| The
Whalehead Club, on the National Register of Historic Places, sat empty
and abandoned for nearly 25 years, until Currituck County bought the
building with the intent of restoring it. Since 1999, the county has
painstakingly restored the house to exactly the way it looked when it
was completed in 1925 (then known as Corolla Island). Any architectural
changes that were made by owners other than the Knights have been removed.
The near $5 million restoration began with the replacement of the copper
roof. The exterior of the house and boathouse are exactly the same paint
colors as the originals, as are the interior walls. The interior has
been completely restored, from the coffered ceilings down to the $120,000
cork floors. Many of the original fixtures and details remain: The waterlily
motif carvings again stand out near the dining room ceiling, the duck
head door handles are back in place, the Tiffany glass light fixtures
shine again, the mahogany trim and woodwork has been refinished. A team
of researchers has tracked down as much information as possible to make
the restoration as accurate as possible. Recently, the research team
has been focusing its efforts on finding as much of the original furnishings
as possible. Mrs. Knight’s piano and Mr. Knight’s iron safe
and portrait were some of the only original furnishings left in the
house when the restoration began. China and a few pieces of furniture,
including a Louis Majorelle tea table, have been returned. The dining
room is completely furnished as it was originally, including Tiffany
sconces and waterlily shades. An exhibition on display in the basement
showcases some of the Knights’ and other owners’ treasured
artifacts, as well as a prized collection of antique decoys.
| The
copious research has also turned up much information about the original
owners Edward and Marie Louise LeBel Knight themselves. Local lore
had always portrayed Mrs. Knight as a sharpshooting ruffian who
was indignant about being ostracized from Outer Banks hunt club
society. But as the researchers uncover information about Mrs. Knight,
this seems unlikely. We now know that Mrs. Knight was educated,
wealthy and socially accepted in Newport society. In her city clothes
and ways, she was very different from the women of the Currituck
Outer Banks and likely shocked the locals. This led to misperceptions
about her, which have been passed down through the years. The staff
at the Whalehead Club now has every reason to believe she was a
dignified, well-respected woman. |
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The
Whalehead Club staff gives guided tours of the house interior. The tours
offer a wealth of information about the architectural style of the house,
the first owners, the history of Corolla and the northern Outer Banks,
and the transforming restoration of the home. Guided tours are the only
way to see the house, but you wouldn’t want to see it without
the guide anyway. The guides are locals who are knowledgeable about
the area and its history.
The tour begins with a video. The guide then takes the group throughout
the living areas, the private rooms, the servants’ quarters and
the 6,000-square-foot basement. In the basement are finely crafted exhibits
that further detail the information learned on the tour. The exhibits
focus on the history of the area, the Currituck Sound and its waterfowl
hunting culture, the original and subsequent owners and the restoration
of the clubhouse.
The Museum Shop stocks tasteful Whalehead Club souvenirs, such as picture
frames and ornaments made from the original copper roof, plus books,
postcards and memorabilia
The Whalehead Club is open from April through Thanksgiving, with special
holiday hours in December. Tours of the house are offered daily starting
at 10 a.m. The last tour is at 5:15 p.m., though after daylight savings
the last tour is at 4:15 p.m. Cost is $6 for adults and free for children
ages 8 and younger. You can also schedule a Behind the Scenes Tour;
they run daily at 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The grounds of the Whalehead Club are perfect for a relaxing afternoon
outdoors away from the beach. The grounds are also available for rent
for weddings and receptions.
Other special events
scheduled at the Whalehead Club in the summer of 2004 include: The American
Cancer Society Relay for Life, May 1 and 2; Wildlife Education with
the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, Memorial Day through Labor Day,
Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.; the Third Annual Whalehead
Club Arts Festival entitled, “Under the Oaks,” June 22 and
23; the July Fourth Festival and Fireworks on Sunday, July 4; and the
N.C. School of the Arts Summer Concert Series scheduled in July.
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Currituck
Beach Lighthouse
Currituck Heritage Park, N.C. Highway 12, Corolla
(252) 453-8152
The red-brick Currituck Beach Lighthouse towers above the northern
Outer Banks landscape at the village of Corolla. Visitors can climb
the winding staircase 214 steps in all to the top of the lighthouse
for a panoramic view of Currituck Sound, the Atlantic Ocean and
the Currituck Outer Banks. Inside the lighthouse, at the base and
on the first two landings, there are museum-quality lighthouse exhibits.
On the way up or down, stop to learn about the history of coastal
lighthouses, the Fresnel lens and the Currituck Beach keepers. |
The 162-foot lighthouse
was first lit on December 1, 1875. Onsite keepers, who lived in the
surrounding buildings, operated the lighthouse until it was automated
in 1939. With automation, the lighthouse no longer required a regular
keeper. The lighthouse and its outbuildings fell into disrepair for
40 years, until a nonprofit group called Outer Banks Conservationists
(OBC) stepped in to save the lighthouse in the 1980s. OBC renovated
the keepers’ buildings to re-create their past glories and restored
the lighthouse to make it safe to climb. In July 2003, The U.S. Department
of the Interior awarded OBC ownership of the lighthouse.
It costs only $6 to climb the lighthouse, and children younger than
eight climb for free. The lighthouse is open daily from Easter through
Thanksgiving. Climbing hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., except in November,
when they close at 5 p.m. Climbers must go up 15 minutes before closing.
During extreme weather, the lighthouse is closed to climbing.
The main building, the Double Keepers’ House, is not open to the
public. You can go inside the small Keeper’s House, which was
transformed into the Museum Shop and stocks everything lighthouse-related
you could ever imagine. T-shirts, hats, books, postcards, blankets,
taffy, ornaments, jewelry, magnets, figurines and more fill this former
keeper’s residence.
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First
Annual Wild Horse Days of the Outer Banks
Currituck Heritage Park
June 12-18
The First Annual Wild Horse Days of the Outer Banks is scheduled
from June 12 until June 18, up and down the Outer Banks. The purpose
of the event is to educate the community and raise awareness about
saving the wild horses and to raise funds to support the Corolla
Horse Fund. In Corolla, a golf tournament at the Currituck Golf
Club is scheduled for June 13, and on the final day, June 18, a
celebration is scheduled at Currituck Heritage park complete with
pony rides, food, vendors and a parade! |
CAMA
Sound Boardwalk
Currituck Heritage Park
This boardwalk cuts through a small portion of swamp forest and brackish
marsh. The variety of flora and fauna you’ll see here is astounding.
Sweet gum, red maples, black willows, live oaks and loblolly pines are
intertwined with wild muscadine grapes, Virginia creeper and winged
sumac. Shrubs like American holly, wax myrtles, yaupon and bayberry
fill in the lowlands, while plants like swamp mallows, morning glory,
ferns, honeysuckle, pennywort add texture and color to the landscape.
Toward the sound, tall reeds and cattails swish in the breeze. The boardwalk
ends at a nice resting spot on Currituck Sound, an absolutely perfect
place to watch the sunset. Animals you might see along the way include
nutria, deer, raccoons, muskrats, red or gray fox, river otters, possums,
turtles, snakes and a great variety of birds, including songbirds, wading
birds, osprey, terns, killdeer, gulls and others, depending on the time
of year.
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Wild
Horses Exhibit at the Corolla School
Corolla Village Road and Schoolhouse Road
In the summer of 2004, the schoolhouse will launch an educational
exhibit on the Corolla wild horses. It promises to be fun for the
entire family with interactive, hands on activities. This summer’s
exhibit will hopefully be the first annual exhibit along the theme
of “learning something new in an old school.” |
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Village
Garden
Corolla Village behind the Lighthouse Garden shop
Be sure to make a stop here when you’re out shopping in Corolla
Village. The public is invited to tour the garden anytime. The 4,000-square-foot
garden, funded by Twiddy and Co. Real Estate, features five raised beds
an herb garden, a butterfly garden, a garlic and basil garden, vegetable
garden and a cutting garden. A “found” garden is being developed
with all native species. The garden is planted and maintained by Amy
Stewart, who puts her efforts into heirloom and older varieties of plants.
Many of the seeds grown here are those that would have been available
at the turn of the last century, from 1900 to 1920. When you drop by,
you’ll likely find the gardener or one of her assistants at work.
Ask them questions about the unusual plants you’ll see in the
garden. In the summer you may find a painter at work at the garden.
The garden is interesting year round.
Currituck
Banks National Estuarine Research Reserve Access Trail
Soundside, End of N.C. 12, north of Corolla
This beautiful boardwalk leads two-thirds of a mile from the road to
the sound, traversing through maritime evergreen forest, swamp forest
and brackish marsh. Along the way, you’ll see live oaks and loblolly
pines, yaupon, holly, bayberry and wax myrtle, plus, closer to the water,
sedges, cattails, black needlerush and giant cordgrass. You may see
signs of animals, like scat or tracks, or possibly the animals themselves.
Birders love this boardwalk because it gives them the ability to go
deep into several habitats without getting so mucky. Along the boardwalk
are a couple of places to rest and an information kiosk. At the end,
the boardwalk has bench seats that look out over a creek and the sound.
It’s serene, quiet and absolutely beautiful on the soundside.
Part of the 960-acre North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve,
this area is protected in its natural state for use as a natural laboratory.
Much of the land in this area is protected. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service manages the 4,000-acre Currituck Banks National Wildlife Refuge
north of here for waterfowl, wading birds and shorebirds.
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Corolla
Surfing Museum
Corolla Surf Shop
Corolla Light Village Shops, N.C. Highway 12
(252) 453-WAVE (9283)
Timbuck II Shopping Village
(252) 453-9273
Housed in both locations of Corolla Surf Shop, the Corolla Surfing
Museum is a collection of classic surfboards that were acquired
by Steve Wise and Brant Wise. The boards, hanging from the ceilings
of the shops, represent many of the small, experimental designs
of the 1960s. There are boards by Dewey Weber, CON, Surfboards Australia,
Bing, Gordon and Smith, Bunger, Hobie and others, with a good representation
of collectible boards from both the East and West coasts. You’ll
also see memorabilia and photography. Many surfers are impressed
with the CON Ugly and are awed by the 1930s wooden hollow board
and the reproduction of the solid-wood 80-pound surfboard. If you
want to learn more about the roots of surfing, don’t miss
seeing these collections. |
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Coming
Attractions
Outer
Banks Center for Wildlife Education
Coming in 2005 to Currituck Heritage Park is the North Carolina Wildlife
Resources Commission’s exciting new Outer Banks Center for Wildlife
Education. This 22,000-square-foot building will house an auditorium
with a video program, an exhibit hall, classrooms and a gift shop. Exhibits
will focus on conservation, waterfowl and hunting heritage, natural
history, local heritage, ecology and fishing. An aquarium and real-life
marsh exhibit will be highlights of the exhibits. The location of the
center (it will probably already be under construction when you’re
here) is on the sound between the Whalehead Club and Currituck Beach
Lighthouse. A rendering of the center is on display at a kiosk on the
boardwalk at the boat basin. When open, the center will offer free admission
and will be a great complement to the Corolla attractions. For now,
the center’s staff is offering wildlife education programs. See
the listing in this chapter
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