![]() ![]() The newly extended tower was painted red on top of white, making the lighthouse more recognizable during the day. In 1853, following studies made by the Lighthouse Board, it was decided to add 60 feet to the height of the Hatteras lighthouse, thereby making the tower 150 feet tall. In the end, the structure was deemed a failure.īy 1850, the island was called home to about 1000 people, with the majority living in the village of Buxton. Unfortunately for ships traveling in the area, the light proved unreliable and not visible for most offshore mariners because it was too short, the unpainted sandstone blended in with the background, and the signal was not strong enough to reach mariners. Made of sandstone, it was 90 feet tall with a lamp powered by whale oil. However, construction did not begin until 1799. In 1794 the newly formed US Government approved building a lighthouse on Hatteras Island to help mariners easily pass through the region. It was during the 18th century that shipwrecks became prevalent along the dangerous Diamond Shoals in coastal North Carolina because of a popular trade route for mariners. ![]() Many of these first settlers still have descendants living on the islands today. The Outer Banks were first settled by English colonial settlers in the 1700s and maintained a small local population that depended on commercial fishing, hunting, the lumber trade, and sustenance farming. This theory is supported by documentation written in the 1700s of unusual “blue-eyed” natives found on the island and a 16th Century English ring found in Buxton in the 1990s. The course change may have been fatal for the 116 colonists who would inevitably disappear to become known as the “Lost Colony.” Though their fate remains unknown, some historians believe the colonists moved south to Hatteras Island to escape hostile Roanoke Island tribes. In 1587 Captain John White, the leader of one of the first new English settlements landed on Hatteras Island before heading north and settling on Roanoke Island. The island first appeared on an English Map in 1585 as “Hatterask,” named for the Hatteras tribe who lived on the barrier island. It would be decades before the area’s people would see Europeans again. In 1524 Spanish explorer Giovanni Da Verrazzano landed on the North Carolina coastline, most likely somewhere between Hatteras Island and Cape Lookout, where friendly natives met him. The island was one of the first regions “discovered” by New World explorers. They were also fortunate that they didn’t have to suffer through harsh winters or dwindling food supplies that many mainland native communities. Located miles offshore, these natives lived peacefully for more than 1,000 years without the threat of invading tribes. Historians estimate that Hatteras Island was first inhabited by small Native American tribes sustained by game, shellfish, and seafood in about 500 AD. Today, history lives on in the determination of the area’s people, culture, places, and stories.Įdward Teach was better known as the infamous pirate Blackbeard. Through the centuries, these folks have witnessed hurricanes, the death of Blackbeard the pirate, Civil War battles, the construction of its now-famous lighthouses, u-boat attacks, and much more. Over the years, the islands that make up the seashore have been home to Native Americans, farmers, fishermen, slaves, lighthouse keepers, and many others who continue to shape the area’s heritage. Barrier islands are narrow, low-lying landforms that parallel ocean coasts, are separated from the mainland, and constantly move and reshape in response to storms, ocean currents, sea-level changes, and wind.Ī haven for recreation and relaxation, the seashore, rich in cultural and natural diversity, also draws scientists from many disciplines, including meteorologists, geologists, oceanographers, biologists, and more. ![]() The nation’s first national seashore, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, was established in 1937 to preserve significant segments of unspoiled barrier islands along North Carolina’s stretch of the Atlantic Coast. ![]()
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