Oak Island (North Carolina)

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Oak Island
Oak Island NC Sunset.jpg
Oak Island beach at sunset
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Oak Island
Geography
Location Atlantic Ocean
Coordinates 33°54′37″N78°03′38″W / 33.91028°N 78.06056°W / 33.91028; -78.06056
Length12 mi (19 km)
Administration
USA
Additional information
Oak Island (North Carolina)

Oak Island is located on the Atlantic Ocean coast in Brunswick County, North Carolina near the South Carolina border. A barrier island, it contains the towns of Oak Island and Caswell Beach, Fort Caswell (since 1949 home to the North Carolina Baptist Assembly) and the Oak Island Coast Guard Station which is co-located with the Oak Island Lighthouse. Almost 13 miles long, the island averages about one mile wide. Approximately 7000 people live on it year-round, a number which can balloon to over 40,000 during the summer [1]

Contents

Geography

Roughly 30 miles south of Wilmington, North Carolina, Oak Island is the easternmost of the South Brunswick Islands formed in the late 1930s by the construction of the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). Dredged from Southport, North Carolina at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, the ICW flows west through coastal sounds and marshes to the Little River in South Carolina. Both ends of Oak Island have extensive marshland, while its two major internal waterways (Davis Canal and Montgomery Slough) run east to west and drain into the Lockwood Folly River. Elevations range from sea level to a 50' high knoll on the west end of the island. [2]

Oak Island Map.jpg
Oak Island Map

History

Fort Caswell Battery Swift Fort Caswell Battery Swift Cisterns.jpg
Fort Caswell Battery Swift
Oak Island Life-Saving Station Earlier life-saving station, facing west, northwest - Oak Island Coast Guard Station, Highway 160, Oak Island, Brunswick County, NC HABS NC-401-9.tif
Oak Island Life-Saving Station
NC133 "Hazel" Historic Marker Hurricane Hazel Historic Marker.png
NC133 "Hazel" Historic Marker
Oak Island Swingbridge circa 1950 Oak Island Swingbridge.png
Oak Island Swingbridge circa 1950

While Native Americans most likely used the island for fishing, the first permanent settlement took place in the 1830s on the island's east end at Fort Caswell. [3] Now utilized as a Christian retreat and conference center, during the Civil War the fort defended Confederate positions on the North Carolina coast and subsequently served as an army training ground in World War I and a patrol/ communications base in World War II. [4] In 2013, along with the Fort Caswell Rifle Range constructed during WWI, [5] it was designated as a National Historic District. [6]

In the early 1800s, in recognition of the dangers to navigation caused by Frying Pan Shoals, Jay Bird Shoals, and Bald Head Shoals, [7] which lay south and southeast of the island, construction of a series of lighthouses and life saving stations in the area began. On Bald Head Island, this construction included Old Baldy completed in 1817, and on Oak Island, the 1889 Oak Island Life Saving Station located 1/2 mile west of Fort Caswell. Still standing today, this building features a large lookout tower projecting from its roof. In 1938 it was sold to a private owner and moved directly across the road from its original location near where the current lighthouse stands. [8]

By the 1930s the island had blossomed into a vacation resort as beach cottages began to dot the area on its western half, something which Hurricane Hazel brought a temporary halt to in 1954 as it washed away some 350 buildings on or near the ocean front. [9] One of the greatest natural disasters to ever affect the state, Hazel was also one of the most destructive hurricanes to strike the United States. [10] The island quickly recovered and development continued anew with the towns of Long Beach and Yaupon Beach being incorporated in 1955; in 1999 they were jointly incorporated into the Town of Oak Island. [11]

Beach erosion has been a continuing problem for the island, with the first major success in restoration, the 2001 sand deposition on the east end of the island using material dredged from the Wilmington Harbor Channel. [12] Since then, two similar projects have been completed along with other, smaller efforts, e.g two Sea Turtle Habitat Restoration Projects. [13] Concern about the beach has also occasioned the creation of Beach Preservation Trust funds by both the Towns of Oak island and Caswell Beach and the formation of active citizen groups supporting the Natural Resources Defense Council "Protect our Coast" effort. [14] One such group, familiarly known as the Crabbies was a key player in the Brunswick County effort opposing seismic testing and off shore drilling as proposed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). [15] In 1958, the Oak Island Lighthouse became operational. Located on the east end of the island, in 2004 the Town of Caswell Beach acquired it and in 2007 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. [16] In 1962 the first 9 holes of the Oak Island Golf Club designed by George Cobb opened for play. The second nine holes was completed in 1975, the same year the Town of Caswell Beach was incorporated. As a result of both the course and island's sequential development, 13 holes of the golf course are in Caswell Beach while five holes are in the Town of Oak Island.

Along with this increasing level of development came strident demands for reliable access to and from the island. When the ICW was completed, a swingbridge initially provided this service. Destroyed by a barge strike in 1971, construction of a high rise replacement (Barbee Bridge) began almost immediately; it opened for traffic in 1975 (interim service included a ferry and pontoon bridge). [17] A second high rise structure (Swain's Cut Bridge) crossing was completed in 2010. [18]

Climate

Summers on Oak Island are hot and humid with an average temperature of 85˚, although the beach front is cooled much of the time by sea breezes (the prevailing winds are from the southwest). Ocean water temperatures range from the 50s to the mid 80s. Winters are moderate with an average temperature in the 50s (°F), albeit with brief cold periods. Rain occurs throughout the year with average annual rainfall approximately 57", 45% of this falling between June and September. [19] Tropical storms are a continuing source of concern, e.g., in the 1996-1999 period, four major hurricanes (Bertha, Fran, Bonnie, and Floyd) made landfall and had significant effects on the area. [20] More recently, in October 2016, the eye of Hurricane Matthew passed almost directly over the island inflicting significant damage to the dune system, [21] and then in September 2018, Hurricane Florence caused severe flooding and wind damage in addition to washing away most of the beach sand added earlier in the year. [22]

Recreation/Activities

Ocean Crest Fishing Pier Oak Island NC-Fishing Pier.jpg
Ocean Crest Fishing Pier
Oak Island Lighthouse Oak Island Light with the clouds in the background.jpg
Oak Island Lighthouse

Primarily a family beach type locale, the island also provides many other types of recreational activity. The Oak Island Golf course and its related practice facilities are open to the public and an outdoor swimming pool is available for its members' use during the summer. [23] Two fishing piers jut out into the Atlantic: the Oak Island Pier [24] and the Ocean Crest Pier [25] while motor/sail boats moored to piers dot the ICW as well as the Davis Canal and Montgomery Slough. All these waterways also attract a large number of kayakers. The Oak Island Recreation Center located mid-island provides both indoor and outdoor exercise facilities and rents out sports equipment and amenities like balloon tire, beach wheelchairs. [26] A popular sporting event, ”Run Oak Island" held each February, features a marathon, half-marathon, 10K and 5K races. As for other activities, the Town of Oak Island puts on an ocean front fireworks display as part of its Fourth of July festivities, and a parade down Oak Island Drive just before Christmas. Tours of the Oak Island Lighthouse can be scheduled year round, with trips to the top available by appointment given two weeks advance notice (four weeks in the summer months). [27] Monthly Civil War Roundtables are held at the Hatch Auditorium in the NC Baptist Assembly while the Oak Island Library hosts a wide variety of events to include "Socrates Cafe" and "Meet the Author" programs. [28]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina Baptist Assembly</span>

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, located adjacent to Caswell Beach on the eastern end of Oak Island, is the former site of Fort Caswell, a military base that was occupied by various branches of the U.S. armed forces for most of the period between 1836 and 1945. Most people still refer to the Baptist Assembly as Fort Caswell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oak Island Light</span> Lighthouse in North Carolina, US

The Oak Island Lighthouse is located in the Town of Caswell Beach near the mouth of the Cape Fear River in Southeastern North Carolina. It sits next to the Oak Island Coast Guard Station on the east end of Oak Island in Brunswick County looking south out at the Atlantic Ocean. Featuring 16 LED lights which produce four, one-second bursts of light every 10 seconds, it has a luminous range of 20.5 nautical miles. Owned by the town since 2004, it is managed by a citizens group.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Caswell Historic District</span> Historic district in North Carolina, United States

Located in North Carolina on the Atlantic Coast, the Fort Caswell Historic District encompasses 2 sites, 43 buildings, and 23 structures; it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. The fort itself was occupied by various branches of the U.S. armed forces for most of the period between 1836 and 1945 and is now a part of the North Carolina Baptist Assembly, a Christian retreat, owned and operated by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. It is accessible by the public to a limited extent per the conditions set forth by the Assembly’s Director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oak Island Golf Club</span>

The Oak Island Golf Club (OIGC) is located in Caswell Beach NC on the south side of Oak Island looking out at the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lower Cape Fear region in Brunswick County, Southeast North Carolina, it is one of the few 18 holes golf courses built on a barrier island. The privately owned 6,720 yard, par 72 course is open to the public and has 37 bunkers with water in play on 11 holes. Laid out with five sets of tees which present a wide range of playability, the back (blue) tees are course rated at 73.1 with a slope of 139. A pro shop/pub/snack bar along with a full practice facility to include a sand trap, both putting and pitching greens, and a driving range is also available to the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G. V. Barbee Bridge</span> Bridge on Oak Island, North Carolina

The G. V. Barbee Bridge carries NC 133 across the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), connecting Oak Island, North Carolina to the mainland. The 4,250-foot-long (1,300 m), 65-foot-high (20 m) structure, built under contract to the NC DOT, consists of 37 concrete girder main spans and 28 hollow core concrete slab approach spans. In the 2018/ 2019 time frame, DOT replaced all 28 cored concrete slabs and the barrier rails, resurfaced the roadway and made substructure repairs to include work on the pier caps, columns, piles and footings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swain's Cut Bridge</span> Bridge on Oak Island, North Carolina

Swain’s Cut Bridge carries NC 906 across the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) connecting Oak Island, NC to the mainland. Built for $36 million under contract to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the bridge opened for traffic in the fall of 2010. A high rise design similar to the Barbee Bridge which crosses the ICW at the east end of the island, the Swain's Cut Bridge is built over a narrow part of the channel and required only three main spans while the Barbee Bridge needed 37.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coast Guard Station Oak Island</span>

Coast Guard Station Oak Island referred to locally as the Oak Island Coast Guard Station (OICGS) is located in the Town of Caswell Beach on Oak Island in Brunswick County, North Carolina. A part of the Cape Fear region, the station is in the United States Coast Guard 5th District which is charged with ensuring the safety and security of the oceans, coastal areas, and marine transportation system within the Mid-Atlantic Region. The district encompasses some 156,000 square miles of ocean, bays, rivers, wetlands and tidal marshes, geographic waterways, several major mid-Atlantic ports, and the Nation’s capital. They also patrol the mouth of the Cape Fear River in Southport, North Carolina and the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW)

We're Crabby About Drilling is an advocacy group formed by citizens living on Oak Island, North Carolina, focused on preventing off-shore drilling and seismic testing. Known locally as the "Oak Island Crabbies" the group is opposed to the federal government's proposed plan for ocean drilling and seismic blasting in the Cape Fear littoral as set forth in the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Draft Proposed Program for 2019-2104.

References

  1. ↑ "Fact Sheet". Reference.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  2. ↑ "Topo Map". TopoZone.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  3. ↑ "Fort Caswell". FortCaswell.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  4. ↑ Herring, Ethel; Williams, Carolee (1999). Fort Caswell in War and Peace. Oak Island, NC: NC Baptist Assembly. ISBN   978-0967189710.
  5. ↑ "Fort Caswell Rifle Range". FortCaswellRifleRange.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  6. ↑ "NRHP Submission". NPS.gov. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  7. ↑ "Shoals". BaldHeadIsland.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  8. ↑ "Oak Island Life Saving Station" (PDF). NCDCR.gov. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  9. ↑ "Hurricane Hazel". WRAL.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  10. ↑ "Hurricane Event Summary". NCSU.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  11. ↑ "Oak Island Consolidation" (PDF). NCLEG.net. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  12. ↑ "Harbor Dredging Project". StatePortPilot.com. Retrieved 2019-04-15.
  13. ↑ "Sea Turtle Habitat Restoration". OakIsland.com. Retrieved 2019-04-15.
  14. ↑ "Natural Resources Defense Council". NRDC.org. Retrieved 2019-04-15.
  15. ↑ "Ocean Development Plan". BOEM.gov. Retrieved 2019-04-15.
  16. ↑ "NRHP Listing". NPS. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  17. ↑ Furstenau, Wolfgang (1995). Long Beach. Long Beach, NC: Furstenau. ISBN   978-09648233-0-3.
  18. ↑ "Swain's Cut Bridge". StarNews.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  19. ↑ "NOAA Weather Data". Weather.gov. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  20. ↑ Barnes, Jay (2013). North Carolina's Hurricane History: Fourth Edition. UNC Press Books. ISBN   978-1469606521.
  21. ↑ "Hurricane Matthew". NWS.gov. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  22. ↑ "Hurricane Florence". StatePortPilot.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  23. ↑ "Oak Island Golf Club". OakIslandGolf.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  24. ↑ "Oak Island Pier". OakIslandPier.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  25. ↑ "Oean Crest Pier/listing/ocean-crest-pier/105/" . Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  26. ↑ "Oak Island Recreation Center". OakIslandRecDesk.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  27. ↑ "Oak Island Light". OakIslandLight.org. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  28. ↑ "Oak Island Library". BrunsCo.gov. Retrieved 2019-02-01.

Coordinates: 33°54′49″N78°06′40″W / 33.9137°N 78.1111°W / 33.9137; -78.1111

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