Wright Brothers National Memorial
PANICd#: 2175
Publication date: 05/11/2025
The Wright Brothers National Memorial, located in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, commemorates the first successful, sustained, powered flights in a heavier-than-air machine.
1000 N Croatan Hwy
Kill Devil Hills , NC 27948
Phone: 252 473-2111
Open to the public: Yes
https://www.nps.gov/wrbr/index.htm
Lat: 36.012138
Lon: -75.673157
Database Summary:
Demographic Rank: 0
History: 1
Stories: 1
Claims: 4
Evidence: 0
Resources: 4
Retrievals: 192
Vistor Rating: 0.0
Votes: 0
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History
History information is some background and history about the location. This is meant to be a basic summary. Below the history records you will find sources in which you can click on to find out more information. There may be multiple history records per location.
The Wright Brothers National Memorial, located in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, commemorates the first successful, sustained, powered flights in a heavier-than-air machine. From 1900 to 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright came here from Dayton, Ohio, based on information from the U.S. Weather Bureau about the area's steady winds. They also valued the privacy provided by this location, which in the early twentieth century was remote from major population centers.
Authorized as the Kill Devil Hill Monument on March 2, 1927, it was transferred from the War Department to the National Park Service on August 10, 1933. Congress renamed it and designated it a national memorial on December 4, 1953. As with all historic areas administered by the National Park Service, the national memorial was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. The memorial's visitor center, designed by Ehrman Mitchell and Romaldo Giurgola, was designated a National Historic Landmark on January 3, 2001. The memorial is co-managed with two other Outer Banks parks, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
Telegram home about the flights.Click on the image to enlarge/zoom
Added by: sdonley on 05/11/2025
DB#:745
Source(s):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Brothers_Nati...
Stories
Stories are just that. Stories and personal accounts that have been reported about the location. This section could also contain research notes as well.
Close to Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills is rumored to be haunted by the spirit of a woman who drowned or was killed in mysterious circumstances. Locals talk of hearing screams near the dunes at night — with no one around. Some say she’s searching for a lost child or husband.
Though not a widely reported ghost story, some believe the Wright Brothers Memorial and surrounding areas are watched over by the spirits of Orville and Wilbur Wright — or perhaps by an older presence displaced by their historic flight. Occasional tales mention shadowy figures or strange sensations at the memorial site at dusk.
Added by: sdonley on 05/11/2025 DB#: 1703
Source(s):
Various
Paranormal Claims
Here are the paranormal claims for this location. These have been found through Internet research, reports from members, or reports from personal interviews. To add a claim, please contact PANICd.com, and we will review and add your information.
| Claim # | Added | Added By | Claim |
| 3797 | 05/11/2025 | sdonley | The screams of a woman are heard around the dunes at night. |
| 3798 | 05/11/2025 | sdonley | Strange shadowy figures have been seen around the memorial site. |
| 3799 | 05/11/2025 | sdonley | Strange sensations have been felt around the memorial. |
| 3800 | 05/11/2025 | sdonley | The apparitions of the Wright brothers have been seen around the memorial. |
Additional Resources
This is a collection of Internet resources for this location. This section will house links to other websites that contain information related to history, claims, investigations, or even the location's website.
| Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina
Added: 05/11/2025 By: sdonley |
Information about Kill Devil Hills on Wikipedia |
| Wright brothers
Added: 05/11/2025 By: sdonley |
Information about the Wright Brothers on Wikipedia. |
| Wright Brothers National Memorial
Added: 05/11/2025 By: sdonley |
Enjoy the newly remodeled visitor center and the interactive activities and exhibits on aviation, historic preservation, and STEAM-based activities (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) provided by local and regional partners. |
| History of Flight, The Wright Brothers & Aviation | OBX Blog
Added: 05/11/2025 By: sdonley |
First in flight. The History of flight began with the Wright Brothers...it also began right here on the Outer Banks! |
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