Outer Banks

Anyone who has read much non-fiction or history about the Outer Banks of North Carolina should be familiar with David Stick. He has written numerous books about the region. These books tell us why this stretch of the eastern seaboard is called the graveyard of the Atlantic. The reader learns about various events and people over several hundred years along with his personal experiences living in this picturesque area.

But, was David Stick the only person in his family to assist in the development of the Outer Banks? If we research back a little further we learn about his father Frank Stick. In 1929, Frank moved to the Outer Banks.

In the 1930’s Frank Stick knew Dare County was on the brink of bankruptcy. He wasn’t the kind of man to stand back and watch the area go belly up. He searched for a way to regenerate the Outer Banks and to find a way to protect and preserve the area.

One of the biggest problems on the Outer Banks was transportation and the difficulty in getting from one area to another. Better roads and more bridges were needed. Travelers were met by sandy paths which led in all directions and many went in circles. Many areas along the lower Outer Banks were isolated from the upper Outer Banks and the mainland. Sporadic and slow ferry service could only transport a limited number of people per day.

The barrier islands presented various difficulties. These flat and low-lying sandy islands had no protection from the rough surf that eroded the sand and would wash out any new roads.

In 1928 a toll bridge linked Manteo and Nags Head. This allowed people to travel from the mainland to the beach. Soon, a toll bridge connected lower Currituck County and Kitty Hawk. This provided two routes for tourist to reach the upper portions of the Outer Banks. But, there wasn’t a good way to access the area around Buxton, Hatteras and Ocracoke.

In 1933, Frank Stick unveiled his plan. Cape Hatteras would be the focal point of a National Seashore that would extend over 100 miles. It would begin just south of the Virginia state line and extend past Cape Lookout, NC. Several wildlife refuges were located throughout the area.

The first paved highway would extend the full-length of the Seashore and bridges would link the islands for tourists to experience everything the area had to offer. Large sand dunes could protect a paved road. Bridges would provide a better way to link the islands. The plan offered a chance to increase tourism and provide thousands of jobs. One of the first priorities was to build 115 miles of sand dunes to protect the islands and future roads. When the dune line was complete, they built paved roads.

During this time, the United States was experiencing a major economic depression. Untold numbers of people were unemployed in 1932. The people of the United States were desperate for some relief and they needed to find work.

New York governor Franklin D. Roosevelt planned to put the masses of unemployed people to work. Thousands of unemployed young men joined the peacetime army to fight the destruction of our natural treasures. 3,000,000 men worked on the projects.

This story focuses on one project: the creation of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina. Before the project could be completed, World War II broke out in Europe. One of the many projects they abandoned was the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The government workers returned to complete the project in the 1950’s. A human hone was found around that time…

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Hatteras Village Beach Front Foggy Morning at Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Bodie Island Lifesaving Station Hatteras Village Sunset

CCC Cabins from Lilah and the Locket Boat in the Sunset