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Better Beach Rentals - Oak Island Vacation and Long Term Accommodations
Oak Island Rentals and Vacation Accommodations


About the history of Oak Island

Early development of Oak Island as a community unofficially began in 1826 with the construction of Fort Caswell. In 1889, construction of the Oak Island Lighthouse was complete and the Oak Island Lifesaving Station was fully operational to protect sailors from the nearby rough waters of the mouth of the Cape Fear River . The fort and lighthouse were the first areas of Oak Island to have a "permanent population".

Until 1939, Oak Island was still undeveloped, and was frequented mostly by fox hunters. The island was known to be a great place for fox hunting, and the hunts would remain an important part of the Island 's early years. In 1936, the Atlantic Intra-Coastal Waterway (ICW) was completed. This made Oak Island a true island as the ICW construction deepened portions of the Elizabeth River , severing it from the mainland.

Ernest Felder Middleton, a timber exporter from Charleston , SC , bought land on Oak Island in 1938. Middleton, along with his partners in Carolina Lands, Inc. began development of the area on Oak Island known as Long Beach . By 1939, Long Beach was officially open to the public. At this time the town had a pavillion, a canteen with a dining room and 20 bath houses. Early visitors enjoyed orchestras and dances at the pavillion every Saturday night. During this time, Carolina Lands also finished construction on some roads, and offered the first oceanfront lots for sale... each for the hefty sum of $350.00! By 1940, Long Beach had about 40 cottages. These early years saw a short building boom on the Island , but during World War Two, construction came to a halt as building materials were scarce and activity was hampered by "dim-out" restrictions. By 1944, construction had returned to normal.

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