North Carolina Gazetteer search

Place	Description
Nags Head	town on N Bodie Island facing the Atlantic Ocean, E Dare County. A popular summer resort since the 1830s. Inc. 1923; charter repealed 1949; inc. again in 1961. Numerous legends exist explaining the origin of the name. One of the most popular tells of natives who tied lanterns around the necks of ponies ("nags"), which were driven up and down the beach at night. The motion of the lanterns resembled that of a vessel at anchor and lured ships at sea into the shore, where they were wrecked and easily robbed. The name appears on maps of the area as early as 1738. Nags Head as a place name appears in various parts of England, the Channel Islands, and the West Indies.
Nags Head Coast Guard Station	central Bodie Island in E Dare County. Est. in 1874 as a lifesaving station. Lifesaving Service and Revenue Cutter Service joined to form U.S. Coast Guard in 1915. The station was declared surplus and decommissioned after World War II.
Nags Head Township	E Dare County. Includes all of Roanoke Island and the town of Nags Head.
Nags Head Woods	maritime forest, E Dare County. An ecological preserve that includes 1,400 acres. Protected by Nature Conservancy and designated a U.S. Natural Landmark, 1974.

Page 1