Enjoy an Outer Banks Getaway Package from Barrier Island Station Resorts!

Kill Devil Hills

Many theories surround the origin of this intriguing place name. Perhaps the most fanciful tale involves a destitute hermit who once lived in the woods on the sound side of the barrier island. In desperation, he sold his soul to the Devil in return for a bag of gold. The Devil promised to return one week later to deliver the goods, and in that time, the hermit began to have second thoughts. Legend has it that he devised a plan that would save his soul. He dug a pit in the treacherous quicksand at the base of the sand dune and covered it. On the appointed night, the Devil appeared to collect, and the hermit lured him into the sand pit, where the Devil met his fate.

Another story is that in the 1700's William Byrd of Virginia, apparently no admirer of the Carolinas, wrote that "most of the rum they get in the country comes from New England, and is so bad and unwholesome that it is not improperly called "Kill Devil." Another story is that a ship loaded with this "Kill Devil Rum" was wrecked opposite the hills, hence the name.

Etymologists point to the fact that the area is home to a species of shorebird called the killdeer by the early natives. Settlers adopted the name, and eventually it evolved into Kill Devil, with Hills added to the phrase to describe the towering sand dunes nearby.

Nags Head

In the days of pirates when tales drifted ashore of the wonderful treasures being plundered at sea, one of the "bankers", (natives to the Outer Banks) got the inspiration which brought about the name Nags Head. A lantern was tied around the neck of an old gentle horse, and this old nag was slowly led up and down the dunes now known as Jockey's Ridge, so that the light from the lantern shone out to sea. As a ship's captain saw this light, it appeared to be from a ship riding at anchor in a sheltered harbor, but when he tried to make anchorage his ship would go aground, with land pirates then doing in the crew before looting and burning the ship.

Other Place Names

Currituck County, gets its name from the Indian word Cortank, wild goose.

Dare County is named for Virginia Dare, the first child of English parentage born in North America. Born August 18, 1587 in the "Cittie of Raleigh" on Roanoke Island to Eleanor and Ananias Dare, the fate of the child and her parents is unknown.

The names Wanchese and Manteo, towns on Roanoke Island, come from those two Indian Chiefs who befriended the colonists who were to become lost forever. Both were taken to England in 1584 and returned to Roanoke Island in 1585 with the Grenville and Lane Expedition. Manteo remained a staunch friend despite ill advised actions on the part of the English which included an attack on the Indians. Wanchese's regard deteriorated and it is believed that he became somewhat hostile and downright disenchanted.

Ocracoke was supposedly named after one of our more unsavory early inhabitants, the infamous Edward Teach, more widely known as Blackbeard. Blackbeard dropped anchor in the inlet to unload his booty and viewing the vast expanse of sand and water, shook his fist and yelled into the calm breeze, "Oh, Crow Cock!"

The name Hatteras was apparently derived from an area further north along the Outer Banks which was called Hatorask by the early settlers.

The Fort Raleigh Historical Site on Roanoke Island is, of course, named after Sir Walter Raleigh, poet, soldier, statesman and courtier par excellence, whose dream of a colony in the New World was not to be. This particular section of the Outer Banks is often referred to as the Sir Walter Raleigh Coastland. The capital of the great State of North Carolina is named after Sir Walter Raleigh. In Raleigh's time, the whole new land was known as Virginia in honor the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth.

The most popular theory of the name Kitty Hawk is that it derives from the local Indian reference to the time for hunting geese, "Killy Honker" or "Killy Honk".

The Black Pelican

Constructed in 1874, Kitty Hawk Lifesaving Station was one of seven facilities of its kind on the North Carolina Coast. Shortly following the station's opening, a black pelican was sighted during what was to be the first of many violent storms the crew members had to contend with. The Black Pelican circled the shore, swooping down upon the men to warn of a distressed vessel dangerously approaching shore.

Repeated sightings of the Black Pelican hovering near the station soon followed. It served as an omen of impending disaster and crucial rescue needs. Effortlessly, the bird guided the men through blinding storms and turbulent waters to the sinking vessel and struggling survivors.

Years passed as the Black Pelican continued to aid in the success of the crew's rescues. W.D. Tate, the station's original keeper, kept a journal of the bird's role as fearless "watchdog" of the open seas. Records of survivors' encounters with the Pelican reveal the swift relief efforts of the "graceful, black-winged figure" protectively sailing overhead until help arrived.

In the memories of the lifesavers, the tireless efforts of the Black Pelican never ended. However, with the closing of the station, the bird merely vanished. The sightings ceased, and the skies along the shore seemed so... empty. The Pelican's duty as endearing scout was over.

As years passed, entire species of pelicans were rapidly decreasing. The bird became endandered, fallen prey to ocean pollution, environment poisoning and shoreline commercialization. Today, however, the pelican population is again stabilizing as a result of protective measures by conservationists and government-funded restabilization projects.

News of modern sightings of the Black Pelican once again circulated the island. Around Oregon Inlet, a populated fishing site, boatmen claimed to have seen a "suspicious black bird" circling overhead during the inclement weather. Fishermen, sailing in rough seas, described this odd-colored pelican as suddenly appearing as a bold, striking creature flying nearby, ever-watchful of the boat's crew.

Yet, the mystery remains. Stories of the Black Pelican live on despite the change of modernization. Ancient legend of this faithful bird extends back to the Middle Ages when the Pelican was regarded as a symbol of love, charity and sacrifice.