North Carolina's Outer Banks
of modern aviation. It was from a sand dune in what is now Kill Devil Hills that Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first ever airplane flight (in an airplane that they constructed in their bicycle shop in Ohio). They selected the Outer Banks as the sight of their first flight largely because of the seclusion of the area (in the early 1900s – it is not secluded today) which helped to keep away unwanted attention from the press and other inventors. The dune where they made their maiden voyage has been planted over with grass (now named Kill Devil Hill) to keep it in place and a large monument which can be seen from miles around has been erected in their honor on the sight. The whole area is now part of our National Park System and is named the Wright Brothers National Memorial. This year marks the 100th Anniversary of their first flight and Fist Flight Centennial celebrations are scheduled at the Wright Brothers National Monument and elsewhere throughout the year.
The Mystery of the Lost Colony
The first attempts at establishing a permanent English settlement in North America were made in 1584-1590 near what is now the town of Manteo on Roanoke Island – just a few miles from the Nags Head area. Sir Walter Raleigh sponsored these attempts and in 1587 appointed John White to establish the colony on Roanoke Island. That year 117 men, women, and children made Fort Raleigh on Roanoke Island their home. It was a hard life adjusting to the wildness of a strange land and they suffered many hardships. John White sailed back to England later that year on a mission to obtain supplies for the settlement, leaving most of the settlers at Fort Raleigh to maintain the colony. War with Spain impeded White’s ability to get back to the colony until 1590 and when he did return he discovered that all of the colonists had disappeared. To this day there are no conclusive answers to the question of what happened to the people of the Lost Colony but there are many theories. Fort Raleigh National Historic Site located at the site of the original fort now commemorates The Lost Colony. There is an outdoor amphitheater located in the park and on summer nights Paul Green’s outdoor drama “The Lost Colony” is performed. This outdoor drama is a unique experience that can be
Latest Articles