Question: What was Figure Eight Island originally part of before it became a private island?
Answer: Figure Eight Island was originally part of the Province of North Carolina, first recorded as such in 1762 under a royal land grant from King George III to James Moore Jr. In 1775, the land passed to revolutionary leader Cornelius Harnett and became known as “The Banks.” Twenty years later, in 1795, Harnett’s property was sold at auction to James Foy, at which point it became part of Poplar Grove Plantation and was renamed “Foy Island” (also popularly called “Woods Beach”). It remained part of the plantation under these names for the next 160 years before eventually being developed into the private island community known today.
