Outer Banks North Carolina History

Gold was the treasure that lured French and Spanish explorers between 1524 and 1588. Even Sir Walter Raleigh had been given a charter in 1584 by Queen Elizabeth I of England to establish a colony in North American, but the first two efforts were unsuccessful. In 1663 supporters of Charles II were awarded a charter for land in the Carolinas and settlement succeeded. Rebellions due to political and religious issues brought direct rule by England over the colony in 1729. Blackbeard the Pirate brought havoc on the seas from 1710 to 1718. Becoming prosperous, North Carolina began to resist certain English policies during 1730-1775. North Carolinians contributed to the defeat of British military power in the War for Independence (1776-1783) and while a federal system was formed in the new nation (1784-1800). The early part of the 1800s the area was fairly quiet with the exception of becoming known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” where many ships were lost at sea. Lighthouses along the coast were built. During the Civil War, northern forces captured Fort Hatters and Fort Clark on the Outer Banks. In 1862 the USS Monitor, a Union ironclad, sank off Cape Hatteras. On December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright succeeded in flying a power-driven airplane near Kitty Hawk. During WWII, German submarines sank a number of ships off the North Carolina coast. Today, the Outer Banks is a tourist destination where millions come to enjoy a pristine coastline and nature’s beauty.