Outer Banks Milestones and Notable Facts
By Aaron Tuell on Nov. 07, 2019
Firsts
Virginia Dare was the first English child born in the New World, arriving on August 18, 1587, at Fort Raleigh on Roanoke Island. She and the Fort Raleigh colonists later became known as “The Lost Colony,” whose disappearance remains an unsolved mystery.
In 1902, Reginald Fessenden carried out the first use of a successful, commercially adaptable radio-communications method in North America, and possibly worldwide. His work on the wireless telegraph and telephone connected a Roanoke Island station with a section station in Buxton. After his time in North Carolina, Fessenden created the first commercial Trans-Atlantic two-way radio-telegraph service in 1905, two years ahead of the world renowned Marconi. In 1906, his Massachusetts station aired the world’s first entertainment radio broadcast.
Orville and Wilbur Wright launched the era of human flight on December 17, 1903, when they completed the first successful flights in motor-driven, heavier-than-air machines. Those historic flights happened on the sloped sands now called Big Kill Devil Hill, just south of Kitty Hawk.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore, covering more than 28,000 acres along the Outer Banks, was the first such seashore created by our government. It was established to protect this beautiful shoreline so future generations could enjoy it.
Richard Etheridge became America's first black lifesaving station keeper when he was appointed to the Pea Island post in 1880. A former soldier and surfman, he remained keeper until his death in 1900.
Facts
Dare County spans 800 square miles, including 391 square miles of land and 409 square miles of water. Because of that, more than half of Dare County is water, and 80% will never be developed because it lies within conservation areas such as a National Park, U.S. Wildlife Refuge, state park, or shoreline.
At 208-feet, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the tallest brick lighthouse in the United States.
“The Lost Colony,” staged at the Waterside Theater on Roanoke Island, is the oldest-running outdoor symphonic drama in the country.
The War Between the States brought multiple battles to the Outer Banks. Federal forces achieved their first victories of the war and gained control of the Outer Banks at Hatteras Inlet in August 1861, Chicamacomico in October 1861, and Roanoke Island in February 1862. Local residents were not deeply tied to the Southern cause, and many swore allegiance to the United States.
The Nags Head Woods Preserve is considered one of the best remaining examples of a mid-Atlantic maritime forest, according to the Nature Conservancy organization. Its habitat includes 640 acres of protected wetland, dune, and hardwood forest, and the preserve is a national natural landmark.
Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard the pirate, was killed on November 22, 1718, by Lt. Robert Maynard of the Royal Navy in Ocracoke Inlet.
The Ocracoke Lighthouse is the oldest and shortest lighthouse in North Carolina. It is also the second oldest operational lighthouse in the United States.
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, on the north end of Hatteras Island, has recorded more than 365 species of birds. Its bird list includes more than 365 species, while its wildlife list includes 25 species of mammals, 24 species of reptiles, and 5 species of amphibians, the latter being low because of the salt environment.
In 1874, the U.S. Lifesaving Service began with a chain of seven lifesaving stations built along the Outer Banks at the most dangerous points for ocean-going vessels. The U.S. Lifesaving Service preceded the U.S. Coast Guard. Working together with the Outer Banks’ lighthouses, the lifesaving stations helped rescue and save many vessels traveling through the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.”
According to the International Gamefish Association, the Outer Banks and the Virgin Islands are the most likely places to catch Atlantic Blue Marlin weighing more than 1,000 pounds.
Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head is home to the highest sand dune on the East Coast, with peaks rising to more than 90 fee.
About The Outer Banks
The Outer Banks of North Carolina is a string of barrier islands positioned midway along the Atlantic Seaboard. The Outer Banks Visitors Bureau is a public authority and serves as the lead marketing and promotional agency for Dare County's Outer Banks. The Bureau’s web site is www.outerbanks.org.
Author
Aaron Tuell develops and contributes to award-winning work in public relations, social media, and travel customer outreach. His background includes extensive work with national media outlets, celebrity projects, social media strategy and oversight, commercial broadcast and web video production, marketing photography, publicity and promotion, and experience working with, and as, news media.
Manager of Public Relations
Outer Banks Visitors Bureau
252-473-2138 office
877-629-4386 toll free
tuell@outerbanks.org