Masonboro Banks - North Carolina

Cultural History

Giozanni Verrazzano, on an expedition sponsored by Francis I of France in 1542, may have described Masonboro Island. The mainland shore of the area was settled during the second quarter of the 18th century by farmers and fishermen. More affluent landowners established summer residences. Confederate troops were stationed along the mainland shore, particularly near Whiskey Creek, the largest saltworks in the area. It was destroyed by Union troops in 1864. The island and sound were involved in the wrecks of at least four vessels during the course of the war. During the last half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, the most important fisheries of the area were mullet, flounders, shrimps, clams and oysters. Since the completion of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway in 1932, the area has been developed as a resort destination.

Masonboro Banks

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