Discovering the Random Mailbox on the Beach: A Story of Hope, Love, and Kindred Spirits

North Carolina:

Next time you take a trip to the Sunset Beach, North Carolina area, be on the lookout for The Kindred Spirit Mailbox. A Mailbox that sits atop the sand, near the dunes, and hidden by natural beauty. One that has been used by hundreds of people since the start of one kindred spirit's dream of having a mailbox on sand.

History of The Kindred Spirit:

Who is this Kindred spirit you may ask yourself? Well the mailbox keeper, Claudia Sailor, is a woman who came from the Hope Mills area carrying her dreams in hand.

She held the dream of a mailbox in the sand, and her boyfriend provided her just that, a cute little mailbox sitting in the sand of Sunset Beach. She left it as a spiritual haven for those needing a glimpse of hope or a whisper of love. Claudia sadly passed away in 2013, but her legacy of the mailbox has lived on carrying her dreams past her grave.

Maintaining the mailbox in secret, Claudia had some help, from a friend, Frank Nesmith the co-founder of the mailbox, over the period of time the box became difficult to mantain. Claudia reached out to a local author Jacqueline DeGroot, due to her local ties to the area and profound love for her mailbox. (As its featured in her novel The Secret of the Kindred Spirit.) The communication was by email over the years with requests for Jacqueline to help replace the notebooks periodically as needed.

Legacy to Last a Lifetime:

After Claudia had passed away, DeGroot took lead in recruiting a team of volunteers to keep watch of the land, the notebooks and the mailbox. They meet up together enjoying bike rides and walks while doing repairs not only on the mailbox, but the area it remains in from the dunes to the flag they tend to it.

The archives of the mailbox use to be stored inside the home of Claudia, but apon her passing Nesmith wanted to take her works to the UNCW's Archive Library, where they continue to save for future generations to enjoy. Every summer DeGroot takes the handwritten notes, prayers, letters, and stories of hundreds of visitors from The Kindred Spirit Mailbox to UNCW and they continue to add to the collections today.

How To Find The Kindred Spirit Mailbox:

This is a great adventure for bike rides, and or walking if you like longer trails as you are looking at a 1.4 mile walk from the pier at Sunset Beach to Bird Island. So be sure to have on good shoes, or a trusty bike!

Keep walking, until you see the famouse American flag flapping in the wind, just as allt he tales tell and locals promise. You walk the shoreline, just like the many others before and after you enjoying the fresh air and cool breeze. Just to reach the box where you can get anything and everything off your chest with judgement, and the world to listen.

Bird Island Public Beach Access located at West 40th St. on Sunset Beach, take the access on to the beach, and head southwest (Going away from the Pier). The mailbox is a bit hidden, but still visible from the beach. If you reach the jetty (a landing stage or small pier at which boats can dock or be moored/Used for regulating water ways/a structure that projects from land out into water) you've gone a little too far.

Kindred Spirit MailboxPhoto byDream Time

So if you just want to write a note of admiration, share some love, or need to cry out to someone who will listen, The Kindred Spirit Mailbox will always be standing on the sands carrying Claudia's memory and dream for you to always have a place to share. Remember no matter how alone you are The Kindred Spirit Mailbox will be waiting for you.