Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Slovenia mushroom foraging
Slovenia • 6 days, 5 nights
Forest to Table in Alpine Slovenia
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Hibiya Godzilla Square
Three Mile Island nuclear power plant.
Three Mile Island Historical Marker
Historical Marker.
Naval Air Station Richmond
Today, all that’s left of the mishap-plagued dam is its powerhouse.
Historic Hales Bar Dam Powerhouse
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Tripe is fried to a crisp.
L’Osteria della Trippa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The first photo of the “woolly devil” made a stir among botanists when Deb Manley uploaded it to iNaturalist in March 2024.
How the Woolly Devil, Member of a New Plant Genus, Was Discovered on a Hike in Big Bend
about 13 hours ago
You don’t need to go to Turkey to see hundreds of hot air balloons rising.
Dear Atlas: Where Can I Find the Most Unusual Festivals in the U.S.?
1 day ago
Located in Indianola, Mississippi, Club Ebony hosted performances by blues legends like B.B. King.
How Club Ebony Helped Keep the Blues Alive in the Jim Crow South
1 day ago
Spot Gentoos and other species of penguins waddling, swimming, and diving from icebergs.
Adventure at Sea: An Explorer’s Guide to Antarctica
2 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States North Carolina Bird Island Kindred Spirit Mailbox
AO Edited

Kindred Spirit Mailbox

A mailbox that saved a nature reserve.

Bird Island, North Carolina

Added By
Alex Timian
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The mailbox.   twbuckner/CC BY 2.0
The mailbox.   twbuckner/CC BY 2.0
(Flickr/stepol)   http://www.flickr.com/photos/stepol/216381...
(Flickr/stepol)   http://www.flickr.com/photos/stepol/216381...
5 July 2018   crgyoung / Atlas Obscura User
  jmmilano42 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

For the last 30 years, a small black mailbox printed with the words "Kindred Spirit" has graced the shores of Bird Island.

Although no one knows the identity of the real Kindred Spirit, visitors have used the mailbox to express their hopes and thoughts, and have even stopped the development of the island with their handwritten pleas.

According to most stories, the Kindred Spirit Mailbox was first erected after the Kindred Spirit saw a mirage of a mailbox on the shore during low tide. Although the vision wasn't real, they were inspired to plant a mailbox with a communal notebook so that visitors could leave proof of their having been there. Use of the mailbox quickly caught on and visitors flocked to the island to sit on a nearby bench, look out over the water and write their own personal message inside the mailbox's journal.

Sitting just off the coast of North Carolina, Bird Island was a prime target for resort development. But handwritten messages posted in the mailbox saved the island and it is now a nature preserve operated by the state. Along with the powerful messages that stopped the tide of commercialization on the island, many of the personal thoughts and hopes left in the mailbox are now published on the Kindred Spirit's website.

Related Tags

Intriguing Environs Postal Mail Ecosystems

Know Before You Go

Bird Island is an uninhabited island at the west end of Sunset Beach, NC. The nearest beach entrance and parking is about 1.5 miles to the northeast, so be prepared for a walk on the sand.

Community Contributors

Added By

atimian

Edited By

lexitoad, photosbykristopher, Molly McBride Jacobson, mackenzieprice13...

  • lexitoad
  • photosbykristopher
  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • mackenzieprice13
  • deniseprickett
  • allisvan
  • jmmilano42
  • crgyoung
  • jaimemorosky

Published

January 25, 2012

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://kindredspiritbox.com/
  • https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kindred-Spirit/563368977122111
Kindred Spirit Mailbox
Bird Island, North Carolina
United States
33.867777, -78.530591
Visit Website

Nearby Places

Waites Island

Waites Island, South Carolina

miles away

The Parson's Table

Little River, South Carolina

miles away

Fat Harold’s Beach Club

North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of North Carolina

North Carolina

United States

Places 199
Stories 34

Nearby Places

Waites Island

Waites Island, South Carolina

miles away

The Parson's Table

Little River, South Carolina

miles away

Fat Harold’s Beach Club

North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of North Carolina

North Carolina

United States

Places 199
Stories 34

Related Places

  • Toronto, Ontario

    First Toronto Post Office

    The first post office in Toronto still operates today, complete with quill pens and ink for writing letters.

  • Just a few of the quirky mailboxes along Wilmot’s letterbox trail.

    Wilmot, Australia

    Wilmot Novelty Letterbox Trail

    In Tasmania's "Valley of Views," dozens of novelty mailboxes add a quirky element to the landscape.

  • Southernmost Post Office in the World

    Ushuaia, Argentina

    Postal del Fin del Mundo

    The southernmost postal office in South America.

  • Oldest postbox in Spain

    Mayorga, Spain

    Spain's Oldest Postbox

    The oldest functioning mailbox in Spain was installed in 1793.

  • Post Box at Tin Ma Court

    Hong Kong

    Hong Kong's Colonial Post Boxes

    These post boxes from a bygone era have been the source of controversy and debate.

  • Southampton, England

    Titanic Postal Workers Memorial

    Dedicated to the five postal workers who died aboard the doomed ocean liner, this plaque was made from a spare propeller from the Titanic.

  • U.S. Mailboat Sophie C. heading out, circa 1995

    Meredith, New Hampshire

    U.S. Mailboat Sophie C

    One of the two USPS mailboats left in service docks regularly at Weirs Beach, Bear Island, and other Lake Winnipesaukee islands to deliver their mail.

  • Sir James Murray’s letterbox

    Oxford, England

    Sir James Murray's Post Box

    A letterbox installed specifically for the first editor of the Oxford English Dictionary.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.