TOPSAIL ISLAND,
MAYBERRY BY THE SEA

   It was called sand island, spit island or the banks. Farmers brought their cattle and hogs across the shallow water to graze. Locals came to fish and picnic too, but that was before 1949 when finally, this stretch of sand was named Topsail Island.  
     That’s a rich enough history for any place, but there is so much more to this little stretch of sand than names; our little place had pirates and whales and Native Americans.  And if you grew up on Topsail or have been coming here since forever, you’ve heard these stories, bits and pieces of them. Perhaps you even traversed the dunes brandishing make-believe sea oats swords fighting off those make-believe pirates. 
     Oh, the good old days, they are lost in the past. It’s 2025 and now Topsail has parks and doctor’s offices, grocery stores, coffee shops, and the list goes on. The word is out about spit island, and everyone wants to come to our playground by the sea. 
    Topsail has changed but thanks to Ray McAllister, the images of the old days, our rich and romantic history, is kept alive and readers of his wonderful depiction of Topsail, can catch a glimpse of what some call, Mayberry by the Sea.
          A vacation to Topsail Island prompted him to write this local favorite. The title, he says, comes from hearing so many visitors likening our little spot of land to the town of Mayberry on the Andy Griffith Show. 
      McAllister’s book paints a picture of how the island was before it was inhabited, and then he brings the island full circle with stories about hurricanes, the swing bridge, World War II, the towers, the bear, the gold hole and much more. It is a place chock full of history and memories of a different time. From it’s beginning to where it is now, McAllister invites readers to marinate in our savory past, in our native windblown oaks and junipers; to bask in the sun and waves, and enjoy our little towns.
      McAllister has been writing his whole life, beginning in elementary school where he started the school newspaper. He continued in high school and in college and since then has written for several publications including The Richmond Times-Dispatch. Mr. McAllister has written over 2,700 columns and has won several awards. 
     The updated and enlarged second edition of Topsail Island, Mayberry by the Sea, is available for purchase now. A few changes have been made, but then it’s been 20 years since the book first came out. 
     McAllister’s penning of the flourishing first few decades of Topsail Island, paints a wonderful picture. I can see the nine fishing piers that once fingered out into the Atlantic. His accounting of the way of life on the island is spot on as he describes the vision of the men who were so instrumental in the development of Topsail. He does a great job capturing it all of the cherished coastal details.