Winter Wonderland
The storm started on Jan. 7, 1973, and continued for four days.
“It put down three-quarters of an inch of ice; it was the all-time record for Wilmington,” says Henry Johnston,
a retired architect.
Early in the morning of the 7th, Johnston drove to Figure Eight Island and took these pictures.
Johnston lived in Washington Acres, Hampstead, at the time and worked with the firm of Ballard, McKim,
and Sawyer. He was the project manager at Figure Eight Island from 1971 to 1974. He was also president of
the homeowner’s association. Over his career, he says he designed about 60 Figure Eight Island homes.
His photos from the 5-mile private island’s oceanfront show the ice covering the sea oats.
“In one picture, the car is a Jeep Wagoneer looking south,” he says. “To the extreme right is Tom Avery’s
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WBM february 2020
