In 1918 Alice Hoffman bought substantial acreage on Bogue Banks (known then as “Isle of the Pines”) in the area now occupied by the town of Pine Knoll Shores. She maintained a part time home here until her death in 1953. She left this substantial property to her niece, Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., and her four children.

The Roosevelts envisioned the development of the Town of Pine Knoll Shores. To begin this project, they retained a management consultant firm and later a local engineering firm. These three groups developed a plan which not only set up the physical structure of the town, but also established a long range plan for development in stages. The Roosevelts were actively engaged with those who came to carry it out their plan.

The project commenced in the easternmost section of the town, constructing mostly vacation homes. In 1964, lots were selling for $1,150 to $1,600. Three motels, the Atlantis Lodge, the Sea Hawk, and the John Yancey (now the Royal Pavillion), went up on the oceanfront during this period.

The Roosevelts began to draw up covenants to regulate development of permanent residences. As part of the further development of the central residential area, a homeowners association known as Pine Knoll Association, Inc was established. This organization was assigned the responsibility for maintaining streets, parks, and waterways; providing utilities such as water; and enforcing building standards. The eastern section would also later form an association called PIKSCO. These associations eventually worked together to incorporate the town.

A very important influence of these property owners associations was, and continues to be, their emphasis on residential growth as opposed to commercial development. Farsighted planning by the Roosevelts’ representatives had designated park areas, areas to be kept natural, those to be developed commercially, and those to be held to single family dwellings.

TOWN GOVERNMENT
By the end of the 1960s, as the Roosevelts began to move away from the hands on development in the eaerly stages of the project, the property owners associations assumed responsibility for many town functions. By the early 1970s they were recommending incorporation.

In January 1972, a public meeting was arranged at which a representative of the North Carolina League of Municipalities discussed the advantages of incorporation. As a result of the meeting, a steering committee of nine volunteers was formed to study all aspects of the proposal to incorporate.

In June the committee reported its findings and prepared a draft of a proposed charter of incorporation. A second public meeting was held. Most residents were receptive to the plan. Thus, the committee contacted Carteret County’s representative in the North Carolina General Assembly, submitted the proposed charter and requested that the proposal be presented for enactment.

The General Assembly responded by ratifying the charter on April 25, 1973 and Pine Knoll Shores became officially The Town of Pine Knoll Shores.

TOWN HALL
Original Town Hall
The business office of the new Town of Pine Knoll Shoreswas a small office space for the town clerk at the Atlantis Lodge. Public meetings were held in a large recreation room there. The need for a larger and more permanent office space became rapidly apparent. The solution came when the Roosevelts gave the town the little house formerly a part of Mrs. Hoffman’s home. In July 1974, the house was moved to a 25-acre plot on Pine Knoll Boulevard donated by the Roosevelts as a town hall site.

This building served for the next five years. Consideration of the need for a larger and more adequate town hall began as early as 1976. One of the major considerations was the desire for the Town’s own fire department and a space to house its equipment when acquired. The planning and construction of the project took three years. The move to the new building was accomplished in May 1979.

PINE KNOLL SHORES TODAY
Pine Knoll Shores Today is a quiet coastal community of families, individuals and retirees. The maritime forest originally present has been largely preserved through restrictive covenants and wise development. The result is a beautiful serene environment for a home, a second home, a family or a vacation. Pine Knoll Shores Real Estate is a great investment.

View the demographics of Pine Knoll Shores courtesy of CensusViewer.com