Oak Island (North Carolina)
Encyclopedia
Oak Island is a barrier island
on the Atlantic coast of southeastern North Carolina
in Brunswick County
. The island contains the towns of Oak Island
and Caswell Beach
as well as the North Carolina Baptist Assembly
and a United States Coast Guard
station, which is home to the Oak Island Lighthouse
. Although the area has been called Oak Island since colonial times, it only became a true island with the construction of the Intracoastal Waterway
. It is about 12 miles long and averages about one mile wide; roughly 8000 people
live on the island year-round, which can balloon up to 40,000 during the summer.
tribe
s used Oak Island as fishing
grounds before the arrival of Europeans. The first permanent buildings on the island were at Fort Caswell, which was built in the 1830s. The site was occupied by Confederate
troops in the Civil War, and later by both the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy until the end of World War II; this property would later become the N.C. Baptist Assembly. In the 1930s, the commercial development of the rest of the island began; the towns of Long Beach
and Yaupon Beach
were incorporated in 1955 (Caswell Beach incorporated 20 years later). One year earlier, Hurricane Hazel
struck the town with a direct hit; most of the vacation homes along the beach were destroyed. The island quickly recovered and tourism remains the main industry; construction continues on the island at a rapid rate, in spite of facing other hardships such as hurricanes like Fran
and Floyd
, and being cut off from the mainland for a short time after a barge
destroyed the island's original pontoon bridge
.
Barrier island
Barrier islands, a coastal landform and a type of barrier system, are relatively narrow strips of sand that parallel the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a few islands to more than a dozen...
on the Atlantic coast of southeastern North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
in Brunswick County
Brunswick County, North Carolina
-External links:*******....
. The island contains the towns of Oak Island
Oak Island, North Carolina
Oak Island, North Carolina is a seaside town located mostly on the barrier island of Oak Island , in Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States. A small part of the town extends onto the mainland north of the island's bridge. The population was 6,571 at the 2000 census...
and Caswell Beach
Caswell Beach, North Carolina
Caswell Beach is a small seaside town located on the eastern part of Oak Island in Brunswick County, North Carolina, and is adjacent to the North Carolina Baptist Assembly and the island's United States Coast Guard station. It was incorporated as a town in 1975. The population was 370 at the 2000...
as well as the North Carolina Baptist Assembly
North Carolina Baptist Assembly
The North Carolina Baptist Assembly is a Christian retreat owned and operated by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, the state's largest denomination. The grounds of the retreat, on the eastern end of Oak Island, is the former site of Fort Caswell, a military base that was occupied by...
and a United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
station, which is home to the Oak Island Lighthouse
Oak Island lighthouse
The Oak Island Lighthouse is currently part of the United States Coast Guard station on Oak Island in North Carolina.-History:Being completed in 1958, the Oak Island Lighthouse is one of the newest lighthouses in the United States. It is made from concrete and stands 169 feet tall...
. Although the area has been called Oak Island since colonial times, it only became a true island with the construction of the Intracoastal Waterway
Intracoastal Waterway
The Intracoastal Waterway is a 3,000-mile waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. Some lengths consist of natural inlets, salt-water rivers, bays, and sounds; others are artificial canals...
. It is about 12 miles long and averages about one mile wide; roughly 8000 people
Person
A person is a human being, or an entity that has certain capacities or attributes strongly associated with being human , for example in a particular moral or legal context...
live on the island year-round, which can balloon up to 40,000 during the summer.
History
It is believed that Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribe
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
s used Oak Island as fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
grounds before the arrival of Europeans. The first permanent buildings on the island were at Fort Caswell, which was built in the 1830s. The site was occupied by Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
troops in the Civil War, and later by both the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy until the end of World War II; this property would later become the N.C. Baptist Assembly. In the 1930s, the commercial development of the rest of the island began; the towns of Long Beach
Long Beach, North Carolina
Long Beach, North Carolina is a coastal neighborhood that is incorporated into Oak Island, North Carolina in the year of 1955. Located on Oak Island, it is well known for the total devastation it sustained during Hurricane Hazel in 1954; only five of the 357 buildings survived the storm...
and Yaupon Beach
Yaupon Beach, North Carolina
Yaupon Beach, North Carolina is a coastal neighbourhood that is incorporated into the town of Oak Island in Brunswick County, North Carolina in the year of 1955. It has weathered many hurricanes, including Hazel in 1954 and Floyd in 1999. It merged with neighboring Long Beach in 1999 to form the...
were incorporated in 1955 (Caswell Beach incorporated 20 years later). One year earlier, Hurricane Hazel
Hurricane Hazel
Hurricane Hazel was the deadliest and costliest hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm killed as many as 1,000 people in Haiti before striking the United States near the border between North and South Carolina, as a Category 4 hurricane...
struck the town with a direct hit; most of the vacation homes along the beach were destroyed. The island quickly recovered and tourism remains the main industry; construction continues on the island at a rapid rate, in spite of facing other hardships such as hurricanes like Fran
Hurricane Fran
Hurricane Fran was a powerful Cape Verde-type hurricane of the 1996 Atlantic hurricane season that made landfall near Cape Fear in North Carolina at Category 3 strength. Throughout the eastern United States, early statistics on Fran reported 27 deaths and $3.2 billion in damage...
and Floyd
Hurricane Floyd
Hurricane Floyd was the sixth named storm, fourth hurricane, and third major hurricane in the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season. Floyd triggered the third largest evacuation in US history when 2.6 million coastal residents of five states were ordered from their homes as it approached...
, and being cut off from the mainland for a short time after a barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
destroyed the island's original pontoon bridge
Pontoon bridge
A pontoon bridge or floating bridge is a bridge that floats on water and in which barge- or boat-like pontoons support the bridge deck and its dynamic loads. While pontoon bridges are usually temporary structures, some are used for long periods of time...
.
Communities
Italics denote former communities consolidated into the town of Oak Island in 1999.- Caswell BeachCaswell Beach, North CarolinaCaswell Beach is a small seaside town located on the eastern part of Oak Island in Brunswick County, North Carolina, and is adjacent to the North Carolina Baptist Assembly and the island's United States Coast Guard station. It was incorporated as a town in 1975. The population was 370 at the 2000...
- Oak IslandOak Island, North CarolinaOak Island, North Carolina is a seaside town located mostly on the barrier island of Oak Island , in Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States. A small part of the town extends onto the mainland north of the island's bridge. The population was 6,571 at the 2000 census...
- Yaupon BeachYaupon Beach, North CarolinaYaupon Beach, North Carolina is a coastal neighbourhood that is incorporated into the town of Oak Island in Brunswick County, North Carolina in the year of 1955. It has weathered many hurricanes, including Hazel in 1954 and Floyd in 1999. It merged with neighboring Long Beach in 1999 to form the...
- Long BeachLong Beach, North CarolinaLong Beach, North Carolina is a coastal neighborhood that is incorporated into Oak Island, North Carolina in the year of 1955. Located on Oak Island, it is well known for the total devastation it sustained during Hurricane Hazel in 1954; only five of the 357 buildings survived the storm...
- Yaupon Beach