The History of The Southern Shores Flat Top Homes

Southern Shores History and the Story of Frank Stick’s Flat Top Homes

The flattop vacation homes that date back to the post WWII boom years are perhaps the most distinctive feature of Southern Shores. To understand how and why the town is so different and where the flattop homes can be found, it’s important to understand the history of the town.

Artist Frank Stick plays an outsized role in the history of the Outer Banks. Considered the preeminent illustrator of outdoor magazines from about 1910 top 1930 his artwork still commands top dollar at auction, often going for five and six figures.

It was largely through his efforts that Cape Hatteras National Seashore came into existence and and it was his vision that created the town of Southern Shores.

By the late 1920s, Stick was tired of churning out hunting, camping and fishing illustrations and he moved his family to the Outer Banks. Included in his family was his son David, who would write some of the finest books on the history of the Outer Banks; his 1954 book Graveyard of the Atlantic is still considered the best study of the shipwrecks along the Outer Banks that has been written.

After WWII ended, Frank believed returning servicemen would want a place to vacation as they began their civilian careers. And the Outer Banks, he believed, was the perfect location for them.

In 1947 he purchased 2600 acres north of Kitty Hawk consisting of barren sand dunes, dense maritime forest and swamp for $30,000. Even in 1947 that was a very good price.

He also had an idea—a very good idea as it turns out. He wold sell the lots in his new Southern Shores development for $12,000 and that would include a basic vacation home.

On a visit to Florida, Frank has seen cement block homes and he felt the design could be applied to the Outer Banks. They would be sturdy, so additional rooms and even a second floor could be added.

He asked David, who after service in the Marines in WWII, was in New York building a career in publishing, to come home and help.

Father and son became their own construction company and they found some innovative ways to cut costs. Sand from Outer Banks beaches was used to make the mortar for the cement. To this day, there are shells in the walls of some of the original flattop homes. Juniper--a local wood--was abundant and cheap at the time so it was used for the paneling and sometimes beams.

The result was a distinctive style of beach home, blending almost seamlessly with the sand dunes and beach of Southern Shores.

They are a vanishing breed now. Property values have soared and a rustic two or three bedroom vacation home bordering the beach cannot compete with the eight or ten bedroom homes around it. There are still some left, though, and seeing them tucked in against the dunes or set back from Ocean Boulevard is a reminder of a time gone by.