![]() ![]() “I want future generations to understand the resiliency of the African-American community and how they were able to do something that was not acceptable in a lot of places,” she said. She hopes the marker is an encouragement for future generations. Torrey lives in Durham now, but she still visits her family’s beach home when she wants to get away from the big city. “Certainly, Ocean City was in the midst of white communities on each side, but we enjoyed the beach and enjoyed families.” “They had a common interest that found them together, without regard to race at that time,” he said. The pier was a business venture led by Black people, but white people participated as stock holders. One was everyone fishing together at the pier when the fish were biting. “I grew up in the Jim Crow South, and particularly here in Wilmington.”Īlthough there was racial tension, Chestnut said there were some positive things he saw as a youth. “That was the way of the world,” he said. Like Torrey, Chestnut remembers those moments when the beach was split in parts based on skin color. “Everyone enjoyed each other’s company, and it was always a family oriented safe community,” he said. To make meals, women would go crabbing and their sons would help carry baskets. Chestnut said he always felt safe in the beach community where families would share seafood dishes. He also worked at the pier, doing chores and selling snow cones. “Some of that was playing in the water and sand and having fun with my friends, and fishing.” “I have fond memories of being at the beach in the summer and during the fall on the weekends,” Chestnut said about getaways from Wilmington. Chestnut’s father, Wade Chestnut, managed the fishing pier and led the development of Ocean City. The family home was built in 1949 and was rebuilt in 1955 after it was destroyed by Hurricane Hazel. His parents, Wade H Chestnut and Caronell Chestnut, were the first homeowners. “It will be a big boost for us and will expand the recognition for the Ocean City community.” “I’m a big believer that we need to be aware of our history and know our history, and this will help people become more aware of the Ocean City community,” he said. ![]() said the historical marker is very significant, before mentioning other ways to preserve history. They were assisted by the Town of North Topsail Beach, the Historical Society of Topsail Island and others. Torrey submitted the application for the marker recognition. The sign will be a part of the state’s Civil Rights Trail. In July, Ocean City will be honored with a historical marker from the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and the N.C. ![]() “They didn’t make it a place where Black people could just go dance and seek entertainment,” Torrey said. Today, Torrey is working with other community members to keep the historical legacy alive as the president of the Ocean City Beach Citizens Council. It was created as a vacation haven in the late 1940s for Black people and the only place they could purchase oceanfront property.Ĭommunity members of Ocean City attend church at St Mark’s Episcopal Chapel, now known as Wade H Chestnut Memorial Chapel in North Topsail Beach. “There was seriously an invisible line that separated us,” Torrey said.ĭuring those days, the stretch on the island was known as Ocean City, a place where Black people could enjoy the beach without harassment. The memories also include watching the waves hitting the shore, while looking to the right and left, and seeing large crowds of white people during the days of segregation. In the 1950s, Carla Torrey spent her childhood summers watching her father build houses on Topsail Island and other structures like the Wade Chestnut Memorial Chapel, which is still around today.
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