The Area - Kitty Hawk

Kitty Hawk was originally known as Chickahauk. Kitty Hawk is the closest English pronunciation of the Indian word; meaning "goose hunting grounds". There are other stories stating that Kitty Hawks name came about from the dragon flies, known as "Skeeter Hawks". With the outer banks accent some thought they were saying Kitty Hawk. The amount of hawks that are prevalent to the island, are also what keep the name alive as well as the local tales.

Kitty Hawk is a part of the Barrier Islands that sits on the edge of the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Our ocean earned its rightful name for its extremely shallow waters which vessels would run aground, with out a warning. The lighthouse came to help the situation, however the vessels couldn't accurately measure the distance from ship to beach, causing them to run aground. Many ship wrecks lay off the coast of our Kitty Hawk beaches, one lying at Lee St. where locals dive for excellent spear fishing and to take a look at history at its most vulnerable.

Kitty Hawk is known for the "First in Flight" however, the actual town where the Wright brothers flew a glider was in the town of Kill Devil Hills. The confusion about where the first airborne flight happened was because the newspapers picked up the dateline of Kitty Hawk. The telegraph they sent out was from Kitty Hawk to tell the world they had flown, the building was a life saving station, now The Black Pelican Café.

Kitty Hawk is full of exciting and historic events. You just have to visit to learn about each tale, and the significance to our friendly town.