered with ‘s FARM group and STP Committee to host a Plowing Bootcamp, where living history practitioners, farmers, and plowing experts gathered to learn skillful plowing — with the intent of continuing the practice at their home site.

The workshop brought together people from historic sites as near as and as far as Ft. Nisqually, Washington. Draft power was supplied by four top-notch mules: Lillie, Island Farm’s resident mule; George, Ed Schultz’s “pocket mule”; and Ferg and Massey, a team of Molly mules brought by Jeremy McKusker from central Virginia. An introduction to working with oxen was part of the workshop, as well.

Participants learned hands-on from teamsters the ins and outs of using working animals to drive agricultural programs at their respective sites. They delved into the history of plowing as a skill requiring tact and environmental astuteness, through two days of hands-on experience plowing. The group plowed Island Farm’s field that is now planted with Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes (soon), and dent corn – crops that were grown by Adam Dough Etheridge and his family almost 180 years ago.

Island Farm was proud to host this wonderful group—part of our ALH-FAMILY—and to lean into real work for a real purpose.

02/15/2026

Wishing everyone a happy Valentine's Day! 😍🥰

12/20/2025

Island Farm 2025! A Year in Review

What a year it’s been at Island Farm – filled with school programs, living history, hands-on learning, and moments that brought the past to life. We are incredibly grateful to our visitors who spent time learning, exploring, and making memories with us.

A heartfelt thank you to our dedicated volunteers and hardworking staff — your time, knowledge, and passion make Island Farm what it is, and we couldn’t do it without you!

Does this look like your type of crew? Island Farm is hiring a Historic Farmer! Check out the job description on our website (linked in our bio) under About → Employment.

Island Farm is now closed for the 2025 season, and we’ll be sharing important dates and updates for 2026 in the coming months. Until then, happy holidays and Merry Christmas from all of us at Island Farm 🎄✨

12/19/2025

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and all the best in the coming New Year! Sharing a copy of the December 2025 newsletter. 🎄🎄🎄

12/15/2025

We're so pleased to partner with the Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums and the FARM Professional Interest Group (PIG) to host an intensive plowing workshop at our site this upcoming March! Registration is open for members of ALHFAM, and there are just a few spots left.

This is a small workshop that focuses on intensive learning with a group of instructors who carry over 100 years of combined experience in farming and working with livestock at living history sites. The FARM Plowing Bootcamp will be offered at Island Farm in Manteo, NC on Saturday, March 14 and Sunday, March 15, 2026. Join us for this special opportunity to learn from the best!

To register: https://alhfam.org/event-6430166?