Topsail in the 1930s

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!

Hurricane Donna

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.