Which National Park Service site became the United States' first national seashore in 1953?

Cape Hatteras National Seashore became the United States' first national seashore on January 12, 1953.

The seashore protects roughly 70 miles of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, extending from Bodie Island to Ocracoke Island. Congress authorized the site in 1937, but it was not officially established until 1953. It was dedicated five years later, on April 24, 1958.

Cape Hatteras is famous for barrier-island scenery, fishing, surfing, migrating birds, and lighthouse history. Its surrounding waters were long called the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” because shoals, storms, and strong currents caused many shipwrecks. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is nearby but is not itself the entire national seashore.

The site’s history also explains a frequent mix-up: Cape Hatteras National Seashore is in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, while Cape Cod National Seashore is in Massachusetts. Today, the National Park Service manages Cape Hatteras along with nearby Wright Brothers National Memorial and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site.