Bicycle shop owners, Wilbur and Orville Wright, were always curious about flying and flight itself. They admired birds as they soared through the air and the same question that they pondered, drew their attention to try to create a way where man can fly.
In their research, they knew that they would need to find an ideal place to spread their wings, so to speak, and find a place that allowed for a soft landing. The shores of the Outer Banks, by all measures, was deemed as the ideal location for the breezes and soft sand dunes for landing to try their hand at helping man to fly.
The brothers traveled down from Ohio to the Outer Banks and set up shop where they worked to create a flying machine. Although the Outer Banks at that time only had a few people living here year round, the Wright brothers became friendly with the residents, in particular the men who worked at the Lifesaving Station in what is now known as Kill Devil Hills. These relationships became even more important as time went on for support in their efforts. The Lifesaving Station became the place where Orville and Wilbur would come to socialize, seek assistance in their efforts and where they stayed while working on their flying machine.
On the fateful day, December 17, when the first flight was documented, the Wright brothers again relied on their friends, including John T. Daniels, who worked and lived at the Lifesaving station who was a documented witness, among others.
The original Kill Devil Hills Lifesaving Station is another part of the history of The Northern Outer Banks, and also holds artifacts, stories and heritage in its historical confines. In 1986, the Lifesaving Station was moved to Corolla. To watch the series of Clark Twiddy sharing the background, stories and additional artifacts about the Lifesaving Station, click here. 
You can find the Lifesaving Station in historic Corolla, just past the Currituck Lighthouse, however the Lifesaving Station is not open to the public. The Twiddy Family has worked hard to restore the building and help preserve the history of the Outer Banks for generations to come.
