Nags Head

… town on N Bodie Island facing the Atlantic Ocean, E Dare County. A popular summer resort since the 1830s. Inc. 1923; charter repealed 1949; inc. again in 1961. Numerous legends exist explaining the origin of the name. One of the most popular tells of natives who tied lanterns around the necks of ponies ("nags"), which were driven up and down the beach at night. The motion of the lanterns resembled that of a vessel at anchor and lured ships at sea into the shore, where they were wrecked and easily robbed. The name appears on maps of the area as early as 1738. Nags Head as a place name appears in various parts of England, the Channel Islands, and the West Indies.