Shackleford Banks, North Carolina used to house a small group of whaling communities during the mid-to-end of the 19th century. They lived, not necessarily in isolation, but in a community that was self-sufficient on the landscape that they called home. This article will focus on the maritime cultural landscape that formed how these people lived and show why they established there, how they grew, and what eventually lead to their decline. To do this, the landscape itself must be examined by using previous census and shoreline data to show the movement of people and coastal shoreline over the years from when they prospered to when they left. Other evidence to look at will be the accounts of events from the San Ciriaco hurricane of 1899 that have been passed down from generations before as well as examining the history of whaling in coastal North Carolina. Analysis of these types of evidence may reveal what factors contributed, whether they be environmental or not, to the development, growth, and decline of communities on Shackleford Banks before they fled the island to surrounding cities and areas such as Harker’s Island and Morehead City.