Point O' Woods is a hamlet that consists of a private vacation retreat on Fire Island, New York, United States. Although it resembles a village or small town, with services such as a ferry port, a general store, church and fire department, the private community is open exclusively to members and their guests, who are the only persons allowed in through the hamlet's gate, or allowed to use the private ferry that runs to Point O' Woods from Bay Shore, New York. History Point O' Woods is said to have been the first European-American settlement on Fire Island, though Cherry Grove also makes that claim. The settlement was originally organized in 1894 for religious retreats, some from the Chautauqua assemblies. In approximately 1898, the Chautauqua group went bankrupt, and ownership passed to the Point O' Woods Association. This group still administers it today. Today Point O' Woods serves as a summer vacation retreat for association members and their families. Many members are from the east coast, but there are also members and guests from the west coast, as well as a handful of families coming from outside the United States. The hamlet is opened by the association in mid-spring, and closed in early autumn each year. Wreck of the Elizabeth On July 19, 1850 the English barque Elizabeth sank after running aground on the Fire Island sandbar just off of Point O' Woods. Famed feminist author Margaret Fuller died in the wreck, along with her infant child. Three days after the sinking, Fuller's friend Henry David Thoreau arrived at Point O' Woods to search for her remains. Her body was never recovered. Geography Point O' Woods is located within the Town of Brookhaven, between Ocean Bay Park and Oakleyville. The hamlet is separated from its nearest western neighbor, Ocean Bay Park, by a six-foot chain-link barrier known simply as "the Fence". The Sunken Forest, a park situated below mean high tide level serves as a natural barrier to the east. Tourists are not welcome; the ferry from Bay Shore is privately owned. Uninvited visitors who board may well be met by an association member when they arrive at the Point O' Woods dock and directed to return to Bay Shore. Demographics Essentially a village-sized private club, Point O' Woods is noted for its insularity and exclusivity. The land on which the cottages are built are technically owned by the association,