Nags Head Beach Cottages Historic District

Along the Atlantic shore at Nags Head, a row of frame, wood-shingled cottages runs for nine-tenths of a mile between US 158 and the ocean. Most are gray-brown, with sweeping gable roofs, broad porches and high timber-piling foundations that keep them above storm waves and open to breezes. The most common type is the large 1½-story bungaloid cottage, many built between 1910 and 1940 by Elizabeth City builder Samuel J. Twine. Older two-story gable-roof houses, hip-roofed examples and a single Queen Anne style cottage add variety. Recurring details include porch benches that slope outward, batten doors and awning-style shutters. Interiors are plain, often with exposed studs. Families from northeastern North Carolina have summered here since the nineteenth century, and a few cottages are thought to contain cores from the 1860s and 1870s. The district was recognized because it keeps its original resort character, and its boundary reaches into the ocean to protect the open view and possible shipwreck sites.