History of the 4x4 Beaches

The Outer Banks keeps its secrets where the pavement ends and the sand begins. Commercial fisherman Buddy Ponton and his son, Edward, shared memories of the North Beach, its rugged 4×4 beach history north of Duck, and the relentless spirit of the people who shaped it.

The Northern Edge of Escape

To Buddy, the North Beach was pure isolation. It was an enormous area, starting near Duck and stretching up to the Virginia line, governed by necessity, not paved roads. This was the territory of the great hunt clubs, which were “a big deal,” drawing people from all over the world for the escape. Even notable figures like Teddy Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, and members of the Vanderbilt family visited the Currituck Shooting Club, located near Pine Island on the Audubon property (the club was lost to fire), as well as the Whalehead Club in Corolla, which at one time owned most of the land and marsh around here.

Oddly, proximity to civilization was reversed here from what it is today. Buddy says, “Folks now think that the North Beach, what people call the 4×4 area, is new, but that’s not the case.” Corolla felt “way out of society,” and there was nothing between Corolla and Duck except for some hunt clubs. The northernmost development, Carova Beach, was only ten miles from Virginia Beach. This proximity explains why Carova Beach is actually one of the oldest subdivisions on the Currituck Banks, subdivided way back in the 1960s. Buddy is a living connection to that past, holding one of the rare permits that allows driving through the gate at the Virginia line to Virginia Beach, a right reserved for those who were here before 1972. Before that, northern access was stopped; most people accessed the Currituck Banks from the north.

Lumber, Loss, and the Gifts of the Sea

The ocean here was not just a source of food, but it was also a location of war and supplied materials for local construction.

During World War II, the darkness was emphasized by tragedy. Buddy was told by former postmaster John Austin that during WWII, German U-boats were sinking American ships nightly. The oil coated the beaches, and cargo, such as tires holding air, rolled ashore. He recalls the Coast Guard making morning and afternoon runs to pick up the deceased or the lucky few sailors who had survived a shipwreck.

For more on World War II, read about Stanley Beacham, who grew up in Duck during that time.

When Buddy was a young fisherman settling in Corolla, he recalled an especially low moment when he was struggling to finish framing the roof on his home and thought he might have to purchase lumber. However, the ocean would often provide unexpected materials, and on a morning trip to work in Norfolk, he started to pass some lumber on the beach that was perfect. He filled his truck on the way to work and got his workers going, and returned to the beach to get all he could. He reminisces, “I finished my roof with that lumber.” Before containerized cargo, ships carried large amounts of lumber to keep cargo in place. When they encountered rough water or needed to prepare to unload at port, the lumber would often end up in the water. This “dunnage lumber” floated to the coast. Buddy remembers keeping a close eye on the weather, saying, “I would hit the beach on an easterly wind, just to see what my pickings were.” His own house, along with the framing of the old Corolla Schoolhouse and many other local homes, was built from salvaged lumber gathered straight from the shoreline.

A Community Small Enough to Count

On the 4×4 beach, everyone knew everyone. For Edward, one of the strangest changes over time has been standing in a crowd and realizing he no longer recognizes the majority of the faces around him.

As Edward recalls, “Dad said when he moved here, you could count everyone between Duck and Sandbridge, Virginia, on two hands.” While people did travel down from Virginia during the summer months, winter brought an entirely different reality, one of near-total isolation.

Buddy explains that the small population was tied directly to the local way of life. “The reason I say you could count them all on both hands is that a lot of the time they worked for me, fishing,” he says. “The wintertime was one of our main seasons.”

Wash Woods: A Watcher on the Sand

Tucked just off the oceanfront in North Swan Beach is Wash Woods Station, a quiet reminder that long before vacation homes and beach traffic, this stretch of the Outer Banks was watched over by lifesavers. Built in 1917 by the United States Coast Guard, Wash Woods replaced an earlier station near the Virginia line and became a critical outpost along one of the most dangerous coastlines in the country.

In 1988, the Twiddy family purchased and carefully restored the historic structure, lifting it above the encroaching dunes and returning it to its original character. Today, Wash Woods stands restored among modern homes, its lookout tower, cisterns, and weathered walls serving as a physical link to the era when survival here depended on alertness, courage, and respect for the sea.

Residents Before Roads

Another long-term resident of the northern Outer Banks is the Corolla Wild Horses. These horses adapted to the same isolation that shaped the people of North Beach. They learned to survive on maritime forests and sand dunes, drinking fresh water from shallow pools and moving freely across the beach long before fences, roads, or vacation homes existed. Like the early residents, the horses endured storms, hardships, and isolation, becoming a living link to the area’s untamed past and a reminder that this stretch of sand was wild long before it was settled.

Where the Sand Still Remembers

The history of the North Beach is not written in asphalt or street signs; it lives in the sand, the sea, and the memories of those who came before. Through Buddy and Edward Ponton’s stories, a picture emerges of a place shaped by isolation, creativity, and resilience. From wartime shipwrecks and a sportsmen’s community so small it could be counted on two hands, the North Beach was defined by necessity rather than convenience.

Buddy and Edward’s stories remind us that this place was built not just by storms and shipwrecks, but by hands that salvaged, shared, and stayed. And even as faces change and crowds grow, the spirit of the North Beach lives on.

You and your family can experience the magic of the 4×4 beach by staying in our OBX vacation rentals.