How did this wealthy private property between mainland Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach become Figure Eight Island?
Bruce and Dan Cameron, along with their cousin Rayford Trask and investor Richard Weatherill, founded the Island Development Company to develop real estate on the island, which they named Figure Eight after the winding marsh road that leads to it.
The island wasn’t always exclusively privately owned – it was originally part of the land then known as the state of North Carolina in 1762. In 1775, the barrier island was recognized as “The Banks” and became the property of then-Governor James Moore.
Former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate (2004 and 2008) John Edwards owns a resort house on Figure Eight Island, and former Vice President Al Gore (1993-2001) also rented property there. In the summer of 2012, Robert Downey Jr. rented a home on Figure Eight Island while filming Iron Man 3.
Nora Nadeau’s book Figure Eight Revisited lists stars who have rented homes on the island or visited, including George C. Scott, Sissy Spacek, Robert Wagner, Debra Winger, Nick Nolte, Kim Basinger, Nicole Kidman and Barbra Streisand.
According to Nadeau’s book, Andy Griffith had a home on Buckfin Point, Alan Alda lived at 244 N. Beach Road while filming “Bestie’s Wedding,” and artist and entrepreneur Bob Timberlake had a summer home on the island.
The Figure Eight Island property was frequently rented out by television and film production companies, including “Dawson’s Creek” starring Julia Roberts and “Sleeping with the Enemy.”
The island is a popular vacation destination for North Carolina’s wealthy, celebrities, and politicians. Wikipedia It is often referred to as “The Hamptons of the South.”
