John N Smith Cemetery on Natl. Registry of Historic Places
Please join us in congratulating the John N Smith Cemetery on its addition to the National Register of Historic Places. The cemetery, which is located at 225 E. Leonard St. in Southport, is the largest African American Cemetery in Brunswick County. It was established after the Civil War. In 1880, three African American citizens, Whitfield Griffin, his wife, Marietta, and their friend, Henry Hankins, sold 2.5 acres of land to a local church to be used as a community cemetery. The property was expanded in the 1940s when an additional acre was purchased. The cemetery is still used for burials today. There are nearly 1800 graves. Of those, 1243 are unmarked. Their original markers, likely made of wood or ballast stones, have been lost to the ravages of time. The oldest gravesite which dates back to 1874, marks the grave of John N. Smith, the cemetery’s namesake.
Today, the cemetery is owned by John N Smith Restoration and Preservation, Inc (JNSRP). This organization led the effort to get the cemetery recognized as an historic site. The Southport Historical Society has partnered with JNSRP for several years in this effort. SHS wrote most of the original application to the state review board getting it placed on the North Carolina Registry of Historic Places. Subsequently, SHS contributed funds to help pay for a consultant to write the National application and to shepherd it through the review and approval process.
SHS is proud to have been a partner in this project. We look forward to ongoing collaboration with JNSRP.