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Louis T. Moore Collection

Wrightsville Beach - turn of the century.

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Wrightsville Beach - turn of the century.

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Title	Wrightsville Beach - turn of the century.
Subject	Wrightsville Beach, Ocean View Beach
Description	The southern extension of Wrightsville Beach was once called Ocean View Beach after the development company that owned that part of the beach. 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. Atlantic Ocean breaking over one of the jetties. Erosion at Wrightsville Beach has been an ongoing problem since about 1920, due to rapid development and several severe winter nor'easters. The jetties are technically called goins, which are small jetties extending from the shore to protect the beach against erosion, by trapping and collecting shifting sands. In 1923, the first series of wooden jetties were constructed. Later, a series of concrete ones were built, which proved unsatisfactory because the bolts used to hold the material in place, rusted badly. In 1938, with the aid of the Federal Government, sixteen wooden jetties were constructed, spaced one thousand feet apart along the entire beach.
Source	Louis T. Moore Collection 085