Dare County, North Carolina
Ballance, Ellsworth and Lovie, House
Bodie Island Lifesaving/Coast Guard Station
Bodie Island Light Station
Caffeys Inlet Lifesaving Station
Cape Hatteras Light Station
Chicamacomico Life Saving Station
Creef, George Washington, House
Daniels, John T., House
First Colony Inn
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
Hatteras Weather Bureau Station
Kitty Hawk Life-Saving Station
Markham-Albertson-Stinson Cottage
Meekins, Thedore S., House
Midgett, Mattie, Store and House
Midgett, Rasmus, House
Nags Head Beach Cottages Historic District
Oregon Inlet Station
Salvo Post Office
Sam's Diner
Sea Foam Motel
U-701 (submarine) shipwreck and remains
U-85 (submarine) shipwreck and remains
Wright Brothers National Memorial
12 Seconds that Changed the World
A hospitable people...
All for Safe Passage
America's 1st Attempt at Civil War Reunification
Among Friends
Andrew Cartwright
Battle of Roanoke Island
Big Kill Devil Hill
Big Kill Devil Hill
Billy Mitchell
Bodie Island Light Station
Bodie Island Lighthouse
Bowser Family Cemetery
Burnside Expedition of 1862
Burnside's Expedition Crossing Hatteras Bar/The Burnside Expedition at Hatteras Inlet
Caffey's Inlet, U.S. Lifesaving Station No. 5
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
Charles Kuralt Trail
Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station
Civil Air Patrol
Commemoration
Confederate Channel Obstructions
Confederate Forts
Dare County Veterans Memorial
Dare County's Tribute to Veterans
Diamond Shoals
English Explorers' Earthwork
Experiments
Field for Flight
Field Research Facility
First English Colonies
First Flights: December 17th, 1903
First Light of Freedom
Fish & Wildlife Service
Flagship USS Minnesota/Hotel de Afrique
Fort Bartow
Fort Blanchard
Fort Clark / The Bombardment of Fort Hatteras
Fort Forrest
Fort Huger
Four Powered Flights
Freedmen's Colony
Getting Off the Ground
Giant Bluefin Tuna
Gulls and Terns
Home Away From Home
Island Veterans of the Civil War / America's 1st Amphibious Assault of the Civil War
Joachim Gans
Jockey's Ridge
Keepers of the Light
Kill Devil Hills
Kill Devil Hills Fire Rescue Memorial
Life at the Light
Manteo Weather Tower
Maritime Casualties of the American Civil War/Loss of the USS Monitor
Mitchell Demonstrates Air Power
Monument to a Century of Flight
Monument to the Impossible
Naval Battle of Roanoke Island
Paukenschlag
Pea Island Lifesavers
Pitch, Roll and Yaw
Port Ferdinando
Powder Ridge Club
Propeller From USS Dionysus
Purple Martin Bridge Roost
R. A. Fessenden
Radio Milestone
Reconstructed Past
Red Wolf Country
Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse
Spirit of Roanoke Island
Storm Watch
Take a Boy Fishing in North Carolina
The 1901 Glider
The 1902 Glider
The 1903 Flyer
The Camp
The Chicamacomico Races / Exodus from Chicamacomico
The Conquest of the Air
The Fanny
The First Flight
The First Flight
The First Successful Flight of an Airplane
The New Fort in Virginia / Virginia Dare
The Wreck of the Huron
Thomas Hariot Trail
To Virginia Dare
To Walter Raleigh's Colonists
U.S.S. Monitor
USLSS/USCG Station Pea Island Memorial
Welcome to captivating Hatteras IslandÂ…
Welcome to Frisco
Welcome to Hatteras Village
Welcome to Kinnakeet...
Welcome to Rodanthe...
Wind, Sand, & Isolation
Windmills on Roanoke Island
Wreck of the U.S.S. Huron
Wright Brothers
Wright Brothers National Memorial
Wright Brothers' Memorial
"Mirlo" Rescue
In the early 1600s, English settlers arrived in Dare County, marking the beginning of the colonization attempts by the Roanoke Island Colony. Led by Sir Walter Raleigh, the first group of settlers mysteriously disappeared, leaving behind only the word "Croatoan" carved into a tree. This disappearance, along with subsequent failed attempts at colonization, including the ill-fated "Lost Colony," has captivated historians and researchers ever since, and remains an unsolved mystery.
Throughout the following centuries, Dare County developed as an agricultural and fishing community, relying on the abundance of natural resources from the surrounding waters and land. The area gained prominence as a stopover for ships traveling along the coast, and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was built in 1803 to guide these ships through the treacherous Diamond Shoals.
Dare County also played a crucial role during the Civil War. The Confederate Army took control of Roanoke Island, resulting in the Battle of Roanoke Island in 1862, a significant Union victory that marked a turning point in the war. The area's beaches, including the famous Kitty Hawk, gained attention in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as vacation destinations for the wealthy.
Today, Dare County continues to thrive as a popular tourist destination, attracting visitors with its beautiful beaches, outdoor recreational activities, and historical sites. The area's history, including the mystery of the Lost Colony, remains an important part of its identity, celebrated through various cultural events and attractions.
Brief timeline of the history of Dare County, North Carolina:
- 1584 - Sir Walter Raleigh sends an expedition to Roanoke Island, making Dare County the birthplace of English colonization in America.
- 1587 - The Lost Colony is established on Roanoke Island, but mysteriously disappears.
- 1663 - Dare County becomes part of the Province of Carolina, under English control.
- 1729 - Province of Carolina splits into North Carolina and South Carolina, with Dare County falling under North Carolina's jurisdiction.
- 1870 - Northern part of Dare County is established as Currituck County.
- 1870 - Dare County is officially formed, carved out of portions of Currituck, Hyde, and Tyrrell Counties.
- 1873 - First lighthouse built on Cape Hatteras to aid ships navigating the treacherous Diamond Shoals.
- 1930s - The Civilian Conservation Corps constructs the Oregon Inlet Coast Guard Station and Hatteras Village School.
- 1939 - The Cape Hatteras National Seashore is established, protecting a large stretch of Dare County's coastline.
- 1940s - Dare County experiences significant military presence and activity during World War II.
- 1950s - Interests in tourism and beachcombing grow, leading to the development of beach towns and vacation rental properties.
- 1963 - The Herbert C. Bonner Bridge opens, connecting Hatteras Island to the mainland.
- 1999 - The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is moved inland to protect it from erosion caused by the encroaching Atlantic Ocean.
- 2017 - Completion of the new Bonner Bridge, replacing the aging Herbert C. Bonner Bridge.
This timeline provides a condensed summary of the historical journey of Dare County, North Carolina.