| Outer Banks Free Press | ||
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| A Brief Early History of the Outer Banks | ||
 Driving from Currituck to Kitty Hawk in the 1930's; . courtesy of the Outer Banks History Center.............See More History |
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| Historic Photographs & Videos of the Outer Banks Area | ||
| Native Americans on the Outer Banks | ||
Indian
Village of PomeioocBuy this Giclee Print at AllPosters.com |
The Arrival of The Englishmen in Virginia Buy this Giclee Print at AllPosters.com |
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| Before
the European Explored arrived, the lands around the Outer Banks were populated
with native Americans who lived in villages, practiced farming and fishing.
These drawings were prepared by artist John White, a visitor to the area
when the English first arrived. The village of Secoton was believed to
have been located near present day Manns Harbor. Far from being uncivilized
savages, the local indians had developed a working culture that benifited
their entire community. |
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The Indian village of Secoton, book illustration , c.1570-80 Buy this Giclee Print at AllPosters.com |
Map of Raleigh's Virginia Buy this Giclee Print at AllPosters.com |
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Indians Fishing Buy this Giclee Print at AllPosters.com |
Indian Village of Secoton Buy this Giclee Print at AllPosters.com |
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Indian Conjuror Buy this Giclee Print at AllPosters.com |
Indian Priest Buy this Giclee Print at AllPosters.com |
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Indian
Man and Woman EatingBuy this Giclee Print at AllPosters.com |
 Indians Dancing Buy this Giclee Print at AllPosters.com |
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| Life
After European Exploitation and Settlement |
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KITTY
HAWK AREA HISTORY Long before the Wright brothers made Kitty Hawk famous with their flight experiments, this area experienced a rich history. Native American Indians first settled on the Outer Banks over a thousand years ago. The area was visited by French and Spanish explorers in the early 1500s. The English Captain Arthur Barlowe arrived here in 1584. This explorer traveled to Albemarle Sound through an inlet that was located at the present day site of Jeanguite Creek in Southern Shores. The Captain explored Kitty Hawk as well as the Roanoke Island area. The following description by Captain Arthur Barlowe about the area comes from David Sticks excellent book entitled, “The Outer Banks of North Carolina”. “Wee viewed the lande about us, being…very sandie, and lowe towards the water side, but so full of grapes, as the very beating, and surge of the Sea overflowed them, of which we founde such plenty…that I thinke in all the world the like aboundance is not to be founde.. We passed from the Sea side towards the toppes of those hils next adioyning, being but of meane height, and from thence wee behelde the Sea on both sides to the North, and to the South, finding no ende any ofboth waies. This lande laye stretching it selfe to the West, which after wee founde to be but an Island ot twentie leagues long, and not above sixe miles broade. Under the banks or hill, whereon we stoode, we behelde the vallies replenished with goodly Cedar trees, and having discharged our harquebushot, such a flocke of Cranes(the most part white)arose under us, with such a crye redoubled by many Ecchoes, as if an armie of men had showted all together. This Island had many goodly woods, full of Deere, Conies, Hares, and Fowle, even in the middest of Summer, in incredible aboundance…and the highest, and reddest Cedars of the world”. In 1584 the first English colony in the new world was established at Roanoke Island, less than 20 miles from Kitty Hawk. This was 34 years before the Jamestown colony in Virginia was established. The settlement didn't prosper, and the starving colonists left In 1585 aboard a ship in the visiting fleet of Captain Sir Francis Drake. Drake was visiting the Kitty Hawk area after a successful cruise plundering spanish treasure ships. This is the same Captain, that in 1588 defeated the Spanish Armada. The King of Spain sent the armada against England in an effort to put a stop to the English habit of raiding spanish gold ships sailing from the new world back to Spain. Drakes victory against the Spanish, signaled the decline of Spain and the ascent of England as a world power. That first group of settlers were replaced in 1587, by another group of colonist on the north end of Roanoke Island. This attempt was organized by Sir Walter Raleigh and produced Virginia Dare, the first English child born in America. This colony vanished into an unknown fate. When re-supply ships finally arrived in 1590 delayed by the war with Spain, no colonists were to be found. The only clue being the word "Croatoan" carved into a tree. Archaeologists are still attempting to solve the mystery of the lost colony. Raleigh would later meet his death in the famous Tower of London for other misdeeds of his time. Years later, the area was ravaged by Black Beard the pirate. Eventually, Lieutenant Robert Maynard of HMS Pearl began the hunt for Blackbeard, which led to an engagement in Ocracoke Harbor. In a brief but fierce battle, Blackbeard was defeated and suffered his head being hung from the bowsprit of the warship. Since then the North Carolina coast has remained relatively free from pirates. The famous union ironclad Monitor fought the merimac just a few miles north of Kitty Hawk, and later journeyed past this coastal area towards its tragic sinking in a storm off Cape Hatteras about sixty miles away. Some locals say that the name Kitty Hawk is derived from the local Native American name for goose hunting season: "killy honker" or "killy honk." Others say the name evolved from mosquito hawks that populated the area, or from ospreys that preyed on the area's kitty wren. Looking for a remote site, away from prying eyes, Orville and Wilbur Wright came here to experiment with gliders after hearing that the "winds were always steady, generally from 10 to 20 miles per hour ... and not a tree or a bush anywhere to break the wind current." The Wright brothers lived in Kitty Hawk Village and conducted many of their experiments there, but it was actually in Kill Devil Hills, about three miles south, that they made their historic first engine powered flight. Kitty Hawk's initiation as a vacation destination took root in the 1930s, when the Wright Memorial Bridge Company created a three-mile wooden span across the Currituck Sound to the Outer Banks. Today, only a few of the first cottages built on the beach can still be seen due to the ever-changing shoreline. Since 1993, scores of houses have been swept away during hurricanes and nor'easters. Although Kitty Hawk owes much to the Wright Brothers for bringing attention to the area, history has touched this area in many other ways that few places can compare with. Thanks for visiting our history page and please enjoy the selected pictures that represent only a part of the areas rich history. editor For more information about the Outer Banks, I suggest “The Outer Banks of North Carolina” by David Stick. |
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| English
courtier, navigator, and historian Sir Walter Raleigh (below) sponsored
the first English colonists in North America. The settlers established
a village on Roanoke Island (below), off the coast of present-day North
Carolina. That colony saw the birth of the first english child ,Virginia
Dare before vanishing to become the mystery of the lost colony. Sir Walter
was later imprisoned in the Tower of London and beheaded in 1618 |
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| Sir Francis Drake | ||
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| The
Golden Hind. Drake's famous ship; and a visitor to the Kitty Hawk area. |
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| Drawings
by John White showing residents of the Outer Banks about 1585 |
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Indian in Body Paint Buy this Giclee Print at AllPosters.com |
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Indian Woman Buy this Giclee Print at AllPosters.com |
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Outer Banks, NC... 24 in. x 36 in. Buy This at Allposters.com |
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Cape Hatteras... Buy This at Allposters.com |
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The
Elizabeth II at left is a composite design of a 16th-century ship and
is named after one of the seven vessels that sailed the ocean when Sir
Walter Raleigh first brought colonists to Roanoke Island in 1587. The
ship is docked in Shallowbag Bay in Manter North Carolina. Tour the ship
while costumed guides portraying mariners and colonists bring the history
of Raleigh’s voyages to life.
Roanoke Festival Park |
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 The world at about the time Roanoke Island was settled. |
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 Kitty Hawk Lifesaving Crew about 1903 |
 Wright Brothers with their glider at Kitty Hawk |
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| BICYCLE
KITTY HAWK Bicycle
Historic Kitty Hawk |
Above,
the Kitty Hawk Life saving station about 1902. today it is part of the
Black Pelican restaurant below . |
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 Kitty Hawk Life Saving Station today. |
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 Kitty Hawk Life Saving Station about 1900. More |
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 Historic Judy Rand Hotel on Kitty Hawk Rd. This was a school in early Kitty Hawk history. |
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 An early Kitty Hawk Post Office in the village of Kitty Hawk. Outer Banks History Center |
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Wight Brothers and Their Place at Kitty Hawk Buy this Art Print here Framed Mounted |
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| William
Tate, Post Master and family at the Kitty Hawk Post office about 1903.
Today the monument below on Moore Shore Drive. recognizes the location
of the post office and first house that the Wright brothers stayed when
they first visited Kitty Hawk
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Wright Brothers Flight at Kitty Hawk 24 in. x 36 in. Buy this Art Print at AllPosters.com Framed Mounted |
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 USS Monitor |
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| Twenty-five
priceless artifacts from the U.S.S. Monitor, a Civil War-era war ship,
were publicly granted to the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum (GAM) at
a press conference held at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh
Monday. GAM, located in Hatteras, received the pieces from the Mariner's
Museum in Newport News, Va., where the famous icon of naval history has
been stored for conservation and exhibition since 1987. story |
The
Whalehead Club, an exquisite Hunt Club located in Corolla, 20 miles north
of Kitty Hawk. Construction began in 1922, and was completed in 1925 at
a cost of $383,000.00. Built by Edward Collings Knight, Jr. for his wife,
Marie Louise, this ''mansion by the sea'' is the most exotic and unique
of the shooting clubs. Its Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts style, signed
and numbered Tiffany lighting fixtures, corduroy walls and cork flooring
made it a ''comfortable'' winter retreat for the wealthy northern industrialist
and his wife. Rooms carved with water lilies and morning glories, with
window and door hardware to match the floral motif, further captures the
eloquent beauty found throughout. It was the first home on the Outer Banks
to have a basement, a swimming pool, and an elevator. Originally named
''Corolla Island'' by Mrs. Knight, the name was changed to Whalehead Club
by the second owner, Ray T. Adams in the early 1950s. source |
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 Edward Collings Knight, builder of the Whalehead Club in Corolla |
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 Looking west from downtown Manteo 1930s. Outer Banks History Center |
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 Looking east from downtown Manteo 1930s. Outer Banks History Center |
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| Buffalo City, a ghost town in Dare county. | Sound
Landing in Nags Head. before there was a bridge to the Outer Banks. |
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| The
Buffalo Post Office opened for business on October 11, 1889. In it's hay
day there were over 2,000 Residents. There was a hotel, Company store,
and all other necessities. There were reportedly 8 Trains that came to
the city. Lumber was taken by train, barge or just floated to nearby Elizabeth
City. The Post office closed August 15, 1903. But, it was reopened February
29, 1908. During Prohibition Buffalo City flourished, as it was hard to
get to, by any means other than boat or Train. Whiskey was a big business,
and special boats were used to drag the 5 gallon "jimmy johns"
tied to a "trott line" if the revenuers were spotted, the ropes
were simply cut, and the whiskey would sink to the bottom. The Post Office
closed for good June 11, 1947. Completly deserted about 50 years ago.
source |
 Manteo
about 1895 |
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Guest Cottages in the Kitty Hawk area about 1940s ? Outer Banks History Center |
 The roads on the Outer Banks before blacktop. |
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 Kitty Hawk Mayor Bill Harris welcomes the Dayton Cycling Club after their amazing 900 mile ride from Dayton, Ohio to the Wright Memorial in Kill Devil Hills. more bicycling on the Outer Banks |
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 A virtual super store for sporting goods |
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| Above,
Kitty Hawk Bay in 1900, Picture was taken by the Wright Brothers. Below
Kitty Hawk Bay as it appears today. |
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Two views of historic
Moore Shore Drive. Above as a sandy pathway and below as the new Wright
Brothers Multi-Use Path. This was a major roadway in early Kitty Hawk
history.
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| On
this sandy hilltop in Kitty Hawk, The Wright's perfected their skills
of wing warping to control movement on their large gliders. This was the
technical area of flight that the Wright brothers led their peers. After
perfecting their warping method, This achievement was integrated into
the engine powered machine. With a control method perfected, the brother's
went on to become the first in getting an engine powered flying machine
into the air. |
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| Below is a picture of Moore Shore Drive about 1960, This photo was taken at the top of the dunes, close to where the Wright brothers experimented with flight. The view is to the south. Picture courtesy of Mrs. Foreman. The current route of the Wright Brothers Multi-use pathway follows this historic roadbed. |
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| The Steamer Trenton. | ||
| The
steamer Trenton was a common sight for early Kitty Hawk residents as it
steamed by Kitty Hawk Bay on its route between Manteo, Nags Head and Elizabeth
City. Nags Head was a major resort for wealthy planters from eastern North
Carolina and the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds were the major highways
of the time. |
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 Looking toward Kitty Hawk 1931. Outer Banks History Center |
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 Looking toward Currituck County from Kitty Hawk. Outer Banks History Center |
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| This
is a good example of an early house in Kitty Hawk. Notice the kitchen
to the left, separated with a walk through. This helped keep the kitchen
heat out of the other parts of the home in the hot summer months. |
The house on the left, viewed from the east. | |
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| Many
Kitty Hawk families still earn their living as their anscesters. This
is a modern crab operation. |
Austin
cemetery is the resting place for many famous names in Kitty Hawk history.
Located near the end of Kitty Hawk Road. |
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| Flight | ||
Wilbur Wright in prone position on glider Photograph - Kitty Hawk, NC Buy This Allposters.com |
Katharine Wright with Orville in Model HS Plane Photograph - Kitty Hawk, NC Buy This Allposters.com |
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Wright Brothers' 1903 "Kitty Hawk" Motor Photograph Buy This Allposters.com |
Glider at Kitty Hawk Photograph - Kitty Hawk, NC Buy This Allposters.com |
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Wilbur Wright's Aeroplane Buy this Art Print at AllPosters.com |
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| At
left the Wright Brothers, center, one of their bicycle shops in Dayton
Ohio. At right the plane on the Outer Banks. |
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 Wilbur Wright after failed flight Dec. 14, 1903 source |
 First sucessful Flight on Dec. 17, 2003 source |
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 Failed flight exactly 100 years later. Dec. 17, 2003 |
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| The
attempted repeat of the Wright brothers powered flight exactly 100 years
later in Kill Devil Hills. Using modern equipment to reproduce the original
plane, the attempt failed because of poor wind conditions. This proved
how difficult the task was for that original flight. The Wright Brothers
performed their glider experiments in Kitty Hawk and their famous powered
flight took place at Kill Devil Hill. The reproduction plane used in the
photo is in the Ford museum. |
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Monument
to Flight, Wright Brothers National Monument. 2003 Centennial Celebration Kill Devil Hills |
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| Windmills
of the Outer Banks |
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| Icarus
Monument to a Century of Flight. located next to the Aycock Brown Welcome
Center at milepost 1 in Kitty Hawk |
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Flying Machine Takes To The Air! 12 in. x 16 in. Buy this Art Print at AllPosters.com Framed Mounted  |
As we contemplate
our future energy needs, it helps to be guided by the past. Our need
for energy has been paramount in our inability to remove ourselves from
Middle Eastern oil fields and culture. This has brought about a great
clash between our two cultures. One side attempting to control the resources
it desperately needs to remain a super power; and the other wishing
to retain their culture, and benefit from their natural resources. Read
what vsitors from another great conflict found when they first came
to the Outer Banks. |
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This
windmill was displayed behind the Windmill Point restaurant in Nags Head
for many years. The original milling stones appear in the left photo.
The windmill was moved to
Island Farm on Roanoke Island during 2011 |
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| Bodie Island Lighthouse built in 1872, 156 feet tall | ||
| 1950's | ||
| Below,
are two photos of the historic Winks grocery located on the corner of
Eckner and Virginia Dare Trail, or the "Beach Rd". in Kitty
Hawk. The first photo is looking from the air toward the southwest. This
picture was taken before Art's restaurant was built. The second building
south of Winks was the original Kitty Hawk Fire Station, later used as
a book store by noted Outer Banks author David Stick. Today, the old Fire
Station is a coffee and wine shop. I think this picture was taken about
1958-60 ?. Notice that Lindberg street doesn't exist in this photo. The
dark area at the top of the picture are trees. The sound is visable at
the top left. |
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 Looking southwest toward Wings Grocery 1950s. |
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| Looking north towards Winks from the air. 1950s ? | ||
 Kitty Hawk beach and pier in background.1950s.Outer Banks History Center |
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 Picture of Whale Skeleton at Whalebone Junction in Nags Head about 1950? |
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Read the History of the Hatteras Weather Bureau Station |
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| First
US Weather Bureau Station at Hatteras Island was built & Managed by the Army in 1874 |
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| Old advertisment for the Kitty Hawk Pier | Old
Advertisment for the Journey's End Motel in Kitty Hawk.............. |
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| Great
History of Ocracoke's Assembly of God Church and Religion on Ocracoke Island |
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| Home Surf Movie Discovered: A Hatteras Odyssey, 1975 | ||
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| DDuring
spring break in 1975 a group of friends from frm Alexandria, VA. that
included Dave Bence, Frank Dorenkamp, Brian Tissot, Pat Fulks spent a
few days on the Outer Banks and Cape Hatteras, North Carolina during a
trip to Florida and made a film
about their adventures. Their film contains some great images of
the Outer Banks during a less rushed time in history. |
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| Story of the Mail Boat to Ocracoke Island | ||
 The Mail Boat Aleta.source |
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| During
the 1940s and early 1950s Ocracoke's communication lifeline to the mainland
was a privately owned and operated mail boat named Aleta. The Alete made
one daily round-trip between Ocracoke Island and Atlantic, North Carolina.
She would leave the remote island at 6:30 every morning and arrived back
home around 4:30 each evening.
Read the story of the Aleta. |
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| UNC
“Capstone” Project “ Looking Back to Move Forward Sustainably" Provides Great Reading on the History of the Outer Banks & Nags Head..... Outer Banks Voice . To 127 page report |
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| Links to Historical Articles, Videos & Images of the Outer Banks | ||
| John White Collection of New World Drawings | ||
| Deadly Outer Banks Shark Attack | ||
| Decline of the Outer Banks Indian Tribes | ||
| Wright Brothers Flight Video | ||
| Historic Outer Banks Pictures from the Town of Southern Shores | ||
| Island Farm | ||
| Residents Speaking & Discussing Outer Banks Brogue Vocabulary | ||
| Wright Brothers Flight Video | ||
| Wright Brothers in France | ||
| Wright Brothers History of Flight Video | ||
| Wright Brothers Pictures from Kitty Hawk and others | ||
| Video:
Nags Head Brings Traveling Carnival to |
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| Video of the Dedication of Fort Raleigh in 1934 | ||
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Video of the Roanoke Island Homecoming Celebration, August 1934 |
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| UNC
“Capstone” Project “ Looking Back to Move Forward Sustainably" Provides Great Reading on the History of the Outer Banks & Nags Head..... |
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| Flying
Over Oregon Inlet, the New Inlet, Mirlo Beach, and Rodanthe in November 2012 after Hurricane Sandy |
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| Video:
Wildfire Smoke Engulfs Kitty Hawk on Morning of June 23, 2011... |
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| Home Surf Movie Discovered: A Hatteras Odyssey, 1975 | ||
| Panaramic video of Kill Devil Hills Beach, June 26, 2011 | ||
| Evening
of Drumming and & Hula Hooping on Kitty Hawk Beach by the Outer Banks Drum Circle & Friends Video |
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| Outer
Banks Drum Circle & Hula Hoopsters on Kitty Hawk Beach, June 21, 2011 (Watch Video)... |
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| Historic
Outer Banks Movies and Videos: Hatteras Island in the 1960's............ |
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| 1960 Home Movie Made on Hatteras Island | ||
| Home Movie: Fishing at Cape Point in the 1960's | ||
| Home Movie: Fishing at Cape Point 1960's | ||
| Outer Banks English | ||
| Nags
Head Brings Old Timey Traveling Carnival to Outer Banks to Celebrate Town's 50th Anniversary |
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| Great
Video of Outer Banks Residents Speaking & Discussing Outer Banks Brogue Vocabulary |
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| Video 1, Video 2, Video 3, Video 4, Video 5, Video 6, | ||
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| Special
Video: Traveling Carnival Visits Nags Head to Celebrate Town's 50th Anniversary............ |
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| Watch an Outer Banks Drum Circle at Work | ||
Watch video of an Outer Banks Drum Circle |
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| Outer Banks Historical Sites and Web Pages | ||
    
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| Thanks for visiting | ||
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