· 6 min read
Outer Banks History: Shipwrecks, Lighthouses, and First Flight
A short history of the Outer Banks, North Carolina — the Graveyard of the Atlantic, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse move, the Lost Colony, and Kitty Hawk's first flight.
The Graveyard of the Atlantic
More than a thousand ships have gone down off these barrier islands, wrecked on the shifting shoals of Diamond, Wimble, and Platt. At low tide after a storm, ribs of old hulls still surface on the beach at Corolla and Nags Head.
Moving a Lighthouse
In 1999 the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse — all 4,830 tons of it — was rolled 2,900 feet inland over 23 days to escape an ocean that had crept within 120 feet of its base. It remains the tallest brick lighthouse in North America and the most photographed thing on the Outer Banks.
The Lost Colony
On Roanoke Island in 1587, 115 English colonists vanished, leaving the word CROATOAN carved into a post. Four centuries later, the mystery is still an open question and still the reason a summer play runs nightly in Manteo.
Twelve Seconds at Kill Devil Hills
The Wright brothers chose these dunes for their steady wind and soft landings. On December 17, 1903, they flew 120 feet in twelve seconds. The monument on the hill is worth the climb for the view alone.