On Oak Island, where “doing it yourself” is basically the only option, residents have their own version of Brigadoon.
By Stacey StoweOct. 5, 2021
When evening comes, it is fatigue that pulls the blanket of darkness over the homes of Oak Island. Most lights wink out by 10 p.m. The habit is a holdover from the days of candles and kerosene lamps, before solar panels and lithium batteries lighted this mile-long island on Long Island’s southern shore, near Fire Island.
Self-sufficiency is tiring. There is no public electricity on Oak Island, no public water, no trash collection, no postal or emergency services. There is not a single store or restaurant. A boardwalk connects the houses. Step off it and you might trudge through briers and poison ivy.