Topsail Beach is a town in Pender County, North Carolina, United States.

Local folklore claims the name, Topsail (pronounced Tops’l), originated during the 1700s when pirate ships, including Blackbeard, roamed the coastal waters.

Eventually, the merchants became aware of this infamous hiding place and began to watch for the tops of the pirates' sails showing over the rolling dunes - hence the name Topsail Island.

Area residents frequently made this short trip to picnic and search for the pirate Blackbeard's rumored buried treasure.

During World War II, the U.S. Navy took over the island and began a joint venture with Johns Hopkins University known as Operation Bumblebee.

An arsenal center for the assembly and storage of rockets was built on the sound side of the island, and launching pads were constructed on the oceanfront.

Many of the original military structures still exist today, and several of the concrete observation towers have since been converted into private residences and places of business.

The Museum is home to exhibits such as Pirates of the Carolinas, Operation Bumblebee, Camp Davis, The Towns of Topsail Island, Topsail's Natural Beauty and Fragility, Traces of Native Americans on the Island and an International Shell Exhibit.