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Wrightsville Beach.

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Title	Wrightsville Beach.
Subject	Wrightsville Beach, Beaches, Banks Channel, Sailboats
Description	Sailing on Banks Channel. Wrightsville Beach was named for Joshua Grainger Wright (1758-1811) who owned a vast amount of acreage along the sounds and the coast. The beach is a part of the North Carolina Banks, a chain of barrier islands, which spans almost all of the North Carolina coast from Virginia to South Carolina. Until the latter half of the nineteenth century, development along the immediate coast was hindered by an inadequate transportation system. In the 1870s, the Shell Road (or Wilmington Turnpike) was built from Wilmington to Wrightsville Sound, making the area more accessible. In 1888, a railway was constructed from downtown Wilmington to the Hammocks (Harbor Island). The same year, the Sea View Railroad was built from the Hammocks to the beach, opening up the beach's southern extension to development. The Town of Wrightsville Beach was incorporated in 1899.
Source	Louis T. Moore Collection 331