Oak Island: Celebrating 10 Years

Oak Island, North Carolina is quite probably the youngest town on the Carolina coast. Although other coastal towns count their age in centuries, the residents of Oak Island just celebrated their 10th anniversary, and they did it in grand style.

The towns of Long Beach and Yaupon Beach – both located on the 12-mile-long barrier island itself – became the town of Oak Island on July 1, 1999, known locally as Beach Day.

Every Beach Day is worth celebrating, but this year’s event was a milestone, and local residents as well as visitors joined the party. Field day-type events were the order of the day and included a horseshoe tournament, a boccie ball challenge and volleyball tournament, as well as a skate competition at the Oak Island Skate Park on 49th Street.

There were off-court activities, too, such as the Sand Creations Competition on the beach and the First Fin at Ten at the Oak Island and Ocean Crest Piers, where you win by catching the first fish at 10 a.m.

A new competition to celebrate the town’s 10th anniversary was the Business Entrance Decorating Contest, with its theme of “Ten Years of Oak Island.” The Oak Island Sub Shop and Salads Too took top honors. The Super Citizens Essay Contest was open to all residents who were at least 10 years old and who had lived on the island for at least 10 years. The theme was “What I Like Most About Oak Island,” and there were two winners: Brenda Birmelin and Jake Gallagher. Even the arts were represented with an event at the Franklin Square Gallery, sponsored by the Associated Artists of Southport.

No party is complete without music, and several bands played throughout the day, including the Holiday Band, which took over the beach stage in the evening for the shag competition.

All beautiful beach days come to an end, but this particular day ended with a bang at the fireworks display at the Ocean Crest Pier, following the Sea Notes Choral Concert at the Southport Baptist Church. According to Karen Sphar, executive vice president of the Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce, “This Beach Day had one of the highest rates of attendance in recent memory.”

A Little History

Oak Island may be the area’s newest municipality, but it is part of one of North Carolina’s oldest counties. Brunswick County, named for the Prince of Brunswick, was established in 1746 and is today the fifth largest in the state, reaching from the banks of the Brunswick River to the South Carolina border. Although most Southeastern beaches face east, toward Europe, people gazing at the ocean from Oak Island beaches are looking south.

The community of Oak Island traces its roots to 1825, when Fort Caswell was built, bringing the first settlers to the area. The fort’s main purpose was to thwart pirates such as Blackbeard from capturing and boarding merchant ships. By 1889, the Oak Island Lighthouse and the Oak Island Lifesaving Station were fully functional and, again, people settled nearby.

Oak Island remained quiet and undeveloped – and was still attached to the mainland – and sportsmen were drawn there by its excellent hunting until the 1930s, when progress began to creep in.

In 1936, it became a true island with the completion of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Just two years later, Ernest Felder Middleton of Charleston, South Carolina, purchased property on the island, forming Carolina Lands, Inc. and developing the area around Long Beach. Long Beach, which boasted a pavilion, bathhouses, dining facilities and Saturday night dances, began to draw visitors. Oceanfront lots were offered for sale at a staggering $350, and soon there were several dozen cottages by the shore. With the advent of World War II, the boom was shortlived.

A Family Place

Today, Oak Island is a town of roughly 7,000 people who believe they’ve found the perfect spot in the sun.

Kim Skipper Anderson, broker-in-charge at Art Skipper Realty, first came to Oak Island in 1978 when her dad was assigned here by the Coast Guard. She says there is just “a different feel” to the island.

“It’s the people who live here,” Anderson says, “the natural vegetation, all the oak trees. When you come across the bridge, the first thing you see is the ocean and treetops.”

Skipper was lucky enough to be brought to Oak Island by her father, but others discover the serene beauty of the town while on vacation. It’s not unusual for those visitors to linger long enough to become full-time residents. With 10 miles of beautiful beaches, two fishing piers, a marina and plenty of places to launch boats, canoes and kayaks, it’s hard not to fall in love with Oak Island.

Although there are motels and restaurants on the beachfront, most of the business district is clustered just across the bridge from the mainland. Sidewalks make it easy for bikers and pedestrians to navigate Oak Island, and there are parks, playgrounds and even a skate park.

Oak Island may be one of North Carolina’s best-kept secrets but continues to grow as new people discover the charms of small-town living along the coast. Kim Skipper Anderson can attest to that.

“The real estate market has picked up a whole lot in the last six weeks,” she says.