WILMINGTON, N.C. — The area now known as Wrightsville Beach used to be home to one of the nation's first African American resorts in the early 1920s.
What You Need To Know
Shell Island Resort opened in 1923 and quickly became a national sensation
The resort burned down in 1926 after only three summer seasons and was never rebuilt
The cause of the fire is unknown, but there are several unusual coincidences surrounding it
Much of the history of Shell Island is lost or relatively unknown to beachgoers and locals alike, but when historian Marc Farinella moved to Wilmington, his curiosity got the better of him, and he began to dig into the past surrounding the old Black resort.
“The way the developers were really going to make their money was not by running the resort, that was left to African American entrepreneurs, they were going to make money by selling lots and financing the construction of cottages,” Farinella said. “The resort itself drew large crowds, there was a lot of excitement about it, people were coming and going all the time, but they seemed to really struggle in selling the lots.”
Very few official records and information still exists, which made putting this puzzle together extremely difficult. Farinella believes thanks to his findings at the Register of Deeds office, he's put together a comprehensive picture.
“The developers were not making money as they had hoped, and there was probably no chance of them making money as long as there was a high-profile African American resort on the island,” Farinella said. “What they really wanted at that point was to find a way to clear it off and develop it for a more affluent, white clientele.”
A fire with unknown causes in the main pavilion in the summer of 1926 made that a reality. The resort was never rebuilt or reopened, but the island itself remained in the families of the three original developers for years until 1965 when the Army Corps of Engineers completely closed Moore's Inlet, which used to separate Shell Island and Wrightsville Beach.
“In a way you need to give the developers some credit for having a bold, really audacious vision,” Farinella said. “They stuck their necks out there a little bit, but when it became clear they weren't going to make any money they bailed out.”
The beach has always been a place of escape for people. In the 1920s Shell Island was one of the only places Blacks were allowed to enjoy leisure and relaxation, and today, Wrightsville Beach is a place people from all walks of life gather to soak up sun and sand in an environment that welcomes all.
“I think a lot of people miss the point of how unusual this would've been,” Farinella said. “African Americans were typically not allowed access to beautiful beaches. Here they had a beautiful beach at a first-class resort in a safe environment where they could relax and enjoy leisure activities that just weren't available elsewhere in 1923.”