Kill Devil Hills Historic Homes Tour Opens Up Outer Banks History
The Kill Devil Hills Historic Home Tour offers the unique experience of literally stepping inside physical pieces of Outer Banks history.
The 2014 Historic Homes Tour open house will be held on Friday, April 11 from 1 to 5pm, beginning at the Kill Devil Hills Town Hall.
The self-guided tour will feature eight historic homes and will begin with a reception for recent designations at the Town Hall at 1pm.
Participants will be given a map of the properties and will have from 2 to 5pm to tour those that are open.
The event is free and open to the public.
Eight Kill Devil Hills Historic Landmarks will be featured on the tour including: the White Cottage at 2400 North Virginia Dare Trail; Poulas-Kiger House at 2309 North Virginia Dare Trail; Hall House at 2401 Virginia dare Trail; Stick-Small Cottage at 1519 North Virginia Dare Trail; The Cherokee Inn ( now known as the Cypress House Inn), owned by Bill and Veda Peters, at 500 North Virginia Dare Trail; Pappendick-Heath home at 302 North Virginia Dare Trail; Ruth- Miller cottage at 1235 South Virginia Dare Trail; and Mardre-Wollard Cottage at 1229 South Virginia Dare Trail.
The Cherokee (pictured below) is the first commercial property designated as a local historic landmark. It was built in 1946 by Walter and Rubie Perry and was a rooming house serving breakfast and dinner.
Since 1967, it has had several owners until bought by Bill and Veda Peters in 2005. They renamed it to The Cypress House Inn and run it as a bed and breakfast. The original pine floors remain and much of the cypress walls and ceiling.
The former “Cherokee Inn” is part of the Kill Devil Hills Historic Homes Tour, April 11, 2014, starting at Town Hall.
The Ruth-Miller oceanfront house (pictured below) was built in 1947 for Woodland Finley Ruth of Windsor, North Carolina.
The cottage has remained in the family for the past 63 years and has been passed to children and grandchildren over the years. It is used primarily by the family in the summer months. The home was constructed by workmen from Colington. Mr. Ruth did not provide any house plans, but simply told the men to build a square with two bedrooms and a half bath.
It is largely unchanged inside and outside. The house did not have an indoor bath or shower until 2000 when the southeast bedroom was expanded and a full bath was installed and no hot water until the early 1960’s. A central air conditioning was added in 1999 .
The Ruth-Miller House is featured on the Kill Devil Hills Historic Homes Tour, April 11, 2014, starting at Town Hall.
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