Barrel Racing Horses for Sale near Oak Island, NC

About Oak Island, NC

Oak Island, on which much of the town sits, has been inhabited since the early 19th century when Fort Caswell was constructed on its east end in 1838. The island developed slowly, but by the late 1930s it began attracting people from nearby Southport with fox hunting popular in the areas along the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). In 1954, Hurricane Hazel struck, leaving only five buildings standing on the west end of the island The island recovered quickly however, and the towns of Long Beach and Yaupon Beach were incorporated in 1955. Along with this increasing level of development came strident demands for a reliable crossing of the ICW to provide access to the island. When the ICW was completed in the late 1930s, a swingbridge initially provided this service.