Kill Devil Hills in Dare County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Wind, Sand, & Isolation

Wright Brothers National Memorial

Wind, Sand, and Isolation Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 18, 2021

1. Wind, Sand, and Isolation Marker

Inscription. Wilbur and Orville Wright tested and proved their flight theories in Dayton, Ohio. To test actual flight, however, they needed a special location to experiment. Using US Weather Bureau statistics, they looked for a place that was windy, sandy, and out of the public eye. They found Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on the Outer Banks to be the right area to test their gliders.

We came down here for wind and sand, and we have got them.
Orville Wright to his sister, 1900

(captions)
Wind helped with lift.
Sand provided a soft landing.
The isolated location offered privacy from the public.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space. A significant historical year for this entry is 1900.

Location. 36° 1.223′ N, 75° 40.079′ W. Marker is in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, in Dare County. It can be reached from North Croatan Highway (U.S. 158) near Wright Memorial Drive, on the left when traveling north. Marker is located within the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1000 North Croatan Highway, Kill Devil Hills NC 27948, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain and on the Outer Banks.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance

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of this marker: They Taught Us to Fly (a few steps from this marker); Field for Flight (within shouting distance of this marker); Four Powered Flights (within shouting distance of this marker); The First Flight (within shouting distance of this marker); Wright Brothers National Memorial Visitor Center (within shouting distance of this marker); End of 3rd Flight (within shouting distance of this marker); End of 2nd Flight (within shouting distance of this marker); End of First Flight (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kill Devil Hills.

Also see . . . Wright Brothers National Memorial. National Park Service (Submitted on September 26, 2021.)

Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 18, 2021

2. Wind, Sand, and Isolation Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on September 26, 2021. It was originally submitted on September 26, 2021, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 425 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 26, 2021, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.