This desperate letter to Hawaii in 1910 is the oldest proof of surfing on the Atlantic Coast

Burke Bridgers Brings Hawaiian Surfing to Wrightsville Beach

Surfing on the East Coast got its start in a small North Carolina beach town back in 1909.

Burke Haywood Bridgers, a local from Wrightsville Beach, read an article about Hawaiian surfing in Collier’s Weekly and thought, “Why not here?” He soon built boards from juniper wood, the same stuff used in local boats. That summer, Bridgers and his friends took their creations to the waves.

They even held a contest at Lumina Pavilion on Labor Day where only the lightest boys could stand up on the boards. When Bridgers wrote to Hawaii for tips, his letter became the first proof of East Coast surfing.

The historic marker at Waynick Boulevard tells this pioneering story that changed American beach culture forever.

A Magazine Article Sparked America’s East Coast Surfing Movement

Alexander Hume Ford wrote “Riding the Surf in Hawaii” in Collier’s Weekly on August 14, 1909. His article told Americans about the fun Hawaiian sport of surfing and urged them to try it.

Collier’s reached thousands of homes across America, showing mainland readers about surfing for the first time.

Burke Haywood Bridgers from Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, read the article and couldn’t stop thinking about it. He loved the stories of Hawaiians standing on wooden boards while riding ocean waves.

Local Man Jumped Into Action Without Any Surfing Experience

After reading Ford’s article in summer 1909, Bridgers quickly got his friends together at Wrightsville Beach to build surfboards and test them in the Atlantic.

The group knew nothing about surfing and worked only from what Ford wrote.

They had to make working boards without ever seeing a real Hawaiian surfboard or watching anyone surf. Bridgers led the group, set on bringing this new sport to North Carolina through pure guesswork.

North Carolina Boat Builders Influenced Early Surfboard Design

Bridgers and friends made their first surfboards from juniper wood.

They picked juniper because local boat builders had used it for years to fight off wood-boring worms that damage boats. The wood grew all over the Carolina coast, making it easy to find.

Bridgers thought what worked for boats might work for surfboards too. The group cut the juniper into flat, paddle-like boards based on Ford’s article.

Labor Day Contest Showcased The New Sport

The Lumina Pavilion held a surfboard contest on Labor Day 1909, just weeks after Bridgers started trying to surf. This big entertainment spot opened in 1905 and served as the main social hub at Wrightsville Beach.

Judges scored people on their skills and how many waves they rode. Crowds watched from the beach as locals tried to ride waves on wooden boards.

This was one of the first surfing contests anywhere on the East Coast.

Weight Problems Sank Their Surfing Dreams

The juniper boards looked good but failed when used. When riders tried to stand up, the light wood couldn’t hold their weight.

The boards stopped moving and sank. Ford’s article never mentioned how big boards needed to be or what weight they could hold.

The Wrightsville Beach surfers got stuck in shallow water, unable to paddle through waves. Their homemade boards worked nothing like the ones Hawaiians used.

Kids Became The First Successful East Coast Surfers

Boys weighing under 100 pounds turned out to be the only people who could surf at Wrightsville Beach. Their light weight kept the juniper boards floating long enough to catch waves.

These kids became the first known successful surfers on the East Coast. Adult riders sank their boards as soon as they stood up.

Because of this weight limit, surfing stayed mostly a children’s activity during these early days at Wrightsville Beach.

Help From Hawaii Became Their Only Hope

Bridgers wrote to Collier’s Weekly asking for Alexander Hume Ford’s advice.

He told them about the problems with their juniper boards and asked for tips on how to build better ones. The letter showed how cut off these early East Coast surfers were from Hawaii’s surfing knowledge.

With no internet, phone calls, or easy travel between Hawaii and the mainland, letters gave them their only link to Hawaiian surfing experts.

His Letter Became Historic Proof Of East Coast Surfing

The Honolulu Pacific Commercial Advertiser printed Bridgers’ letter on April 7, 1910. This created the first written record showing surfing attempts on America’s East Coast.

The newspaper shared his questions about board design and riding methods, saving proof of the Wrightsville Beach surfing tests.

Historians later found this letter and used it to confirm North Carolina’s place in American surfing history.

Decades Of Surfboard Building Followed His First Attempts

Bridgers kept making and improving surfboards through the 1910s and 1920s despite early failures. He tried different woods, shapes, and building methods to fix the floating problems.

Each new board taught him something about what worked in Atlantic waves. His ongoing tests helped make surfing a regular activity at Wrightsville Beach.

Years of trial and error led to boards that finally worked well in East Coast waters.

Young Surfers Learned From The Original Pioneer

Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Bridgers taught local boys how to surf at Wrightsville Beach. He shared everything he had learned about making boards and riding waves over his many years of practice.

Young surfers got their first lessons from the very man who brought the sport to North Carolina.

Bridgers created a lasting surfing tradition that continued even as modern surfboards started replacing his wooden versions.

A Street Sign Now Honors His Forgotten Achievement

A state highway historical marker went up at the intersection of Waynick Boulevard and Bridgers Street in 2015.

The marker officially recognizes Wrightsville Beach as North Carolina surfing’s birthplace and honors Burke Haywood Bridgers’ pioneering role.

More than a century passed between his first surfing experiments and this public recognition.

The street named after his family now features a permanent reminder of how Bridgers helped bring surfing to the East Coast of America back in 1909.

Visiting Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina

You can learn about Burke Haywood Bridgers’ pioneering 1909 surfing at Wrightsville Beach for free.

Find the historical marker at Waynick Boulevard and Bridgers Street, then visit the Wrightsville Beach Museum of History at 303 West Salisbury Street.

The museum is open Thursday-Saturday 10am-4pm and Sunday 1pm-4pm with free admission and surfing exhibits.

You can surf year-round, but avoid designated zones near lifeguard stands during summer and stay away from both piers.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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