Wrightsville Beach in New Hanover County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Pioneer East Coast Surfing

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 22, 2024

1. Pioneer East Coast Surfing Marker

Inscription. Early surfing activity organized on beaches near here in 1909 by B.H. Bridgers & others.

Erected 2015 by North Carolina Office of Archives and History. (Marker Number D-116.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Sports. In addition, it is included in the North Carolina Division of Archives and History series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1909.

Location. 34° 11.97′ N, 77° 48.157′ W. Marker is in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, in New Hanover County. It is at the intersection of Waynick Boulevard and Bridges Street, on the right when traveling south on Waynick Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 426 Waynick Blvd, Wrightsville Beach NC 28480, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain and on the Cape Fear Coast.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Lumina (approx. 0.4 miles away); Barnes-Ulmer Cottage (approx. 0.6 miles away); Shore Acres House (approx. 0.6 miles away); Saffo Building (approx. 0.7 miles away); Hanby-Debnam Cottage (approx. 0.9 miles away); Churchill Cottage (approx. 0.9 miles away); Davis-Patteson Cottage (approx. one mile away); Ewing-Bordeaux Cottage (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wrightsville Beach.

Also see . . .
1. Pioneer East Coast Surfing (D-116)

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. Bridgers’ experiments certainly would have been among the earliest appearances of surfboards in the Atlantic Ocean. The surfing that occurred in the Wrightsville beach area in the early 1900s is the earliest documented in the state of North Carolina. (North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources) (Submitted on December 6, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. The History of North Carolina Surfing. What began as a would-be surfer’s dream more than a century ago has become a reality for wave riders up and down the North Carolina coast. It’s a history written on the water by generations of surfers with a shared passion. (Caroline Kelly, Our State magazine, May 28, 2018) (Submitted on December 6, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 22, 2024

2. Pioneer East Coast Surfing Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on December 7, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 5, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 128 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 5, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.