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1979 Southport Phone Directory

1979 Southport Phone Directory

1979 Southport Phone Directory

Recently we received a donation of a 1979 Southport Phone Directory, covering Southport-Long Beach-Yaupon Beach-Caswell Beach.

This vintage phone directory came from the home of Mrs. Alice Lucille (Morris) Gore. Alice was born in January 1925 in Northwest, NC. Miss Alice made Southport her home in 1945 when she married Southport native and WWII veteran, Edgar Gore.

Edgar’s career spanned 31 years in Brunswick County. He served as an educator at Lincoln High School, then as an Administrator at North Brunswick High School, before retiring as Science Supervisor for all of Brunswick County Schools. Edgar and Alice lived at 510 N. Lord Street until Edgar built a new house for them at 411 N. Lord St. Alice and Edgar raised four children in Southport. Their daughter, Alexis Gore Graves, lives in the family’s historic home at 510 N. Lord St.

Alice was a member of Mt. Carmel AME Church for more than 70 years. Church service was an important part of Alice’s life. On the front of the phone directory, “Reverend Henley 628-6558” was handwritten for quick reference. Reverend Henley was the pastor of Mt. Carmel AME from 2012-2015.

We appreciate this donation which offers insights into daily life over forty years ago, such as:

  • This was the first year that a local Southport directory was created. 15,000 copies were published and distributed for free to permanent residents, businesses, motels, and summer cottages.
  • The entire directory which includes business and personal numbers, is only 66 pages long.
  • Only two exchanges were used: 457 for Southport numbers and 278 for Oak Island
  • Although the first 911 service was established in 1968, it had yet to reach the Southport area by 1979. Residents who were in need of help had to dial different 7-digit numbers to reach police, fire, or ambulance assistance. Each town had its own set of numbers.

Here’s a link to the directory. Let us know what memories it inspires!

Brunswick County Stories

Brunswick County Stories

Brunswick County Stories

by Dale Coleman Spencer

Great Uncle Jack Potter was a quiet man and Great Aunt Fannie (Lewis) Potter was a sweet, country girl!  My brothers, sister and I would stay with Uncle Alden Potter (Uncle Jack’s son) and Aunt Frances during the summertime. I remember Uncle Jack being “stern” but loving and Aunt Fannie was a “second” mom to us when we were there.  We slept in a room upstairs which was very large, and during the summer, that room was hotter than Vietnam!  No air conditioning and heat rises!  Uncle Alden and Aunt Frances lived about a mile from Uncle Jack’s.  We had to walk to their house in the evenings to take a bath, Uncle Al and Aunt Frances didn’t have a shower or tub!

I remember Uncle Jack’s house being made of wood, the “great room” was on the right side of the house, and it was huge!  Deer heads on the wall and a big fireplace.  All the floors were made of wood, but dull wood, not “shiny” like we are used to today.  Also, the hallway was kind of wavy, up, and down, up, and down!  At the end of the hallway was a big pump organ.  We would have to pump it up to play with it, what a job that was!  They had a lot of land, pigs, chickens, horses, bees, silos, etc.  We would ride the horses; however, I was scared to death of the horses, every time we went, our cousins and us had to catch those damn horses in the pasture so we could ride them……the horses would run in one direction, and I would run in the other.  One time, the bees got after me, my brother David and cousin Al.  I was screaming the loudest and didn’t get a single sting, however, brother David and Al were both stung…I guess my screaming was my salvation.  Uncle Jack was very special to my dad.  He said after his father died (my dad was 13 when his dad died) Uncle Jack kind of filled in his shoes and helped raise my dad.  So, we went to the “country” a lot.  Looking back, it was some wonderful times, and I could kick myself for not knowing more about both of them back then. 

My father, William H. Coleman, Jr. was born in Lockwood Folly and raised in Winnabow. He told me the story of when he was very young.  He would walk behind the tobacco trucks/trailers and gather up the tobacco leaves that fell off.  He would take them to the tobacco barns and sell his tobacco for 05./.10 cents.  He would then go home, take the battery out of the family radio, and take it to the country store.  He would ask the storekeeper to charge the battery for the 05/10 cents he earned from his tobacco leaves.  What was so important about getting that battery charged?  To listen to the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night of course!

I wonder how many people remember doing the same thing.

Southport’s 228-year-old Tradition

Southport’s 228-year-old Tradition

Southport's 228-year-old Tradition

by Liz Fuller, SHS President

Ft. Johnston Southport Museum and Visitor Center was decorated for the 4th of July by the Southport Garden Club working with City Employees and BEMC, photo by Larry Ashley

 

Nowadays, Southport is known as the home of the North Carolina 4th of July festival. But celebrating Independence Day on the lawn of the Garrison is a tradition that goes back more than 225 years. Many of the men who attended those early celebrations were veterans of the Revolutionary War. It’s likely that part of their entertainment involved swapping stories about their encounters with the British, right here, on the shores of the Lower Cape Fear.


Fort Johnston had originally been built by the British military. In 1775, it was still flying the British flag. In July of that year, five hundred Minute Men from Wilmington and Brunswick burned the fort to the ground. Their plan was to drive the British from these shores and to open up the Cape Fear river to the Continental forces.

The British responded by bringing in 5000 troops, stationing many of the men on Smith Island (Bald Head), and at the remains of the ruined fort. Over the course of ten months, the British presence in the Lower Cape Fear grew to seventy vessels. Their fleet included two large men-of-war ships with 50 guns, which they positioned outside the bar. Most of these enemy vessels moved on within a year, leaving to fight elsewhere. But those that stayed, continued to harass the inhabitants by sending troops ashore to pillage supplies and burn houses.

In 1795, twenty years after Fort Johnston had been destroyed, the newly formed U.S. government assigned troops to rebuild it. So, on Independence Day, the military officers who were stationed there, decided to host a celebration. They invited local inhabitants of Smithville and Federal Pointe, captains of vessels lying in the harbor, and summertime visitors from Wilmington, to gather together to celebrate the nation’s nineteenth birthday.


They set up a large awning on the lawn and served a hearty meal. After dinner, they began to make toasts, vying to top each other with their eloquence and patriotic sentiments. Each of the fifteen toasts was followed by loud cheers and the firing of cannons. Many of the toasts honored the past. They saluted the men whose wisdom, spirit, and bravery had contributed to the success of the revolution. But the final toast of the evening, looked toward the future, and the possibilities that lay ahead for their young country. “The progress of useful knowledge! May the arts and sciences be cultivated with success, and their great end be directed to the improvement of social happiness!


And so, let us follow their example. As we celebrate the this birthday of the United States of America, may we take a moment to look back with pride at all that our nation has accomplished, and look forward with optimism, to all that we have yet to achieve!

Brick by Brick: The Inspiring Stories Billy & Mary Drew by Charles Drew

Brick by Brick: The Inspiring Stories Billy & Mary Drew by Charles Drew

Brick by Brick: The Inspiring Stories

Billy & Mary Drew

by Charles Drew

I purchased a brick for my grandparents Billy & Mary Drew from the Southport Historical Society. What a great way to honor and remember their legacy and admiration of their hometown Southport, NC.


My grandfather was an integral part of many Southport natives that played sports. He coached little league baseball for many years at Taylor Field and was the 1st coach in the state to allow a female to play on the Southport team. My grandmother never missed a ballgame or school function. Southport High School was the heartbeat of Old Southport, and they were dedicated to their school and the children of Southport, assisting in any way they could.

Photography thanks to Mary Ellen Watts Poole

My grandfather, Billy Drew, was also a member of the Southport Fire Department, joining in 1953 and serving nearly 50 years. He rose in the ranks to Assistant Chief. He was also instrumental in helping with fundraisers and functions with the Southport Jaycees and the NC 4th of July Festival. He participated in softball tournaments and the infamous Donkey Soft Ball at Taylor Field.


In the early 1990’s he led the efforts to restore Southport’s first fire truck, the 1922 Model T. What a jewel and prized possession it is today, showcased at Fire Headquarters.


Mary and Billy were married for 60+ years, and they loved and cherished everything about Southport. I am so thankful to have a brick in their honor and memory displayed at Ft Johnston. Thank you to the Southport Historical Society for such a great program to remember our Southport loved ones, that may not be with us any longer in body, but their spirit still stands in such a sacred way!