Knotts Island

Knotts Island dates far back in history, with events of significance occurring as early as March 7, 1728. On this date, the first stake to mark the North Carolina-Virginia border was placed on Knotts Island, splitting the island so the northern tip was part of Virginia and leaving the rest as part of North Carolina. In 1811, the Knotts Island Methodist Church was established and a white Steepled building was created in 1911. Almost 45 years later, the Knotts Island Market opened its doors in 1855, becoming a staple of the island. Having only six owners since its opening, the Knotts Island Market is a place of historic and cultural value for Knotts Islanders, considering it is a popular place to socialize and purchase groceries. The first Knotts Island Baptist Church was built in 1876. An important figure in the history of Knotts Island was Joseph P. Knapp, a philanthropist who owned a hunting club on the western side of the island. Knapp built the Knotts Island Elementary School in 1925, which is one of the few examples of Colonial Revival architecture in Currituck County. Additionally, Knapp’s hunting club was converted into the MacKay Island National Wildlife Refuge on December 30, 1960 which consists of roughly 8,300 acres of Knotts Island. The eventual introduction of the ferry to the island in 1962 made it more accessible to the public, offering a more direct means of transportation for the people of Virginia and North Carolina.  

About Knotts Island, Land's End Building. Accessed March 9th 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20100325025024/http://www.landsendbuilding.com/knottsisland.html.

A Little History of Knotts Island, August 17th 2019. Accessed March 9th 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20190817113537/http://knottsislandonline.com/history/timeline.htm.

Bing, Claude. Visit the Beautiful Knotts Island, VirginiaBeach.com. September 28th 2015. Accessed March 9th 2021. https://www.virginiabeach.com/article/20150626-visit-beautiful-knotts-island.

Knotts Island Demographics, Accessed March 9th 2021. https://www.point2homes.com/US/Neighborhood/NC/Knotts-Island-Demographics.html#:~:text=Knotts%20Island%20is%20an%20area,Island%20and%20904%20female%20residents..

Knotts Island Scrapbook, March 14th 2019. Accessed March 9th 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20190314162628/http://knottsislandonline.com/kiscrapbook/index.html.

Malvasi, Meg. Historic and Architectural Resources of Currituck County , Accessed March 9th 2021. https://files.nc.gov/ncdcr/historic-preservation-office/survey-and-national-register/surveyreports/CurrituckCountySurvey-2010.pdf.

NCDOT Resumes Currituck-Knotts Island Ferry Service, Accessed March 9th 2021. https://co.currituck.nc.us/news/ncdot-resumes-currituck-knotts-island-ferry-service/.

Quine, Katie. Knotts Island is One of the Coast's Best-Kept Secrets, Our State. January 6th 2017. Accessed March 9th 2021. https://www.ourstate.com/knotts-island-is-one-of-the-coasts-best-kept-secrets/.

Tursi, Frank. Knotts Island: Preserving a Piece of History, Coastal Review. March 14th 2014. Accessed March 9th 2021. https://www.coastalreview.org/2014/03/knotts-island-preserving-a-piece-of-history/.

Welcome to Knotts Island, Accessed March 9th 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20201125075118/http://knottsislandonline.com/.