The original inhabitants of Ocean Sands were likely the Chowanog or Poteskeet Indians. Early accounts of English settlers on the Currituck Banks describe a unique and hardy variety. In his 1728 history of the dividing line between Virginia and North Carolina, William Byrd says he found a couple living on the beach as Adamites… “But as for raiment, he depended mostly upon his Length of Beard, and She upon her Length of Hair, part of which she brought decently forward, and the rest dangled behind quite down to her Rump.” In other words, they were naked.

The beach as a farm

In the mid-1800s a few hardy families sought land grants on these Currituck Banks to establish modest farms. One of the most enterprising was Abraham Baum, whose lands stretched from old Caffey’s Inlet to north of the current lighthouse, including the area of Ocean Sands. These early Outer Bankers fished, hunted, raised cattle, and guided for northern waterfowl hunters.

In 1857, 15 men purchased 3100 acres of Abraham’s Currituck Banks at $1 an acre and established The Currituck Shooting Club. The Club continued to gather lands around the Currituck Banks. In 1903, deed records show a land grant from the state to a JC Gallop for the land specifically now called Ocean Sands for 12.5 cents an acre. Mr. Gallop was the superintendent of The Currituck Shooting Club. He sold this land just a month later to The Club for a relatively large profit of about 90 dollars.

One of the oldest illustrated maps of the old hunt clubs

The area of Ocean Sands remained the outskirts of this sportsman’s paradise until the mid-1900s when developers began to envision luxury vacation communities in the area of Corolla. In 1971, James Johnson purchased some of this land, then bordered to the north by “Whalehead Club, Inc; on the East the Atlantic Ocean; on the South by Pine Island and on the West by Currituck Shooting Club.”

Build it & they come

In 1971, James Johnson purchased some of this land, then bordered to the north by “Whalehead Club, Inc; on the East the Atlantic Ocean; on the South by Pine Island and on the West by Currituck Shooting Club.”

Ocean Sands was the first large-scale development on the Banks north of Duck. The guard shack for Ocean Sands sat at the north end of Sanderling and guarded the road to Corolla. In the early 70s, interested buyers would travel to a sales trailer past the guard shack where they were given a stake with a flag afixed to the end.

Early Househunting

The buyer would walk the dunes and plant the stake to claim their parcel! Later, the County requested the developer adopt a plan that was then called “the Currituck Plan” where open space surrounded smaller lots containing groups of homes resulting in less impact on the environment.

Later, the County requested the developer adopt a plan that was then called “the Currituck Plan” where open space surrounded smaller lots containing groups of homes resulting in less impact on the environment. Thus the “arches” of sections D-F and north including HIJO and LMNPQ. With approximately 3 miles of oceanfront property on over 678 acres, the Ocean Sands Community sits at the heart of Corolla as its largest community. It has private streets, private security and 19 private beach access boardwalks.

Early picture of Ocean Lakes around 2015 showing the Arch design