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History · Caswell Beach

Caswell Beach dates to 1975, and 3 of its places are on the National Register

Most of Caswell Beach was built recently: 0.1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1998. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 43 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1946 on, and the census since 1980.

1975founded
3on the National Register
0.1%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Caswell Beach’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Caswell Beach began

When was Caswell Beach founded?

1975

Caswell Beach dates its founding to 1975 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1980.

First census: 110 in 19802020 census: 39551 years
Founding year: Wikidata.The full story ↓

What stands out about Caswell Beach’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Fort Caswell Historic District takes in 43 historic buildings.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Caswell Beach’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Caswell Beach’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewCaswell Beach–1998: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

3 listings protect 44 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
44
each building in a district counts
first listed
2000
Oak Island Life Saving Station
Oak Island Life Saving StationOak Island Lighthouse, built 1957
BuildingsDistrictsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Stick Style1
Eastlake1
Lighthouse1
Oak Island Life Saving StationStick Style
Oak Island LighthouseLighthouse · Built 1957
Fort Caswell Historic DistrictDistrict

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Caswell Beach came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Caswell Beach.

Read it all →

Contiguous to Fort Caswell which dates from 1825, Caswell Beach was incorporated as a town in 1975; both were named for Richard Caswell, 1st & 5th Governor of North Carolina. The fort which is located on the extreme eastern end of Oak Island now houses the North Carolina Baptist Assembly, a Christian retreat and conference center and in 2013 it was designated a National Historic District. Also on the east end of town, the Oak Island Lighthouse which became operational in 1958 was acquired by the town in 2004 after extensive negotiations with the National Park Service. In 1975, the same year the town was incorporated, all 18 holes of the Oak Island Golf Club on the west end of town were first opened for play. Caswell Beach slowly developed into a vacation resort community, but was plagued over the years by the incessant erosion of beach sand due to hurricanes and northeasters. Thi…

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Caswell Beach, 1946 to 1998

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1946On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1957BuiltOak Island Lighthouse is built
  4. 1975
    FoundingCaswell Beach is established
  5. 1998In the archiveCaswell Beach–1998
By decade

Caswell Beach, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s2 items
Caswell Beach–19981998Caswell Beach–1998Honey Paw (1998)1998Honey Paw (1998)
Today15 recent
Plants by2021Plants byBrunswick County in the Great War2021Brunswick County in the Great WarWW-I Rifle Pits in2018WW-I Rifle Pits inOak Island Golf Club–18th Hole2018Oak Island Golf Club–18th HoleOak Island Light North Carolina2016Oak Island Light North CarolinaCaswell Beach NC-Average Temperature Range2016Caswell Beach NC-Average Temperature RangeCaswell Beach NC Map (annotated)2016Caswell Beach NC Map (annotated)MapCaswell Dunes WWI Rifle Range Painting2015Caswell Dunes WWI Rifle Range PaintingHatch Auditorium2012Hatch AuditoriumCaswell Beach Wildlife2012Caswell Beach WildlifeCaswell Beach–2011 View looking East2011Caswell Beach–2011 View looking EastCaswell Beach2011Caswell BeachOak Island Lighthouse View2008Oak Island Lighthouse ViewLooking East from the lighthouse towards Bald Head Island2008Looking East from the lighthouse towards Bald Head Is…Caswell Beach with OI Lighthouse2008Caswell Beach with OI Lighthouse
On the map

Caswell Beach on the map, 1946 to 1990

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Caswell Beach. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Caswell Beach on the 1946 USGS mapCaswell Beach on the 1969 USGS mapCaswell Beach on the 1990 USGS map1946Southport sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Caswell Beach.

People over time

Caswell Beach, census by census

0100200300400198020002020Peak: 398

Between 110 and 398 people in every census since 1980.

5 censuses, 1980–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Caswell Beach’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Caswell Beach

Nobody well known was born in Caswell Beach itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Ariana DeBoseAmerican actress · b. 1991
Sugar Ray LeonardAmerican boxer · b. 1956
Charlie DanielsAmerican singer and musician · b. 1936
Lara TrumpAmerican television producer and campaign advis… · b. 1982
Donna McDowell WhiteAmerican politician · b. 1948
Quinton McCrackenAmerican baseball player · b. 1970
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Oak IslandIts storyD−

Questions about Caswell Beach’s history

What year was Caswell Beach founded?

In 1975, according to Wikidata. the census of 1980 counted 110 people here.

What is on the National Register in Caswell Beach?

Three places: the Oak Island Life Saving Station (listed 2000), the Oak Island Lighthouse (2007) and the Fort Caswell Historic District (2013).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (17), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.