Went down to the south end of Topsail this past weekend – absolutely beautiful – looking much as the island did before so much development. T’was good for the soul and since I’m writing about a time when the island looked like this picture, it was very helpful. A friend of mine and her two grandchildren came along – they forgot the coolness of the water and ventured on to low tide islands and rolled down sand dunes. I watched as the boy let his feet sink into the sand before taking a step forward – a game I had forgotten about but was at once reminded of. Up and down the dunes they went, racing one another – we all had a good time. I urge anyone who has not been to the most southern tip of Topsail to do so – to walk all the way from the sound side, past the inlet and to the ocean side – it is fantastic.

Geez – this was so long ago – late 50s perhaps. My sister is helping me take a photo – doesn’t look like I’m too interested. 

The first fishing pier on Topsail Island was Surf City Fishing Pier – as far as I can determine, Barnacle Bill’s was the second – it came about in either ’56 or ’57 –  It was owned by a group of investors, but Lewis Williamson ran the pier for several years. The place offered all kinds of things for everyone to do – fishing, games, food, beach access – every summer there was a lifeguard on duty at the pier. It was definitely the place for families to go,

 This picture was taken during the early 1960s  – during fishing season the pier was always packed.

This is what the island looked like in the 1930s. WOW! I wasn’t around then, but I do remember when the northern part of Topsail resembled this. There were practically no houses. One of the favorite past times for many of the people (especially wives) was to drive the length of the island. I remember riding with my mom and going mile after mile and passing nothing but sand and an occasional house. In the 60s McKee’s Fishing Pier was built at the north end. That was a big deal. Wish I had a picture of that!

As a child I carried around a little Brownie camera  and took pictures of various things. The above picture is of Barnacle Bill’s after Hurricane Donna. The bottom picture is a picture of the flooding caused by Donna. The date at the top of the pictures is the date they were printed. Often I kept one roll of film in my camera for months.

Another bit of history about Topsail Island. Many I know are all ready aware that the military installed the pontoon bridge in 1940. But did you know that the status of one’s tail pipe was contingent on the tide? When crossing the bridge extremely high or low tide could cause one’s rear end to slam against the pavement.  No wonder the islanders were happy to see the new swing bridge installed in 1956.

      Just a little history –
     October 15, 1954 Hurricane Hazel hit the southeast coast of North Carolina. She hit at high tide and during a full moon. A category 4 hurricane, she wrecked more havoc than most cat 4s because of the aforementioned facts. Hazel was one of the most dangerous hurricanes in recorded history cutting a swath of destruction reaching the northeast coastal areas of the United States.
     Before 1953 hurricanes were not named but were numbered. During that year, there were none of any magnitude. However, the following year, on August 31, 1953, Hurricane Carol hit the northeast coast, doing great damage to Connecticut and other nearby coastal areas.
    Carol and Hazel were so horrific that their names have been retired from the pool of names used in naming hurricanes.

Posted the mini commercial for THE DAYS OF HAIRAWN MUHLY – just click on   copy of The Days of Hairawn Muhly  and the ad will run. Please let me know what you think – I need all the feedback I can get.
For those of you who are authors – this is such a great way to get the word out – and it’s free. So many thanks to my friend DSM – she is the brains behind my madness.

Copy of The Days of Hairawn Muhly

click on  Copy of The Days of Hairawn Muhly to see commercial