Editing Caswell Beach, North Carolina (section)

==History==
Contiguous to Fort Caswell which dates from 1825,  Caswell Beach was [[municipal corporation|incorporated]] as a town in 1975; both were named for [[Richard Caswell]], 1st & 5th Governor of North Carolina.<ref name="Governor Caswell">{{cite web|url=http://www.southporttimes.com/featured/200404.html|title=Governor Caswell|website=StarNews.com|access-date=January 30, 2019}}</ref>  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]].<ref name="nps">{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/13001025.htm|title=National Register of Historic Places Listings|date=January 10, 2014|work=Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 12/30/13 through 1/03/14 |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>  Also on the east end of town, the Oak Island Lighthouse which became operational in 1958 <ref name="NRRP Data">{{cite web|url=https://files.nc.gov/ncdcr/nr/BW0260.pdf|title=National Register of Historic Places|website=NPS.gov|access-date=May 13, 2019}}</ref> was acquired by  the town in 2004 after extensive negotiations with the [[National Park Service]].<ref name="Lighthouse Transfer">{{cite web|url=http://www.lighthousedigest.com/Digest/StoryPage.cfm?StoryKey=2139|title=Lighthouse Transfer|website=LighthouseDigest.com|access-date=January 25, 2019}}</ref>  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. [[File:Caswell Beach–1998.jpg|left|thumb|Beach Erosion–1998]] [[File:Honey Paw (1998).jpg|left|thumb|Beachfront property after 1998 Nor'easter]]Caswell Beach slowly developed into a vacation resort community,<ref name="Geographic Identifiers">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US3710960| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212193856/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US3710960| archive-date=February 12, 2020| title=Census 2010|website=Census.gov| access-date=January 30, 2019}}</ref> but was plagued over the years by the incessant erosion of beach sand due to hurricanes and northeasters. This erosion threatened the town's main thoroughfare (Caswell Beach Rd) and made uninhabitable many ocean front houses.  Installation of roadside sandbags provided temporary relief and its success prompted the town to set in motion an intensive restoration and preservation effort  focused on installing sand fences and planting sea oats/beach grass. This work was abetted by the Wilmington Harbor Channel Project, which dumped huge amounts of sand on the beach as a least cost disposal option.<ref name="Harbor Channel Project">{{cite web|url= https://www.saw.usace.army.mil/Portals/59/docs/review_plans/2016%20Congressional%20Fac%20Sheets/Wilmington%20Harbor,%20NC%20(Navigation)%20OM%20.pdf |title=Harbor Channel Project|website=USACE.gov|access-date=January 30, 2019}}</ref> This effort was very successful and widely recognized as the town received a national award in 2002 for Best Restored Beach.<ref name="Bausch">{{cite book | author=Bausch F. A. | title=Nothing Like Losing | location=Caswell Beach , NC | publisher=Amazon| year=2013 | isbn=978-0-9853517-6-2}}</ref>