Sea turtles also call the area home and lay their eggs in the sand each year.
The Cape Hatteras Light Station with its distinctive black and while spiral pattern.
The Bodie Island Lighthouse at sunset.
spouses and children. Another brother decided that camping there on his honeymoon was perfect. Another regularly rents a vacation house on the island. PLAN YOUR VISIT Maybe it’s time for you to discover the magical pull of the islands and their mysterious history. You may want to start at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. These 44-square-miles are America’s first designated National Seashore. It’s also famous as the nesting grounds for sea turtles. White-tail deer, harbor seals, and a myriad of birds of all shapes and sizes inhabit the protected lands as well. If you’re a fan of lighthouses, be sure to visit Cape Hatteras Light Station—the tallest brick lighthouse in the U.S. and possibly the world—which boasts the distinctive black and white spiral pattern on its exterior. You’ll recognize Bodie Island Light Station by its black and white horizontal stripes. Look for it just north of Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. The islands that make up the seashore have been home to Native Americans, farmers, watermen, enslaved people, lighthouse keepers, surfmen, and many others who continue to shape the heritage of the area. The people have witnessed events that include hurricanes,
the death of Blackbeard the pirate, Civil War battles, the construction of its now famous lighthouses, the birth of the United States Coast Guard in the lifesaving stations, hundreds of shipwrecks, the building of dunes by the Civilian Conservation Corps, scientific strides in weather forecasting, U-boat attacks, and much more. One of the most infamous examples of a resident was a privateer known by two pseudonyms—“Edward Teach” and “Blackbeard”. We don’t precisely know where or when he was born, but he probably served as a privateer in Queen Anne’s War before turning to piracy. While Blackbeard’s career as a pirate captain likely lasted only two years, he gained a reputation as one of the most intimidating and fearsome pirates of the time. GUARDIANS OF THE SEA Throughout history, the watery perils that exist off North Carolina's coast have endangered mariners as well as any ocean-going passengers. Hundreds of ships have fallen prey to formidable currents, fierce storms, and shifting shoals in the infamous "Graveyard of the Atlantic." The construction of lighthouses on the Outer Banks, therefore, was crucial to protect both lives and commerce against the hazards of the sea. The two tall coastal lights were built in the 1870s to warn
MYSTERIES OF THE OUTER BANKS
COAST TO COAST SPRING MAGAZINE 2022
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