Waves, originally called South Rodanthe, grew enough by 1939 to need its own post office, and its first postmaster, Anne Midgett, suggested the name Waves and operated the post office from her home; when Mattie Midgett became postmaster, it moved to the store she owned with Ance Midgett. Community life also centered on Asa H. Gray’s store, where men gathered for discussions after summer evenings. Waves and Rodanthe shared Fair Haven Methodist Church, established in 1888 on land between the two villages and named by Israel Brooks Midgett; storms destroyed church buildings several times, the current building was dedicated in 1946, remodeled in 1965, and after severe damage from Hurricane Irene in 2011, it was raised, substantially rebuilt, and dedicated again on July 13, 2014. The village also shared historic building connections with the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station: the historic home nearby was built in 1929 by John F. Wilson I, who with his son-in-law Joe Dailey also built the 1911 station, and four of the Gold Medal lifesavers from the famed 1918 Miro rescue lived in Waves.