About Outer Banks | Outer Banks History

Until the first bridges to the Outer Banks were built in the 1930's, access to the islands was limited to boaters and little development was done. The islands suffer periodically from storms, and in 2003 hurricane Isabel carved a 3000 foot wide channel through Hatteras Island that was 30 foot deep. This damage has since been repaired with sand dredged by the Army Corp of Engineers.

The treacherous waters around the Outer Banks has led to the construction of five lighthouses. The icon of the Outer Banks is the majestic, 193 ft tall Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. After years of restoration, this light is once again open for climbing. North of Cape Hatteras, Bodie Island Lighthouse guides ships through Oregon Inlet, and at the northern end of the Outer Banks at Corolla stands the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, which has also had major renovation in recent years. South of Hatteras, accessible only by ferries, Ocracoke Lighthouse has shone over Ocracoke Island since the 1820's. Finally, the nearly inaccessible Cape Lookout Lighthouse stands abandoned on an isolated section of the National Seashore.

The Wright Brother's famous first flight took place on December 17, 1903 from Kill Devil Hills on Nag's Head Island. The Wright Brothers National Memorial is built on the location and features full-scale reproductions of the Wright 1903 Powered Flyer. During both World Wars, the waters off the Outer Banks were frequent hunting grounds for German submarines, leading to the establishment of a British Cemetary on Ocracoke Island.