Hampstead’s popularity today can be attributed in part to the many recreational activities offered in the area.
Once only a small fishing village, Hampstead is now in one of the fastest growing areas in North Carolina. Newcomers of all ages are making the quaint little waterfront community their permanent home, and many of them are retirees, seeking the peace of mind towns like Hampstead provide.
The community first gained fame in the late 1700s, when it served as a temporary home for the first president of the United States. When residents say, “George Washington slept here,” they mean it. He bunked in a local public house in 1791 on his tour of the Southern states. In honor of his visit, the Washington Oak, now a massive live oak tree, was planted as part of a monument by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1925, and today it is still the centerpiece of the town.
Hampstead, the largest of many small communities that make up Topsail Township, is still home to rustic fishing shacks on the banks of the Intracoastal Waterway, where generations have lived and plied their trade in the nearby waters. Sadly, a result of progress and rising land values, many of those quaint relics of another time are being replaced by large, modern homes.
