Historic Corolla Schoolhouse

Tucked away along Schoolhouse Road and shaded by a cluster of Live Oaks, the Historic Corolla Schoolhouse is a lesser-known but nevertheless important attraction in the coastal town of Corolla. The schoolhouse was originally constructed sometime between 1890 and 1905, (with some lifelong locals attesting that their older relatives attended the school in the mid-1890s.)

Historic Corolla Schoolhouse

Regardless of when it was built, the one-story schoolhouse officially became the first unified Corolla School, established by the Currituck County School system, in 1905. Prior to the county school being originated, the local kids of Corolla attended one of three small schools in the area, which was more or less determined by their parents' profession. Government employees' children went to one schoolhouse, local fishermen's children attended another, and local village kids went to a school in the heart of town - which many believe to be the current Historic Corolla Schoolhouse structure.

Once the central and sole Corolla School was established, a teacher and textbooks were provided, (courtesy of Currituck County), and the one-room schoolhouse would effectively educate Corolla children of all ages for the next 50+ years.

During this timeframe, however, the Corolla population gradually but steadily dwindled due to lifesaving station closures and new hunting and fishing restrictions. By 1958, there simply weren't enough local students to justify the continued operation of the Corolla Schoolhouse, and the school effectively closed, seemingly for good.

After closing, the schoolhouse would spend a couple of years serving as a community recreation hall, and then a private residence, but would more or less remain empty for the latter half of the 20th century.

In 1999, after years of natural deterioration, the schoolhouse was purchased by the local Twiddy family with the singular goal of restoring the ancient building to its former glory. The ensuing restoration took a full year, but careful contractors found a world of treasures hidden within the schoolhouse's walls, including long-forgotten schoolwork assignments, a nearly 80-year overdue library book, and an ancient Valentine's Day card. Once completed, it seemed only natural that the school should become a museum of sorts, and it soon became the new home of the Corolla Wild Horse Museum.

After serving as a museum for more than a decade, the schoolhouse has recently added another twist in its unique narrative, and is being transformed back into a schoolhouse again. The Historic Corolla Schoolhouse is returning to its roots as the "new" home of a multi-age charter school for Corolla's local children.

Today, visitors along Schoolhouse Lane are welcome to take a stroll by the historic structure, enjoy a rest on the neighboring white wooden benches, and snap photos of the tiny schoolhouse that both looks and operates just as it did more than a century ago. Though not as famous as the sprawling Whalehead in Historic Corolla or the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, the Historic Corolla Schoolhouse remains a unique, and still functioning, icon of Corolla's local legacy.

 


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The Cotton Gin

For those traveling to the Outer Banks, The Cotton Gin is a beloved landmark with its large windmill and picturesque gardens. The Cotton Gin has stood in the same location since 1929, starting as a working cotton gin and growing to a gift store with 4 locations. Visitors are treated to a unique shopping experience in our main store in Jarvisburg, as well as our beach stores in Corolla, Duck, and Nags Head. Explore room after room filled with décor for your home and coastal fashions for both men and women. Discover the brands you really want, like, Vera Bradley, Vineyard Vines, La Mer Luex, Simply Southern, Lindsay Phillips, Scout, Pandora, Kameleon, Brighton, Spartina, Tommy Bahama, Southern Tide and Salt Life and Old Guys Rule - all under one roof!

 

Don’t forget the gourmet market, or shop our beautiful linens for your bedroom and bath. We also feature coastal books and fine art, or just a whimsical fun gift to bring home to family and friends. Stop by soon and don’t forget to try our estate grown wines in our stores or visit our vineyard and winery, Sanctuary Vineyards, located adjacent to the original Cotton Gin in Jarvisburg.

 

Most know The Cotton Gin as a must-stop shop for fine gifts, beachwear, souvenirs and so much more, but this retailer has a long-standing history within the Outer Banks. A local landmark that holds almost a century of memories, The Cotton Gin started from humble beginnings and continues to adapt to the times and tourists. Tommy Wright’s family has been in the Outer Banks for nearly 200 years. His great-great grandfather, Jacob Francis Wright, shipwrecked in Duck back in the early 1800s. Calling these barrier islands his new home, Wright and his family acclimated to their new environment.

 

Adaptation is a common theme for the Wright family. Tommy and his wife Candace, who continue to steer The Cotton Gin, have seen not only their business change with the times, but the Outer Banks as a vacation destination as well. A farm market in Jarvisburg eventually transformed and flourished into several retail locations dotting the Outer Banks.

 

“As the area changed and tourism took off in the 1960s, the family saw people coming for vacations, so they began to grow vegetables and things developed from there,” says Tommy Wright. The Wright family expanded upon the farm market and began to remodel a working cotton gin, later transforming the gin into The Cotton Gin general store in the late 1960s. While the additions to the farm store drew visitors, it was their encounters with the Wright family that kept people coming back year after year, which is something that remains true today.

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