Avon was first called Kinnakeet. The name was changed by the post office in 1883 but locals to this day call themselves Kinnakeeters. The name comes from its first settlers, the Algonquian Indians.
For most of its early existence, Kinnakeet was . . . — — Map (db m190966) HM
"Graveyard of Atlantic." German submarines sank over 100 ships here, 1941 - 42, in the "Battle of Torpedo Junction." Shoals are 3 mi. south. — — Map (db m11400) HM
Since 1803, there has been a lighthouse near Cape Hatteras warning mariners of the Diamond Shoals—dangerous shifting sands just under the ocean surface upon which ships wrecked. For over 130 years, 82 known lighthouse keepers proudly kept the light . . . — — Map (db m190967) HM
There have been words written to the effect that the lighthouse keepers and their families had a very lonely life; however, we did not have this experience. In fact, just the opposite would be more apt to apply. The lighthouse was always a favorite . . . — — Map (db m88495) HM
"The losses by submarines off our Atlantic seaboard and in the Caribbean now threaten our entire war effort." Chief of Staff George C. Marshall, 19 June, 1942
During the first six months of 1942, these beaches revealed crude oil, twisted metal, . . . — — Map (db m32129) HM
Caffey's Inlet Station was one of the original seven stations built along North Carolina's treacherous coast in 1874 when the U.S. Lifesaving Service was founded. Within a few years there were twenty-nine stations and this was the fifth one . . . — — Map (db m181032) HM
Facilities
Welcome to the Field Research Facility (FRF). We were established in 1977 to conduct research to support the US Army Corps of Engineers coastal engineering mission. The FRF is recognized as one of the best places in the world to . . . — — Map (db m91761) HM
This club stands as one of the last traces of Duck's rich waterfowl heritage. Built by Wall Street brokers in the 1920's and operated through the 1940's. Distinctive to this club was a unique set of whalebones adorning the front; garnering it the . . . — — Map (db m75374) HM
In September 1923, Brigadier General Mitchell provided a chilling view of the effectiveness of aerial bombardment on surface vessels to skeptical government and military observers. Taking off from his temporary Hatteras Village airfield, Mitchell . . . — — Map (db m20353) HM
Frisco was formerly Trent until the coming of the post office i1898. Hatteras Island’s first inhabitants were the Croatoans. Archaeological evidence proves the Croatoans lived here year-round for more than 12,000 years with a population comparable . . . — — Map (db m190984) HM
Orchestrated by Union Colonel Rush C. Hawkins, the Hatteras Convention was held nearby on November 18, 1861. The state's secession was declared null and void, Hatteras was proclaimed the capitol and Marble Nash Taylor became provisional governor. . . . — — Map (db m207709) HM
Brigadier general of the Army Air Service, demonstrated air power by bombing battleships off coast, Sept. 5, 1923. Landing field was here. — — Map (db m207712) HM
Side A:Burnside's Expedition Crossing Hatteras BarOn January 11, 1862, the Burnside Expedition left for Fort Monroe, Virginia destined for Hatteras Inlet 120 miles to the south. Two days later, the fleet of over eighty vessels was . . . — — Map (db m135883) HM
Side A:Flagship USS MinnesotaUSS Minnesota, a wooden steam frigate built in 1855, was the flagship for the Atlantic Blockading Squadron commanded by Flag Officer Silas H. Stringham. Seven United States Navy warships bombarded Forts . . . — — Map (db m46190) HM
Side A:Fort ClarkHatteras Inlet, defended by Forts Clark and Hatteras, was a strategic port of entry for troops and supplies providing deep water access to the vital intercoastal waterways. In later May of 1881, the Federal Blockade . . . — — Map (db m46298) HM
Side 1
Island Veterans of the Civil War
1st Regiment North Carolina Infantry
(Names not transcribed)
Soldiers of the 17th, 32nd or 33rd Regiments North Carolina Troops
(Names not transcribed)Side 2 . . . — — Map (db m146058) HM WM
Side A:Maritime Casualties of the American Civil WarAfterJan. 15, 1862 - The Graveyard of the Atlantic claims the lives of Colonel J.W. Allen and Surgeon Weller, officers of the 9th N.J. Volunteers, and the second mate of the Ann E. . . . — — Map (db m32134) HM
Commissioned in 1945 as a US Navy repair ship, USS Dionysus was assigned to the Pacific Theater. It was one of hundreds of Liberty ships, costing less than $2 million each, produced by the US Maritime Commission in World War II and assembled . . . — — Map (db m191322) HM
This building housed the first, stand-alone Weather Bureau Station from 1902 to 1946. It was also a home for the US Weather Bureau supervisor who lived on the first floor with his family. His wife ran the household, while the children played games . . . — — Map (db m191321) HM
Fought C.S.S. "Virginia" ("Merrimac") in first battle of ironclad ships. Lost Dec. 31, 1862, in gale 17 miles southeast. First marine sanctuary. — — Map (db m11401) HM
Hatteras Island is sometimes called a sand bar or a slender strip of sand. Despite its fragile appearance, the island has been here geologically for a very long time.
Hatteras Island is surrounded by water that can be gentle and fun. That water . . . — — Map (db m191423) HM
Hatteras Village, settled in the 1780s, with the Pamlico Sound on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other, has always relied on its natural resources for its livelihood. Initially its population (primarily shipwreck survivors) depended . . . — — Map (db m191320) HM
After more than four years of hard work and experimentation, it only took the Wright brothers 12 seconds to change the world. On December 17, 1903, at 10:35, Orville Wright made the world’s first controlled, powered, heavier-than-air flight. . . . — — Map (db m10181) HM
If you decide to try your machine here...you will find a hospitable people...
William J. Tate, Kitty Hawk Postmaster, in a letter to Wilbur Wright dated August 18, 1900
Wilbur and Orville Wright accepted Tate’s . . . — — Map (db m10183) HM
Resourcefulness, tireless work ethic, dedication, and importance of family—these words describe both the Wright brothers and Outer Banks residents. Through these shared traits, the Wrights and their Outer Banks neighbors developed mutual respect and . . . — — Map (db m190803) HM
Before construction of the memorial could begin, it would be necessary to stabilize the dune from which the Wright Brothers conducted their glider experiments. Twenty-five years of steady winds had moved Big Kill Devil Hill 450 feet southwest of its . . . — — Map (db m9768) HM
When the Wright brothers were here, Big Kill Devil Hill—the hill in front of you—was a massive sand dune. Thousands of times, the brothers trekked up this and three nearby dunes to conduct glider experiments.
Climbing the hill . . . — — Map (db m114493) HM
On December 17th, 1928, only 25 years after the Wrights achieved flight, three thousand people from over forty nations gathered at this remote place to celebrate the global importance of the birth of flight.
The National Aeronautic . . . — — Map (db m114485) HM
[Center Panel]:
“By your courage in tribulation, by your cheerfulness before the dirty devices of this world, you have won the love of those who have watched you.”
- Guy Chapman
Dedicated: November 11, 1991.
[Left . . . — — Map (db m9631) WM
On the slope of Kill Devil Hill to the left, the Wright brothers experimented with gliders in the period 1900 - 1903.
Here also Wilbur Wright failed in an attempted power-driven flihgt, December 14, 1903. After just 3½ seconds in the air . . . — — Map (db m10179) HM
"Isn't it astonishing that all these secrets have been preserved for so many years just so that we could discover them!!"
Orville Wright, June 7, 1903 — — Map (db m9770) HM
On this cold and windy morning, the Wrights achieved the world’s first controlled flights. Here, they realized not only their own dream—but also one of humanity’s oldest dreams—to fly!
The boulder and numbered markers on the . . . — — Map (db m114482) HM
The Wright brothers made four successful sustained powered flights the morning of December 17, 1903. The commemorative granite boulder and replica monorail mark the lift-off point of those four flights, the numbered markers the terminating point. . . . — — Map (db m136217) HM
After four years of scientific research and rigorous experimentation, and with their 1903 Flyer on the rail, the Wrights are set to fly. In unison, they each pull down on a propeller. The engine roars to life and the propellers whip through the . . . — — Map (db m114489) HM
Wilbur and Orville Wright lived and worked here during their 1901, 1902, and 1903 testing sessions, late summer through autumn. The reconstructed buildings in front of you depict the Wright brothers’ 1903 camp.
Each year, the brothers refined . . . — — Map (db m182533) HM
"...the sand fairly blinds us. It blows across the ground in clouds. We certainly can't complain of the place. We came down here for wind and sand, and we got them."
Letter from Orville Wright to Katharine Wright, October 18, . . . — — Map (db m10146) HM
The Best Design
Design competition among 35 entrants was won by Rogers and Poor, a New York Architectural firm.
The 60-foot tower, similar to those used to mark courses in air races, embellished with wings on its side and a five-point . . . — — Map (db m9715) HM
At the turn of the century, this large hill and the three hills surrounding it were known as the Kill Devil Hills. Wilbur and Orville Wright performed thousands of experimental glider flights here between 1900 and 1903. The culminatino of those . . . — — Map (db m9767) HM
"Our first experiments were rather disappointing. The machine ... at times seemed to be entirely beyond control."
Orville Wright in a letter to his sister Katharine, July 28, 1901
The 1901 experiments at Kill Devil Hills . . . — — Map (db m10149) HM
"Our new machine is a very great improvement over anything we had built before and over anything any one has built."
Letter from Wilbur Wright to his father, October 2, 1902
The Wrights' experiments with the successful . . . — — Map (db m10150) HM
"A couple of small boys, who had come with the men from the station, made a hurried departure over the hill for home on hearing the engine start."
Orville Wright, diary D. December 14, 1903
Determined to achieve powered . . . — — Map (db m10151) HM
"We intend to be comfortable while we are here."
Wilbur Wright, November 23, 1903
These replica buildings mark the location of the Wright brothers' hangar (left) and living quarters (right) of their 1903 Kill Devil Hills . . . — — Map (db m32120) HM
In commemoration of the conquest of the air…
Excerpt from the inscription on the monument atop Big Kill Devil Hill
From its establishment as a national monument in 1927 to the First Flight Centennial of 2003, the local . . . — — Map (db m10185) HM
"The flight lasted only 12 seconds, but nevertheless the first in the history of the world in which a machine carrying a man had raised itself by its own power into full flight, had sailed forward without reduction of speed, and had finally . . . — — Map (db m31994) HM
From a 60-foot wooden track laid on these sands Orville Wright rose into the wind on the morning of December 17, 1903. It was the first time in history that “a machine carrying a man had raised itself by its own power into the air in full . . . — — Map (db m62511) HM
was made from this spot by
Orville Wright
December 17, 1903, in a machine designed and built by
Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright
This tablet was erected by the
National Aeronautic Association
of the U.S.A. December 17, 1928
to commemmorate . . . — — Map (db m114484) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m182532) HM
On December 17, 1903, from site near foot of Kill Devil Hill, Orville and Wilbur Wright made first successful powered flight ⅕ mile west. — — Map (db m190804) HM
On December 17, 1903, from site near foot of Kill Devil Hill, Orville and Wilbur Wright made first successful powered flight 1/5 mile west. — — Map (db m190805) HM
Wilbur Wright Orville Wright
In commemoration of the conquest of the air by the brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright. Conceived by Genius. Achieved by dauntless resolution and unconquerable faith. — — Map (db m10380) HM
The steady winds and gently sloping dunes of soft sand on North Carolina's Outer Banks have been attracting soaring pilots since the early 20th century. The Wright brothers flew many pioneering glider flights at Kitty Hawk between 1900 and 1903 with . . . — — Map (db m156116) HM
[Marker Front]:
Dedicated on November 8, 2003
In celebration of the soaring of the human spirit
Created by artists
Glen Eure, Hanna Jubran, Jodi Hollnagel Jubran
Architect - Benjamin B. Cahoon
and presented as . . . — — Map (db m10126) HM
945 lb. Atlantic Blue Marlin
6th largest on record when caught on
July 28, 1983 aboard the
Carolinian
Oregon Inlet, NC
Captain Tony Tillett, Mate Bull Tolson
Angler Zak Garcia, age 14
of Southern Shores, NC
Time of . . . — — Map (db m76650) HM
[Marker Front]:
On this spot
Sept. 17, 1900
Wilbur Wright
began the assembly of
the
Wright Brothers'
first experimental
glider
which led to man's
conquest of the air.
[Marker Back]:
Sept. 17, 1987
This is a . . . — — Map (db m9625) HM
(panel 1)
Welcome to Manns Harbor
Purple Martin Bridge Roost
The Outer Banks of North Carolina are famous for beautiful beaches and other natural attractions, including a fascinating roost of purple martins here at William B. . . . — — Map (db m57094) HM
In the 1860s - more than two and a half centuries after the disappearance of the 1587 settlers, a new colony was taking shape on Roanoke Island, one that was home to refugees fleeing the bondage of slavery. The island south and west of here became a . . . — — Map (db m233626) HM
Despite dissolving only five years after the first individuals arrived, the Roanoke Freedmen's Colony was one of the first steps in a long struggle for racial equality in the United States. Community members fought for their freedom through . . . — — Map (db m233628) HM
This marker is placed in grateful recognition of the gifts of food, friendship, and assistance with which the native inhabitants greeted the first Europeans to Roanoke Island in 1584.
Presented by
North Carolina Society
National . . . — — Map (db m206285) HM
Agent of the American Colonization Society in Liberia, founded the A. M. E. Zion Churches in Albemarle area. His first church, 1865, near here. — — Map (db m9462) HM
On this day, Hurricane Irene caused water from the Shallowbag Bay to rise to this level at this location.
For more information, contact:
National Weather Service Morehead City, NC
www.weather.gov/mhx
National Hurricane . . . — — Map (db m226120) HM
At 3 P.M. February 7, 1862, Union forces under Gen. Ambrose Burnside landed at Ashby Harbor (A). By midnight 7,500 Federals were ashore. A Confederate force of 400 men and 3 field-pieces was sent to resist the Federal landing. The Confederates were . . . — — Map (db m11386) HM
and they made their lives
bitter with hard bondage
Exodus 1:14
For the millions of immigrants to this land, America has not been so much a destination as a promise: a promise of equality, a promise of . . . — — Map (db m9670) HM
This marker recognizes the final resting place of Spencer Bowser, the patriarch of a prominent African American family in North Carolina. Also buried here are several other members of the Bowser family, including J.P. Bowser, Lloyd B. Bowser, Q.B. . . . — — Map (db m57026) HM
Much of coastal North Carolina fell to Union forces in 1862. For the duration of the Civil War Northern troops kept a sizable presence in the area. The peculiar geography of the Outer Banks and the sounds region, a damper to antebellum trade, proved . . . — — Map (db m56925) HM
Coastal Patrol Base, first in N.C., opened ½ mi. S.E., in 1942. Civilian pilots supported military and patrolled for German U-boats. — — Map (db m76772) HM
In honor of all who served
World War I
1917 – 1918
Dennis S. Twiford
World War II
1941 – 1945
Thomas C. Fearing
M. Blackwell Creef
Lawson H. Barnett
Charles F. Midgett, Jr.
Norman W. Payne
James D. . . . — — Map (db m79797) WM
The bloodbath called the Civil War had begun and would cost the lives of over 600,000 Americans. As the Union armies advanced south, refugee . . . — — Map (db m9669) HM
European expeditions in the late 1500s commonly constructed small defensive structures. Soldiers built these earthworks by digging ditches and the forming walls from the removed soil. Ralph Lane, a fortifications export, led the 1585 English . . . — — Map (db m190821) HM
Explored in 1584. Site of first English settlements in new world, 1585-1587. Birthplace of Virginia Dare, first child born of English parents in America. — — Map (db m11343) HM
[obverse:]First Light of Freedom Former slaves give thanks by the creek’s edge
at the sight of the island - “If you can cross the creek to Roanoke Island, you will find ‘safe haven’.” [rendering of Edwin Forbes' "The . . . — — Map (db m46990) HM
Scientist; Jewish native of Prague. Led metallurgy experiments, 1585-86, at the first Roanoke colony near here. Part of Lane's English expedition. — — Map (db m190824) HM
The US Weather Bureau once used Coastal Warning Display towers such as this one to fly signal flags to warn mariners of wind shifts or approaching storms.
On November 10, 1904, the Weather Bureau established the Manteo Weather Station . . . — — Map (db m79795) HM
During late January, 1862, a Federal land-sea expedition assembled at Hatteras Inlet to take Roanoke Island and capture control of the North Carolina Sound region. This force was under the joint command of General Ambrose Burnside and navy . . . — — Map (db m4828) HM
Archeological evidence indicates this was the site of an English earthwork from Sir Walter Raleigh's 1585 expedition.
Centuries of erosion had reduced the earthwork to a gentle dip and ridge in the forest floor. In 1947 and 1948, archeologists . . . — — Map (db m190822) HM
(panel 1)
Welcome to Red Wolf Country
Northeastern North Carolina is Famous for the Outer Banks with its beautiful beaches, but the region has plenty of other natural attractions. Just a short drive inland, you’ll find many more . . . — — Map (db m57095) HM
"In the years to come, as islanders mingle with visitors along the Manteo waterfront, let us remember that on this spot, where so many vessels have been built and launched, dreams still light the way. For how else can you explain how a lighthouse . . . — — Map (db m47013) HM
Recreating History
The Spirit of Roanoke Island, completed in 2000 by volunteers of the North Carolina Maritime Museum on Roanoke Island, is a fine example of the shad boat. A traditional work boat built of juniper (Atlantic white . . . — — Map (db m47026) HM
On this site, in July – August, 1585 (O.S.), colonists, sent out from England by Sir Walter Raleigh, built a fort, called by them
“The New Fort in Virginia”
These colonists were the first settlers of the English race in . . . — — Map (db m9460) HM
I have caused thee to see it
with thine eyes,
but thou shalt not go over thither.
Deuteronomy 34:4
The Proclamation of Emancipation gave the military authority to enlist “Such persons of suitable condition…into . . . — — Map (db m9671) HM
From Plymouth, England, on 27 April 1584 Walter Raleigh sent Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe to North America to explore and prepare for English Colonization. On 13 July they claimed land in the name of Queen Elizabeth. Called Virginia in her . . . — — Map (db m225138) HM
In the late 1500s, Roanoke Island and London had very little in common. Imagine what it was like for Thomas Hariot when he first set foot on this strange new land.
New people, new plants, new animals—everything was truly "new". Is this land new . . . — — Map (db m190823) HM
First born of the English in America near by this place.
Born the eighteenth and baptized the Twentieth of August 1587 and then vanished with those colonists — — Map (db m190959) HM
Whose friend and guide was the Indian Manteo christened and called Lord of Roanok and Pasamonguepeuk August 13, 1587 in reward of his faithful services — — Map (db m190960) HM
Located south of Oregon Inlet, Lifesaving Station Pea Island was the only unit in the history of the Coast Guard manned by all Black crews. This marker is dedicated to the crews of Pea Island who risked their lives and endured so that others might . . . — — Map (db m48610) HM
“Everything on the Banks seems to be devoid of paint – dwellings, barns and windmills, of which there are a greater number than I supposed were in existence in the whole country.”
Charles Johnson, Hawkins Zouaves, 1862
Roanoke Island, and . . . — — Map (db m190958) HM
Joining the night-watch of the chief light-keeper, I also joined in the good man's enthusiasm for his wonderful "fixed white light", the bright beams of which poured out upon the surrounding waters a flood of brilliancy, gladdening hearts far out . . . — — Map (db m190961) HM
Bodie Island Light Station
has been placed on the
National Register of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior — — Map (db m47028) HM
Nearby dangerous shifting nearshore sandbars caused hundreds of shipwrecks. Congress commissioned a lighthouse to be built to aid mariners in navigating this "Graveyard of the Atlantic".
Standing before you is the third lighthouse built in this . . . — — Map (db m176001) HM
(Panel 1)
Francis & Gertrude Rogallo
Inventors of the Flexible Wing
(caption) Francis & Gertrude Rogallo invent the flexible wing
1948 • 1949 February
(Panel 2)
Francis Rogallo was born in . . . — — Map (db m214622) HM
114 entries matched your criteria. The first 100 are listed above. The final 14 ⊳
