All Bogue Banks is Divided into Three Parts...Part III

The island of Bogue Banks has some of the richest history along the entire NC Crystal Coast and names such as Blackbeard, Henry Fort, Alice Hoffman, Nathaniel Macon and Bill McLean add a unique aura to the island. This blog is all about the history of Bogue Banks, and whether you visit here occasionally or live here full time, it is a history that deserves telling.

Like many of North Carolina's coastal islands, Bogue Banks was first home to Native Americans; the Algonquin tribe occupied the surrounding countryside from about 500 A.D. to colonial times. Later, the area was settled by whalers and fishermen. Much like Caesar observed that all Gaul can be divided into three parts, the modern history of Bogue Banks can be best appreciated if we divide its development into three phases. In previous blogs, I examined the history of the eastern and middle parts of Bogue Banks, highlighting Atlantic Beach and Salter Path, respectively. In this blog, I review the history of the western third of Bogue Banks and here the focus is on Emerald Isle.

As noted previously, Mr. John Royall owned the western 4/5ths of Bogue Banks in the early 1900s along with several islands in Onslow County. Fort was a Bostonian and presumably he valued the land as a hunting diversion. In 1922, Mr. Royall sold the property on Bogue Banks to Mr. Henry K. Fort of Pennsylvania for $70,000. Mr. Fort was connected to the Dixon Pencil Company of Pennsylvania and planned to use cedar from the property in the manufacture of pencils. I don’t think any timber was ever used to manufacture pencils. Instead, Mr. Fort drew up plans and specifications for a resort development. There still exists a copy of those plans which are remarkably similar to the way the Town has developed. Upon the death of Mr. Fort, the land was inherited by his daughter Anita Fort Maulik.

A number of years later, Ms. Maulik sold the timber rights to W. B. "Bill” McLean in 1946. McLean also saw the potential to develop the island as a seaside paradise, but Anita Fort Maulik did not want to sell the property and McLean did not have enough money to buy the property. Anita later agreed to sell the property for $350,000, and McLean began asking friends if they would be willing to invest in his dream along with his friend George Spell. J. A. "Bus” Singleton, Bill’s brother-in-law threw in, as did Hiram Grantham, another family friend. Between the four of them they had $200,000 which was pretty much their life savings. They still needed another $150,000 which was obtained when Robert Holding, then president of First Citizens Bank of Smithfield, put down the money in the name of his three sons, Frank, Lewis, and Robert Jr.

After the purchase, the land was divided into 54 blocks, 1,100 feet wide each, running from the sound to the sea. The seven then drew numbers to see who owned which parcels and development started. It is said that Emerald Isle received its name when a consultant hired by Bill McLean and George Spell to advise on the property purchase, flew over the Bogue Banks. The area appeared with its lush forest, a green gem in the middle of a sea of sparking water. The advisor suggested the name 'Emerald Isle'.

Shortly after Anita Maulik sold the western 12 mile stretch of Bogue Banks to seven individuals for $350,000, Alice Hoffman died and her real estate holdings reverted back to the Roosevelt family. These two sets of new ownership began selling their vast estates which were subsequently developed to their modern levels of today. Emerald Isle, developed by Bill McLean and friends was incorporated in 1957 and Pine Knoll Shores, developed by the Roosevelt Trust, was charted in 1973. Emerald Isle has seen significant growth since the Cameron Langston Bridge was erected in 1971, connecting the mainland to the western region of Bogue Banks. Development in Pine Knoll Shores, on the other hand, has been on a slower track, more of a planned community, as the Roosevelt heirs inserted several levels of restrictions, e.g., requiring a permit to cut down a tree with a trunk greater than 2 inches in diameter. Both strategies have their merits and when you visit, I can show you the pros and cons of both.

So, there you have it: the history of Emerald Isle and Pine Knoll Shores two communities occupying the middle and western third of Bogue Banks. When you are ready to make your contribution to the history of Bogue Banks by purchasing property here along the Crystal Coast give me a call at 919-308-2992. And return next week to this website for another blog post on Living Where You Vacation.

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