Situated at the southern end of Topsail Island, off the coast of southeastern
North Carolina, the Town of Topsail Beach is the smallest of the three
communities located on the 26-mile long island. North Topsail Beach occupies
the northernmost section, and Surf City, the largest town on the island,
is in the center. The Island is just off US Highway 17, about half-way
between Wilmington and Jacksonville. Topsail Island has a rich and varied
history.
Although folklore has it that the island was named Topsail (pronounced
Tops'l) because pirate ships hid behind the island with their topsails
visible from the sea, the name came from New Topsail Inlet. This inlet's
name can be found on early navigational charts with the other Topsail Inlet
located in Beaufort, N.C. Soon after J.G. Anderson developed the southernmost
end of the island and named it New Topsail Beach, the island has been called
Topsail.
Prior to World War II, the only access to Topsail Island was by boat.
Area residents frequently made this short trip and picnicked on the sandy
shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Local farmers are said to have driven their
livestock across the waterways to graze on wild grass.
Treasure hunters searched for Blackbeard’s infamous buried treasure throughout
the maritime forests which covered the island. During the early part of
the 1900's a few structures, less than a dozen, were built along the sound
and were used as shelter for fishing trips and summer vacations.
Immediately after the war, the Navy took possession of the island and
began a joint project with Johns Hopkins University known as Operation
Bumblebee which was an early guided missile development program. Over 200
missiles were test fired. The missile assembly building is located on the
sound at Channel Blvd. and Flake Ave. in the Topsail Beach business district
which is now used as a museum and meeting center.
The launch pad is used
as a patio for the Jolly Roger Motel. Several missile tracking towers still
stand along the island. The testing program was dismantled in 1948 and
the island was given back to the original owners. The roads and bridge
were left intact and so began the development of the island.
