National Register of Historic Places

USS HURON

Nags Head, Dare County, North Carolina
Listed
November 15, 1991
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
91001625

About this property

USS Huron was an iron-hulled gunboat of the United States Navy. She was a screw steamer with full-rig auxiliary sail, built by John Roach & Sons in Chester, Pennsylvania from 1873 to 1875 and commissioned at Philadelphia Navy Yard on 15 November 1875. Huron arrived on 11 December 1875 for duty at the Norfolk Navy Yard, and spent the next two years cruising in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. She stopped at Veracruz and Key West on her first cruise, returning to Port Royal on 4 August 1876 and visited many Caribbean and Venezuelan ports from March–June 1877. After repairs at New York Navy Yard in August, the ship sailed to Hampton Roads, and departed on 23 November 1877 for a scientific cruise on the coast of Cuba. Soon after her departure, Huron ran aground off Nags Head, North Carolina in heavy weather, and was wrecked shortly after 1 a.m. next morning. For a time, her crew worked in relatively little danger, attempting to free their ship, but she soon heeled over, carrying 98 officers and men to their deaths. Of the fatalities 83 remains were recovered and buried; of which the remains of 8 officers and 61 men were identified while 14 others could not be identified. Today, the Huron wreck can be dived (Scuba or free dived) from shore. The wreck is often marked with a buoy during the summer months. This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here. Media related to USS Huron (ship, 1875) at Wikimedia Commons Contemporary Newspaper accounts of the loss of the USN Huron Proceedings of Court of Inquiry on the Loss of the Huron, ancestry.com.

Location

Nags Head, Dare County, North Carolina

Categories

HISTORIC - NON-ABORIGINALMILITARYENGINEERINGARCHITECTURE
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about USS HURON

This page lists USS HURON. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your USS HURON report
Or see a real report first

Questions about this property

When was USS HURON listed on the National Register?

USS HURON was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 15, 1991.

What type of historic resource is USS HURON?

USS HURON is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for USS HURON?

The period of significance for USS HURON is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near USS HURON?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near USS HURON will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Dare County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Dare County.

Explore DareCounty ›

More historic places in North Carolina

Browse all historic places in North Carolina.

View North Carolinahistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

North Carolina history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

North Carolinahistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near USS HURON will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report