State

Mild, Wide & Flat Low tide of a mild surf uncovers a wide, flat beach at Long Beach in Brunswick. —(Photo by Art Newton.) The Brunswick strands in our Rediscovery of North Carolina Beaches series. Btj OLD TRLDGE The beaches of Brunswick County, fine, wide strands, blessed with an almost due cast-west situation, lay neg¬ lected for a long time. Now, they constitute together the largest tract of desirable ocean front available in North Carolina today to the small-lot purchaser. A couple of things characterize them. So far. they have been devel¬ oped preponderantly as residential beaches. Little or no attempt has been made to attract either the overnight or day-use visitor. Cottages and apart¬ ments arc available, but these are fam¬ ily beaches, with a refreshing lack, for the most part, of raucous amusements. Lying east and west, the beaches get an ocean breeze which blow mosqui¬ toes away from the strand. It also is sheltered from northeast storms, and thus enjoys an extremely mild surf, a wide, gently shelving beach extend¬ ing far out into the water, and a wide sandspil. Undertow Is Rarely Present Let’s start at the extreme cast end of Oak Island, which is the official name of the beach jutting out toward the Cape of Fear, running from the mouth of the Cape Fear River to Lock¬ wood’s Folly Inlet bounded on the south by the Atlantic, on the north by the Inland Waterway. The strand is of varying widths, but rarely exceeds a mile. In some places, there is firm land from ocean to sound; in others, the land toward the waterway dips into marshlands difficult of approach cith¬ er from the water or the land. Oak Is¬ land is readily accessible by a bridge over the Inland Waterway, and a paved highway runs its length. Fort Caswell, an historic old place, occupies the tip of the strand. It is now used as a Baptist Summer As¬ sembly, and is an interesting place to visit. The buildings of the garrison and the old coast artillery placements arc intact. Two of them have been converted into warm-water swimming pools. Near by is Oak Island Coast Guard Station, and then begins Caswell Beach, owned by Goldsboro interests. On about 2/г miles of ocean front are around 30 cottages. The development is entirely residential. Electricity is ob¬ tained from the town of Southport, and water front a system put in by the Navy during World War II. Each cottage, however, must have its own septic tank. A new development on Oak Island is Yaupon Village, developed by G. V. Barbee of Wake Forest in the spring of 1953. The property comprises about 2,000 feet and runs back to the Elizabeth River. He now has ten vear- around houses in the area with a mod¬ ern restaurant and a boat-building shop. Homes arc for sale, and cot¬ tages for rent, beginning at S50 per week. Mr. Barbee is aiming at a year- around village especially for retired people. No front lots are being sold, this property being reserved for a board-walk and shops. Streets run per¬ pendicular to the ocean, so that the surf is quickly reached without tres¬ passing. Building restrictions call for a minimum floor area of 750 square feet, and plans must be approved. Lots arc at least 60 to 90 feet wide and 125 feet deep. Cement sidewalks are re¬ quired of all builders. Adjoining this property is an un¬ developed area owned by E. F. Mid¬ dleton. Box 315, Charleston, S. C. Mr. Middleton, original owner and devel¬ oper of much of Oak Island, has sev¬ eral thousand acres of land extending back toward the waterway. He has individual lots for sale, as well as large tracts for people interested in sub¬ dividing for re-sale. Long Beach, the largest and best known of the strand, has been de¬ veloped in sections, beginning in 1939. and now comprises about 7 /г miles of water front. The last two miles, termi¬ nating at Lockwood's Folly Inlet, is being developed by David C. Herring, Charlie Troll and ). B. Ward of South- port. Front a start of 12 to 15 cottages at the end of World War II. the Long Beach section has grown to a com¬ munity of over 300 residences. Facilities now include four grocery stores, two filling stations and some recreational facilities, including a pavil¬ ion. There are no hotels, but accom¬ modations are available at two cottages and numerous cottages arc for sale and rent. Cottages rent for from $55 to $85; apartments for from $35 to $70. Lots now offered for sale are ap¬ proximately 50 feet wide and from 150 to 200 feet deep. Those fronting THE STATE. May S. 1954 13