Kitty Hawk Lifesaving Station

Kitty Hawk Life Saving Station
Finds New Life in 21st. Century

Probably the only person who could have imagined that the Kitty Hawk Life Saving Station would still be in use 130 years after its construction in 1874 was carpenter A.A. McCullough of Norfolk Virginia. The Passing years have proven his knowledge and skills with wood were great. McCullough constructed the historic building from cypress that was shipped to Kitty Hawk from the mainland. After construction, the building had to endure scores of hurricanes and hundreds of nor’easters in its effort to survive to our present time.

This structure has even survived two moves that were forced upon it because of rising sea levels and accompanying beach erosion. The building was originally constructed on the ocean front between the dune line and ocean. It was moved first to a location closer to the beach road and finally to its present, safer location on the southwest corner of Virginia Dare Trail and Kitty Hawk Road.
Built in the summer of 1874 for the expanding Life Saving Service, the gothic structure features a ginger bread style of architecture. The building is a fine example on the Outer Banks of the much heralded gilded age in America. The gilded age was a time when Americans architects experimented with Roman and Medieval designs to create a style of their own.

Kitty Hawk Life Saving Station
and crew about 1900

In addition to its all important duty of rescuing stranded crews and passengers from wrecked ships passing along the coast; this station experienced several great moments in history. In 1900, people in Kitty Hawk tempted the Wright Brothers to come to Kitty Hawk with a promise of steady winds and isolation. How did this occur? Beginning in 1875, the station complex also included a US Weather Station. In August 1900, Mr. Joseph J. Dosher, the weather station manager wrote a letter to Wilbur Wright in reply to a query indicating the local area would be promising for his needs.

Kitty Hawk Lifesaving station with weather station
nearby on the left. About 1900. Library of Congress

This brief letter set into motion a series of experiments that led to the first powered manned flight in nearby Kill Devil Hills just three years later. On the cold afternoon of December 17, 1903, Orville Wright came into the station to send the following famous telegraph to the world:

First sucessful Flight on Dec. 17, 2003 source

“SUCCCESS FOUR FLIGHTS THURSDAY MORNING ALLAGAINST TWENTY ONE MILE WIND STARTED FROM LEVEL WITH ENGINE POWER ALONE AVERAGE SPEED THROUGH AIR THIRTY_ONE MILES LONGEST 57 SECONDS INFORM PRESS HOME CHRISTMAS.”

The building continued to serve the nation as the Kitty Hawk Life Saving station until 1911 when it outgrew this structure and a larger building was commissioned and built. The building continued as a part of the Kitty Hawk Lifesaving complex for several more years.
Today the building hosts the Black Pelican restaurant where visitors can experience native sea food and Outer Banks nightlife and still bear witness to McCullough’s talent with wood and the Wright Brothers special genius in flight.
The Kitty Hawk Life Saving building is an especially unique structure for the area. Due to the violent weather of the Outer Banks, and its effect on wooden structures, few if any buildings ever last over 100 years. This wooden structure may be the only building remaining here that can boast, “The Wright Brothers were here.”

Looking south toward the Kitty Hawk lifesaving Station today.
The Gothic windows can still be seen as they appeared in 1900...

Kitty Hawk lifesaving crew about 1900: Left to right: Robert Lee Griggs, Robert Fulton Sanderlin, Thomas Edward "Tom Ed" Hines, Joseph Edward "Joe Ed" Baum(cook), Captain Samuel J. Payne, James R. Best, Thomas Nelson Sanderlin

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	Kitty Hawk Life Saving Station Finds New Life in 21st. Century


	Probably the only person who could have imagined that the Kitty Hawk Life Saving Station would still be in use 130 years after its construction in 1874 was carpenter A.A. McCullough of Norfolk Virginia. The Passing years have proven his knowledge and skills with wood were great. McCullough constructed the historic building from cypress that was shipped to Kitty Hawk from the mainland. After construction, the building had to endure scores of hurricanes and hundreds of nor’easters in its effort to survive to our present time. This structure has even survived two moves that were forced upon it because of rising sea levels and accompanying beach erosion. The building was originally constructed on the ocean front between the dune line and ocean. It was moved first to a location closer to the beach road and finally to its present, safer location on the southwest corner of Virginia Dare Trail and Kitty Hawk Road. Built in the summer of 1874 for the expanding Life Saving Service, the gothic structure features a ginger bread style of architecture. The building is a fine example on the Outer Banks of the much heralded gilded age in America. The gilded age was a time when Americans architects experimented with Roman and Medieval designs to create a style of their own.
	Kitty Hawk Life Saving Station and crew about 1900
	In addition to its all important duty of rescuing stranded crews and passengers from wrecked ships passing along the coast; this station experienced several great moments in history. In 1900, people in Kitty Hawk tempted the Wright Brothers to come to Kitty Hawk with a promise of steady winds and isolation. How did this occur? Beginning in 1875, the station complex also included a US Weather Station. In August 1900, Mr. Joseph J. Dosher, the weather station manager wrote a letter to Wilbur Wright in reply to a query indicating the local area would be promising for his needs.
	Kitty Hawk Lifesaving station with weather station nearby on the left. About 1900. Library of Congress
	This brief letter set into motion a series of experiments that led to the first powered manned flight in nearby Kill Devil Hills just three years later. On the cold afternoon of December 17, 1903, Orville Wright came into the station to send the following famous telegraph to the world:
	First sucessful Flight on Dec. 17, 2003 source
	“SUCCCESS FOUR FLIGHTS THURSDAY MORNING ALLAGAINST TWENTY ONE MILE WIND STARTED FROM LEVEL WITH ENGINE POWER ALONE AVERAGE SPEED THROUGH AIR THIRTY_ONE MILES LONGEST 57 SECONDS INFORM PRESS HOME CHRISTMAS.”
	The building continued to serve the nation as the Kitty Hawk Life Saving station until 1911 when it outgrew this structure and a larger building was commissioned and built. The building continued as a part of the Kitty Hawk Lifesaving complex for several more years. Today the building hosts the Black Pelican restaurant where visitors can experience native sea food and Outer Banks nightlife and still bear witness to McCullough’s talent with wood and the Wright Brothers special genius in flight. The Kitty Hawk Life Saving building is an especially unique structure for the area. Due to the violent weather of the Outer Banks, and its effect on wooden structures, few if any buildings ever last over 100 years. This wooden structure may be the only building remaining here that can boast, “The Wright Brothers were here.”
	Looking south toward the Kitty Hawk lifesaving Station today. The Gothic windows can still be seen as they appeared in 1900...

	Kitty Hawk lifesaving crew about 1900: Left to right: Robert Lee Griggs, Robert Fulton Sanderlin, Thomas Edward "Tom Ed" Hines, Joseph Edward "Joe Ed" Baum(cook), Captain Samuel J. Payne, James R. Best, Thomas Nelson Sanderlin
	More OBX special stories

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