Spooky Outer Banks: Part II

Last year to get you in the Halloween spirit, we told you 5 ghost tales of the Outer Banks. This year, we’re bringing you 5 more! Learn about some of the spookiest tales of the Outer Banks. Who knows, maybe on your next vacation you’ll encounter one of these spooky sightings.

THE HAUNTED WHALEHEAD PORTRAIT

The Whalehead Club in Corolla was built by Edward and Mar-Louise LeBel Knight. The home provided work opportunities for Corolla residents. Today, the Whalehead Club offers tours of the beautiful estate. In the dining room, you’ll find a portrait of Mr. Edward Knight holding a cigar. Many visitors say they can smell the cigar when on the tour. Some people have even noticed a smoky haze surrounding the portrait.

CARROL A. DEERING GHOST SHIP

In 1921, the Carroll A. Deering a schooner, ran aground on Diamond Shoals; a cluster of shifting underwater sandbars. Before the ship became distressed, Captain Jacobson who was manning the Cape Lookout Lighthouse noticed the grew of the ship was acting suspicious. The Coast Guard came across the ship 2 days later and oddly, the crew, their personal belongings, and lifeboats were all missing. Even stranger? A table had been set with food and silverware as if the crew was about to sit down for dinner. Speculation continues today with theories that range from piracy to paranormal Bermuda Triangle activity, but no one knows exactly what happened to the crew.

THE CURRITUCK LIGHTHOUSE NORTH ROOM

The Currituck Lighthouse has been in service since 1875. Sadie Johnson was the daughter of the lightkeeper that ran the Currituck Lighthouse. The Johnson family was the first family to live in the light keeper’s quarters and young Sadie stayed in the north room of the house. Sadie would always play in the sand near the waters’ edge, but one day she didn’t return home. Her body washed ashore the next day and looked to be an accidental drowning…until other deaths began occurring. A friend of the light keeper’s wife stayed in the north room of the house. She ended up dying from a mysterious illness days later. The lightkeeper’s wife was quarantined in the North bedroom after contracting tuberculosis and subsequently died in that room as well. To this day, no one has spent an entire night in the North bedroom of the Currituck Lighthouse.

GREY MAN OF HATTERAS

If there is a hurricane approaching the shores of Cape Hatteras, you’ll likely see the Grey Man. The Grey Man is a shadowy figure that appears when the first storm winds come to the coast. Some people say the Grey Man is a ghost of a sailor from Hatteras who died at sea in a hurricane. It’s said that he comes back to warn those of the danger of a hurricane since his life was taken in a storm. No one has ever gotten close enough to him to hear him speak or see details in his appearance.

BODIE ISLAND HAUNTINGS

The Bodie Island Lighthouse located in South Nags head has a historic past on the Outer Banks. In 1872, the lighthouse was remodeled in 1872 after being destroyed by Confederate soldiers in 1861. The Lighthouse itself hasn’t shown any signs of being haunted despite its past. However, the gatekeeper’s cottage, which is now the gift shop has had a history of hauntings. Every afternoon after 4:00 PM, a knocking is heard from behind the bricked-over fireplace…as if someone is trapped inside.